Most experts have been cautiously optimistic about the Chicago Bears this spring. They feel the team might be a year away from making some serious noise in the NFC. The problem is they aren't willing to go all in for obvious reasons. This organization hasn't produced a winner in seven years and hasn't won a playoff game since 2010. On top of that, they are now trapped in one of the NFL's toughest divisions with the other three teams finishing with at least 13 wins last season. It will take a herculean effort to pull this team out of the mud when the slope is so steep.
We know what the national media thinks. It would be encouraging if the Bears managed to win nine games, but that is probably their ceiling right now. According to Matt Lombardo of Between The Hashmarks, people inside the league don't agree. In a strange twist, both scouts and executives from other teams believe the Bears are poised to do big things this upcoming season. Where does the optimism come from?
It primarily stems from two factors: their rebuilt offensive line and the arrival of head coach Ben Johnson.
“I like what Chicago’s done, on paper. The head coach has to put it all together, but if that new-look offensive line holds up, they can make some serious noise.” - AFC Scout...
...Ben Johnson’s arrival alone, after watching Jared Goff finish second in passing yards each of the past two seasons with 67 touchdowns to 24 interceptions over that span in Johnson’s system, has the potential to catapult Caleb Williams into the realm of elite quarterbacks across the league...
...Last season, the NFC North sent three teams to the playoffs, but several executives I’ve spoken to since the NFL Draft suggest the Bears now have the pieces to climb into that conversation in the most competitive division in the sport.
The Chicago Bears are closer than people want to admit.
Yes, they went 5-12 last season. As Bill Parcells famously said, "You are what your record says you are." However, a closer examination shows a team that was a few bad breaks and bad decisions away from competing. Seven of their 12 losses were decided by single digits. Two resulted directly from atrocious offensive line play, allowing 14 sacks combined. Two others came from inexplicable late-game gaffes: the Hail Mary in Washington and the blocked field goal against Green Bay. If those four alone go a different direction, the Chicago Bears are 9-8. That is before mentioning the overtime loss to Minnesota and the mind-numbing timeout fiasco on Thanksgiving in Detroit.
The offensive line already looks better. If Johnson is the caliber of head coach many expect him to be, this team is good enough to challenge the NFC hierarchy right now. There is no need to wait another year. These Bears are hungry to win—no sense in being patient anymore.
