I think the Bears are a much better team than they were heading into the season a year ago. I also think they did well with all their draft picks and added value by navigating the draft through trades. The biggest concern for the Bears right now is the development of franchise quarterback Justin Fields. They added a fantastic wide receiver this offseason in DJ Moore who should aid Fields. They also added talent to help him in the draft by taking offensive tackle Darnell Wright. After the first round, they focused a bit more on defense to hopefully improve on one of the league’s worst defenses from last season. Let’s look at how these moves improved the team by grading the team by position.
Quarterback: A
Justin Fields, PJ Walker, Nathan Peterman
Justin Fields is the franchise quarterback. He is an exceptional talent that the Bears will certainly not need to improve on anytime soon. He has had to play with one of the worst offenses since entering the league, but this season it finally looks like help is on the way. He has struggled as a passer but has been historically good as a rusher at the quarterback position. He has flashed as a passer, and can hopefully become more consistent and productive with an improved team around him.
Running Backs: C+
D’Onta Foreman, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer
After not re-signing David Montgomery last season, I hope to see Khalil Herbert in a larger role. Herbert played very well last season, but it looks like the team may gravitate more toward a “running back by committee” approach. They acquired D’Onta Foreman who had a productive season for the Panthers last season, racking up over 900 rushing yards. The Bears also added to the RB room by drafting Roschon Johnson out of Texas in the fourth round.
I assume that these three running backs will get a decent amount of touches, with Homer adding depth. Johnson and Foreman are a bit bigger backs, and all three have really good overall athleticism. Hopefully, they can all provide a different dynamic to the offense that defenses have to account for every play.
Wide Receivers: B
DJ Moore, Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, Tyler Scott, Equanimeous St. Brown
The biggest trade that GM Ryan Poles made this offseason was trading for DJ Moore. Moore has been a great receiver since being a first-round pick in 2018, and I really hope he can be excellent with better quarterback play from Justin Fields. The Bears probably have around a top-ten receiving core in the league and it will be interesting to see how they play throughout the season.
The addition of Moore should really help the efficiency of the other receivers in the room. Mooney could really benefit from this by not having to be the primary receiver and could be hyperefficient as another decent-volume option. They also added Tyler Scott through the draft who has good upside with his blazing speed. He adds an element to the offense that no one else has with his quickness so I want to see him on the field quite often this season.
Tight-Ends: C+
Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Jake Tonges, Chase Allen
This tight-end room isn’t bad, and that’s about all I can give them. Kmet has been an above-average starter at best since he was drafted but has never ascended into anything better. They hope that Tonyan will play the way he did in 2020 as a fantastic receiving tight-end for the Packers, but it may have been a fluke season. He was tied for the lead among tight ends with 11 touchdowns but hasn’t touched double digits since. He had a solid overall season last year so hopefully he can be a good backup at the least.
Offensive Line: C
Braxton Jones, Nate Davis, Cody Whitehair, Teven Jenkins, Darnell Wright
I have obviously grouped the tackles and guards together for this exercise. Poles has used many resources to improve this unit after being absolutely atrocious last season. Fields was getting obliterated every game and Poles has done enough to make sure they can keep him safe. The line looks much improved over last year with key additions but is still mostly unproven. Most of them are very young and could certainly benefit from more experience, so we’ll see how they all play together.
Overall Offense: B-
The offense is in a good spot and should be much better than last season. Many players will improve due to the addition of DJ Moore, but other additions should help out as well. They improved almost every position and it should definitely show on the field. Both Fields and the offense were ranked 23rd by PFF last season so I am excited to see how they take a step forward in the upcoming season.
Interior Defensive Line: C-
Andrew Billings, Justin Jones, Zacch Pickens, Gervon Dexter
It will be very interesting to see how the Chicago Bears use these linemen. This was an atrociously weak group going into the draft and they used two of their first three draft picks on this single position. I will really be watching for rookies Zacch Pickens and Gervon Dexter to see if they eventually outplay the veterans and become big pieces on the defense. If nothing else, the Bears have four reliable defensive tackles and can rotate them to keep them all fresh.
Edge: D+
Dominique Robinson, Trevis Gipson, Demarcus Walker, Rasheem Green
This unit for the Bears is simply subpar and I honestly don’t know why they haven’t done much of anything at all to make it better. They are all relatively young so there is room for improvement but they really should have addressed this position of need at some point. They will really need one of these players to break out in order for this unit to be serviceable.
Linebackers: B+
Tremaine Edmunds, TJ Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Noah Sewell, Dylan Cole
This is a completely revamped unit compared to last season. The Bears signed Edwards and Edmunds this offseason and are each in the top six ranked linebackers according to PFF. Sanborn will be entering his second year after showing incredible instincts and standing out as a rookie. Noah Sewell will also compete for snaps as a rookie as he brings a lot of size to this group.
Cornerbacks: B
Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Kindle Vildor
Jaylon Johnson is good as the Bears’ CB1 and the rest of the corners are very young. Freak athlete Kyler Gordon struggled a lot as a rookie but can hopefully improve in year two and be a good slot corner. Rookie Tyrique Stevenson will likely be battling Vildor for the outside corner spot opposite Johnson. They should have three talented corners and I think they have quality depth at the position behind them as well.
Safeties: A-
Jaquan Brisker, Eddie Jackson, Elijah Hicks
The safeties are possibly the best part of this defense. Jaquan Brisker played like a top-tier safety as a rookie and only has time to grow with more experience. Eddie Jackson has been a cornerstone of this defense for a long time. This safety combo is very good and the ability to move Brisker around the defense is really good to neutralize offenses.
Overall Defense: C-
The Bears’ defense ranked 31st in the league last year. They did a lot to get better but they’re still “a year away” from being a good defense. There are some pieces to build around and hopefully, some of the rookies emerge as great pieces as well. The defensive line will be interesting to watch as there will be some battles for playing time. There is also quality depth on the line, but no high-end players.
Final Thoughts
The Bears improved greatly this offseason after securing the first overall pick. They got a huge playmaker in DJ Moore as well as a plethora of picks this year and for the future. Darnell Wright should be a prolific pass protector for Justin Fields and boost the entire offensive line. They also drafted a few players in the defensive trenches that will hopefully earn playing time. It certainly feels like the Bears got better on paper and I am enthused to see how much better they got.
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