3 things that should be on the Bears Holiday Wishlist this season

It's easy to be optimistic at the beginning of the year. The problems of the past are, well, in the past, and the future is rich with possibilities. All too often for Chicago Bears fans though, the rose-colored glasses of the new year are discarded in cover-your-eyes embarrassment by the end of each season.

Bears fans have certainly had to deal with a lot throughout their tortured existences, so the least Santa Claus could do would be to reward us for our suffering, especially in light of how this most recent season has gone. Few Bears campaigns have begun with such optimism before, which has only made it hurt worse that this one has gone like so many before it.

If a Hollywood screenwriter submitted a screenplay about a football team that lost on a Hail Mary, a last-second blocked field goal and an inexplicable clock management gaffe, all in the span of five weeks, that script would be in the trash bin the second they left the room. Yet here we are, living through a reality that's too strange for fiction.

If that script ever did somehow get greenlit, the one consolation for Bears fans would be that it would have to end with the team exorcising its demons and winning the championship in the end. For that to happen though, this team is going to need a few things. That's where our Bears Holiday Wishlist comes in. Here are three things Bears fans hope they'll get between now and next season.

Bears Wishlist item No. 1: Ben Johnson as the next Bears head coach

Honestly, I don't know what else we need to see at this point. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the guy, and the Bears need to hire him. He's the brightest offensive mind that will be available, and not only do his teams execute, they have fun doing it. There are also credible reports from NFL insiders that he's interested in the job.

Johnson's Lions put on a show on Sunday, tuning the Bears up for 34 points. They ran the ball, with Jahmyr Gibbs going for over 100 yards on the ground. They threw the ball, with Jared Goff throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns. They ran meat-and-potatoes plays and never-before-seen trick plays with equal success.

The Lions offense has been the most potent in the league all season. The Bears have a number one pick at quarterback and skill position talent around him, but for most of the season, they haven't been able to get out of their own way.

Most Bears fans expect the team to make the wrong hire, because that's what always happens. It's certainly what happened when they hired Matt Eberflus nearly three years ago, but after how disastrous his tenure was, I fear that there will be an angry mob with pitchforks and torches outside Halas Hall if the Bears let Johnson get away. Don't overthink it, and don't let this one get away.

Bears Wishlist item No. 2: A top-seven draft pick

The Bears have lost nine straight games, a streak only the 2-13 Giants can claim to beat. Chicago's playoff chances have long since gone extinct, and with two games remaining until this season's merciful end, the sad truth is that winning either or both of those games can do nothing but hurt the team's draft position.

If the season ended today, the Bears would have the ninth pick in next year's NFL Draft. No matter what happens, they can't fall below 11th, but if things go "right," so to speak, they could end up as high as 7th.

Like the Bears, the Panthers and Jets are both 4-11, but by virtue of having a more difficult strength of schedule, the Bears will draft behind them in case of a tie. That SOS won't change in the final two weeks, but what can change is that the Bears can jump either or both of those teams if they manage to pull out another win and the Bears don't.

The Panthers have played much better lately, especially Bryce Young, who finally seems to be coming into his own after being effectively left for dead earlier this season. They travel to Tampa Bay and Atlanta for a pair of divisional road games to end the year, and while that sounds daunting, both of those teams have shown that they're more than capable of losing games they should win.

The Jets travel to Buffalo and then host the Dolphins in Week 18. While a win against the Bills is probably too much to ask for, it does have a tendency to get pretty cold in New York in the first week of January, and Tua Tagovailoa and company haven't exactly impressed when they don't get to play in balmy conditions.

Even though the Bears already have their franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams, every spot counts in the first round of the draft. Picking seventh instead of ninth could be the difference between landing top targets like Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham or LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, or being left with leftovers.

Bears Wishlist item No. 3: Sign Chiefs guard Trey Smith in free agency

The Bears are estimated to have about $81 million in cap space this offseason, the fifth-highest total in the league. If Ryan Poles still has his job at season's end, he's going to need to use that money wisely, otherwise this really will be his last stand as general manager.

Poles was an offensive lineman during his playing days, but he's been neglectful about fortifying the Bears in the trenches since he became general manager. We've especially seen it this year, as Caleb Williams has been sacked more than any other quarterback in the league. Poles has to go all-in on fixing the line and protecting Williams, both in the draft and in free agency.

Teven Jenkins has never been able to stay healthy, and he's entering free agency himself. Jenkins has been a fan favorite when he's actually been able to play, but he's just not been available enough to justify resigning him.

Trey Smith of the Chiefs will be expensive, but Poles needs to make a splash. Smith is only 25 and he's spent his career absorbing the winning Chiefs culture by osmosis. The Bears could use some of that.