The Chicago Bears have had a busy offseason, working to improve the team following their historic 3-14 run during the 2022 season during general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus’ first year with the team. Now going into Year 2, Poles and Eberflus are working to get the Bears back to relevancy and build a foundation that will eventually lead to postseason success.
Following their free agency frenzy, the Bears are setting their sights towards the 2023 NFL draft, which is quickly approaching. After initially winding up with the No. 1 overall pick, the Bears moved down to No. 9 following a lucrative trade with the Carolina Panthers. They will look to shore up certain positions such as offensive tackle and defensive line that still have glaring holes.
Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the NFL draft. Next up is wide receiver, which isn’t a glaring need after the DJ Moore acquisition.
Who's on the roster?
- DJ Moore
- Chase Claypool
- Darnell Mooney
- Velus Jones Jr.
- Equanimeous St. Brown
- Nsimba Webster
- Daurice Fountain
- Joe Reed
The Bears acquired Moore from the Panthers in a trade of the No. 1 pick. It was the team’s biggest move of the offseason, and one that stabilized the receiving group. Justin Fields finally has a No. 1 wide receiver in Moore, who should help elevate this passing game. Moore has produced despite poor quarterback play in Carolina. He’s eclipsed 1,100 receiving yards in three of his first five seasons, and he’s poised for continued success, this time with Fields.
After Moore, the Bears have a nice pair of wideouts in Claypool and Mooney — both entering the final year of their rookie deals — who should benefit from the presence of a WR1. Claypool was the team’s big addition at the trade deadline last season, but he failed to find his footing over the final seven games of the season. He had just 14 catches for 140 yards and no touchdowns. But with a full offseason to learn the playbook and develop a rapport with Fields, don’t count out Claypool this season. Mooney has been a key contributor since his rookie season, and he entered last season as the WR1. He had a slow start, and finally started to find his footing before an ankle injury sidelined him for the final five games. Mooney had 40 catches for 493 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.
Jones, a third-round pick in 2022, failed to carve out a role for himself on offense during his rookie season. He notably had a rocky start to his first season, but he had a strong finish between his contributions as a kick returner and gadget player on offense. Chicago re-signed St. Brown to a one-year deal ahead of the 2022 season finale. While St. Brown was essentially a starter last season, that shouldn’t be the case this year. St. Brown does bring with him a knowledge of the offense and is a solid blocker in the run game.
Webster, Fountain and Reed are all training camp bodies who don’t factor into the 53-man roster. But a strong offseason performance could earn them a spot on the practice squad.
Who departed this offseason?
- Byron Pringle
- N’Keal Harry
- Dante Pettis
The Bears lost three receivers who were all signed to one-year, prove-it deals last free agency. While Pringle and Harry were the bigger names, Pettis was the wideout who found the most success with the team last season. Pettis found himself thrust into a starting role due to injuries and was also a contributor on special teams as a punt returner. He had 19 catches for 245 yards with three touchdowns.
Pringle signed a one-year deal worth $4 million, where the hope is he would be able to emerge as a playmaker behind Mooney. But he failed to replicate his career year with the Chiefs. Pringle dealt with injuries and didn’t factor into the passing game. He had just 10 receptions for 135 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Chicago took a flier on Harry last summer when they traded a seventh-round pick to the Patriots. Unfortunately, Harry suffered an ankle injury in training camp that kept him sidelined for a good portion of the season. When he returned, he wasn’t targeted often. Harry had just seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Positional need: Low
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.
Top draft prospects
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
- Jordan Addison, USC
- Quentin Johnston, TCU
- Zay Flowers, Boston College
- Josh Downs, North Carolina
There are some intriguing wide receiver options in this draft class, led by Smith-Njigba, Addison and Johnston. The Bears don’t need to use their first pick on a wide receiver after they upgraded their wide receiver group. But that doesn’t mean someone like Smith-Njigba, who is believed to be high on Chicago’s radar, is necessarily off the board at No. 9.
2023 NFL draft position preview
| Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver |
| Tight end | Offensive line | Interior defensive line |
| Edge rusher | Linebacker | Cornerback |
| Safety | Specialists |
