The Chicago Bears may have made some big moves this offseason, both via trade and via free agency, but oddsmakers, apparently, don’t believe those moves will amount to much of a difference in what the team accomplishes this season as opposed to last.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Bears, who finished with a 7-10 record last season, are expected to notch just 8.5 wins this upcoming campaign. That’s not a very big difference for a team that will be looking very different and, according to many, should be vastly improved.

Chicago Bears: Not That Much Improved?
Needless to say, this should be pretty disheartening for fans who have come to believe that the Bears will be almost a sure-thing playoff contender this year. To make matters even worse for Chicago fandom, DraftKings sees the Bears finishing third in the NFC North, behind the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, who are expected to win 10.5 games each, and one spot above the Minnesota Vikings, who they see winning just 6.5 games.

Despite Pro Football Focus giving the Bears a solid “B” grade with their free agency acquisitions and experts raving about trades that brought wide receiver Keenan Allen and offensive lineman Ryan Bates to town for fourth and fifth-round picks in this year’s draft, respectively, oddsmakers still don’t give the team much credit for a positive change.

Nov 6, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) catches the ball against the New York Jets, surpassing 10,000 career receiving yards during a football game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Even with Allen and Bates and free agent newcomers like running back D’Andre Swift, tight end Gerald Everett, safeties Jonathan Owens and Kevin Byard, plus the likely addition of no. 1 draft pick and blue-chip quarterback prospect Caleb Williams, oddsmakers still see a near-bottom of the barrel finish for the Monsters of the Midway.

This definitely flies in the face of what many believe will be a turnaround year for Chicago.

Still A Potential Playoff Powerhouse?
Back in December, Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons, in an episode of his podcast, The Edge With Micah Parsons, stated his belief that the Bears could be a powerhouse playoff team as soon as this coming season. However, he stated that belief under the premise that Justin Fields would still be the team’s starting quarterback.

“The Bears is really going to be a very good team, a legitimate playoff team next year,” Parsons said. “They can win out in the NFC North. I mean, I think this team can legitimately be a top playoff team as of next year with Fields. I think Justin Fields is coming along in a lot of ways…They’ll be transitioning, especially going into next year with the draft cap they have and getting more players and they still have a lot of money in free agency. They’re gonna keep adding talent, keep getting better, and they’re going to be a legitimate playoff team.”

So, there may still be some debate about Caleb Williams being an upgrade over Justin Fields, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025. At the very least, oddsmakers apparently don’t feel that the move — or any of the Chicago Bears’ moves, for that matter — will make that much of a difference in the team’s won-loss bottom line.