Caleb Williams vs. the Bears defense: Are you ready for a fascinating summer? (2024)

NFL schedule release day has become the Super Bowl for the 32 teams’ social media and content teams.

The Chicago Bears’ video did something incredibly rare in this new tradition. It included a pair of rookies, Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze.

As the two stepped off the bus to end the nostalgia trip, it served as a reminder that Williams and Odunze are not just any rookies — especially the No. 1 pick — and this Bears team is entering unfamiliar territory: big expectations.

The season moves pretty fast.

If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. pic.twitter.com/MpXMPEcTD6

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 16, 2024

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It’s not so much about playoffs or a Super Bowl, but there’s an excitement that’s unusual for teams with the No. 1 pick.

OTAs begin this week, and on Thursday, the media will get its first look at Williams with the veterans, and the squad that general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus have assembled for Year 3. Here’s our look ahead at what makes this spring and summer different:

Fishbain: One indicator I’ve been monitoring to illustrate how rare the 2024 Bears are is over/under win totals. The Bears are currently at 8.5, per BetMGM. That seems fair for a team that won seven games last season but figures to have some hiccups with a rookie under center — even one as good as Williams. But the 2021 Jaguars, with Trevor Lawrence? Their win total was 6.5. Joe Burrow’s Bengals in 2020? Their win total was set at 5.5. This team will be nothing if not interesting, and as we saw at rookie minicamp, Jahnsy, the attention is going to be massive. How they handle it on and off the field will be a storyline all season long.

Jahns: When we went through the schedule on “Hoge & Jahns” together, I finished with the Bears having a 10-7 record. That felt optimistic but also not far-fetched at all. This season will be about young quarterbacks. The Bears are expected to face Will Levis, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy (twice). Will Williams be able to outplay all of them? They’re all rookies or in their second seasons. The Bears also should play Lawrence, Brock Purdy and Jordan Love (twice). Every week could be a good gauge of Williams’ progress because of who the Bears are playing.

Fishbain: Teams sometimes follow their quarterback, and in Williams, the Bears have a very confident one. I’m looking forward to seeing how that translates to the field over the next few weeks with his veteran pass catchers, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Cole Kmet. He’s gotten a head start with his top receivers, but how is the timing? Can he be anticipatory with elite route runners? Will practice look as smooth as it sometimes did during rookie camp? Coaches will want to focus on the cadence and how Williams gets in and out of the huddle, but we don’t know the play call or what’s being asked of him. I’ll want to see how often the offense looks like it’s in a rhythm, and that’ll be a theme through training camp. What will catch your eye with No. 18?

Jahns: We’ll track everything he does, especially in camp. It’s what we do. It’s what Bears fans want. But if you want me to be more specific, I’d like to see Williams build a rapport with various receivers, not just one or two as Justin Fields seemed to do. Looking back, the signs were there during camp last year that Fields wasn’t poised for the next step. The only thing that clicked every day was his connection with Moore.

But let’s look ahead, not to the past. The entire Bears defense feels ready for its next step. Linebackers Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn are no longer new teammates. Defensive end Montez Sweat is already on the roster. And the Bears’ young, talented and deep secondary is a year older. Some concerns remain at three-technique defensive tackle and defensive end. The Bears’ pass rush must improve. But optimism surrounding the Bears defense should be as high, if not more so, than for Williams and the offense.

The Rookies are all suited up 🔥 @NFLPA pic.twitter.com/nnKlAYz9Rv

— NFL (@NFL) May 18, 2024

Fishbain: Until the pads come on, we won’t really get a good sense of the progression of defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, or how quickly rookie defensive end Austin Booker can be ready, but this should be the strength of the team. They should challenge Williams. Turnovers can be fickle year to year, but what can allow the Bears to build off last year’s success on defense will be the young players taking a big step forward — the defensive linemen, corners Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon, and safety Jaquan Brisker. This will be a fun narrative all season, spring and summer: when there’s a takeaway, is it Williams’ error or a testament to an ascending defense?

Jahns: You got that right. You want the defense to take advantage of Williams’ mistakes and also force more of them. It should help Williams and Odunze develop as players. They need to be challenged. Competition will forever be a good thing. This is one of the best rosters — on paper — that we’ve covered in more than a decade. It rivals the 2013 and 2018 versions of the Bears. That might not be saying much. Those teams didn’t make playoff runs. But Poles and Eberflus have quickly transformed this team. It required some good fortune. I’ve said it repeatedly that the Bears weren’t your typical team with the first pick. But Caleb Williams is a Bear now. Everything that comes next should be exciting.

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)