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2024 Chicago Bears Season Preview: Offense
- Updated: September 7, 2024
You’re the man, now, dog. [Photo: Adrian Krause, AP]
Quarterback
They are:
#18 Caleb Williams, Rookie, USC
#17 Tyson Bagent, 2nd year, Shepherd
Caleb Williams was the likely #1 overall pick in the 2024 draft since 2021, when he entered the Red River Rivalry for Oklahoma, led the Sooners to victory, and claimed the starting job. If you ask him, though, this has been in the works for much longer. Going 1st overall was a dream for Williams since he was a kid and that day against Texas, the dream started to become real.
After a strong freshman season in Norman, Williams followed head coach Lincoln Riley to USC, where he turned in a stellar 2022 season. Williams completed 66.6 percent of his passes that year, throwing for over 4500 yards, with 42 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. USC’s only loss that year was to Utah and they would lose a rematch in the conference title game with Williams playing hurt. Williams’ efforts that year earned him the Heisman.
Going into the 2023 season, it was clear that it was the Caleb Williams sweepstakes in the NFL. Your author even asserted that Williams had the chance to surpass Joe Burrow as his #1 all-time draft prospect. Williams would increase his completion percentage to 68.6 and threw for over 3600 yards with 30 touchdowns to 5 picks in two fewer games than he played the year before. USC didn’t have the same success on the field that they did the year prior, largely because Alex Grinch’s defense couldn’t touch anyone with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole, much less tackle them. It is here that we begin to address the criticism with Williams’ game. Many believed that he held the ball too long and had a propensity to play hero ball too often. There is some truth in that, but the larger issue is that he took the field every week last season knowing he was going to need to put up 40 for the team to have a chance. As much as he’ll enjoy getting to throw to a loaded receiver room, he’ll likely enjoy having a real defense just as much, if not more.
Williams would not end up surpassing Burrow in your author’s eyes, but that is a super high bar to clear. Rather, Williams would end up as the LeBron to Burrow’s Jordan and would be your author’s top prospect in the 2023 class, which is no small honor, given that that class also had Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy, who would’ve been QB1 in a lot of other classes.
Guys who are the likely #1 pick in their class for multiple years are a rarity and seldom walk out. Trevor Lawrence has not quite lived up to the hype, but is a quality QB. This is the floor for Williams, the ceiling being Aaron Rodgers+. And yet, there were some fools in this fanbase who didn’t want him, a fact that routinely drew laughs from neutral observers.
Tyson Bagent returns as Williams’ backup. A year ago, your author sat at Halas Hall and watched as the UDFA out of D-II Shepherd was the best QB in camp. This did not ported great things for the upcoming season, and sure enough, that season was not great. But while Justin Fields did disappoint, Bagent also looked like he belongs in the NFL, leading the Bears to a 2-2 record when called into action after an injury to Fields. Bagent turned in a strong 2024 preseason, leading some to wonder whether someone might call Ryan Poles about acquiring the son of arm wrestling legend and walking electric factory Travis Bagent, particularly as Brett Rypien had looked good during exhibition play as well. Ultimately, Bagent remains here, and Chicago Bears fans, who are accustomed to having zero quality QBs on the roster, now get to enjoy a roster with two.
Feel good about: Williams looked about as good in the preseason as one could hope a rookie would. Also, if needed, Bagent is more than capable.
Worry about: Rookie QBs all face a learning curve, and while Caleb Williams made some eye-popping plays during the preseason, we didn’t see a ton of him playing in structure. That may take some getting used to.
Confidence level: 7.5
Running Back
They are:
#4 D’Andre Swift, 5th year, Georgia
#24 Khalil Herbert, 4th year, Virginia Tech
#23 Roschon Johnson, 2nd year, Texas
#20 Travis Homer, 6th year, Miami
#12 Velus Jones, 3rd year, Tennessee
FB #35 Khari Blasingame, 6th year, Vanderbilt
D’Andre Swift comes over from Philadelphia, where he was a 1000-yard rusher a year ago. Prior to his time with the Eagles, Swift spent three years in a backfield rotation in Detroit. His first year as the feature back was last year and he really took off. A strong receiver out of the backfield as well, Swift is here to be the lead dog – no more running back by committee for the Bears.
That’s not to say that other guys won’t get touches, though, as the RB room is still rather deep. Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson both saw a good amount of touches a year ago, Travis Homer returns as a change of pace, and Velus Jones is getting mentioned here after being used as a running back during the preseason. The team still lists him as a wide receiver, but we’ve seen how that goes. Your author asserts that Jones’ best use is as a running back, much like another former Tennessee Volunteer, former Bear Cordarrelle Patterson.
Feel good about: D’Andre Swift is the most complete back the Bears have had since Matt Forte.
Worry about: Herbert and Johnson as receivers out of the backfield. Perhaps an opening for Velus Jones.
