The Chicago Bears entering this past season had high hopes with new rookie sensation quarterback Caleb Williams. The acquisition of Williams via the #1 overall pick in the draft marked a new beginning for the franchise. The franchise not just in recent memory but in the history of their organization is notorious for having consistently the weakest quarterback play out of any franchise. The franchise even counting Williams’ rookie season has never had a passer account for 4,000 yards in a season. Compare that to the Chiefs who have seen Patrick Mahomes throw for over 4,000 yards in 6 of 7 seasons starting in the NFL. The Chicago franchise is known for being a defensive oriented franchise almost to a fault. This trend continued with them hiring a defensive minded coach in Matt Eberflus who was terminated in the middle of the 2024 season. The Bears in totality during the 2024 season were a disappointment although they did show some flashes of very strong play.
A rookie quarterback paired with a defensive minded coach who was terminated in the middle of the season while playing in by far the toughest division in the NFL was not a formula for success this past year. The Bears finished this past season 5-12 and missed the postseason but the bright spot should be viewed as that they lost 7 of the 12 matchups by one possession. With three of the multiple possession losses coming to the likes of the 49ers, Lions, and Vikings when Chicago was on a new interim coach. Outside of that from an optimistic standpoint the Bears split their matchups with division rival Green Bay, suffered very narrow three-point losses to the Commanders, Lions, and Vikings, and lost by one possession each to AFC South opponents Houston and Indianapolis. Former head coach Matt Eberflus was dismissed because the league is transitioning to becoming more of an offensive oriented league and his team was out of line this past season. His team being out of line is evidenced by two primary incidents, Tyrique Stevenson’s egregious premature celebration in taunting the Washington fanbase before the win was secured and the poor clock management at the end of the week 13 matchup vs Detroit. Both those incidents were flagrant incidents that directly led to the Bears losing both those key matchups.
New head coach Ben Johnson comes from a culture of accountability and discipline in the Detroit Lions led by Dan Campbell. It would greatly surprise me if the Bears under him make similar types of mistakes that the team made under Eberflus. Ben Johnson is also a young offensive mind in an offensive oriented league who was the offensive coordinator for a team that accounted for the 4th most offensive touchdowns in a season in NFL history. The only three teams ahead of them in that department were the 2013 Broncos, 2007 Patriots, and the 2018 Chiefs. One could certainly argue that the three quarterbacks who led those three offenses are the three greatest quarterbacks in NFL history in Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Patrick Mahomes. Although Jared Goff is exceptional, no one confuses him with being on that level in terms of quarterback play. Although Goff is very talented and the Detroit offensive personnel was very strong, Ben Johnson deserves a ton of credit for the offense that the Lions were able to generate this past season and in previous seasons as well. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson got just as good if not better production from Jared Goff than Sean McVay did when Goff was with the Rams. Pairing a young superstar quarterback such as Caleb Williams with a Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan/Andy Reid type of offensive mind at head coach is the ultimate formula for seeing success in the league nowadays.
In an assessment of the Bears on the offensive side of the ball this past season and heading into the 2025 season I can offer the following. I have first conducted an assessment of each unit of the Bears on the offensive side of the ball. I have listed the respective offense grade that each player was given by Pro Football Focus over the course of the 2024 season and I have also given each player a subjective grade that indicates how strong of players I deem them to be in totality outside of just 2024. This overall subjective assessment is based upon yearly statistical output along with factoring in yearly subjective grades that were given to them by Pro Football Focus.
Bears Offensive Line Starters
LT – Braxton Jones – (20/87) offense grade over 719 snaps in 2024, B to B+
LG – Teven Jenkins – (15/83) offense grade over 738 snaps in 2024, B+ to A-, free agent
C – Coleman Shelton – (16/43) offense grade over 1121 snaps in 2024, B-, free agent
RG – Matt Pryor – (22/83) offense grade over 1005 snaps in 2024, B-, free agent
RT – Darnell Wright – (16/87) offense grade over 959 snaps in 2024, B+
Bears Key Offensive Line Reserves
G/T – Jake Curhan – (123/135) offense grade over 260 snaps in 2024, C to C-, free agent
G – Nate Davis – (70/83) offense grade over 142 snaps in 2024, C to C+
G/C – Ryan Bates – (53/83) offense grade over 105 snaps in 2024, C+
G – Bill Murray – (5/83) offense grade over 42 snaps in 2024, A, as these are his only career snaps, free agent
T – Larry Borom – (73/87) offense grade over 329 snaps in 2024, C to C-, free agent
T – Kiran Amegadjie – (86/87) offense grade over 126 snaps in 2024, D+, as these are his only career snaps as 2024 third round pick
2024 Bears Offensive Line Rankings
9th in pass blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus
15th in run blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus
21st in pass blocking efficiency according to Pro Football Focus
32nd in sacks allowed
As you can see from the above three sets of data, the Bears on the offensive line were pretty solid in actuality. All five starters graded as above average in terms of an offense grade this past season and the team was graded as above average if not well above average in terms of pass blocking and run blocking grade. The team however allowed the most amount of sacks of any NFL team this past season which can certainly be attributed to a few outlier games and Caleb Williams holding on to the ball too long as a rookie. Going into next season the three interior offensive line starters are all free agents and it remains to be seen how general manager Ryan Poles will address the interior of the unit. I have conducted a similar analysis of the key Chicago Bears skill position players from the 2024 season and heading into next season.
