The Chicago Bears’ woes continued into the 2023 season, although they began to pull out of their losing slog toward the end of the year. They began the season with a 2-7 record and ended going 5-3 on the back eight with conference wins over the Vikings and the Lions. The Bears’ defense was a strong suit this season — they finished the year with a league-high 22 interceptions, tying the 49ers, and allowed opponents the fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL, letting up just 86.4 yards on the ground on average.
The Bears’ biggest question as they head into the 2024 season lies at the quarterback position. Justin Fields has shown flashes of brilliance in his time in Chicago, but the Bears have never quite been able to break through with him. Whether that was due to outside factors or Fields himself will be the decider for the Bears front office. They have the first overall pick of the draft and can either trade it or use it to pick up an elite rookie like Caleb Williams from USC. Any rookie selection is something of a gamble, and the Bears have yet to make a public decision on the matter.
Here are three things the Bears must do in the 2024 offseason to maximize their potential next season.
3 things Chicago must do this offseason
Re-sign or franchise tag CB Jaylon Johnson
Johnson’s presence in the Bears secondary cannot be underrated. He finished the season with 10 passes defended, second only to Tyrique Stevenson. He was one of three Bears defenders to finish the season with four interceptions, and one of just two to grab a pick six. Johnson and defensive tackle Justin Jones both hit the market in free agency this offseason, and Jones should be a priority for the Bears as well, whether through the franchise tag or a renegotiated contract.
Use second first-round pick to draft elite receiver
The Bears have effectively two options at quarterback for 2024: trade Justin Fields and draft Caleb Williams, or keep Fields and trade the first overall pick. Neither are absolute must-dos for the bears. Sure, they need to make a decision sooner than later on whether they want to stick with the more experienced but as-of-yet largely unsuccessful Fields strategy, or risk starting over with a rookie whose weaknesses popped out in 2023. It’s not an easy decision to make, and it’s hard to say right now what the right path to take will be. However, the Bears also have the ninth overall pick of the draft, and whether they are starting Williams or Fields next year, they need an elite receiver to pair with DJ Moore as a target. If Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers are on the board, the Bears should not pass them up.
Get aggressive and aim big in free agency
Chicago has its issues at offensive line and will need to strengthen their pass rush, but they can address these issues in free agency rather than the draft, as they have plenty of cap space to play with. They will need to grab a high-floor center and a lower- or mid-salaried edge rusher from the free agency pool to immediately impact the team coming into 2024.