The Bears are full of players with the potential to be stars, but none who actually are. Not yet, anyway, and their success in the upcoming season will swing based on how many players emerge as indisputable difference makers who would shine on any team.
With the season about three months away, the Bears are looking at a long list of maybes.
Quarterback Justin Fields certainly is the most important player they need to turn into a star, and if he becomes a prolific passer, it could change the course of the franchise. But other players are closer to that upper tier, starting with wide receiver DJ Moore and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
Those two, along with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Eddie Jackson, could be the core that carries the Bears forward as their youngest players develop and general manager Ryan Poles continues trying to fill out a contending roster.
Moore was a must-have for Poles when he traded down from the No. 1 pick in a deal with the Panthers. He has proven himself as a quality receiver, he’s still just 26 and his contract is very reasonable with a salary-cap hit of $20.2 million this season that drops to $16.1 million each of the next two seasons.
Moore averaged more than 1,000 yards over his first five seasons, which was impressive given the Panthers’ tumultuous search for a quarterback during that span. But he cracked the top 10 in receiving yards just once. The Bears need him to be a certified No. 1 receiver, someone good enough to star on nearly any team in the league, and that will require another step forward by Moore.
That’s especially important to Fields given the unpredictability of the Bears’ other skill players. Darnell Mooney was still trying to prove himself as a top receiver when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury, and no one seems sure about Chase Claypool after such a forgettable opening act with the Bears.
And then there are a bunch of players who have to show they’re still on the rise rather than plateauing. Have the Bears already seen the best from tight end Cole Kmet and running back Khalil Herbert, or are they on their way to something bigger?
On the other side of the ball, the star they need most simply isn’t on the roster.
The priority list for any team starts with finding a quarterback, but next is to find someone who flattens them. None of the Bears’ defensive ends are a good bet to rack up 10 sacks next season, and it’s likely they’ll spend the next few months debating whether to make a run at someone like Jadeveon Clowney or Yannick Ngakoue, or maybe even consider bringing back Robert Quinn.
It’s hard to imagine them being the elite defense coach Matt Eberflus and coordinator Alan Williams envision until they solve that problem. In the meantime, they’ll lean on a secondary that could have multiple stars in the making.
Johnson has been so good since the Bears drafted him in 2020 that entire games go by without the opposing quarterback throwing his way. He was one of the few Bears players Aaron Rodgers still feared toward the end of his run in Green Bay. Poles fortified the cornerback room with second-round picks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson the last two years, but Johnson remains atop the position.
The only thing lacking in Johnson’s performance so far has been takeaways, and perhaps that’ll be a key point in the debate during his negotiations for a contract extension. Johnson has one interception in 39 career games. He would argue that he doesn’t get many chances, illustrated by the fact that he was targeted just 51 times last season. The Bears might counter that elite corners find a way to get their hands on the ball.
If they work out a new deal and avoid any prolonged absence from training camp by Johnson, his next step toward stardom is getting some picks.
The Bears also shelled out $72 million on a four-year deal for Edmunds this offseason to replace Roquan Smith at the center of their defense.
The argument against Smith was that he wasn’t a takeaway machine. Smith has eight interceptions, a forced fumble and 18 1/2 sacks over his career. Edmunds, who went eight picks later at No. 16 in the same draft in 2018, has five, two and 6 1/2, respectively. The Bears are betting their system will bring out the best in Edmunds as a ballhawk, but that’s not a sure thing.
At the back end of their defense, they have a former star and perhaps a future one.
Jackson, an All-Pro in 2018, bounced back from two seasons without an interception to grab four in 12 games before a foot injury last season. At 29, he could still be a factor for several more seasons. Maybe he’ll fully reclaim the star status he had.
And his partner at safety, Jaquan Brisker, certainly showed signs he’s headed that way. Brisker was an attention-getter from his first preseason game and had 104 tackles, an interception and a team-best four sacks last season.
But the Bears have many players who have set their destination for stardom. The problem is actually getting there. In order for the Bears to make a big leap this season, perhaps even to compete in the division or for a playoff spot, they need to see some arrivals. None are more important than Fields, but they need others to shift the conversation from potential to dominance.
