When new Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson was entering the 2024 season with the Detroit Lions, he was more concerned about what the Bears could do in the NFC North than any other opponent.
He believed the Bears — who finished the season 5-12 — were “a sleeping giant.”
“Now there are a number of reasons why that did not unfold, which is why I’m here,” Johnson said. “I’ll get to the bottom of that and we will see if we can’t get that corrected and cleaned up. But I was very encouraged with what was already on the roster right here.”
When the Bears hired Johnson, he received the chance to work with and elevate quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2024 No. 1 pick who didn’t quite meet outsized expectations in his rookie season. That will be a crucial task for Johnson and his newly assembled staff.
But Johnson rightly noted to Williams during his introductory news conference that it will take more than just Williams to get the Bears on track.
So what is Johnson inheriting? Starting with the Bears offense in its current state, we look at the positives, the issues and the questions that need to be answered less than two months before free agency.
2024 offensive rankings
- Yards per game: 283.5, ranked 32nd
- Points per game: 18.2, tied for 29th
- Passing yards per game: 181.5, 31st
- Rushing yards per game: 102, 25th
- Third-down percentage: 32.9%, 31st
- Fourth-down percentage: 60.5%, 13th
- Red zone percentage: 62.2%, eighth
Position of strength
Wide receiver
Before the season, the trio of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze hyped up their internal race to get to 1,000 receiving yards.
It turned out that amid Williams’ slow start under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron — and some communication and chemistry issues between Williams and the receivers — none of them reached 1,000 yards.
Moore was close, totaling 98 catches for 966 yards and six touchdowns. It was just the third time in seven seasons he didn’t top 1,100 yards, but he still was Williams’ most reliable target. And as Williams continues to grow, there should be hope that his connection will continue to blossom with Moore, who’s under contract through 2029.
“He’s a dynamic guy in space, can break tackles, hard to bring down, has a unique skill when it comes to finding ways to get open,” former interim coach Thomas Brown said of Moore. “Everybody always has areas to improve as far as just the overall detail when it comes to in and out of breaks.
“We can also help at times of being able to spell him some from a rotational standpoint, so he is not having to play so many snaps in a row, which eventually wears everybody down. I would say for what he can control overall, pretty good year.”
General manager Ryan Poles listed the selection of Odunze at No. 9 in the 2024 draft as one of his accomplishments over the last three seasons. And while Odunze didn’t match the production of some rookie receivers drafted before and after him, he did show promise with 54 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns.
“I think Rome Odunze’s going to be one of the best receivers to come through here,” Poles said. “He’s very talented, humble and I think his leadership’s going to grow.”
Moore and Odunze give the Bears a solid returning duo, but they will have to add depth.
The 32-year-old Allen, a 12-year veteran, joined the Bears in a trade last offseason with one year left on his contract, so his return is up in the air. He had a down year by his standards with 70 catches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns, but he did bring savvy route-running and smarts.
Biggest weakness
Offensive line
Johnson worked with a strong offensive line in Detroit, so he was forthright in evaluating the Bears unit in 2024.
“Offensive line is certainly an area that we need to get better play from going forward, something that Ryan and I have already talked about,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to getting an excellent offensive line coach in the building to help develop the young talent that we already have on the roster, and we will certainly talk about acquiring talent to bolster that unit as well.
“But I was certainly blessed the last few years with the men that I worked with, and that was something I would love to replicate here as well.”
Despite Williams’ objections late in the season that the negative narrative about the offensive line was “stupid,” it’s clearly the unit that needs the most work in the offseason. The Bears cycled through linemen because of injuries and underperformance, and that played at least some part in Williams’ NFL-leading 68 sacks, though Poles wasn’t willing to lay it all on the linemen.
The Bears have one starter cemented in his role for 2025: right tackle Darnell Wright. Beyond that, they have a lot of decisions to make.
The interior of the line could be a priority. The Bears benched and then cut right guard Nate Davis earlier in the season. Left guard Teven Jenkins, in the final year of his rookie contract, started 14 games and was in and out of the lineup in some others as he battled injuries.
Jenkins said the day after the season finale that he was mentally prepared to hit free agency. He called it a “toss-up” between whether he wanted to stay with the Bears or explore the open market, saying he wants to do what’s best for his family.
When asked about his time with the Bears, Jenkins said, “I wish it went a lot better.”
“A lot of things I could’ve done better myself,” he said. “A lot of things I wanted to do at the beginning of the season, like leave no doubt for the contract stuff. But I didn’t do enough of my part to where now there’s still questions. So I failed in that part.”
