Bear Digest

Bears Improvement from Receivers Viewed as Going Only So Far

Analysis by one website counts the Bears among the four most improved teams because of their receiver group but elsewhere they're being viewed as underachievers.

Gene Chamberlain

Rome Odunze runs through drills under Matt Eberflus' watchful eye. Bears receivers are being viewed as a source of great improvement.
Rome Odunze runs through drills under Matt Eberflus' watchful eye. Bears receivers are being viewed as a source of great improvement. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Bears skeptics have populated websites with their thoughts throughout the offseason, even after the surge Montez Sweat and the defense caused following last year’s midpoint.

It continues even now, with rookies set to report to Halas Hall for training camp in almost two weeks.

CBS Sports has taken up the topic of meeting expectations and apparently is not reading analysis from The 33rd Team.

Dan Pizzuta of The 33rd Team refers to the Bears as one of the four teams who could show the most improvement from last year, in particular because of their upgrades at wide receiver.

Yet, CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo and Jordan Dajani took turns looking at teams' chances to exceed expectations this season and their feeling is the Bears will disappoint people even with receiver improvement. They expect the Bears to finish below their over/under projection of 8 1/2 wins.

For Dajani, the question is Caleb Williams.

"Quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall haven't surpassed six wins in their first seasons since Andrew Luck in 2012, and the NFC North isn't exactly a cakewalk," Dajani wrote. "The Bears Over/Under win total is set at 9. Is that too high?"


For that reason, DeArdo says to come back in 2025 because it's not happening this year.

"I know that the Bears went 7-10 last year, and—at least on paper—Chicago is a much better outfit in 2024," DeArdo wrote. "While both of those things are true, I'm leery when it comes to putting too high of expectations on a rookie starting quarterback, which is what Caleb Williams will be this season."

Pizzuta thinks it's Bears critics who will be surprised because they'll be one of four teams who turn things against the tide. Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze will be key reasons.

"DJ Moore was an instant upgrade to the Chicago Bears' receiving corps last season but became the only real threat," Pizzuta wrote. "Moore saw 28.5 percent of the team’s targets and accounted for nearly 40 percent of the team’s receiving yards."

Pizzuta calls the receiver corps now one of the "...league's most well-rounded." He thinks Allen will be a real friend to Williams, especially, as the slot receiver in the middle of the field even at age 32.

"Allen still has the route running and body control that made him one of the league’s best short-area receivers. His game was never based on speed, so it continues to age well," Pizzuta wrote.

Either way, it's obvious the Bears continue to be one of the teams stirring debate through the offseason.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.