Bears must back up offseason talk, especially on offense, with sharp start to training camp this week
<p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >Bears</a> were fairly quiet when it came to expectations a year ago, coming off a disastrous season and a hard reset at head coach with <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2025/09/01/the-bears-and-their-fans-needed-a-truth-teller-they-got-one-in-new-coach-ben-johnson" >Ben Johnson</a> replacing Matt Eberflus. They seemed to learn a tough lesson after launching the 2024 season with “Hard Knocks” in what came across as a pre-celebration of success.</p><p>There’s been a little more chatter this year, though.</p><p>The Bears earned the right to voice high expectations after going 11-6 and winning a playoff game last season, and the logical next step from there is to establish themselves as a legitimate contender, but it’s never automatic.
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<p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >Bears</a> were fairly quiet when it came to expectations a year ago, coming off a disastrous season and a hard reset at head coach with <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2025/09/01/the-bears-and-their-fans-needed-a-truth-teller-they-got-one-in-new-coach-ben-johnson" >Ben Johnson</a> replacing Matt Eberflus. They seemed to learn a tough lesson after launching the 2024 season with “Hard Knocks” in what came across as a pre-celebration of success.</p><p>There’s been a little more chatter this year, though.</p><p>The Bears earned the right to voice high expectations after going 11-6 and winning a playoff game last season, and the logical next step from there is to establish themselves as a legitimate contender, but it’s never automatic. Regression, personnel misjudgments and injuries lurk as pitfalls for any team.</p><p>After a relatively quiet offseason, most of the talk at Halas Hall has been about improvement coming from within the existing roster. By nature, that’s all projection, and they need to produce some proof.</p><p>The Bears’ big ambitions hinge predominantly on the potential rise of quarterback <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2025/08/31/why-do-so-many-people-hate-bears-qb-caleb-williams-he-answers-exactly-that-question" >Caleb Williams</a>, who did a lot of great things last season but still has a lot to sharpen.
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- <p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >Bears</a> were fairly quiet when it came to expectations a year ago, coming off a disastrous season and a hard reset at head coach with <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2025/09/01/the-bears-and-their-fans-needed-a-truth-teller-they-got-one-in-new-coach-ben-johnson" >Ben Johnson</a> replacing Matt Eberflus. They seemed to learn a tough lesson after launching the 2024 season with “Hard Knocks” in what came across as a pre-celebration of success.</p><p>There’s been a little more chatter this year, though.</p><p>The Bears earned the right to voice high expectations after going 11-6 and winning a playoff game last season, and the logical next step from there is to establish themselves as a legitimate contender, but it’s never automatic.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
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- 3m ago.
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Bears must back up offseason talk, especially on offense, with sharp start to training camp this week
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times