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8/22/24

USC ALUMNI QB CALEB WILLIAMS PRIMED FOR EXCEPTIONAL ROOKIE SEASON


                Chicago Bears hope to reach the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2020.  Many people may have forgotten the name Mitchell Trubisky who was the last QB to achieve such a feat for the NFC North squad.  Though it was not a pretty sight to see losing 21-9 at the hands of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints during the wild card round of the 2020 playoffs, still that was the harsh reality for Chicago fans.  Trubisky spent 5 seasons as the Bears’ QB until the team, town, and fans gave up on the North Carolina talent as he was then signed as Josh Allen’s backup for the Buffalo Bills upon his expired rookie contract back in 2021.  Now that we have rekindled their last taste of a somewhat successful season, let’s fast forward to just a season ago.  Justin Fields showed a ton of talent but also a lot of untapped potential.  A real spark was shown between Fields and his newly acquired wideout in D.J. Moore in 2023 when Moore caught 96 passes on 136 targets that went for 1,364 yards and 8 touchdowns.  It is too bad that the rest of the team wasn’t up to par because we will never know what Fields’ career would have looked like long-term as the Bears’ QB.

                  What if I told you the Chicago Bears could be a wildcard favorite in playoff contention as soon as this upcoming season.  Now I know if you haven’t been following everything that has gone on in the off-season this could sound just a little absurd.  I feel confident in what the Bears may be able to achieve when you factor in what the Bears organization and GM Ryan Poles have accumulated in terms of talent across the board after a good draft plus key additions in free agency.  Let us start with the most important position of any successful NFL team. As you may have assumed, I’m talking about the QB.  On April 25, 2024, the #1 overall pick Caleb Williams was selected by “Da Bears” and ever since that day Caleb’s name has been everywhere, and for good reason.  His prolific collegiate career at USC had everyone wishing their favorite NFL teams to be his destination on draft day.  Williams, once a freshman for Oklahoma, then transferred to USC for his sophomore and junior seasons before deciding to be drafted back in April.  Through a combined 3 seasons, Caleb has 35 starts at QB while completing 735 of 1099 attempts, a completion percentage of 66.9 while throwing for a total of 10,082 yds, 93 TDs, only 14 INTs & posting a passer efficiency rating of 169.3.  It goes without saying, that Chicago and the entire state of Illinois have high expectations from their rookie passer.

                  When you draft a rookie QB, it goes without saying you want them to have every possible chance to succeed.  To do that, you have to have a few things in place to give him a chance; especially when you are in one of the toughest up-and-coming divisions such as the NFC North with the likes of last year’s division champs, the Lions, plus the Packers, who made the divisional round of the playoffs and lastly, the Vikings.  I’ve previously told you about the Bears striking gold by bringing in a 1,000-yard WR D.J. Moore before last season began.  Well, they did it again and in doing so they could instantly have one of the best Wide Receiver tandems in the National Football League this season.  Bears fans must be gleaming after GM Ryan Poles brought in long-time Chargers WR Keenan Allen, who has had quite the career with 904 REC, 10,530 REC YRDs, and 59 TDs.  In fact, last year the receiver was healthier than he had been in a few years.  Allen may have missed 4 games but still posted top-notch numbers with 108 REC, 1,243 YRDs, and 7 TDs.  The Bears also brought in other talented players such as running back D’Andre Swift, veteran tight end Gerald Everett, plus two rookie wideouts in Rome Odunze and Collin Johnson.

                  Matt Eberflus may have never had so much talent on a roster as a Head Coach. Offensively they have undoubtedly upgraded every part of their offense from their O-line to all of the skilled position rooms by adding veteran leadership.  Another exciting part of this Bears team is the defense that DC Eric Washington alongside HC Eberflus gets to coach.  Ryan Poles traded for DE Montez Sweat during the season last year to bring some stability to their D-line before eventually drafting rookie DT Gervon Dexter Sr. to pair with Andrew Billings.  It is no secret that Chicago has always been stamped as a historically great defensive team and with their DBs Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker, and newly signed veteran safety Kevin Byard they look to get back to that old stifling defensive style of play.  In fact, they have one of the top corners in all of football in Jaylon Johnson who just inked a huge 4 year $76M deal, which includes $20M as a signing bonus with $51.4M guaranteed and an APY salary of $19M.     

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