NFL free agency is still ongoing, but the first wave is in the books. While the Chicago Bears didn’t make any big splashes, general manager Ryan Poles added some important starting and depth pieces.
NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus revealed his post-free agency power rankings, and there wasn’t a lot of confidence in the Bears to begin with. Chicago fell spot to 25th following the first wave of free agency.
The Bears are starting over under new head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles. It’s hard to argue otherwise after Chicago dealt away Khalil Mack in a move that was more about streamlining the financial side of things than actually improving the on-field product. The Bears want to get younger and build around Justin Fields in an organic way. It might not be a bad idea, considering Aaron Rodgers’ decision to stay with the Packers once again puts Green Bay in prime position to continue dominating the NFC North.
The departure of Allen Robinson from Chicago highlights the glaring need to add some playmaking talent around Fields. Darnell Mooney and Dazz Newsome are the only wideouts under contract who saw meaningful time on the field for Chicago in 2021.
Considering the Bears appear to be in rebuild mode, it’s not a surprise to see them ranked among the bottom of the NFL. Chicago has a new general manager in Ryan Poles and head coach in Matt Eberflus, and there are still plenty of questions on offense and defense. Although, there’s still plenty of time between now and the start of the 2022 regular season.
Elsewhere in the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers landed at sixth, the Minnesota Vikings at 20th and the Detroit Lions rounded things out at 29th.
