The Chicago Bears' 2024 rookie class was one of the most exciting the franchise has welcomed to the team in many, many years.
How could it not be? Headlined by quarterback Caleb Williams, the first overall pick, and wide receiver Rome Odunze, the ninth overall pick, expectations for immediate superstardom ran wild.
Unfortunately, neither first-rounder took the NFL by storm in 2024, which is to be expected. But there was a sense of disappointment and frustration with how the Bears' entire rookie class performed during a season that saw the Bears fire their head coach mid-year for the first time in franchise history.
Pro Football Focus confirmed the underwhelming returns in their ranking of every team's 2024 rookie class. The Chicago Bears checked in at No. 17.
"The Bears picked only five times in the 2024 NFL Draft, meaning their ceiling for snap count would inherently be lower," PFF's Bradley Locker wrote. "Still, the team boasted two top-10 picks in Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, and neither played like an outright star as a rookie: Williams’ 63.5 PFF passing grade was the fourth worst among the five rookie quarterbacks to qualify, while Odunze’s 65.9 PFF receiving grade ranked 10th out of 19 first-year wideouts. Aside from those two former Pac-12 stars, third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie was ineffective during his 119 snaps at left tackle, allowing eight pressures and a sack."
Bears' dysfunction in 2024 contributed to Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze's struggles
Williams and Odunze were playing behind the eight ball for most of their rookie years. Matt Eberflus was arguably the worst head coach in the NFL until his termination, and there's no argument that Shane Waldron was an abysmal failure during his brief tenure as Chicago's offensive coordinator.
And when the head coach and offensive coordinator are both disasters, at the same time, it's no surprise that a rookie quarterback and wide receiver suffer.
Still, great players overcome challenging situations, and both Williams and Odunze proved, in spurts, that they are great players who simply needed more structure and a better support system.
They got both this offseason with the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson and a revamped offensive line.
The Bears' third-round pick, Kiran Amegadjie, was a disaster in his limited on-field exposure, and fifth-round pick, Austin Booker, was a non-factor. Neither player helped boost the image of the 2024 draft class.
Punter Tory Taylor proved to be decent fourth-round value, but let's face it: a punter can't make up for a lost season from a third-round offensive tackle and a rotational Day-3 edge rusher (at best).
Pro Football Focus' ranking is fair, and, in fact, it's pretty remarkable that Williams and Odunze alone were able to keep the Chicago Bears in the middle of the pack of last year's rookie classes after one season.
