The Chicago Bears were a dark horse playoff team for many before the season. Through six weeks, it looked promising. Then the wheels fell off. They lost ten straight games before beating the Green Bay Packers in the season finale. Matt Eberflus was fired midseason after a few terrible coaching decisions related to clock management. They have to get the head coach hire right but there is plenty to like about this position. Here are the three most important questions for the Bears this offseason.
1. Can Caleb Williams Build On This Year?
There is plenty to nitpick about Caleb Williams and his play this year. However, if we look at the big picture, the number one overall pick had a solid season. He threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. The former USC quarterback showed off his ability to improvise and avoid pressure. He made some stunning throws on the run. Some of them weren’t completed, but anyone watching could see the potential.
It is one thing to have a promising season. It is another build on it. Williams will get a new head coach and offensive coordinator after his first year. He will have to get on the same page and continue to improve as an NFL quarterback. From a statistical standpoint, this is one of the better quarterbacks in franchise history. If this was laying the foundation for his career, he would be a top-ten quarterback in the NFL very soon.
2. How Can The Chicago Bears Take Less Sacks In 2025?
This is the number one question the Chicago Bears should be asking this offseason. Sacks are drive killers. It’s a negative play, a loss of down, and it puts your quarterback’s health in jeopardy. Williams was sacked 68 times this year. There are two things the Bears need to do this offseason to make sure this doesn’t happen in 2025. The first is making their quarterback better at avoiding sacks. One of the big knocks on Williams was his tendency to hold the ball too long. This resulted in many sacks that probably could have been avoided.
The second is the offensive line. They were carved up as a unit this year. Not much is going to change if they don’t do a complete makeover of their offensive line. The team could look at some quality tackles available in free agency. They own the tenth pick in the draft and could look to infuse more young talent on the line. Whatever it takes, the team cannot go into 2025 with this line. It has been a problem for the past few seasons, and it needs to be fixed.
3. Does Ryan Poles Go On Another Spending Spree?
The Chicago Bears made many moves last offseason to augment the team. De’Andre Swift signed a three-year deal, and the team traded for Keenan Allen. GM Ryan Poles has plenty of cap space to work with again this offseason. Over The Cap projects they will have $66 million in cap space this offseason. I already mentioned the need to spend on the offensive line but that isn’t the only spot they could use some help.
The pass rush behind Montez Sweat is basically non-existent. NFL quarterbacks sit back and carve up secondaries when teams cannot produce a pass rush. This happened to the Chicago Bears quite a lot this season. At the end of last year, the pass rush looked to be taking a step in the right direction. They regressed this season, though some of that can be attributed to the firing of Eberflus, who was in charge of the defense. I expect Poles to go on another spending spree this offseason to make this roster better.
Final Thoughts
Until the Chicago Bears hire a coach, we won’t know the true direction of the team. However, they have a solid foundation. Now, they have to build on it. It doesn’t help that they are in one of the best divisions in football. Having to play the Lions, Packers, and Vikings six times a year isn’t ideal. It will be interesting to see how the front office attacks the offseason as they try to make it back to the postseason.
