Bears Rumors: Latest Buzz, Players to Watch at Mandatory Minicamp
The Chicago Bears haven't won a division championship since 2018 and haven't had a legitimate Pro Bowl quarterback since 1985. (Sorry, Mitch Trubisky, we're not playing the second alternate game here.)
Bears fans hope all of that changes in 2024.
The Bears made their first No. 1 overall pick since 1947 and tabbed USC quarterback Caleb Williams to lead them into the future. Williams has been tabbed for pro stardom since high school and had a decorated career at Oklahoma and USC, earning comparisons to Patrick Mahomes along the way.
Even if the Bears get a Mahomes-lite level of performance, Williams will go down as the greatest quarterback in franchise history. Add in several major offseason moves, and there is finally a sense of optimism this offseason in Chicago.
Here's a look at what to expect as the Bears get their mandatory minicamp sessions underway.
Bears Still Seeking Taxpayer Money for Stadium
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Optimism may be peaking among the Bears fanbase, but that isn't carrying over to the state legislature.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch once again shot down the idea of taxpayers kicking in any money for a new stadium for the Bears this week, saying November's election is unlikely to change minds.
"You know, even after the election, I just think it's, things we have to focus on: the kitchen table issues," Welch said. "People want to make sure their groceries are affordable, their rent is affordable, you know, that they have a roof over their head. The last thing they want us to be talking about is stadiums for sports teams."
The Bears unveiled a $5 billion stadium plan in April that includes $3.2 billion for a domed lakefront stadium and an additional $1.5 billion for infrastructure in the surrounding area. The team's proposal includes $2 billion in funding from ownership.
"We have a chance to build a great football team and a world-class stadium that will empower everyone in this room," Bears president Kevin Warren told the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.
Taxpayer-funded stadiums have become increasingly unpopular among citizens in recent years. Even hardcore sports fans have pushed back on the notion of subsidizing a stadium for billionaires and millionaires during a time when inflation rates are soaring at stores and rent prices are rising faster than raises.
The Bears are seeking to replace Soldier Field, their home since 1971 and one of the oldest stadiums in the country. Soldier Field opened in 1924.
Caleb Williams Hype Train Rolls on
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Caleb Williams is headed into his rookie season with expectations soaring.
Not only is Williams one of the most lauded quarterback prospects of his generation, he's also walking into one of the best situations for a No. 1 overall pick in NFL history. The Bears have two high-level veteran wide receivers in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, drafted Rome Odunze to be his WR1 of the future and have a solid running back room led by offseason signing D'Andre Swift.
Couple that with a defense that made massive strides in the second half of 2023, and the Bears are getting significant playoff hype. In fact, NFL Network's Rich Eisen said he could see Williams taking Chicago all the way to the Super Bowl in Year 1.
"I'm saying the best-case scenario for the Bears is this kid [Caleb Williams] takes 'em to the Super Bowl," Eisen said this week. "Defensively, they can do it. Defensively, they've got some real young studs who can really make your life difficult. Don't forget the kid from Iowa who can punt his head off and give yourself a great shot to three and out Caleb Williams onto his own damn 40-yard line half the time."
It's hard to remember any rookie quarterback getting Super Bowl hype in his first season. Even Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Trevor Lawrence, the three most-hyped quarterbacks of the last 30 years, were walking into situations where everyone knew it would take a while to compete.
That's not the case with Williams.
We'll have to see how he handles the spotlight, and we'll get a pretty good look at the hype train when the Bears are filmed for Hard Knocks.
Is Montez Sweat Enough to Fix the D-Line?
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Montez Sweat was nothing short of spectacular after his midseason trade from the Washington Commanders, rejuvenating a pass rush that was dormant in the first half of the season.
Sweat finished with 12.5 sacks between his stops in Washington and Chicago, finishing as the sack leader for both teams.
"It was just all a blessing for me," Sweat said. "It just displayed a bunch of hard work that I've been displaying for my whole life. It's also a credit to the guys I had around … it was really the guys around me that was doing everything."
Sweat will have different guys around him this season in Chicago. The Bears lost defensive linemen Justin Jones and Yannick Ngakoue this offseason, though the latter does remain a free agent as he recovers from a broken ankle.
Chicago will instead be relying on a cast of middling veterans and unproven young players to take attention away from Sweat on the edge. Gervon Dexter Sr. had a quiet rookie season, but the 2023 second-round pick will have high expectations in 2024. Veterans DeMarcus Walker and Jacob Martin will rotate in as edge rushers, and the Bears are hopeful they found a gem in fifth-round pick Austin Booker.
Still, the Bears ranked last in PFF's pass-rush grade last season even with the addition of Sweat and didn't do much to improve in the offseason. It's by far the biggest concern on the defense, which has one of the NFL's best secondaries.
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