Left tackle is another big question after starter Braxton Jones had ankle surgery at the end of the season. The pace of Jones’ recovery could play a role in what the Bears do there, but they’ll certainly want another good tackle option beyond 2024 rookie Kiran Amegadjie, who showed in his few appearances that he needs more development.
Center Coleman Shelton started all 17 games but was on a one-year contract. Poles said center/guard Ryan Bates was feeling back to himself after ending the season on injured reserve with a concussion. Bates played in just three games because of injuries. Matt Pryor, who is an unrestricted free agent, took over from Davis as starting right guard and might be an option to return as depth.
Poles indicated he didn’t think there were as many opportunities last offseason to build up the offensive line before the wide receivers — but he’s hopeful there are some this year.
“Just because it’s the philosophy, it doesn’t mean that every year there are answers at those positions for you to take,” Poles said of solidifying the line first. “I definitely think we have all of the assets that we need, and from a draft, free-agent (standpoint), I think some things line up for us to take care of some of those deals.”
Most pressing question
Will Caleb Williams make a second-year leap under Ben Johnson?
Johnson listed several factors that drew him to the Bears — the city of Chicago, his belief in being able to work with Poles, the family atmosphere at Halas Hall — but he stressed that Williams was a “large component” of his decision.
He called Williams a “phenomenal talent” and promised to challenge him — and craft an offense with Williams in mind as he tries to make strides from an up-and-down rookie season.
Williams flashed good and bad while throwing for 3,541 yards, fifth in franchise history and the most by a Bears rookie. He had 20 touchdown passes, six interceptions and an 87.8 passer rating while playing under two head coaches, two play callers and three offensive coordinators. His ability to protect the football was a huge positive. And he showed poise, both off the field while dealing with media and on it late in games.
Poles complimented Williams’ fourth-quarter prowess, which kept the Bears close in several instances.
“I thought he did some really good things but I also know that there’s so much more left in him and his game and his skill set,” Poles said. “I love the flashes that he showed. I loved the two-minute drills and his ability to put the team in a position to win games multiple times this season. That’s a championship-caliber trait.”
But Poles also zeroed in on Williams’ part when addressing the aforementioned 68 sacks.
“Getting us in a position to pick things up and also getting the ball out on time, and that’s part of being a young quarterback,” Poles said. “You’re trying to figure out the coverages and you’re seeing a lot of different things, but you’re also trying to be right and that results in some of those sacks. So there’s a lot of learning to be done in that situation.”
Multiple Bears coaches as well as Williams said he needs to continue to learn, nail down his footwork and develop his preparation to take steps forward. In the first two days of his tenure, Johnson also discussed with Williams areas of improvement.
Now Johnson and his staff — including offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett — must dive into how to make that growth happen.
Other unknowns
Can the Bears revive the run game?
With the departure of quarterback Justin Fields and his 657 rushing yards in 2023 — and the change in offensive coordinators from Luke Getsy to Shane Waldron — the Bears went from the NFL’s second-ranked rushing offense to 25th in a year.
D’Andre Swift rushed for 959 yards and six touchdowns in his fifth season, but he averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per carry and had seven games with fewer than 40 rushing yards. Backup Roschon Johnson, who was the short-yardage option, had only 55 carries for 150 yards, though he had six touchdowns.
Swift signed a three-year, $24.5 million deal last spring, and Johnson will be back for Year 3.
Can Ben Johnson — who ran a top-10 rushing offense with the Lions — help the group be more productive? And will the Bears look for additional help at the position?
What should be made of tight end Cole Kmet’s low production?
This was a frequent topic of conversation throughout the season, especially after Kmet’s connection with Fields thrived in 2023. Kmet had 47 catches for 474 yards and four touchdowns with Williams in 2024. That was well below his previous three seasons, even though his 85.5% catch percentage was the best of his career.
Nobody from the Bears offered a clear answer for Kmet’s lack of targets, but it seems like an obvious area for Johnson to address.
The production the Bears got out of No. 2 tight end Gerald Everett was even worse. He had eight catches on 13 targets for 36 yards. Everett is on a two-year contract.
Will the Bears’ first-quarter funk carry over to 2025?
Another often-asked, never-answered question centered on how Williams and the Bears could start games better.
The Bears totaled just 27 first-quarter points (1.6 per game) and went five weeks toward the end of the season without scoring in the first quarter before a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the season finale. They totaled 510 passing yards and 295 rushing yards in the first quarter.
The play calling to open games, the 110 penalties on all units this season and the readiness of Williams, Swift and the offense as a whole fell under scrutiny as the Bears tried to address the issues — without success.
Perhaps Johnson and his staff finally will find the answers.
