LAKE FOREST, Ailing. — With the Chicago Bears set to embark on their first coaching camp follow Saturday, listed here are a half-dozen lingering questions the crew might want to reply because the NFL common season continues to strategy.
1. What if Caleb Williams isn’t ‘that man’?
It’s a query Bears followers doubtless dread interested by, however given the historical past of this franchise and their holy ineptitude in relation to growing quarterbacks, it’s one thing that must be addressed, with contingency plans in place ought to Williams not dwell as much as his billing beneath heart from the get-go.
The measuring stick everybody in Chicago desires to make use of in relation to Williams is CJ Stroud, however to count on the USC product to return out the gates just like the 2023 No. 2 total decide did, given Stroud is an anomaly in relation to rookie quarterback manufacturing, isn’t the fairest expectation.
Positive, he might come out and put up extra touchdowns than turnovers and provides the Bears 4,000 whole yards of offense, and it’s affordable to imagine he’s succesful with the forged of characters that exist on the offensive talent positions in Chicago, however what if he has a rookie season much like Bryce Younger or Trevor Lawrence?
Each of these quarterbacks have been No. 1 total picks, they usually each completed their rookie seasons with extra turnovers than touchdowns.
Within the occasion Williams underperforms, the crew’s total efficiency might rely on the run recreation and success of their protection — A well-known theme for the franchise.
2. What if Ryan Poles doesn’t add a go rusher reverse Montez Sweat?
That is a type of questions the place the reply ought to change into extra obvious as coaching camp will get underway.
Whereas Williams will face strain from the Bears go rush, they’ll’t put their paws on him, however the offensive and defensive strains can put their paws on one another, which ought to give these watching the crew an thought of whether or not somebody from the group of DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson, Khalid Kareem and Austin Booker can set up themselves as an efficient Robin to Montez Sweat’s Batman.
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Different variables to this query embrace whether or not Sweat can keep wholesome (He missed six video games in 2021 with a damaged jaw), and what free brokers are nonetheless obtainable when and if the Bears resolve to carry somebody in to assist, like Yannick Ngakoue, Carl Lawson or Emmanuel Ogbah.
If Poles stays detached to including a go rusher, no matter developments reverse of Sweat, it might additionally trace towards Chicago’s entrance workplace considering the crew continues to be one 12 months away from actually contending, lending credence to the Bears chasing after a proficient EDGE in a deep 2025 NFL draft class.
3. Who’s the nook beginning throughout from Jaylon Johnson?
Seemingly all however one spot has been nailed down in a Chicago secondary that’s trying to change into an elite unit in 2024.
Jaylon Johnson is your CB1, whereas Kyler Gordon will man the nickel with Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard occupying the Bears’ two beginning security spots.
That leaves the nook slot reverse of Johnson up for grabs between Tyrique Stevenson, Terrell Smith and Josh Blackwell.
Stevenson would seem to have the within observe towards being CB2 after Chicago spent a second spherical decide on him within the 2023 draft, and he collected six turnovers in his rookie season (4 INT, 2 FF).
4. What if Gervon Dexter doesn’t develop right into a proficient 3-tech?
The bread-and-butter of a Matt Eberflus protection is based on the entrance 4 having the ability to get strain on the quarterback with out blitzing, and the linchpin of that ideology facilities round having a 3-tech on the inside who persistently wins his matchups, which on this Bears protection, is Gervon Dexter.
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Can Dexter, and to a lesser extent, Zacch Pickens, make the bounce ahead to successfully fill that position for this protection?
Common Supervisor Ryan Poles elected to not carry again veteran Justin Jones this offseason, which means the chance has been wholly set in entrance of Dexter for the taking, it’s only a query of whether or not or not he finally ends up growing into the 3-tech Chicago believes he can.
5. Who’s snapping the ball to Caleb Williams?
The middle-quarterback relationship is as essential as some other on the offense, and if the chemistry isn’t there, it could spell catastrophe earlier than performs even start to develop.
It might go a great distance towards correctly growing Williams if the person in command of snaps is a easy operator, case and level of the other being that followers ought to keep in mind loads of the one hoppers and over-the-head heaves guys like Lucas Patrick delivered to the now-departed Justin Fields in 2023.
The answer to that? The Bears signed Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates over the offseason, and each are primed to compete for the beginning heart position, with the opposite offering depth alongside the inside of the offensive line.
However will that be sufficient?
Earlier than deciding on Rome Odunze with the ninth total decide on this 12 months’s draft, another choice on the board for Chicago was to commerce again, purchase extra draft capital and goal an possibility within the trenches, like Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, who ended up going forty fourth total to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The efficiency of Shelton and Bates early on can be telling of how secure the middle place is, and whether or not the Bears have accomplished sufficient to handle the place from final 12 months.
6. Will it’s apparent Shane Waldron is a greater offensive coordinator than Luke Getsy?
Is it Justin Fields? Is it Luke Getsy’s play-calling? Does Chicago have sufficient expertise on the offense to get all of it going? There was a complete barrel of questions surrounding what the offense was as much as final 12 months, and virtually none of it was optimistic.
The first query in relation to the scheme on that aspect of the ball heading into 2024 can be whether or not Shane Waldron can discover success calling performs, compared to the struggles skilled by the Bears final offensive coordinator a season prior.
If something, Chicago’s entrance workplace has accomplished their finest to provide Waldron an analogous state of affairs to stroll into — Aka there’s an uncanny resemblance in relation to the extent of expertise in place on the talent positions between Waldron’s present position and his earlier one.
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Chicago is three deep at huge receiver just like the Seattle Seahawks have been (Moore/Allen/Odunze in comparison with Lockett/Metcalf/Smith-Njigba). The Bears have two go catching tight ends just like the Seahawks did (Kmet/Everett in comparison with Fant/Parkinson), and Chicago additionally has a characteristic working again that may play all three downs like Seattle did too (D’Andre Swift in comparison with Kenneth Walker III).
Will an analogous assortment of weapons assist Waldron settle in? Time will inform, as it would with all of those questions. Till then although, Bears coaching camp kicks off Saturday.
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