Paul Sancya/AP
Dare to dream?
Whether it’s unabashed optimism or nervous excitement, the anticipation for the Bears’ 2024 season and the possibility of a breakthrough to playoff contention — or better — is peaking as the Bears prepare to open training camp Friday at Halas Hall.
Expectations should probably be tempered for a franchise that chronically disappoints and a team that has finished 3-14 and 7-10 in Matt Eberflus’ two seasons as head coach. In fact, the Bears’ 16-35 record in the past three seasons ranks 31st among the 32 NFL teams.
Then again, the last time there was this much excitement over a Bears team coming off a losing season — in 2018, when Matt Nagy replaced John Fox as head coach after a 5-11 season in 2017 — the Bears lived up to the hope and the hype.