The Chicago Bears are coming off a three-win season, yet there’s plenty of optimism surrounding the future of this team.
It’s been an eventual offseason for general manager Ryan Poles, who traded the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers for a haul that included wide receiver DJ Moore. Not to mention, Chicago made it clear they believe in quarterback Justin Fields, who’s entering a pivotal third season.
With the NFL draft just around the corner, Poles still has plenty of work to do with the current roster, which features some glaring holes at positions of need. Positions like offensive tackle, defensive line and cornerback remain concerns.
Here at Bears Wire, we went position by position to break down where Chicago stands ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.
Quarterback
When the Bears landed the No. 1 overall pick at the end of the 2022 season, there was some talk they should be interested in one of the top quarterbacks coming out of college. Those rumblings were put to rest when Poles traded down with the Panthers, taking them out of any quarterback sweepstakes. The team is riding with Fields, who very likely would have been the top quarterback prospect had he come out with this year’s group.
The Bears already made significant moves that show their commitment to Fields, particularly with moving down in the draft and acquiring wide receiver D.J. Moore in the process. He’s the starting quarterback in 2023 and it’s very unlikely they invest any sort of high draft pick in the position. — Brendan Sugrue
Running back
When looking at position needs on this roster, running back is far down the list. Chicago overhauled the room after David Montgomery’s departure, adding D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer to join Khalil Herbert in the backfield. Herbert and Foreman figure to share the workload with Homer and Justin Fields serving as a nice complement — although don’t expect Fields to rush for 1,000-plus yards again.
With that said, that doesn’t mean the Bears won’t or shouldn’t take a running back in the draft, especially given Foreman is only under contract for one season. While Chicago is looking to open up the passing game this season, the run game remains the strength of this offense. If there’s a solid option available, Poles shouldn’t hesitate. — Alyssa Barbieri
Wide receiver
The Bears have their best receiving corp in a while after the offseason addition of Moore, who gives Fields a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver. Now, Chicago has a receiver trio of Moore, Claypool and Mooney, which should help elevate the league’s worst passing game from a season ago. The Bears don’t need to target a receiver high in the draft, but that doesn’t mean Poles should pass on adding another weapon for Fields. Especially with Claypool and Mooney both in the final year of their rookie deals. — Alyssa Barbieri
Tight end
The Bears have already bolstered the tight end position when it comes to the passing game with the addition of Tonyan. As Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic notes, Chicago was 21st in “12 personnel” sets during the 2022 season where they deployed one running back and two tight ends. That should improve in 2023 with the threat of Tonyan. But they still could use help when it comes to run blocking.
Kmet is a decent blocking tight end but Tonyan struggles in that category. The Bears would be wise to find someone who can be an extension on the offensive line to help open running lanes for the ground attack. The offense ran the ball often in 2022 and while the hope is the passing game takes a major step, the ground game will once again be counted on in Getsy’s offense. — Brendan Sugrue
Offensive line
Offensive line is one of the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft, especially offensive tackle. The Bears signed guard Nate Davis in free agency, but there’s still a gaping hole at right tackle. Braxton Jones is currently penciled in at left tackle, but they could move him to the right side if they find an upgrade at the position. Many expect Chicago to target an offensive tackle with their first selection, where they’ll have their pick at No. 9. There are also questions at center, where Cody Whitehair is currently the starter. Whitehair moves from left guard after the addition of Davis. But given Whitehair’s $14.1 million salary cap hit, the team could find a more affordable option in the draft. — Alyssa Barbieri
Edge rusher
The defensive line for the Bears in 2022 was, in a word, putrid. They were unable to generate consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback and wound up recording just 20 sacks in 17 games, lowest in the NFL. Gipson, Robinson, Walker, and Rasheem Green all have potential to create havoc in the backfield, but none of them possess that star quality to be a consistent game wrecker off the edge.
Those inconsistencies are why the Bears still have plenty of work to do at the position. Walker and Green should be improvements over what Muhammad provided in 2022, but it’s still not enough to consistently disrupt opposing offenses. — Brendan Sugrue
Interior defensive line
The Bears had the worst defensive line in the NFL least season, and Jones was probably the only player worth bringing back as a starter. Chicago signed Billings to a one-year deal in free agency, where he’ll serve as the 1-technique as part of the defensive line rotation. But the Bears are still in need of a disruptive 3-technique to power Eberflus’ defense. While Jones was solid in that role last year, the team could find an upgrade in the draft. — Alyssa Barbieri
Linebacker
Linebacker was one of the defense’s biggest needs this offseason, but Poles remedied that on the first day of free agency. The Bears signed two of the best available linebackers in Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, who should immediately help this defense. Edmunds figures to serve as the MIKE linebacker with Edwards at WILL. Last year’s rookie standout Jack Sanborn will factor into the SAM role. Safe to say, Chicago won’t have to worry about linebacker for awhile. — Alyssa Barbieri
Cornerback
The Bears have a promising young cornerback group with Johnson and Gordon, but they could still use another player to take them from good to great. Teams need to be able to consistently count on a third cornerback in nickel packages and while players like Vildor, Jones, and Blackwell in particular shined at times, it’s not enough at the moment if the Bears want to have an elite secondary.
It would behoove Poles to look for another reinforcement, whether that’s through the draft or a veteran still available on the free agency market. Vildor, Jones, and Blackwell are quality depth pieces and perhaps they can continue to ascend in 2023. But putting a focus on upgrading the cornerback position once again to find an impact player wouldn’t be a bad move. — Brendan Sugrue
Safety
There are questions all across the roster, but safety isn’t one of them. It’s one of the team’s biggest strengths. That’s because of the duo of Jackson and Brisker, who are the perfect 1-2 punch at safety. While Jackson carries a team-high $17.09 cap hit in 2023, he’s coming off a bounce-back year that was cut short due to injury. Pairing him with a true strong safety in Brisker has done wonders. The biggest question facing the group is about depth. Do the Bears bring back Houston-Carson, who remains on the open market, given he’s a leader on special teams? — Alyssa Barbieri
Special teams
Special teams ranks far down the list of needs for the Bears this offseason. They have their kicker, punter and long snapper locked down in Santos, Gill and Scales, who re-signed a one-year deal with the team this offseason. The only question is whether they decide to look to the draft for a kicker, as there are some top options available this year. — Alyssa Barbieri