Bears Key Skill Position Players
WR1 – D.J Moore – (37/110) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, B+ to A-
WR2 – Rome Odunze – (76/110) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, C to C+ so far, 2024 first round pick
WR3 – Keenan Allen – (73/110) offense grade in 2024 in 15 games, B, free agent
TE1 – Cole Kmet – (33/45) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, B
TE2 – Gerald Everett – (45/45) offense grade in 2024 in 16 games, B
HB1 – D’Andre Swift – (49/58) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, C+ to B-
HB2 – Roschon Johnson – (32/58) offense grade in 2024 in 13 games, C to C-
HB3 – Khalil Herbert – (58/58) offense grade in 2024 in 11 games, C+ to B-, traded midseason
As you can see from the above data, the Bears possessed a pretty talented group of skill position players who for the most part underwhelmed this past season. DJ Moore was effective this past season but the (37/110) offense grade was the lowest mark of his career outside of his rookie season. 2024 first round pick Rome Odunze had a respectable rookie season but underwhelmed and it remains to be seen if he warranted being drafted as high as he was, but it is certainly too soon to label him as a bust. Veteran Keenan Allen, who the team acquired last offseason had a down year as he posted by far and away the worst offense grade of his career. Although he is aging, in the 2023 season, he was still ranked around the top 10 in terms of an offense grade with the Chargers, compare that to his #73 ranking in that department this past season in 2024. Allen is a free agent this offseason who is aging and who has struggled with injuries in his career and it remains to be seen if the Bears will retain him especially when you also consider the stark decline in his play in 2024. Tight end Cole Kmet also really struggled this past season despite being otherwise productive in years past. Since being drafted in 2020, where he was amongst the weaker tight ends in the NFL in his first season, his offense grades the next three seasons read as the following, (23/44), (16/43), and (8/46), in that order as well. So one can clearly see the improvement in his level of play and how effective he was in totality. Compare those strong grades and that improvement to this past season where he was graded (33/45) in terms of an offense grade. Gerald Everett was barely utilized this past season for the Bears on offense despite being otherwise very productive for the most part prior to the 2024 season. Everett only accumulated 8 receptions this past season for the Bears and was graded last among all tight ends in terms of an offense grade. Before the 2024 season and not counting his rookie season in 2017, Everett has graded as above average to well above average among all tight ends in terms of offense grade in every season except one. The theme of Bears skill position players unfortunately really underperforming relative to their typical output continues with the running back unit of the team. D’Andre Swift, although he has been inconsistent throughout the duration of his career, has shown some high-end capabilities which he failed to show for the most part this past season. Roschon Johnson has been below average for the most part since being drafted in 2023 and that trend continued this season. Khalil Herbert, who was traded midseason, also produced by far and away his worst output as a professional with the Bears in 2024 when he was with the team. This trend of skill position players almost across the board producing at a very subpar level relative to the typical output they produced before the 2024 season is not a coincidence. It can certainly be attributed to Caleb Williams being a rookie and the poor coaching on the offensive side of the ball. That poor coaching on the offensive side of the ball is due to Matt Eberflus being a defensive minded head coach who was terminated midseason and the Bears firing an offensive coordinator midseason as well. The Bears being on an interim head coach, an interim offensive coordinator, along with Caleb Williams being a rookie this past season led to the poor overall output on the offensive end in 2024. The combination of all those three things together, which is a very rare occurrence, led to the consistent lackluster production from players who are otherwise productive. It also led to the overall offense producing at a very subpar level despite the talent of Williams and the overall strong talent on the offensive side.
