The Chicago Bears are one of the most polarizing teams in the NFL heading into the 2024 season.
Despite constant growth since they selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bears opted to part ways with Justin Fields in the offseason — trading the former Ohio State QB to the Pittsburgh Steelers — so they could clear the way to draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Williams — who has dazzled the college football world over the last few seasons and won the Heisman trophy following the 2022 campaign — is viewed by many talent evaluators as a “can’t miss” generational prospect who can thrive right away.
The Chicago Bears have taken plenty of steps to set Williams up for instant success, and the expectation is he will lead the NFC North team to the playoffs in his first pro season. The Bears already had DJ Moore as an explosive WR who finished last season with 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. Chicago added Keenan Allen, who has posted at least 1,000 receiving yards in five of his last seven seasons playing for the Chargers.
Last year, Allen finished with 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns.
Allen is the perfect compliment to Moore, as he’s known as a big-bodied possession receiver while Moore is known for his speed and taking the top off of defenses.
But the Chicago Bears weren’t done after signing Allen. After selecting Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, Chicago added one of the top wideouts in this year’s class, drafting former Washington WR Rome Oduze with the No. 9 overall pick.
Oduze has posted back-to-back seasons where he surpassed 1,000 yards receiving by a wide margin and is coming off a 2023 season where he was almost unstoppable, hauling in 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Bears also helped Williams by adding to the backfield by bringing in De’Andre Swift to play alongside Khalil Herbert. Swift is coming off his best pro season in 2023, where he finished with 1,049 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He’s proven himself as a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield throughout his career, giving Williams a check down option when needed.
Chicago’s defense improved drastically as the season went on in 2023 and brings back nearly every key player from that group. The Bears finished with the No. 1 rushing defense last season, allowing just 86 rushing yards per game. They closed out the year with the No. 12 overall defense in the NFL but played particularly well in the second-half of the year.
On paper, everything is set up for Williams to thrive immediately in 2024, but with OTAs underway, there has been a disconnect with him and one of his new wide receivers.
Is Keenan Allen having regrets about being traded from the Los Angeles Chargers, where he had Justin Herbert for a quarterback, to now having Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams?
Caleb Williams, the Bears’ first-round selection, is the center of attention in Chicago, and if he takes the job and makes it his own, there’s little doubt that the quarterback will rule the Windy City. After spending several fruitful years in Los Angeles, Keenan Allen joined the Bears. He is used to catching passes from players like Justin Herbert and Philip Rivers.
It appears he misses those days.
Keenan Allen’s recent criticism of a Caleb Williams’ pass during training has sparked division among fans of Williams and Justin Herbert.
Allen could be heard yelling “Hell nah” after the new Chicago Bears tossed him a terrible floating pass that could either be picked off or set him up to take a major hit in a real game.
Keenan Allen in practice, “HELL NAH” after an awful floating pass from his quarterback.
He misses Justin Herbert pic.twitter.com/ccs8OSHOVf
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) June 9, 2024
The Los Angeles Chargers sent star wide receiver Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft back in March.
Prior to being traded to the Bears in March for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft, Allen played his first 11 years of professional football with the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite participating in just 13 games in 2023, the 32-year-old recorded a career-high 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns, capping up his sixth Pro Bowl season, via ESPN.com.
