Bears general manager Ryan Poles has overhauled the roster this offseason, which includes the additions of potential impact veterans and rookies.
The Bears addressed needs in free agency with the signings of linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, guard Nate Davis, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, tight end Robert Tonyan and running back D’Onta Foreman.
Poles also filled some big holes with his 2023 NFL draft class, including offensive tackle Darnell Wright, defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. He also added some potential steals with running back Roschon Johnson, wide receiver Tyler Scott and cornerback Terell Smith.
But how does this 2023 roster compare to the 2022 group?
With that in mind, we’re going position by position to evaluate the roster at the end of the 2022 season to where it is at this point of the 2023 offseason:
*denotes rookie
Quarterback
2022 season
| Justin Fields | Trevor Siemian | Nathan Peterman |
| Tim Boyle |
2023 season
| Justin Fields | PJ Walker | Nathan Peterman |
| Tyson Bagent* |
Verdict: Upgrade
The Bears made improvements at backup quarterback replacing Trevor Siemian with PJ Walker, a quarterback who has a similar skillset to Justin Fields.
Running back
2022 season
| David Montgomery | Khalil Herbert | Trestan Ebner* |
| Darrynton Evans | Khari Blasingame |
2023 season
| Khalil Herbert | D’Onta Foreman | Roschon Johnson* |
| Travis Homer | Trestan Ebner | Khari Blasingame |
Verdict: Upgrade
Chicago lost David Montgomery to free agency, but they added some solid options in D’Onta Foreman, rookie Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer to pair with Khalil Herbert.
Wide receiver
2022 season
| Darnell Mooney | Chase Claypool | Byron Pringle |
| Equanimeous St. Brown | Velus Jones Jr.* | Dante Pettis |
| N’Keal Harry |
2023 season
| DJ Moore | Chase Claypool | Darnell Mooney |
| Tyler Scott* | Equanimeous St. Brown | Velus Jones Jr. |
| Dante Pettis |
Verdict: Upgrade
The Bears might just have the best receiving corp they’ve had in years with DJ Moore, Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney. They also added Tyler Scott in the NFL draft.
Tight end
2022 season
| Cole Kmet | Ryan Griffin | Trevon Wesco |
| Jake Tonges* | Chase Allen* |
2023 season
| Cole Kmet | Robert Tonyan | Stephen Carlson |
| Jake Tonges | Chase Allen |
Verdict: Upgrade
Cole Kmet is coming off a breakout year, and Chicago upgraded at backup tight end with Robert Tonyan, who will be a solid receiving option for Fields.
Offensive line
2022 season
| Braxton Jones* | Cody Whitehair | Sam Mustipher |
| Teven Jenkins | Riley Reiff | Lucas Patrick |
| Larry Borom | Michael Schofield | Alex Leatherwood |
2023 season
| Braxton Jones | Teven Jenkins | Cody Whitehair |
| Nate Davis | Darnell Wright* | Lucas Patrick |
| Larry Borom | Alex Leatherwood | Ja’Tyre Carter |
Verdict: Upgrade
Chicago made some big improvements to the offensive line with the additions of Nate Davis and rookie Darnell Wright, where protecting Fields is of utmost importance.
Edge rusher
2022 season
| Al-Quadin Muhammad | Trevis Gipson | Dominique Robinson* |
| Taco Charlton | Jalyn Holmes | Gerri Green |
2023 season
| DeMarcus Walker | Trevis Gipson | Rasheem Green |
| Dominique Robinson | Jalyn Holmes | Jalen Harris* |
Verdict: Slight upgrade
The Bears still lack a star at edge rusher, but they definitely upgraded with the free-agent additions of DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green to pair with Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson.
Defensive line
2022 season
| Justin Jones | Armon Watts | Mike Pennel |
| Angelo Blackson | Andrew Brown |
2023 season
| Justin Jones | Andrew Billings | Gervon Dexter* |
| Zacch Pickens* | Travis Bell* | Andrew Brown |
Verdict: Upgrade
Chicago upgraded the defensive interior in a big way with the additions of Andrew Billings and rookies Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens to pair with Justin Jones.
Linebacker
2022 season
| Nicholas Morrow | Jack Sanborn* | Matt Adams |
| Joe Thomas | Sterling Weatherford |
2023 season
| Tremaine Edmunds | T.J. Edwards | Jack Sanborn |
| Noah Sewell* | Dylan Cole |
Verdict: Upgrade
Linebacker has now become the strength of this Bears roster with the free-agent additions of Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. Jack Sanborn, Noah Sewell and Dylan Cole will battle for the SAM spot.
Cornerback
2022 season
| Jaylon Johnson | Kyler Gordon* | Kindle Vildor |
| Jaylon Jones* | Josh Blackwell* | Greg Stroman |
2023 season
| Jaylon Johnson | Kyler Gordon | Tyrique Stevenson* |
| Kindle Vildor | Terell Smith* | Jaylon Jones |
Verdict: Upgrade
Chicago improved at cornerback behind Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon with rookie Tyrique Stevenson, who’s an upgrade over Kindle Vildor. The Bears also added rookie Terell Smith in the draft.
Safety
2022 season
| Eddie Jackson | Jaquan Brisker* | DeAndre Houston-Carson |
| Elijah Hicks* | Dane Cruikshank | Adrian Colbert |
2023 season
| Eddie Jackson | Jaquan Brisker | Elijah Hicks |
| Kendall Williamson* | Adrian Colbert | A.J. Thomas |
Verdict: Downgrade
While Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker return as starters, the loss of DeAndre Houston-Carson looms large. The Bears added rookie Kendall Williamson in the seventh round of the draft.
Specialists
2022 season
| Cairo Santos | Trenton Gill* | Patrick Scales |
2023 season
| Cairo Santos | Trenton Gill | Patrick Scales |
| Andre Szmyt* |
Verdict: Upgrade
Chicago has two potential starters at kicker on the roster in Cairo Santos and undrafted rookie Andre Szmyt, which will make for an interesting camp battle this summer.
Final Verdict
| Quarterback | Upgrade |
| Running back | Upgrade |
| Wide receiver | Upgrade |
| Tight end | Upgrade |
| Offensive line | Upgrade |
| Edge rusher | Upgrade |
| Defensive line | Upgrade |
| Linebacker | Upgrade |
| Cornerback | Upgrade |
| Safety | Downgrade |
| Specialists | Upgrade |
When looking at the roster from the conclusion of the 2022 season to where it is ahead of veteran minicamp in 2023, there’s no denying that Poles continues to make significant improvements to the roster. There was only one position where he essentially didn’t make an upgrade, which was at safety. Luckily, it was already a strong position group with starters Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker. Elsewhere, Poles made improvements across the board that ranged from minor (running back) to significant (linebacker). We’ll see whether that translates to success during the 2023 season.