New head coach Ben Johnson is one of the smartest offensive minds in the game today and the addition of him along with Caleb Williams going into year 2 should lead to the Bears offense being more much productive in totality in 2025. It will still be an adjustment and there will likely be some growing pains and lackluster output just as there was in 2024. As Ben Johnson will have to adapt to life as a rookie head coach and it still remains to be seen if he is the right man for the job. The Bears will also have an offensive coordinator in his first season as well with Caleb Williams still being in just his 2nd NFL season. In totality on the offensive end, the Bears were very disappointing in the 2024 season. They allowed the most sacks despite having an above average offensive line by any measure this past season along with Caleb Williams being relatively mobile as a quarterback in addition to it. They consistently saw skill position players who are otherwise very productive, produce career worst outputs in addition to it. This disappointment on the offensive side of the ball can be attributed to Williams being a rookie along with the poor offensive coaching. Heading into 2025, the Bears can expect to really improve on offense with Williams going into year 2 and with the addition of Ben Johnson. Before the 2024 season began, I assessed the Bears offensive arsenal on paper and I projected it to be one of the premier offenses in professional football heading into the season. Disregarding free agents such as the three interior offensive lineman and Keenan Allen, if the Bears were to take this same personnel into 2025, what I said about them heading into 2024 in regards to them being one of the premier offenses, I think will indeed stand true. As 2024 first round wide out Rome Odunze will likely improve in his second NFL season and Caleb Williams will also likely improve in his second NFL season. Instead of having amongst the weakest coaching in terms of offense, if not the weakest coaching in terms of offense, they potentially could have amongst the strongest coaching in terms of offense with Ben Johnson at the helm now. As you can see from the data below, the Bears were one of the weakest teams on offense in 2024. Going into 2025, if they play their cards right this offseason, they can certainly flip that to being one of the strongest offenses in the NFL next season.
Bears 2024 Offensive Rankings
27th in offense grade according to Pro Football Focus
28th in points per game
32nd in yards per game
This offseason general manager Ryan Poles should emphasize resigning those interior offensive lineman but perhaps he should let veteran wide out Keenan Allen walk in free agency. A point of emphasis this offseason for the Bears should be to add a high impact running back similar to how the Ravens and Eagles added Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley last offseason. As none of the running backs currently on the roster feel like legitimate number one halfbacks in the NFL although Swift can be effective. The Bears currently rank 6th in the NFL in cap space and hold the 10th pick in the draft so they have a lot to utilize this offseason cycle as well.
The defensive side of the ball, formerly led by defensive minded head coach Matt Eberflus before he was terminated, was also a concern for the team although there were some bright spots. The team’s defensive rankings over the course of this past season can be found below.
Bears 2024 Defensive Rankings
13th in points per game allowed
27th in yards per game allowed
12th in defense grade according to Pro Football Focus
As you can see from the above data the Chicago Bears were a solid defensive team over the course of the 2024 season. The Bears could have easily ranked in the top 10 in the two key metrics which are points allowed and overall defense grade if there wasn’t a noticeable slippage in the play on the defensive end right after the termination of Eberflus. The Bears in the three games right after Eberflus was dismissed allowed 30+ points in three consecutive games in regulation. This was after allowing 30 points only once prior to that, in which the opposition was only able to reach the 30-point threshold in overtime. I have conducted an analysis of each unit of the team on the defensive side of the ball.
Bears Key Defensive Line Personnel
DL1 – Gervon Dexter Sr – (24/146) defense grade in 2024 over 616 snaps, B to B+
DL2 – Zacch Pickens – (123/146) defense grade in 2024 over 228 snaps, C to C-
DL3 – Chris Williams – (123/146) defense grade in 2024 over 367 snaps, C to C-, free agent
DL4 – Byron Cowart – (64/146) defense grade in 2024 over 335 snaps, C to C+, free agent
ED1 – DeMarcus Walker – (64/135) defense grade in 2024 over 738 snaps, C+
ED2 – Montez Sweat – (58/135) defense grade in 2024 over 616 snaps, B+ to A-
ED3 – Darrell Taylor – (86/135) defense grade in 2024 over 374 snaps, C, free agent
ED4 – Jacob Martin – (69/135) defense grade in 2024 over 222 snaps, C to C+, free agent
ED5 – Daniel Hardy – (121/135) defense grade in 2024 over 283 snaps, D+ to C-, free agent
As you can see from the above data, the Chicago Bears have a few standouts on the defensive line in Montez Sweat off the edge and Gervon Dexter Sr on the interior. Outside of that the Bears are unfortunately lacking talent on the defensive line as the remaining players are all just average to mediocre caliber players. Perhaps general manager Ryan Poles should look into adding another key defensive line piece or two this offseason to complement the likes of Sweat and Dexter Sr. I conducted a similar evaluation of the team’s linebacking unit which can be found below as well.
