It’s been an eventful offseason for the Chicago Bears, where general manager Ryan Poles continued to retool the roster in his second season.
Chicago made waves both in free agency and the 2023 NFL draft, where the biggest highlight was trading the No. 1 pick in the draft to the Carolina Panthers for draft picks and wide receiver DJ Moore.
Pro Football Focus‘ Sam Monson graded every NFL team’s offseason following the NFL draft, and the Bears earned an impressive mark. Chicago received an A- for their 2023 offseason so far.
Chicago’s offseason evaluation begins with the decision to commit to Justin Fields going forward and not replace him with a rookie quarterback at the top of the draft. Doing so enabled the Bears to trade down to No. 9 overall and acquire a No. 1 receiver for Fields in the process (D.J. Moore). Their approach to talent this offseason seems to have involved some significant appetite for risk, but the potential payoff is huge.
In free agency, they invested heavily in linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and made a much more modest signing of perennial overachiever T.J. Edwards. In the draft, Darnell Wright has a highlight reel of crushing blocks but one of the worst run-blocking profiles of any top pick in recent memory. Interior defensive linemen Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens each has physical tools but didn’t display impact play in college. Chicago did mitigate risk well with contingency plans at several spots, so overall this was a big jump for a roster that had been torn down a year ago.
The Bears didn’t overspend in free agency, despite having the most salary cap space at roughly $100 million. Instead, Poles addressed some needs at linebacker (Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards), offensive line (Nate Davis), defensive line (Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker) and skill position players (D’Onta Foreman, Robert Tonyan).
Chicago also found some potential impact contributors in the draft, including plug-and-play right tackle Darnell Wright at No. 10. They also shored up the defensive line with Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, upgraded in the secondary with Tyrique Stevenson and added some potential steals in Roschon Johnson, Tyler Scott and Terell Smith.
