It is that time of year. Right before the season, the hype really starts to build for any team, and that is no different for the Chicago Bears. The Bears had an offseason that many fans will remember and are fairly excited about. So, let's get a little crazy and think about some wild outcomes for the team this year.
5. D.J. Moore will have a career year in receiving in 2024
D.J. Moore had a career-high 1,364 receiving yards in 2023. Many fans are expecting his stats to drop a little bit. The thought is that the Bears brought in Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Gerald Everett, and D’Andre Swift who will all eat into the target share that Moore was commanding. Some even question if Moore is the number one.
After this year, it will not be a debate as he ascends over Allen and Odunze as the top receiver. The addition of these two is only going to make life easier for him. All of the attention cannot sway to Moore, and he will see softer coverage.
Beyond that, Moore now plays with a better quarterback, Caleb Williams has the potential to be the best quarterback the veteran has ever played with. With that, the Bears are going to pass the ball a lot more. So, the target rate will drop, but if the overall volume increases, the production should, too. His efficiency will be there, the volume will be there, and this will be a solid year for D.J. Moore.
4. Khalil Herbert will lead the Chicago Bears in rushing
The Bears signed D’Andre Swift early in free agency and gave him nice money. When you add in that Khalil Herbert was not a Ryan Poles draft pick, he is making low-end money, and he is on the last year of his rookie salary, many see two ships passing in the night.
The Bears gave Herbert a chance at the lead role last year and it did not work out. Now, they replaced him. However, things can change on the fly in the NFL, especially at the running back position. Last year, things did not turn out the way that Herbert wanted, this year they may swing back.
First, it looks like Herbert will be a piece of the offense even when Swift is healthy. Swift was healthy last season, but that was certainly the exception compared to what his health status had been.
If Swift misses a game or two, and Herbert is already eating into his time, he could take over, or flip to the lead over the committee. Herbert has the big play ability that you want to feed him the ball and he can compile masses of yards in a hurry. It is not crazy to consider him finishing the year as the top rusher.
3. Kyler Gordon will finish second on the Chicago Bears in sacks
Some Chicago Bears fans may not have thought this was too crazy when Jaquan Brisker led the team in sacks a couple of seasons ago. Still, it is not often you see that from a defensive back, and you would think that the Bears would have done something different by now.
Still, while the Bears have Montez Sweat, there is a real question of who will be the second-highest sack leader for the team, and how many sacks it will take to get there. Kyler Gordon is certainly a player who could rack up a couple of sacks as well.
Some of this is on the Bears pass rush, a lot of this is on Gordon. Gordon appears to be in for a monster season.
He can be a weapon blitzing off of the edge, and now that he is in his second season as a full-time slot, the team can really start to dig into how to use him. The Bears can blitz him off of the edge more and with his speed and instincts, it would not be a surprise if he had a sack explosion.
2. Jaquan Brisker will make the Pro Bowl
If you are basing this on his 2023 season, this is a bold call. If you base this on the 2022 season, it would be right in line with his progression. Brisker was not good in 2023, but a lot of that was injury-related. He played despite being questionable many times and he left the game in the middle of the action throughout the season as well.
When he was on the field, he looked compromised. Now, he should be able to come back fully healthy. So, fans have the perception that he regressed into the player he was in 2023, but we could easily see a more improved version of the 2022 player.
That would mean that Brisker is collecting sacks as well. More than that, he is a positive in defending the run and defending passes to running backs. He could secretly be a player that levels this defense into a premier unit.
If Brisker has a few sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions and the Bears defense is being talked about as an ascending group, that could give him enough popularity for a Pro Bowl nod in 2024.
1. The Chicago Bears will win the NFC North
Considering most people are debating between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, this is still a bold call outside of Chicago. While fans are ready for the division title, those are two young teams that are ascending. Both made the playoffs last year as well.
Still, the Bears finished the year 5-3 and they have a major upgrade at quarterback. Even if they just play the way that they are playing, and they beat the Packers because of an improved quarterback, you are talking about a team that is capable of going 6-2 in a particular stretch in the season.
The Bears are deeper than ever at receiver and they have depth along the offensive line. They have a couple of tight ends and a couple of running backs to trust. The defense is in year three of a former defensive coordinator’s mold. The unit really started to find its groove with Matt Eberflus calling the plays. So, are looking at a well-rounded unit and a group that can play both offense and defense. This is a team that should be able to compete with anyone and should be right in the mix for a division title.