Falling for the offseason Kool-Aid has become a practice for fans of the Chicago Bears. It explains why there is palpable disappointment year after year.
It cannot happen again. Until there is substantial improvement and not a one-year wonder like it was in 2018, the Bears cannot be trusted. Yes, they made headlines this offseason by bringing in Ben Johnson as their new head coach, but that is not the end of the story.
Many will believe this is nothing more than an attempt to get clicks, but the reality is, the Bears play in arguably, the most competitive division in the National Football League. Their roster, at least on paper, boasts talent, and that talent is young. There are plenty of holes.
Chicago did a lot this past offseason, investing heavily in the offensive line with the trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, the free agent signing of Drew Dalman, and the drafting of Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo. They also added to the defense in the form of Dayo Odenigbo and Grady Jarrett, along with Texas A&M rookie Shemar Turner.
It's all well and good, but the reality is, it all comes back to QB Caleb Williams. The expectations around the former Heisman Trophy Winner exponentially increased due to fellow draftmate Jayden Daniels resurrecting the Washington Commanders, throwing a Hail Mary to spoil Williams' return to the DMV, and then Washington to the NFC Championship game.
The Chicago Bears cannot afford to be complacent, and it starts with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams
The good news for Williams is that the Bears added two more weapons for him in Missouri's Luther Burden III, and Michigan's Colston Loveland. Both have big game experience with Burden playing in the SEC and Loveland having won a national championship in Ann Arbor in 2023, beating Michigan State and Ohio State in the process.
So, now that we've made our critical pieces, let's focus on the good side. With Matt Eberflus no longer running the show, the Bears now have a chance to right the wrongs from the past. No longer should they be in a spot where the coach doesn't put the right situation out to defend a Hail Mary, and it flops miserably. No longer should the Thanksgiving fiasco occur, provided the team knows what to do.
Those days have to end. There's no reason not to feel excited about a change in the Windy City, but the Bears still have a long way to go if they want to reach the elite status of the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
It's ok to believe the Bears going to be better. It truly is. They have a good enough team that should make them respectable, but that can't be the standard. They need to be better. Furthermore, any aspirations of making a significant leap in the NFC standings need to be tempered just a bit.