If you follow the 2024 predictions for the Chicago Bears, most of them hover in the same ballpark. Some believe they will duplicate their 7-10 record from last year, mostly because they’re breaking in a rookie quarterback and sit in a tough division. Others think they go somewhere between 8-9 and 10-7, thanks in large part to their strong defense and improved receiving corps. Fair enough. However, some people are much higher on the Bears than you might think.
Dan Pompei of The Athletic contacted ten different personnel people to ask their thoughts on the team. One scout stated he believes the Bears will be way better than people realize. However, it will require a breakout season from a specific player. No, it’s not quarterback Caleb Williams. It isn’t running back D’Andre Swift or wide receiver Rome Odunze. It’s Gervon Dexter.
Then there was the outlier, predicting a 13-4 finish.
Asked to explain the optimism, he says he believes the Bears are a talented young team, and that quarterback Caleb Williams is the real deal and wide receiver DJ Moore is a difference-maker. He also said they are scheduled to oppose only two quarterbacks who put fear in defenses — C.J. Stroud of the Texans and Matthew Stafford of the Rams. He qualified his prediction by saying the Bears would be so successful only with a more effective interior pass rush, which would likely have to come from second-year player Gervon Dexter. Without more pressure from the tackles, the front-office person says the Bears will win nine or fewer.
Head coach Matt Eberflus has said many times since taking over that his system, an offshoot of the famed Tampa-2 scheme, is only at its best when it has a strong interior rush. This was true with John Randle in Minnesota, Warren Sapp in Tampa Bay, and most recently with DeForest Buckner in Indianapolis. Chicago didn’t sign or draft any notable interior pass rush options this off-season, which was a clear indication that they believe Dexter can take the next step.
Such confidence is understandable. After a slow start to his rookie year in 2023, the defensive tackle finished with two sacks, six QB hits, and 20 pressures over the final eight games. He reportedly arrived at training camp in much better shape than the year before, looking quicker and more explosive. Whether this translates to production on the field is the big question. If Dexter becomes something similar to what the Chicago Bears had with Tommie Harris back in the 2000s, this defense will be one nobody wants to play.
