The 2024 season will be the Chicago Bears' 105th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles.
| 2024 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The McCaskey Family |
| General manager | Ryan Poles |
| Head coach | Matt Eberflus |
| Home field | Soldier Field |
On May 30, 2024, for the first time in franchise history, it was announced that the Bears would be the team featured on Hard Knocks for 2024 season premiering on August 6, 2024.[1]
Offseason
Staff changes
On January 10, 2024, the Bears announced that they fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and four others offensive assistants. On January 23, 2024, Shane Waldron was hired as the new offensive coordinator,[2] while Kerry Joseph was announced as the Quarterbacks coach three days later.[3] On January 27, 2024, Eric Washington was named the defensive coordinator.[4]
On February 21, 2024, the Bears announced the hiring of additional six coaches: offensive passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, running backs coach Chad Morton, receivers coach Chris Beatty, assistant offensive line coach Jason Houghtaling, assistant quarterbacks and receivers coach Robbie Picazo and assistant running backs coach Jennifer King.[5] King would make history, as the first female coach in Bears history.[6] Chavis Cook was hired as the coaching administration manager. On February 23, the Bears added Ryan Griffin as assistant quarterbacks and receivers coach and Bryan Bing as assistant defensive line coach.[7] On February 26, Matt Pees was added as defensive analyst-advance/special projects.[8]
In addition, three other coaches were promoted: Offensive line coach Chris Morgan promoted to run game coordinator; assistant defensive backs coach, David Overstreet II to Nickelbacks coach and administrative coaching assistant, Kenny Norton III to defensive quality control coach.
| Coach | Position | Reason left | Replacement(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Stein | Senior vice president/general counsel | Fired[9] | - |
| Sean Magee | Coaching chief of staff | Accepted job at the University of Michigan[10] | Chavis Cook (Coaching administration manager) |
| Luke Getsy | Offensive coordinator | Fired[11] (Later accepted job with Las Vegas Raiders) | Shane Waldron |
| Alan Williams | Defensive coordinator | Resigned mid-season | Eric Washington |
| Tyke Tolbert | Passing game coordinator/ wide receivers coach | Fired[11] (Later accepted job with Tennessee Titans) | Thomas Brown (Passing game coordinator) |
| Chris Beatty (Wide receivers coach) | |||
| Phil Snow | Senior defensive analyst | Contract expired | Matt Pees (Defensive analyst-advance/special projects) |
| Andrew Janocko | Quarterbacks coach | Fired[11] (Later accepted job with New Orleans Saints) | Kerry Joseph |
| Omar Young | Interim running backs coach/ assistant quarterbacks coach | Fired[11] | Chad Morton (Running backs coach) |
| Robbie Picazo & Ryan Griffin (Assistant quarterbacks/wide receivers) | |||
| Luke Steckel | Assistant offensive line coach | Accepted job with Las Vegas Raiders[12] | Jason Houghtaling |
| Tim Zetts | Assistant tight ends coach | Fired[11] | - |
| Assistant running backs | Jennifer King | ||
| Justin Hinds | Assistant defensive line | Accepted job with the Seattle Seahawks[13] | Bryan Bing |
Bill Walsh Diversity coaches
The Bears added six coaches from the NFL's Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship Program: Michael Bellamy II (assistant wide receivers/senior offensive analyst/special teams assistant, Howard), Stefon Wheeler (run game coordinator/offensive line coach, Yale), Angela Rowe (head flag football coach, Huntingdon College), Michael Bearden (assistant wide receivers graduate assistant, Notre Dame), Yosef Fares (head coach, Justin Garza High School) and Anthony Blevins (defensive assistant, Birmingham Stallions).[14]
Roster changes
Free agents
| Position | Player | Tag | 2024 team | Date signed | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLB | Dylan Cole | UFA | |||
| OG | Dan Feeney | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | March 15, 2024[15] | 1 year, $3.5 million |
| RB | D'Onta Foreman | UFA | Cleveland Browns | March 20, 2024[16] | 1 year, $1.125 million |
