If the Chicago Bears are going to make a run at the playoffs this season, they will need a big contribution from their draft class. While nobody expects the rookies to carry the team, the young guys can’t be liabilities either. It always seems like whenever the Bears finally end long playoff droughts, it’s aided by prominent rookies. In 1977, it was tackle Ted Albrecht. In 2001, it was running back Anthony Thomas, and in 2018, it was linebacker Roquan Smith. There is no reason why this 2024 class can’t do something to help.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com thinks that will be the case. He has high expectations for the Bears’ rookies this year, so much so that not one but two of them will make the All-Rookie team, according to his projections. The first and most obvious is quarterback Caleb Williams.
Justin Herbert was the 2020 All-Rookie Team quarterback, aided by a strong trio of pass catchers in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Hunter Henry. Caleb Williams is walking into a similar situation. Allen is now in Chicago, where he joins the dynamic DJ Moore and No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze. Cole Kmet and Herbert’s former teammate, Gerald Everett, will make some plays at tight end, as well, giving the top selection of the 2024 draft a great chance to be among the league’s most prolific passers as a rookie.
Most would immediately point to wide receiver Rome Odunze, being he’s the 9th overall pick in the draft and certain to see plenty of action. Instead, Reuter opted for somebody else who was widely considered the best at his position in this draft: punter Tory Taylor.
The punting game was not a strength for the Bears last season, so they snagged Taylor — the top specialist in the draft — to flip the field. Of course, they’re hoping Caleb Williams will lead an explosive offense that won’t require Taylor’s services very often, unlike when he averaged nearly seven kicks a game for the moribund Iowa offense in 2023. But as the only punter drafted this year, he will be an All-Rookie pick if he booms punts and regularly places them inside the 10-yard line when given the chance.
Quarterback play and punting were two things that held them back from a better record last season. These projections would mean they get improvement from both. If the defense remains solid and the running game is at least decent, there is no reason to think this team won’t make its first postseason berth in years. Head coach Matt Eberflus likely knows the stakes. While his primary goal is overseeing the development of Williams, he can’t afford another losing season. The Bears have to at least show more progress. That means eight wins at a minimum, preferably more.
It’s not impossible. Kyle Orton won ten games as a rookie in 2005. Williams is significantly more talented and equipped than he was. It feels like the Chicago Bears need good health more than anything. If their primary starters can stay mostly healthy, this team should be able to battle any opponent they face. Only the football gods will determine that. Still, it is nice to hear such optimism about the team’s newest additions. It provides hope they are in a position to realize the conclusions of this rebuild.
