The Bears are 3-1 through four games, and that alone qualifies as a pleasant jolt. But the record isn’t the only thing turning heads in Chicago. A handful of individual performances have gone well beyond what most people expected, from a veteran emergency quarterback to a rookie defender making an immediate impact.
Case Keenum sits at the top of that list. You don’t usually associate surprise with a 38-year-old quarterback who has been around forever, but Keenum got forced into action because both Bears quarterbacks were injured.
He started one game, and that almost certainly will be the only start he makes the rest of his career. Even so, he beat the Philadelphia Eagles in primetime and looked excellent doing it.
For a player who is essentially a pseudo-coach at this point, that was about as good a surprise as the Bears could have asked for.
The passing game has produced another unexpected twist in Kalif Raymond. Nobody would blink if three players were sharing the receiving load, but the surprise is who is in that mix.
Raymond has emerged as the third option behind Luther Burden and Rome Odunze, not Colston Loveland. Odunze has 233 receiving yards, Raymond has 220, and Burden has 219, while Loveland sits at 91.
Raymond has also been efficient, leading all Bears players with 2.2 yards per route run. He’s on pace for a career year, and that was not on many preseason bingo cards.
Devin Bush has also turned himself into a real story. When Chicago signed him in free agency, it looked like a calculated gamble.
He had started for the Browns for two seasons, but that came after five years of not quite meeting expectations. Through four weeks, though, he has fit cleanly into the Dennis Allen defense.
His style matches what the Bears want, and he is beginning to take on more of a leadership role. If that had been the version of Bush people expected when he was drafted in the top ten in 2018, nobody would have been shocked.
The surprise is how well it’s working now.
On defense, rookie first-round pick Dillon Thieneman has wasted no time proving he belongs. He was expected to start right away, but he has already played like one of the Bears’ best defenders. His stat line through four games: 30 tackles, three pass breakups, and an interception.
Then there’s Malik Muhammad, the Bears’ fourth-round pick, who has been asked to do a little bit of everything. He has started on the outside and in the slot, and he has held up in both spots. For a player drafted where he was, that kind of versatility and production makes him one of the better values on the roster so far.
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Ben Johnson Sends Clear Message After D'Andre Swift's Costly Mistake
DAndre Swifts Week 4 fumble against the Jets did more than stall a drive for the Bears. It put ball security back at the center of the conversation in Chicago, especially after Swift has already put the ball on the ground twice in the first four weeks of his seventh NFL season. For a back whose first six seasons never included more than three fumbles in a year, the early-season slip has stood out.
Ben Johnson responded by benching Swift after the third-quarter mistake and making it clear the error did not fit the standard he wants in place. Johnson called the play egregious and stressed accountability as part of the teams culture, a message that matters beyond one snap because the Bears are trying to build consistency around a backfield that cannot afford unnecessary giveaways. [Read more 🡒]
DJ Moore Update Makes Bears Trade Look Better Than Ever
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The draft capital Chicago picked up in the deal has also started to matter more and more. The Bears used that asset to bring in Sam Roush and Malik Muhammad, giving the front office something tangible to point to beyond the lost production at receiver. Moores availability for Buffalo remains a question, and for Chicago it is another reminder that the return from the trade is still unfolding in ways that may end up favoring the Bears more than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylon Johnson Faces A Bears Test That Could Change Everything
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Christian Watson is waiting next, and that matchup brings its own kind of pressure because Johnson has seen enough of the Packers wideout to know how difficult it can be to stay attached for four quarters. For a Bears defense trying to stabilize and for Johnson personally, this is the kind of game that can shift the conversation fast, either toward a reset in form or toward even more questions about what comes next. [Read more 🡒]