The Chicago Bears and their fans currently have as much reason for optimism as they've had in a very long time after selecting former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams out of USC with the number one overall pick at this year's NFL Draft. Williams was the most highly touted prospect in years, and the Bears were able to select him due to a previous trade with the Carolina Panthers, who finished with the worst record in the NFL this year and thus netted Chicago the coveted pick.
The Bears have already shown their commitment to winning with a series of moves since Williams' arrival, including the acquisition of wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers as well as the drafting of wide receiver Rome Odunze a bit later in the first round of the draft with their own pick.
Now, the Bears are looking to make sure there are some seasoned, stabilizing forces among their offensive weapons by resigning a key member of last year's squad.
“(Marcedes Lewis) tells me he is going to Chicago to meet with team tomorrow with intention of re-signing there tomorrow. Barring something unforeseen this will be Lewis’s 19th season as he comes in to help a young QB,” reported Jay Glazer of FOX on his account on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.
As Glazer mentioned in his report, tight end Marcedes Lewis is one of the oldest players in the NFL and is the only member of the 2006 NFL Draft class that is still playing. Lewis signed with the Bears originally in 2023 and functioned mostly as a blocker within the Bears' offense led then by quarterback Justin Fields, but was able to score a touchdown late in the season.
How much will the Bears improve?
In a league full of rookie quarterbacks being drafted into horrible situations and predictably not being able to produce many optimistic results (see: Bryce Young in Carolina) it's been refreshing to see the Bears' brass go all in on making sure that Caleb Williams has a lot of help to make his transition to the NFL level as seamless as possible.
The biggest question mark for the Bears this year will be their defense, which was among the NFL's weaker units throughout the 2023 season and didn't necessarily do a ton to improve this offseason.
However, offensively, there is plenty of reason for optimism in Chicago, thanks in large part to the arrival of Williams. Throughout his college career at both Oklahoma and USC, Williams generated comparisons to everyone from prime Russell Wilson to Patrick Mahomes himself due to his elite combination of arm strength, accuracy, agility, and open field speed.
While there will understandably be an adjustment period and some growing pains as there is for every rookie quarterback, the playoffs sure figure to be a realistic goal for the Bears this year with their new and improved offense.
The season is slated to get underway in early September with a game vs the Tennessee Titans.
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