Teams with seven wins and an unsettled quarterback situation normally would earn arrows down heading into the offseason.
The Bears are one of the few losing teams earning upbeat comments and marks across the board even after a 7-10 record.
Not all the football websites post power rankings after the Super Bowl but those who did all seemed to speak with optimism about the 2024 Bears and they usually came in somewhere between 17th and 22nd in rankings league-wide.
They’re viewed as up-and-comers and it didn’t hurt their cause when five of those seven wins came in the last eight games.
Even not knowing who will be their quarterback next year didn’t seem to cause apprehension among the polls, as their salary cap situation and upcoming draft picks carried them into positive territory.
CBS Sports: 21st
Peter Prisco had them ranked behind every NFC North team except the Vikings, like most rankings did, and asked the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue. “Do they keep Justin Fields or draft Caleb Williams first overall?” he asked. “If they keep Fields, what can they get for the top overall pick?”
ESPN: 21st
Bears beat reporter Courtney Cronin put the big question in a proper perspective by calling the big question facing the Bears a matter of breaking “the perpetual cycle of seldom drafting and developing a franchise quarterback by selecting the top player in the draft from a loaded group of QBs.”
NFL.com: 21st
Eric Edholm says the Bears can put their money where their mouth is.
“If the Bears feel Fields can continue improving and grow into a championship-level quarterback, then the solution is simple: keep him and sign him to a long-term extension,” he wrote.
And if they don’t want to keep him it’s a matter of putting the money into a safe place for Caleb Williams.
Yahoo Sports: 17th
Frank Schwab has the Bears rated as high as they got in any of these post-Super Bowl lists.
“The debate over what the Bears should do with the first overall pick will last a while,” he wrote.
And everyone is already tired of it.
USA Today: 18th
Nate Davis sounded a positive battle cry for 2024 regardless of who throws passes, saying they will have, “…ample cap space, two Round 1 picks and a near certainty to add more draft capital, whether they trade the No. 1 selection or QB Justin Fields.”
The Sporting News: 17th
Vinnie Iyer had them rated as high as Yahoo’s Frank Schwab did, but took another path besides the same QB question every else took.
“Shane Waldron was a great get, and so will be more pop in the passing gmae and pass defense,” Iyer wrote.
Fox Sports: 20th
David Helman offered up his own opinion on what they should do about the QB issue. “I think the right move is to start over with either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye,” he wrote. “But regardless of what they decide, the Bears will have promise in 2024.”
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