Going into the 2024 season, the Chicago Bears are among the NFL’s most divisive teams.
The Bears chose to part ways with Justin Fields in the offseason, trading the former Ohio State quarterback to the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite his steady progress since they selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. This allowed them to select Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in this year’s draft.
Williams, who won the Heisman trophy after the 2022 campaign and captivated the college football world in the previous few seasons, is seen by many skill evaluators as a “can’t miss” generational prospect who can succeed immediately away.
It’s expected that Williams will lead the NFC North squad to the playoffs in his debut professional season since the Chicago Bears have done a lot to position him for immediate success. DJ Moore, an athletic wide receiver who concluded the 2017 campaign with 1,364 yards and eight scores, was already a member of the Bears. Keenan Allen, who has played for the Chargers for five of the previous seven seasons and recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards, was added by Chicago.
Allen ended with 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in the previous season.
Given that Moore is recognised for his speed and ability to take the top off of defences, Allen, a big-bodied possession receiver, is the ideal counterbalance to Moore.
However, after signing Allen, the Chicago Bears weren’t finished. Chicago added one of the best wideouts in this year’s class, taking former Washington WR Rome Oduze with the No. 9 overall choice in the NFL Draft, after choosing Williams with the first overall pick in April.
Oduze is coming off a nearly unstoppable 2023 season in which he hauled in 92 receptions for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns. Oduze has posted back-to-back seasons in which he exceeded 1,000 yards receiving by a significant margin.
Williams was also aided by the Bears, who added De’Andre Swift to the backfield to play with Khalil Herbert. With 1,049 running yards and five touchdowns in 2023, Swift had his finest pro season to date.
Throughout his career, he has established himself as a dependable pass-catcher out of the backfield, providing Williams with a check-down option when necessary.
Chicago’s defence developed significantly during the course of the 2023 season and returns almost all of its star players. Last season, the Bears’ running defence was the best in the league, giving up just 86 rushing yards per contest. They played very well in the second half of the season, finishing as the NFL’s No. 12 overall defence at the end of the campaign.
On paper, Williams should succeed right away in 2024, but there seems to be a rift between him and one of his new wide outs as OTAs get underway.
After a horrible pass, new Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen is not happy with Caleb Williams.
Is Keenan Allen regretting his trade to the Bears for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams after having Justin Herbert as his quarterback with the Los Angeles Chargers?
The talk of Chicago is about Caleb Williams, the first-round pick of the Bears, who is expected to dominate the Windy City if he steps up to the plate and makes it his own. Keenan Allen joined the Bears following a successful few years in Los Angeles. He is accustomed to collecting passes from quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert.
It seems like he longs for those times.
Fans of Justin Herbert and Caleb Williams are divided over Keenan Allen’s recent critique of a pass made by Williams during practice.
After the new Chicago Bears threw him a horrible floating pass that could be picked off or set him up to take a big hit in a real game, Allen could be heard shouting, “Hell nah.”
Back in March, the Los Angeles Chargers traded their top wide receiver, Keenan Allen, to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 NFL Draft fourth-round selection.
After playing his first 11 years of professional football with the Los Angeles Chargers, Allen was dealt to the Bears in March for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft. The 32-year-old finished his sixth Pro Bowl season in 2023 with a career-high 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns, while playing in just 13 games, according to ESPN.com.
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