NFL Analyst Provides Sobering Take On Chicago Bears

There is seemingly endless hype surrounding the Chicago Bears heading into the 2024 NFL season thanks to a very active offseason that included some high-profile trades and free-agent signings as well as a star-studded draft.

But are the Bears being a bit overrated right now?

Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon seems to think so.

With many expecting Chicago to make a deep playoff run, Gagnon isn’t even so sure the Bears will make the postseason, projecting them to win eight or nine games as a result of the NFC being a bit too deep.

Why is there so much buzz around the Bears?

Chicago selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Draft in April, which probably would have been enough on its own to generate plenty of media attention.

But the Bears also selected wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth pick in addition to landing pieces such as Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Gerald Everett via trades and free agency.

Plus, Chicago already had stars like wide receiver DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet in tow.

While the Bears certainly have a whole lot of talent on paper, there are still a ton of questions plaguing this squad going into 2024.

First and foremost, Williams hasn’t thrown a pass on the NFL level yet. Yes, he is viewed as a generational quarterback prospect by some, but until we actually see him succeed in the NFL, it’s kind of hard to say that Chicago is set under center.

Then, on the defensive side, the Bears are severely lacking in their pass rush. They finished second-to-last in sacks last season, and they did nothing to address the issue these last several months outside of picking edge rusher Austin Booker in the fifth round of the draft.

On top of all of that, Chicago plays in one of the toughest divisions in football. The NFC North houses the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, two teams that may very well be Super Bowl contenders. Even the Minnesota Vikings won’t exactly be pushovers.

Don’t get it twisted: the Bears are very talented, and if they ended up making the playoffs, it wouldn’t be a stunning turn of events. But it would be equally not surprising if Chicago wound up going 7-10 or 8-9 and finishing a couple of games out of a postseason berth.

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