We are on a collision course with the beginning of training camp, and the Chicago Bears have several new faces that will make their respective presences felt.
Ahead of camp, we’ve been previewing the position groups where they stand with the current 90-man roster. But how does each position group stack up against the others? Which position group is the deepest? Which is the weakest?
The Bears have strengthened their roster over the long offseason, and today we rank the roster by position groups.
1
Linebackers
In a matter of one day, the Bears went from having one of the worst linebacking corps in the NFL to having one of the best. Tremaine Edmunds has shown growth in pass coverage and his closing speed and nose for the ball has proven to be vital in stopping the run. T.J. Edwards netted 159 tackles in 2022, which was good for seventh in the NFL. Having both of them patrolling the middle of the field, alongside Jack Sanborn, will give the Bears a feared group in 2023.
2
Safeties
The safety duo of Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker could sneakily be one of the best safety duos in football. Brisker showed a ton of promise, both in the secondary and in the box, accounting for 103 tackles, a team-leading four sacks, and an interception. Jackson was his normal self, intercepting four passes and being Chicago’s top defensive back. The Bears defense will be much improved from their dead last ranking in DVOA in 2022, and the top two units on their roster will be the biggest reasons why.
3
Kicker
Cairo Santos is incredibly reliable. He went 4-for-5 on kicks of 50-plus yards and only missed two field goals in 2022. He did, however, miss five extra points, which is a number that needs to go down in 2023.
4
Wide receivers
Another acquisition that strengthened a need, DJ Moore will be a godsend for Justin Fields, as it finally gives him a proven No. 1 receiver. Darnell Mooney will also be back and healthy, and if Luke Getsy can solidify a role for Chase Claypool, that is a trio that will help the Bears take a big leap.
5
Tight ends
Cole Kmet was quietly very productive in 2022, catching 50 passes for 544 yards and seven touchdowns. Having Robert Tonyan as the TE2 on the team gives Fields a pair of underneath safety blankets, as well as additional support in run blocking.
6
Quarterbacks
Justin Fields is very dynamic. Fields also needs to become a better, more efficient thrower of the football. Both can be, and are, true. The lack of talent at receiver certainly didn’t help, but Fields ranked 34th in the NFL in DVOA, the lowest amongst quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts. We’ve seen plenty of dual-threat quarterbacks improve through the air over the last half-decade. Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts are proof that it can be done. We’ll see if Fields can follow in their footsteps. Behind him, P.J. Walker is a capable backup who helped Carolina win two games in five starts last season, and there is a real chance Tyson Bagent wins the third spot on the depth chart over Nathan Peterman.
7
Cornerbacks
The potential is certainly there for the Bears collection of cornerbacks. Tyrique Stevenson will have high expectations after being taken in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft, and his style of play fits what the Bears do — a Cover-2 heavy defense that utilizes athletic corners to cover large portions of ground. Chicago needs to see more from Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, as they had PFF coverage grades of 65.2 and 46.4, respectively. The raw talent is there, it’s just about harnessing it.
8
Offensive line
The offensive line will be better after major upgrades to the right side, signing guard Nate Davis from the Titans and drafting Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright. The Bears had a clear discrepancy in how they attacked in the run game, and it was obvious that they were staying away from runs to the right. They ranked 27th in runs to the right side as a whole, 30th in runs off right tackle, and 21st in runs off right guard. Having the aforementioned upgrades to give balance to Teven Jenkins and Braxton Jones will do Fields and the Bears’ running backs a lot of good. And speaking of…
9
Running backs
There’s no running back on the Bears roster that really takes your breath away. Khalil Herbert is averaging almost six yards per carry, but how much of that was based off of defenses being more worried about Fields? D’Onta Foreman will be added to the mix, as will rookie Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer. It will be running back by committee approach in Chicago, with each guy getting their snaps and Fields being the catalyst making the machine go.
10
Defensive tackles
Andrew Billings was solid, but outside of that, you can’t really say anything positive about this unit. They added Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens in the draft, both of which should play key roles in 2023 in bettering the unit’s production. That said, that’s a lot to ask of two rookies. There will be growing pains that the guys behind them will have to account for.
11
Punter
As a rookie, Trenton Gill was near the bottom of the league in net average and average distance per punt, as well as punts inside the 20.
12
Defensive ends
There’s a lot to be desired off the edge for the Bears. Chicago had the fewest sacks of any team last season (20) and Jaquan Brisker led them in sacks. It’s never a great sign when a rookie safety is getting to the quarterback more than your edge rushers. They brought over DeMarcus Walker from the Titans, who had seven sacks in 2022, which will hopefully give their front four a little more juice. However, until proven otherwise, this is the weakest unit on Chicago’s roster.
