The Chicago Bears were mentioned quite a bit in The Athletic’s annual poll of current NFL coaches and executives to get their thoughts about the upcoming season. Jeff Howe conducted the poll this year, with 31 individuals sharing their thoughts anonymously, allowing them to speak freely about the teams in the league.
Participants were asked to name three teams that will exceed expectations this season, and the Bears received five votes, which tied with the New York Giants. Teams receiving more votes were the Patriots,
Cardinals, and Raiders with seven each, and the Buccaneers and Seahawks with six apiece.
The Bears also received five votes on the flip side when individuals were asked to name three teams that will fall short of expectations this year. The Dolphins and Broncos also had five votes, with the Commanders in second place with nine votes, and the Detroit Lions the overwhelming favorite for a fall with 16 votes.
“It’s hard to lose two coordinators,” one general manager said about Detroit losing Aaron Glenn to the Jets and Ben Johnson to the Bears.
Johnson received the third most votes (14) when the coaches and execs were asked to pick the three best offensive play callers in the NFL. Only the Rams’ Sean McVay (25) and 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan (18) received more.
Johnson got a ton of love for his work in Detroit, so the voters are evidently predicting carryover to his head coaching role with the Bears.
Chicago’s new defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, was tied for seventh (3 votes) with Minnesota’s Brian Flores in the category of best defensive play caller.
There was one more Bear receiving votes, as rookie tight end Colston Loveland picked one up in the category of best rookie in the league this season, which tied with fellow tight end Tyler Warren of the Colts.
That voter must be looking at what Johnson did with rookie Sam LaPorta in Detroit when he made the Pro Bowl after hauling in 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. I don’t think Loveland’s first year will be that fantastic, but his future is bright.