Bears Key Linebackers
LB1 – T.J Edwards – (55/92) defense grade in 2024 over 1054 snaps, B+ to A-
LB2 – Tremaine Edmunds – (63/92) defense grade in 2024 over 1055 snaps, C to C+
LB3 – Jack Sanborn – (51/92) defense grade in 2024 over 235 snaps, C
As you can see from the above data the Bears linebacking unit really lacked this past season. TJ Edwards typically is far more productive than he was this past season as in each and every season prior to the 2024 season he ranked as well above average in terms of a defense grade among linebackers before ranking below average in the 2024 season. The team can expect him to return to form next season as the remaining primary players in the unit are in the average to mediocre range. I have conducted a similar analysis of the team’s secondary which can also be found below.
Bears Key Secondary Players
S1 – Kevin Byard – (26/104) defense grade in 2024 over 1055 snaps, B+ to A-
S2 – Elijah Hicks – (27/104) defense grade in 2024 over 356 snaps, B to B+
S3 – Jonathan Owens – (41/104) defense grade in 2024 over 429 snaps, C+ to B-
S4 – Jaquan Brisker – (47/104) defense grade in 2024 over 293 snaps, C to C+
CB1 – Jaylon Johnson – (9/128) defense grade in 2024 over 1031 snaps, A-
CB2 – Tyrique Stevenston – (89/128) defense grade in 2024 over 810 snaps, C
CB3 – Kyler Gordon – (11/128) defense grade in 2024 over 724 snaps, B
The Bears boasted one of the most talented secondaries in the NFL as four of the five primary players graded in the B range or higher with three of them grading in the B+ range or higher. If the team can see strong production from a third cornerback either by having someone else on the roster step up or acquiring a player in the offseason, then the Bears secondary will be in the argument for being the best overall secondary in professional football.
Overall, on the defensive end the Bears were very productive this past season. If head coach Matt Eberflus was retained then I believe that the Bears would have finished top 10 in both points per game allowed and overall defense grade. But they finished just outside the top 10 in both those categories as the defense took a sharp dip once Eberflus was dismissed. The Bears currently rank 6th in the NFL in cap space and they should look to bolster their front seven with that available money. The Bears have one of the premier secondaries in professional football with 2-3 very good players in the front seven. If the Bears can add 2-3 more high level defensive players to that front seven this offseason, then the defense has the chance to take the next step from a top 10 caliber unit to a top 5 caliber one. The Eagles and the Lions, who are the class of the NFC, when both teams were healthy on defense were graded as either the #1 or #2 defense in professional football. With both teams still finishing top 7 in the NFL in terms of points allowed despite all the injuries Detroit suffered on the defensive end. If the Bears plan to be on the level as those teams next season then they will need to upgrade their defensive personnel in particular on the front seven. The team’s performance on the defensive end dipped once Eberflus was fired and the coaching on the defensive end will be a concern heading into next season as well. The team has appointed recently fired Saints head coach Dennis Allen as the team’s new defensive coordinator, which I think is a good fit. If Allen can coach the defense at a strong level and if Ryan Poles can bolster the front seven this offseason, then the Bears defense can certainly take the leap from very good to great.
The Bears in totality were a disappointment last year but there is far too much to be optimistic about heading into next season. Generationally talented #1 overall pick Caleb Williams even though he has underwhelmed has still proven he can play the position at a very high level. Despite his average to mediocre play at times last season, Bears fans should remain optimistic that he can blossom into a superstar at the position soon. As stated previously, the coaching that the Bears got on the offensive side of the ball was definitively in the discussion for being the worst in the NFL. New offensive minded head coach Ben Johnson could see that narrative do a 180 for the Bears heading into 2025. On the defensive side of the ball the Bears were a top 10 caliber team last year and a primary point of emphasis if not the primary point of emphasis should be to invest assets into the defensive side of the ball to take the overall production from good to great. The Bears play in almost inarguably the toughest division in professional football and making the postseason will be a tall task. However, if general manager Ryan Poles plays his cards right this offseason with the high amount of cap space the team has which currently ranks 6th in the NFL, then the Bears can make the postseason and do some damage. Resigning the interior offensive line free agents, adding some more high-end talent to the front seven, and adding a true star #1 running back should be the primary points of emphasis this offseason. If Poles can address the weak points of the team accordingly this offseason, if 2024 rookies Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze blossom in year 2, and if Ben Johnson hits as a head coach in the NFL, then the Bears will be in very good shape next season. The Eagles and the Lions are the class of the NFC as of now but the Bears have what it takes to be the biggest threat to those teams next season however.
