For the first time in several decades, the Chicago Bears have what looks to be a very talented roster that could do some serious damage if enough goes right.
Although they managed to reach the Super Bowl in the 2006 season, they haven’t had a truly impressive roster since the mid-1980s, when they won it all with arguably the greatest defense ever and an all-time great running back in Walter Payton.
Chicago has a potential generational talent at quarterback in incoming rookie Caleb Williams, three wide receiver threats in D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and No. 9 pick Rome Odunze, plus a promising unit on defense.
The team is relatively young overall, but it does have a wily veteran in tight end Marcedes Lewis.
On Sunday, Ari Meirov reported that the Bears were likely to re-sign Lewis and have him return for his 19th season.
On Monday, the Bears did just that by giving the 40-year-old a one-year contract.
Marcedes Lewis brings a great veteran presence
Lewis, a first-round draft pick in 2006 out of the University of California, Los Angeles, spent his first 12 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had to endure a lot of losing there, as the Jaguars made the playoffs just twice during his tenure with the team, but he remained fairly productive throughout.
His best individual season came in 2010 when he caught 58 passes and recorded 700 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning him his first and only selection to the Pro Bowl. In 2017, his final year with Jacksonville, he helped the squad make it to the AFC Championship Game, where the Jags took a lead over the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots before losing 24-20.
Lewis then spent five seasons with the Green Bay Packers and made two more trips to the conference championship round before coming to Chicago for last season.
Last season was one of the few times in his career he wasn’t a full-time starter, as Cole Kmet was the Bears’ main man at tight end. But Lewis’ experience and veteran leadership could be seen as invaluable.
There are plenty of people who are skeptical that the Bears will actually be a threat this season, especially given their many years of ineptitude in the past. But their current situation just feels different.
Perhaps Williams won’t fully live up to the hype, but more likely than not, he will not be a bust. If he’s at least a solid signal-caller, the talent around him should give the team at least a shot at the NFC’s final wild-card playoff spot.
