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After a season that started with a lot of big talk and finished with the Bears plunging to 5-12, general manager Ryan Poles regretted that expectations got away from them early. The team, as well as fans, would be wise to rein them in this time, even amid the excitement of the offseason.
The Bears are off to a good start by winning the sweepstakes for coach Ben Johnson in January and stacking roster upgrades through trades and free agency over the past two weeks, but those moves don’t automatically vault them into championship contention.