| DE | Rasheem Green | UFA | |||
| CB | Jaylon Johnson | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 11, 2024[17] | 4 year, $76 million |
| DT | Justin Jones | UFA | Arizona Cardinals | March 14, 2024[18] | 3 year, $30 million |
| TE | Marcedes Lewis | UFA | Chicago Bears | June 9, 2024[19] | 1 year, TBA |
| WR | Darnell Mooney | UFA | Atlanta Falcons | March 15, 2024[20] | 3 year, $39 million |
| DE | Yannick Ngakoue | UFA | |||
| C | Lucas Patrick | UFA | New Orleans Saints | May 12, 2024 | 1 year, minimum |
| QB | Nathan Peterman | UFA | New Orleans Saints | March 18, 2024[21] | 1 year, minimum |
| LS | Patrick Scales | UFA | Chicago Bears | March 10, 2024[22] | 1 year, $1 million |
| WR | Equanimeous St. Brown | UFA | New Orleans Saints | April 12, 2024[23] | 1 year, TBA |
| CB | Greg Stroman | UFA | Chicago Bears | 1 year, minimum | |
| WR/PR | Trent Taylor | UFA | San Francisco 49ers | April 16, 2024[24] | 1 year, TBA |
| TE | Robert Tonyan | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | May 16, 2024[25] | 1 year, TBA |
| WR | Collin Johnson | RFA | Chicago Bears | March 8, 2024[26] | 1 year, minimum |
| CB | Josh Blackwell | ERFA | Chicago Bears | March 13, 2024 | 1 year, minimum |
| WR | Joe Reed | ERFA | |||
RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent
| |||||
Signings
| Position | Player | Previous team | Date signed | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS | Tarvarius Moore | Green Bay Packers | March 8, 2024[27] | 1 year, minimum |
| FS | Kevin Byard | Philadelphia Eagles | March 10, 2024[28] | 2 year, $15 million |
| RB | D'Andre Swift | Philadelphia Eagles | March 13, 2024[29] | 3 year, $24 million |
| TE | Gerald Everett | Los Angeles Chargers | March 13, 2024[30] | 2 year, $12 million |
| SS | Jonathan Owens | Green Bay Packers | March 13, 2024[31] | 2 year, $4.5 million |
| Ot | Matt Pryor | San Francisco 49ers | March 13, 2024[32] | 1 year, $1 million |
| QB | Brett Rypien | New York Jets | March 13, 2024[33] | 1 year, minimum |
| LB | Amen Ogbongbemiga | Los Angeles Chargers | March 14, 2024[34] | 1 year, $2.1 million |
| C | Coleman Shelton | Los Angeles Rams | March 15, 2024[35] | 1 year, $3.5 million |
| WR | Dante Pettis | - | March 15, 2024[36] | 1 year, minimum |
| DE | Jacob Martin | Indianapolis Colts | March 16, 2024[37] | 1 year, minimum |
| OT | Jake Curhan | Seattle Seahawks | March 18, 2024[38] | 1 year, minimum |
| DE | Byron Cowart | Miami Dolphins | March 18, 2024[39] | 1 year, minimum |
Reserve/future contracts
The Bears signed the following players to reserve/future contracts: Micah Baskerville (LB), Stephen Carlson (TE), Jerome Carvin (G), Adrian Colbert (FS), Douglas Coleman III (SS), Aviante Collins (T), Michael Dwumfour (DT), Daniel Hardy (DE), Khalid Kareem (DE), Doug Kramer (C), Cameron Lyons (LS), Roy Mbaeteka (T), Bill Murray (G), Corliss Waitman (P) and Nsimba Webster (WR).[40][41] Mbaeteka was later released.[42]
Trade acquisitions
| Position | Player | Previous team | Date | Traded away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G/C | Ryan Bates | Buffalo Bills | March 13, 2024[43] | 2024 fifth-round selection |
| WR | Keenan Allen | Los Angeles Chargers | March 14, 2024[44] | 2024 fourth-round selection |
Departures
| Position | Player | Reason | Date | 2024 team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS | Eddie Jackson | Released | February 15,2024 | ||
| G | Cody Whitehair | Released | February 15,2024 | Las Vegas Raiders | |
| QB | Justin Fields | Traded | March 16, 2024[45] | Pittsburgh Steelers | Bears received conditional 2025 sixth-round selection |
Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Caleb Williams | QB | USC | From Carolina[A] |
| 9 | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington | ||
| 2 | 40 | Traded to the Washington Commanders[B] | |||
| 3 | 75 | Kiran Amegadjie | OT | Yale | |
| 4 | 110 | Traded to the Los Angeles Chargers[C] | |||
| 4 | 122 | Tory Taylor | P | Iowa | From Philadelphia[D] |
| 5 | 144 | Austin Booker | DE | Kansas | From Buffalo Bills [E] |
| 6 | 184 | Traded to the Miami Dolphins[F] | |||
| 7 | 231 | Traded to the New England Patriots[G] | |||
