The Chicago Bears are riding one of their flashiest offseasons in team history. However, despite owning a large chunk of the entire NFL’s transaction list this off-season, one NFL analyst is holding his horses.
Writing a preseason power rankings piece for “The 33rd Team,” NFL analyst Marcus Mosher ranked the Bears at a level in line with where they’ve been for decades.
Mosher placed the Bears at 20 out of the 32 NFL teams.
Here was his explanation:
“The Chicago Bears are one of the biggest wild cards in the league entering the 2024 season. Their year will depend on Caleb Williams and how quickly he progresses. Ryan Poles has done a fantastic job of adding talent around Williams, and he might just be in the best situation ever for a No. 1 pick at quarterback. If Williams can hit the ground running, the Bears could challenge the Lions and the Packers atop the NFC North.”
In other words, Mosher didn’t completely write off the franchise, but he’s far from going all in on the team. The biggest holdup is Caleb Williams’ status as a rookie and the team’s history of struggle. While the surrounding cast might be the Bears’ most star-studded group of players in quite some time, NFL teams go as their quarterback goes.
CJ Stroud’s rookie season sets the bar impossibly high for Williams. While he technically could hit the mark of 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, it would be unheard of in the NFL to have back-to-back seasons with a breakout premium rookie quarterback.
NFC’s missing Mahomesian overlord provides opportunity to Bears fans who dare to hope
That said, Bears fans should rejoice that the NFC lacks its own version of Patrick Mahomes. The conference lacks a truly dominant playmaker who has proven to be the year-in, year-out top contender.
With that slot still open, it appears that eventually, the young NFC will get its own Mahomes. But until it happens, every top rookie has a shot to become that guy. As such, Williams has an opportunity.
Had Williams been placed in that AFC, it would be highly likely that he would be an also-ran alongside Mahomes, doomed to chase him every season.
While the road to the Lombardi could still run through Mahomes for the NFC, getting to the Super Bowl alone would be a dream come true for the franchise. With no Mahomesian figure in the way, it appears the Bears have a path.
That said, it might be too much to ask the rookie to get there this season. However, simply getting back to the playoffs and stacking up 10 wins would be a massive upgrade over the Justin Fields era that saw him take three seasons to win that number of games.
Can Williams deliver?
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