Given both the offseason and the preseason that the Chicago Bears had, it's difficult to pinpoint a problem area for the Bears as they open the regular season against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on Sunday.
But, there is one area of their offense that needs to be better if the team is going to have success, as an offense, during Caleb Williams' rookie season.
During the 2023 season, the Bears were second in the NFL, behind the Baltimore Ravens, for total rushing yards. The Bears, as a team, rushed for 2,399 yards last season. On the surface, that would give the impression that entering the 2024 season, the Bears should have a strong running game, especially with the addition of D'Andre Swift.
One thing that should be mentioned is that of the 2,399 rushing yards the Bears' offense had last season, 657 were from former quarterback Justin Fields. If you take that amount out, the Bears had 1,742 rushing yards last season and were in the bottom half of the NFL.
If anything, this stat exercise should prove why the Bears were determined to add a playmaker at the running back position this offseason.
D'Andre Swift needs to be a factor for the Bears in Week 1.
Swift was rarely used during the Bears' preseason games and it likely is due to the work load that he will have once the regular season starts on Sunday. For as much excitement surrounds Caleb Williams and a passing offense that includes DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze, the offense will need to be carried by the running game through the running backs.
Williams is not Fields in the sense of when he leaves the pocket, he is looking to make a pass, not taking off on a scramble. While that is an improved trait for the Bears to have at the quarterback position, the running game is going to be important as that will, as cliché as it sounds, set up the play action part of the Bears' offense. Not to mention, the threat of Swift will only make Williams' innovative nature more dangerous.