The Chicago Bears are gearing up for an important 2023 NFL draft, where general manager Ryan Poles still has plenty of work to do with this roster. Luckily, he has 10 draft picks to work with.
When looking specifically at the offense, there’s not as much work to be done when compared to the defense. But there are still some positions to address along the offensive line and others that can be shored up when looking to the future.
Here are the biggest questions facing the Bears offense ahead of the NFL draft:
1
Does Chicago go offensive tackle with first pick in the draft?
The Bears have a glaring hole at tackle, and Poles has indicated the draft is where they’ll look to find that starter. The only question is whether or not Chicago will go offensive tackle with their first selection — be it ninth overall or if they trade back in the first round. On the one hand, the Bears have a good chance to nab the first offensive tackle on the board and land a top guy like Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski or Georgia’s Broderick Jones. But this is a deep offensive tackle class, which means Chicago could look to Day 2 to find a solid starter and address another need first. After all, Poles did find a starting left tackle in the fifth round in Braxton Jones last year.
2
How does the tackle situation shake out?
As mentioned above, tackle is the one glaring need on the roster right now. The rest of the pieces appear to be in place — although you could debate whether center is up for grabs. Chicago is high on second-year starter Braxton Jones, a former fifth-round pick who was impressive in his rookie season, although far from perfect. At this point, it feels like he’s going to be a starter on this line — the only question is whether he stays put at left tackle or moves to the right side. Where things currently stand, Jones is the team’s starting left tackle. But the Bears made it clear they could move him to right tackle if they find an upgrade, perhaps with that No. 9 pick.
3
Is Cody Whitehair safe at center?
While tackle is the most pressing need along the offensive line, there’s something to be said about whether the Bears could find an upgrade at center in the draft. After Chicago signed Nate Davis in free agency, Cody Whitehair was moved back to center, a position he last played in 2020. Poles was quick to note the 4,000-plus reps to Whitehair’s name at the position. But Whitehair does have a $14.1 million salary cap hit in 2023. If the Bears were to land a center in the draft, that could be the end of Whitehair’s tenure in Chicago.
4
Will the Bears add more skill position players around Justin Fields?
While it feels like a safe assumption that the Bears could target offensive tackle with the No. 9 pick, perhaps that selection could be used on adding another skill position player around quarterback Justin Fields. Poles has said in the past that he won’t let need get in the way of taking the best available player. So you have to wonder if perhaps Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Texas running back Bijan Robinson are among the “blue” players on the Bears’ draft board. While it’s true Chicago still has holes to address on the offensive and defensive lines, enough can’t be said about the importance of giving your young quarterback another weapon.
5
Will Chicago draft a quarterback to develop behind Fields?
The Bears made it clear that Justin Fields is the team’s quarterback moving forward when they traded out of the No. 1 pick. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look to draft a quarterback this year…in the later rounds of the draft. While Chicago signed P.J. Walker to a two-year deal to serve as Fields’ backup, that shouldn’t stop Poles from looking to develop another quarterback behind Fields. You know, something his predecessor Ryan Pace never attempted to do.
