NEWSLETTER
You won’t believe where ESPN ranks the Chicago Bears roster ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
And, yes, the forecast is a positive one.
ESPN’s team of analysts including Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz, and Seth Walder have the Bears roster ranking 17th among 32 teams. Among the teams that Matt Eberflus’ squad ranks ahead of are 2023 playoff qualifiers such as the Pittsburgh Steelers (18th) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (22nd). That is kinda neat when I put it that way, right?
CHECK IT OUT: ESPN Ranks the 2024 NFL Rosters (Including the Chicago Bears)
Usually, I’m not huge on preseason power rankings. And in situations where all things are equal, sitting in the middle of the pack isn’t really my bag. But once you consider where this team’s roster construction had the squad sitting in previous rankings, then I’ll bet you’ll have an appreciation for how far Chicago’s football team has come in a short amount of time.
Credit to General Manager Ryan Poles and his front office teammates who have done a bang-up job turning over the roster, resetting with a new foundation, and adding pieces along the way. The 2024 Bears project to have just three starters (Cole Kmet, Teven Jenkins, Jaylon Johnson) from the last team of the Ryan Pace era. This isn’t something that happened overnight. Heck, I’d argue that the building process is still ongoing. But the vibes are high right now … and with good reason. The Chicago Bears have underwent some significant changes. Soon, the time to start winning will come.
How much better are the Chicago Bears going to be in 2024?
If I could answer the question above, I wouldn’t be here. Instead, I’d be somewhere with my beloved watching a puppy run in an endless field. Or I’d be journeying through Europe following Taylor Swift and the European leg of The Eras Tour. Because if I had the power to see and predict the future, I’d use it for personal happiness first and then let the other stuff fall in line. With that being said, I still think we can quantify how much better the Chicago Bears are as they enter the 2024 NFL season by comparing where the team was at this time last year.
In June 2023, ESPN did this same exercise and ranked the Bears roster 22nd among the NFL’s 32 teams. Therefore, we can look at the team’s 2024 ranking being 17th as proof that Chicago’s football team is better now than it was at this time last year. This gives me a sense of relief while also validating my feelings regarding this team and its direction.
Seemingly every team and its fanbase leaves the offseason and enters training camp feeling better than it did at the end of last season. And, in a way, every team does get better. But the framing that ESPN’s 2024 rankings (especially given the context of the 2023 rankings) provide evidence that the Bears *ARE* getting better and leap-frogging other NFL teams in the process.
As it stands, Chicago’s football team’s roster has only seven NFC teams ahead of it on ESPN’s rankings. The way I see it, this means the Bears should be duking it out for a playoff spot late in the season. Considering how close last year’s team was to sliding into a final playoff spot, I don’t think it is unfair to put raised expectations in front of this squad going into 2024.
Frankly, we shouldn’t hesitate to think big things when it comes to the 2024 Chicago Bears. Remember what Caleb Williams said about the team back in June?
“There’s a light at the end of that tunnel. Right now we’re working with our head down and we’re building, (but) just having that moment with myself — I do it every day — to sit there and say, ‘We’re gonna be pretty damn good.’ So I’ve just gotta keep going, keep working, and we’re all excited. It’s really important to have that mindset, but also have the mindset of let’s keep going, let’s keep working, let’s get after it.”
If QB1 sees a light at the end of the tunnel, then I am going to allow myself to try and see it with my own eyes. Maybe I have to squint to see it, but I think it is there.
