The Chicago Bears are back, and the anticipation for 2024 training camp is palpable. Rookies reported to Halas Hall on Tuesday, July 16, and veteran players will return on Friday, July 20. The first practice, a moment of high excitement, is scheduled for Saturday, July 21.
General manager Ryan Poles bolstered the roster with names like Caleb Williams, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, and others. These additions have created a lot of buzz around the team.
All eyes are focused on the new-look Chicago Bears. Aside from months of hype, the Bears will be featured on HBO’s training camp edition of “Hard Knocks.” Expectations for the Bears haven’t been any higher in a while.
Despite the massive improvement in talent, many questions still need answering, and many storylines will define the 2024 season for the Chicago Bears.
Caleb Williams
Being the first overall pick comes with its fair share of expectations and criticisms for a player. However, for Williams, those expectations and criticisms loom even larger.
The decision to draft the quarterback from USC split the fanbase in half. Despite former quarterback Justin Fields playing well down the stretch, it wasn’t enough. The talent and potential of Caleb Williams were too much for Chicago to pass up on with a first-round pick that was practically gifted to them from the Carolina Panthers.
Criticisms rained in from everywhere — even from the fanbase of his new team — about his every action, from his play on the field to what he wore and said. Williams embraced the criticisms and embraced the city of Chicago, and eventually, the fans embraced him.
Williams comes into a Bears offense that, on paper, has everything set up for him to succeed: three star-caliber receivers in D.J. Moore, Allen, and Odunze, a thousand-yard rusher and solid pass-catcher in Swift, Cole Kmet coming off a career-best year, Gerald Everett, and an above-average offensive line. Williams will make this loaded offense either boom or bust, a burden the 22-year-old signal caller must carry throughout his rookie season.
Additionally, with how polarizing Williams is, his every move through camp will be scrutinized and watched under a microscope. This is further magnified by the feature mentioned in “Hard Knocks,” which the entire nation will watch.
Competition for the Starting Center Role
If there’s a position that’s given the Bears constant problems throughout Ryan Poles’ tenure, it’s center. Cody Whitehair suffered a steep decline in play that ended in the former Pro Bowler’s release. The signing of Lucas Patrick didn’t pan out, nor did Sam Mustipher.
This offseason, Poles has brought in two potential solutions at the position. He acquired former Buffalo Bills lineman Ryan Bates via trade and signed former Los Angeles Rams lineman Coleman Shelton to a one-year deal.
Bates, 27, is a player Poles showed interest in back in 2022. Bates, a restricted free agent then, signed an offer sheet with Chicago, but Buffalo eventually matched it. Two years later, he lands with the Bears. Bates proved to be a solid rotational piece in Buffalo’s offensive line. Through 1,434 career snaps since 2019, Bates has committed six penalties and allowed just one sack. Currently, he stands as the favorite to be the starter at center this season. Bates will have to earn his spot, though.
The addition of Shelton signals a competition for the starting position. The 28-year-old has appeared in 73 games since 2019. He became a regular in 2022, starting all 13 games he appeared in, and is coming off a season where he started all 17 games for the Rams in 2023. Shelton played 1,113 offensive snaps, committed six penalties, and allowed two sacks while notching a 64.5 PFF grade. The former Super Bowl champion will at least provide solid depth, but he’ll push for the starting spot against Bates.
Whoever wins the starting job might finally provide a solution for a hole the Bears have had in their offense for a while.
Who’s the Second Edge Rusher?
There’s no denying Montez Sweat has been a game-changer in the Bears’ defense, but he can’t do it all by himself. With teams focusing more on Sweat, a second threat off the edge is imperative for team success.
There are in-house options. DeMarcus Walker signed a three-year deal with the team last year, and Austin Booker was drafted back in April in the fifth round.
Walker is coming off a 3.5-sack season in which he also matched his career-high in quarterback hits with 16. Currently, he is a top choice to start opposite Sweat this season.
Coming off an eight-sack season at Kansas, Booker was drafted as a raw, athletic project of a pass-rusher who will take time to develop into a starting-level pro, so seeing him start Week 1 is highly unlikely.
To ensure depth and talent in the position, Ryan Poles needs to bring in more from outside the walls of Halas Hall. Someone who spent last season with the team, like Yannick Ngakoue, stands out as a placeholder at the position. Free agents such as Carl Lawson remain unsigned. If Poles wants to be a little more ambitious, he can strike a blockbuster deal for a star pass-rusher like New England Patriots’ Matthew Judon.
With a massive question mark at the second edge rusher position, training camp will prove pivotal in finding out who will fill that void, whether by someone already on the team or not.
Development of Gervon Dexter Sr. and Tyrique Stevenson
The Bears’ defense had an unprecedented mid-season surge in 2023, headlined by Pro Bowlers Sweat and Jaylon Johnson. To build on that success, the Bears now need their second-year defenders to turn it up to a different level.
Two second-year players, in particular, are defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, both second-round picks in the 2023 draft class.
Dexter appeared in all 17 games last season, starting just one. Dexter managed to tally 2.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits in a limited role. With the departure of Justin Jones in free agency, Dexter faces no competition to start in Matt Eberflus’ defense.
If there’s a player Eberflus’ 4-3 defense needs the most, it’s a game-wrecking three-technique. The Bears are hoping Dexter can prove to be just that this season. For Dexter, he now faces the pressure of being the make-or-break piece on the defense.
Stevenson had a slow start to his career. Things changed quickly for the Miami product who massively improved through the season, finishing with four interceptions. With Jaylon Johnson locking down one side of the field, the Bears hope Stevenson can replicate that on the other side and have two outside cornerbacks that wide receivers will fear to go up against.
This defense has the potential to be very good in 2024, with pieces like Sweat, Johnson, Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, T.J. Edwards, and more. However, its success relies mostly on the development of the two former second-round picks.
An Exciting Time for the Chicago Bears
It is an exciting time to be a Chicago Bears fan. It will be a fun training camp with headlines, highlights, and a television show. However, there are still questions to be answered. Thankfully, there’s no better time to have them answered than now.
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