The Chicago Bears are going to be a new and improved football team come September. There is a lot of optimism going around the fan base, including about Justin Fields and a potential changing of the guard in the NFC North.
Not only is there excitement at quarterback, but the entire team has also seen changes. Most notably, wide receiver DJ Moore coming to Chicago via a trade with the Carolina Panthersfor the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
General manager Ryan Poles has gone to work this offseason to put Matt Eberflus’ team in the best position to succeed this season.
Here are four reasons to be optimistic about the Bears in 2023:
1
Aaron Rodgers being traded out of the NFC North
Aaron Rodgers has a 24-5 record against the Chicago Bears. He’s expected to be traded to the New York Jets, which means Chicago wouldn’t have to play him twice a year, and that could change things going forward.
Rodgers has made a living off of breaking the hearts of Bears fans. Whether it’s the 2010 NFC Championship game or beating the Bears in Week 17 during the 2013 season – let’s just say he isn’t much of a fan favorite around here.
Despite the rivalry between the Bears and Packers, fans have expected two losses each year since Rodgers has taken over. If he is traded to the Jets, that opens things up again. Justin Fields vs. Jordan Love, get ready for it.
2
Year 2 for Justin Fields in this offense
Unlike his first two seasons in the NFL, Justin Fields won’t spend an offseason learning an entirely new offensive playbook, as this will be Year 2 with Luke Getsy.
Fields struggled during the early part of last season but showed signs of being a franchise quarterback from October and beyond. He finished the season with 25 total touchdowns (17 passing, 8 rushing).
Fields will spend the offseason working on becoming a better quarterback, not learning a new playbook. Fans should be optimistic from what they see from Fields in his third season and second in Getsy’s offense.
3
Strong free agency by Ryan Poles
With the most money to spend and the first overall pick in the draft to trade, Ryan Poles satisfied the fan base with his moves early in free agency. Most notably, he traded the top pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and WR DJ Moore.
From that trade, Fields now has a top weapon to go to who has found success in the NFL. Moore has played under, for lack of a better term, chaos for the majority of his career – yet, he’s still been a Pro Bowl wide receiver twice and hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark three times. This move will make or break Poles.
Poles also went heavy in signings, filling holes on both sides of the ball. Fields needed an upgrade at backup quarterback, so Poles went out and signed veteran QB PJ Walker. With the loss of David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert will likely fill those shoes – but to add depth, Chicago signed running backs D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer. To add depth behind Cole Kmet, the Bears signed tight end Robert Tonyan. They also signed guard Nate Davis.
The Bears needed linebackers, so he brought in Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. To help on the defensive line, Chicago signed defensive tackle Andrew Billings and defensive end DeMarcus Walker.
4
Projected Win Total
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Bears’ win total is at 7.5, with the over being at -120 odds. If they can get one or two games over their win total, they’re going to be in the playoff hunt. The good news for fans is, they’re favored to do so.
If the Bears go 8-9, they’ll likely miss the playoffs by one game. If they go 9-8, they’ll have a good chance of being a playoff team. In 2022, the two 7-seeds were 9-8 teams in the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins.
