NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit gushes over the Bears: ‘The Bears are coming, so get ready'

NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit gushes over the Bears: ‘The Bears are coming, so get ready' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Bears have had a busy offseason, improving their roster at seemingly every facet while cutting ties with some difficult players to say goodbye to.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, where the Bears own the No. 1 and 9 picks, NFL analyst and broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit gushed over what the Bears have done in the front office.

"When they made that trade [Montez Sweat], and they got a lot better on the defensive side, when Sweat came over, and the second there he got healthy, I'm telling you," Herbstreit said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "Everybody expected [Matt] Eberflus to get let go in the middle of the year. The guy had an energy about him. His team responds to him.

"You better get on the Bears right now. You better get on the Bears."

Herbstreit offered an interesting comparison to the current Bears, too.

"They're the Detroit Lions from a couple of years ago," Herbstreit said.

Herbstreit's referencing the 2021 Detroit Lions, who went 3-13 in the face of an awful season. You could compare that state of the team to the Bears' team in 2022. But once they traded for Jared Goff, drafted Aidan Hutchinson and started developing their roster, they quickly became an up-and-coming team.

In 2022, they finished on a positive trajectory, going 9-8 in the regular season. They added David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St.Brown and kept growing the team. That put them on a fast track to being one of the best teams in the NFC, finishing 12-5 last season.

The Bears seem to be on a similar trajectory. And while all the puzzle pieces aren't yet in place, their roster looks more polished than it has in recent memory.

As Herbstreit mentioned, they added Sweat, who created 6 sacks for the Bears last season. They re-signed Jaylon Johnson, signed safety Kevin Byard to replace Eddie Jackson, signed D'Andre Swift and Gerald Everett, and traded a fourth-rounder for Keenan Allen.

All that's left is the 2024 NFL Draft, where Ryan Poles and company will inevitably lock in their quarterback with Caleb Williams. His inclusion will give the Bears one of the most promising offenses in recent memory.

Pair that with a defense that finished No. 1 in the final weeks of last season, and you've got a heckuva team. And Herbstreit agrees.

"They're coming. The Bears are coming, so get ready."

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