There is arguably no other team with as much boom or bust potential as the Chicago Bears this season. The arrival of Ben Johnson and many roster upgrades have the city with very high hopes. However, this will be the third consecutive season that the Bears have been "offseason champions," so what should we really expect?
it is definitely fair to say the Bears have done nothing yet to show that they deserve to be in the upper half of any power rankings. This is a "what have you done for me lately" league and the Bears frankly have not done much.
Bears land 18th in PFF power rankings
PFF's Thomas Valentine revealed the initial power rankings and had the Bears at 18th. He touched on winning the offseason again, but also said this time feels a bit different.
"The Bears have been offseason darlings for two years in a row, but this time feels different. The addition of Ben Johnson as head coach and the staff he’s brought in should have fans feeling confident. This roster doesn’t possess the star power of the Lions‘ group, but the front office has completely retooled the offensive line, potentially setting the stage for a Caleb Williams breakout in year two."
This is probably a solid placement as we will need to wait and see if the offensive line overhaul is legit and if Caleb Williams is ready for the next step. There are still glaring question marks at a couple of cornerstone positions - left tackle and edge rusher.
Braxton Jones was named the starting left tackle as we expected, but his health is still a major factor, as he has not looked himself through camp. A week one matchup with one of the league's highest-pressure defenses in Minnesota is not the ideal start, either. It will be interesting to see how he looks in week one and if he is able to lock that spot down long-term.
Dayo Odeyingbo gets the start opposite Montez Sweat, but has really been quite silent all camp and through the preseason. The Bears will need someone to step up and provide any sort of pass-rush if this defense is going to be successful.
Ben Johnson has repeatedly stated that the offense will evolve as the season progresses and will not be a finished product early on. The schedule does them no favors with back-to-back division games out of the gate, so they will need to split those at least to start the season strong.
Read more: Bleacher Report not giving Bears fans much hope to overtake tough NFC North
18th should ideally be the basement for the Bears this season, but whether they can climb into the top 10 will be something to keep tabs on.