The Chicago Bears are being lauded for their impressive offseason additions, particularly after revamping the interior of their offensive line. Chicago acquired offensive guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson in low-risk trades, then signed center Drew Dalman, the top center available in free agency. The defense was also bolstered with the additions of defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
Yet, offseason praise is not out of the ordinary in Chicago. The Bears generate buzz and excitement with new additions nearly every spring, only to fall flat in September. The Bears became media darlings last offseason after general manager Ryan Poles stacked the team with offensive weapons. Shortly after the regular season began, the Bears realized that the offensive weapons were rendered useless with a porous offensive line and a quarterback prone to holding onto the ball too long.
While Chicago may have improved, fans should approach optimism with caution. Instead, they’ll need to practice something that the Bears have often lacked: patience.
Bears’ impressive offseason should be approached with caution
Chicago is unlikely to experience success instantaneously. First-time head coach Ben Johnson and his staff will need time to establish their system, develop a culture and build the roster. The Detroit Lions, where Johnson formerly served as offensive coordinator, did not build their juggernaut offense in one season.
The Bears have been stuck in a perpetual loop of misery, mostly of their own doing. Over the past eight years, they have consistently repeated mistakes that hinder the development of young quarterbacks. Since 2017, Chicago has drafted three quarterbacks in the first round. On all three occasions, Chicago fired their head coach after the quarterback’s rookie season.
The Bears drafted quarterback Mitch Trubisky with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, then replaced head coach John Fox with Matt Nagy in the following offseason. Quarterback Justin Fields, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, came into the league under Nagy’s regime but entered his second season under Matt Eberflus. Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will now undergo a coaching change before his sophomore campaign.
Young quarterbacks already have a difficult time adjusting to the professional level. Learning a new system and philosophy in their second year can significantly hinder a quarterback. Sometimes, the initial coaching staff requires a change — for example, Urban Meyer with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even in those cases, quarterbacks struggle to recover from the early coaching errors.
The wisest option for any team looking for change is to bring in a head coach and quarterback at the same time, but that is no longer an option in Chicago. Instead, the Bears will have to trust Johnson to break that destructive cycle — even if the early results are ugly.