Bears' defense preparing for the unknown against the Titans' new-look offense in Week 1

Week 1 matchups are always filled with unknowns for both teams playing against each other. but this weekend's game between the Chicago Bears and the Tennessee Titans feels different to open the season.

On Sunday, both the Bears and the Titans will be kicking off a new era of football. The Bears will be debuting a new franchise quarterback in rookie Caleb Williams, while the Titans unveil an entirely new coaching staff and offensive philosophy. As for the Bears' coaching staff, the team will be entering the third season under head coach Matt Eberflus with new assistants helping right the ship in Chicago.

No one really knows what to expect out of either offense with new play-callers coming to down in 2024, something Bears' defensive coordinator Eric Washington admits will be a challenge on Sunday.

"We respect this opponent," Washington said . "We realize that it's a new staff but they have some outstanding offensive personnel that we're going to have to do a great job to control, to defend, and to create an advantage against... You do your due diligence against the play-caller's background. You also have to look at all of the members of the staff and what they would likely contribute and what their backgrounds and fingerprints have been in terms of what they've majored in at the places that they have coached...

"We'll look as much as we need to, [but] some of this is projection. There is no guarantee this coach will Xerox what they did in Cincinnati and present that to us. [Brian Callahan will] have his own ID and spin on what he's done, and our focus will continue to be on us. We have rules, we have a process that we feel like will line up and present itself to whoever we're playing against."

The biggest unknown right now the Bears defense will have to get prepared for will be the availability and impact of the Titans top wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. It was revealed this week that Hopkins is dealing with a torn MCL he suffered back in July. Hopkins is aiming to play on Sunday, but who knows if he can play to his full potential.

"He looks like Hop," Callahan said about Hopkins earlier this week. "He's been really communicative about how he feels and where his body's at and making sure he's getting to work to be ready to play. Everything he's done has been exactly what we're looking for in terms of communication and process, so that's been positive."

Beyond Hopkins, the Titans also added two extremely talents wide receivers to the room this offseason in Calvin Ridley and slot specialist Tyler Boyd. Not to mention former first round pick Treylon Burks. The team also added a new threat to the backfield in Tony Pollard to pair with sophomore back Tyjae Spears.

The only real known in the Titans' offense on Sunday will be second-year quarterback Will Levis, who will be tasked with getting the ball out to those weapons. Levis started nine games for the Titans during his rookie season in 2023 and looked a lot more comfortable in his role over the last few weeks during the preseason.

The Levis led offense was nearly perfect , scoring 24 points on four preseason possessions. In that limited work, Levis finished 11/13 passing with 153 yards and one touchdown run. Getting after Levis with a strong pass rush will be paramount for the Bears finding success on defense this weekend.

"Strong arm, tremendous athlete, we can't afford to have him extend plays," Washington said about Levis. "We can't afford to allow him to extend plays with his athleticism."

The recipe to help achieve that goal is the level of depth the Bears have created on the defensive line. The Bears opted to carry six defensive ends on the 53-man roster and have experimented with different personnel to help gain an advantage over opposing offenses. The biggest piece to ensure that happens is star pass rusher Montez Sweat. Washington stated he plans to utilize Sweat's ability to align in multiple places while still allowing him to play to his usual level of production.

"We're big boys and we're hungry," Sweat said about the defensive line. "We just like to eat, we like to hunt. We like to get out there. I'm excited to get my hands on the QB."

While the pass rush looks to feast under their new leadership going into the season opener, Eberflus' back seven will be returning all but one of their 2023 starters. That lone addition is former Titans safety and two-time All Pro selection Kevin Byard.

"We're all anticipating it for sure," Byard said about the Week 1 matchup back in July. "I'm excited to try and get one against Will (Levis)."

Byard will be facing off against his former team alongside the coverage unit that came away with an NFL-leading 22 interceptions during the 2023 season. The entire unit will be looking to build off their success with a much stronger start to the season in 2024.

Related: Bears’ 2023 Achilles’ heel on offense set to face their biggest challenge in the season opener against the Titans