When the Chicago Bears selected quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft and then selected wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick, expectations for the team immediately skyrocketed.
Chicago finished the 2023 season at 7-10, marking their fifth straight year finishing .500 or worse. However, the arrival of Williams and Odunze, coupled with the signing of free agent wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back D’Andre Swift, as well as the 2023 trades for wide receiver DJ Moore and defensive end Montez Sweat, has the fanbase invigorated and energized about the immediate future.
Given the franchise’s history, are the expectations too high? Is this too much hype too soon?
Danny Parkins and fill-in co-host Mark Grote discussed the hype and expectations for the Bears this season and in the future on Wednesday’s episode of 670 The Score’s Parkins and Spiegel.
“There’s a lot of hype. A lot of hype. Do you think it’s too much?” Parkins asked.
“No,” Grote replied. “Mostly because I have the Bears going 11-6. I asked a question to one of the guests I had on recently, and it was one of the weirdest Bears questions I’ve ever asked, and this will confirm why I don’t think it’s too much. I’ll ask you the question. Do the Bears have any weaknesses on offense? Like, real weaknesses.”
The duo agreed that while the team doesn’t necessarily have a starting center at the moment, they’re very well-rounded otherwise. They then turned their attention back to Williams and the rest of the offense.
“I think it’s very unlikely that he’ll be better than C.J. Stroud in terms of low interception numbers because we’ve never seen that before. We’ve never seen that type of production from a rookie quarterback, but I think it’s absolutely in play that [Williams] is a 4,000-yard passer, a 30-touchdown quarterback, and he wins a playoff game. That’s the yardage number Stroud hit, more touchdowns than Stroud had, and he won a playoff game,” Parkins said.
Should Williams reach the 4,000-yard mark and throw for 30 touchdowns, he will have the Bears’ single-season franchise records in both categories. The hype is real.
About Robert O'Neill