Confidence level: 8
Wide Receiver and Tight End
They are:
WR #2 DJ Moore, 7th year, Maryland
WR #13 Keenan Allen, 12th year, California
WR #15 Rome Odunze, Rookie, Washington
WR #10 Tyler Scott, 2nd year, Cincinnati
WR #11 DeAndre Carter, 7th year, Sacramento State
WR #81 Dante Pettis, 6th year, Washington
TE #85 Cole Kmet, 5th year, Notre Dame
TE #14 Gerald Everett, 8th year, South Alabama
TE #84 Marcedes Lewis, 19th year, UCLA
Prior to the 2023 draft, the Bears traded down from #1, picking up a load of draft picks and DJ Moore. Moore went on to set career highs in receptions (96), yards (1364), and touchdowns (8). Carolina went into the season with Adam Thielen as WR1, unsurprisingly, Bryce Young struggled in that environment, and the Panthers were the worst team in the league. Moore now gets to catch passes from Caleb Williams. I’m only not predicting new career highs because new Bear Keenan Allen will eat into Moore’s workload. Allen comes over for a 4th-round pick as the Chargers needed to clear cap space. One of the best route runners in the game, Allen set a career high in receptions a year ago (108), despite missing four games. Allen spent all 11 years of his career to this point with the Chargers and now gets a chance to actually play in front of a real home crowd.
Eating into the workloads of both aforementioned men is first round draft pick Rome Odunze. The ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft out of national runner-up Washington, Odunze was a legitimate problem in college a year ago, racking up over 1600 receiving yards in 15 games. Odunze gives the Bears a legitimate outside receiver, allowing Shane Waldron to use Allen and Moore all over the place to screw with opposing defenses. Tyler Scott adds depth. A fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati a year ago, Scott turned in an impressive training camp and looked poised for a bigger role than he had as a rookie. DeAndre Carter and, when healthy, Dante Pettis figure to factor in mostly as returners. Pettis did have a nice catch in the preseason, but your author expects that if a spot at receiver opens due to injury, Collin Johnson will be called up from the practice squad.
Hometown boy and new captain Cole Kmet returns. Kmet set career highs in receptions (73) and yards (719) a year ago and should be a great security blanket for Caleb Williams. While he’s not the receiver that guys like Travis Kelce or George Kittle are, Kmet has established himself in that second tier of tight ends and is one of the best all-around players at his position, strong as both a receiver and blocker. In addition, Kmet hasn’t missed a game in his previous four years.
Gerald Everett comes over as a free agent signing from the Chargers. More of a receiver, Everett has generally been in the 400-500 yard per season range throughout his career. His presence allows the Bears to run 12 personnel and put opposing defenses in tough positions; bring in smaller guys who are better in coverage and the run game eats, bring in bigger guys to stop the run and it opens up the passing game. Marcedes Lewis returns to be used mostly as a blocker.
Feel good about: Being on the short list of best receiver duos in the league.
Worry about: Keenan Allen is 32 and has missed time each of the last two seasons.
Confidence level: 10
Offensive Line
They are:
#70 Braxton Jones, 3rd year, Southern Utah
#76 Teven Jenkins, 4th year, Oklahoma State
#65 Coleman Shelton, 6th year, Washington
#64 Nate Davis, 6th year, Charlotte
#58 Darnell Wright, 2nd year, Tennessee
#72 Kiran Amegadjie, Rookie, Yale
#71 Ryan Bates, 6th year, Penn State
#79 Matt Pryor, 7th year, TCU
#68 Doug Kramer, 3rd year, Illinois
#60 Bill Murray, 1st year, William & Mary
#75 Larry Borom, 4th year, Missouri
This was a major problem spot a year ago. And now, well, it’s still kind of a problem. But less of one. The two starting tackles are not a problem. Braxton Jones has become a solid left tackle, Darnell Wright has superstar potential on the other side. There were concerns during camp about Wright getting beat a lot during practice; he looked fine during the preseason. Superstar trajectory is still intact.
The interior is another story. Teven Jenkins has been awesome…when he’s healthy. Nate Davis is rarely healthy and just okay when he is. Coleman Shelton is likely the starting center, which I don’t think anyone expected going into camp, but from what we’ve seen from him, he should be at least fine. Look, if he can stay on the field, snap it straight to Williams, and block the right guy the right way most of the time, he’ll be the best center we’ve had in a while.
Depth on the interior is quite good. Ryan Bates comes over from Buffalo and can play anywhere on the interior. He looked strong during camp, but was injured during the preseason. Matt Pryor was a nice surprise during the preseason. He looked capable and, if pressed into action, it’s unlikely to be a disaster. Your author has been bullish on Doug Kramer since he’s been in the league. At least insofar as he could be an okay player. Unfortunately, he’s fallen victim to injuries his first two years in the league. He got a brief chance to play last year, was let go, signed with Arizona, and let go there a few weeks later.
Outside, Larry Borom (when healthy again) and rookie Kiran Amegadjie provide depth. We have seen Borom and it has not gone well. Amegadjie is a rookie coming in from the FCS. While the latter has some potential, there could be some rough sailing if either man is pressed into action.
Feel good about: The tackles. Jones and Wright should be one of the better tandems in the league. Jones needs to clean up his penalties, but is otherwise a solid player. Wright is a star in the making. Yeah, there was some talk of some rough practices, but until we see that on the field, I refuse to worry.
Worry about: The interior. This space asserts that Bates is starting by week four, either due to injury or a benching. Nate Davis is a strong candidate for either.
Confidence level: 6
Whatever Elmo’s calling it now, Bluesky, Threads: @312sportsguy