Draft trades
Undrafted free agents
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brenden Bates | TE | Kentucky | [48] |
| Theo Benedet | OT | UBC | |
| Carl Jones Jr. | LB | UCLA | |
| Jamree Kromah | DE | James Madison | |
| Peter LeBlanc | WR | Louisiana | |
| Keith Randolph Jr. | DT | Illinois | |
| Austin Reed | QB | Western Kentucky | |
| Reddy Steward | CB | Troy | |
| Ian Wheeler | RB | Howard |
Rookie minicamp participants
The following unsigned undrafted free agents participated in the Bears Rookie Minicamp from May 9 to 11: LB Brian Abraham, Albany; OT Noah Atagi, Weber State; RB T.D. Ayo-Durojaiye, Villanova; DB Travian Blaylock, Wisconsin; DB Russell Dandy, Eastern Illinois; DT Mark Ho Ching, Northern Arizona; WR John Jackson, USC; DB Patrick Jolly, Abilene Christian; DB Leon Jones, Arkansas State; DT Dashaun Mallory, Arizona State; S Samuel Matthews, Texas A&M; DE John McCartan, Oregon State; LB Rich Miller Jr., Kansas; LB Paul Moala, Georgia Tech; WR R.J. Mobley, Winston-Salem; DB Decorian Patterson, UCF; DB Kendarin Ray, Tulsa; WR Marcus Rogers, Troy; OG David Satkowski, Stonehill; TE Geor'quarius Spivey, Mississippi State; OG Kameron Stutts, Auburn; OG Donald Ventrelli, North Dakota; TE Shelton Zeon, UNLV.[49] Jackson, Jones, Mallory and Moala would later signed with the team.[50]
Staff
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Rosters
Preseason roster
Preseason
On March 26, the NFL announced that the Bears will play the Houston Texans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 1, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, at 7:00 p.m. CDT.[51] The Bears will be represented by Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers. The two teams will also meet in Week 2 of the regular season in Houston.
| Week | Date | Time (CDT) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | TV | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOF | August 1 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Houston Texans | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | ESPN/ABC | |||
| 1 | August 10 | 12:00 p.m. | at Buffalo Bills | Highmark Stadium | WFLD/NFLN | |||
| 2 | August 17 | 12:00 p.m. | Cincinnati Bengals | Soldier Field | WFLD/NFLN | |||
| 3 | August 22 | 7:20 p.m. | at Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | WFLD/NFLN |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Time (CT) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | TV | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | 12:00 p.m. | Tennessee Titans | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 2 | September 15 | 7:20 p.m. | at Houston Texans | NRG Stadium | NBC | |||
| 3 | September 22 | 12:00 p.m. | at Indianapolis Colts | Lucas Oil Stadium | CBS | |||
| 4 | September 29 | 12:00 p.m. | Los Angeles Rams | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 5 | October 6 | 12:00 p.m. | Carolina Panthers | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 6 | October 13 | 8:30 a.m. | Jacksonville Jaguars |  Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London) | NFLN | |||
| 7 | Bye | |||||||
| 8 | October 27 | 12:00 p.m. | at Washington Commanders | Commanders Field | CBS | |||
| 9 | November 3 | 3:05 p.m. | at Arizona Cardinals | State Farm Stadium | CBS | |||
| 10 | November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | New England Patriots | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 11 | November 17 | 12:00 p.m. | Green Bay Packers | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 12 | November 24 | 12:00 p.m. | Minnesota Vikings | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 13 | November 28 | 11:30 a.m. | at Detroit Lions | Ford Field | CBS | |||
| 14 | December 8 | 3:25 p.m. | at San Francisco 49ers | Levi's Stadium | Fox | |||
| 15 | December 16 | 7:00 p.m. | at Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank Stadium | ABC | |||
| 16 | December 22 | 12:00 p.m. | Detroit Lions | Soldier Field | Fox | |||
| 17 | December 26 | 7:15 p.m. | Seattle Seahawks | Soldier Field | Prime Video | |||
| 18 | January 4/5 | TBD | at Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | TBD | |||
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