The Chicago Bears 2023-24 season is full of high expectations. They look to improve upon a season in which they were the worst team in the National Football League (NFL). General Manager Ryan Poles did some serious work this offseason, gaining draft capital from the Carolina Panthers for the number one overall pick and adding DJ Moore with that trade. He also signed a herd of defensive players that will make an immediate impact through the draft and in free agency. Can the Chicago Bears 2023-24 roster take the next step in contending for a NFC North division title?
2022-2023 Season Results
The Bears went three and fourteen last season, losing their last ten games of the season after starting three and four. It ended up in them trading star linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens and edge rusher Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles. Jack Sanborn shined as soon as Smith got dealt the following week. Jaquan Brisker shined as one of Ryan Poles steals of the draft, putting himself in the conversation as a top five safety in the league. Not only that but Eddie Jackson turned the page and reminded Bears fans why he was the Eddie Jackson of old, the good one.
Offensively, Justin Fields took the reigns as the franchise quarterback the Bears have been looking for decades on decades with zero weapons realistically. He was running for his life last season with a banged-up offensive line and no weapons to throw to aside from Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney. They did acquire Chase Claypool from the Steelers for a second-round pick in the middle of the season, but he wasn’t exactly meshing yet. David Montgomery had a fantastic year after he chose to depart and sign with the rival Detroit Lions. Khalil Herbert shined when David Montgomery was out, so Bears fans shouldn’t be too worried about missing production. Should the Chicago Bears 2023-24 roster/fans be worried about the running back spot or is it as replaceable as the league and fans think it is?
Key Additions
WR D.J. Moore
Will transition into a better offense in Chicago and be the number-one option for Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears offensive unit. He is easily a 1000-yard receiver and will get more looks at the endzone because the Bears have a better offensive unit than what Moore had to deal with in Carolina, many quarterbacks under center. Word is Fields and Moore’s chemistry is already on point in August.
OT Darnell Wright
Regarded as one of the best offensive lineman in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Volunteer uses his size to overcome athletic limitations and spotty technique. He improved rapidly on footwork and body control in 2022 and he should fit right in at right tackle for the Bears.
OT Nate Davis
One of the lineman who helped Derrick Henry lead the NFL in rushing yards in 2020, and have the Titans on top in rushing in 2021 and 2022. He started 14 games in 2021, and started in 54 of 55 games including five postseason contests.
LB Tremaine Edmunds
The Former Bills fills the linebacker one or two slot, replacing Roquan Smith. The former first-round selection out of Virginia Tech last season finished with 102 tackles, 66 solo and 36 assisted tackles. He has been a 100 or more tackles guy, with his best season being his rookie season in which he had 120 tackles and two interceptions his rookie season.
LB T.J Edwards
T.J. Edwards comes over to Chicago after four seasons with the Eagles, with his last two years popping off, averaging 140 tackles, 75 solo and 63 assisted. He also averaged about one and a half sacks over those last two seasons with the Eagles. He will be the right outside linebacker just like Edmunds. The one-two-punch will be something to watch.
TE Robert Tonyan
Tonyan reconnects with former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who was the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator until 2021. Getsy helped Tonyan during his best season in which he had 52 catches for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. He will be a very solid TE two to Cole Kmet.
DE Yannick Ngakoue
Yannick gives the Bears a veteran leader who is known to hit the quarterback on a consistent basis. Many rookies including Gervon Dexter out of Florida said he is a great leader and introduced himself. This reminds Chicago a lot of Julius Peppers.
DT Andrew Billings
A low-risk move, the former Raider started 14 games in 2022 and has started 51 of 67 games over the last five seasons. He is a run-stopper and was a rotational piece for Las Vegas last year. He had 22 stops and 29 solo tackles last season. He will step in for a Bears unit that was ranked 31st against the run last year.
RB D’Onta Foreman
Another low-cost signing, Foreman provides depth for the Bears and could potentially be the starter after last year in which he ran for 914 yards in Carolina after Christian McCaffery got traded to San Francisco. He is the work-through contact running back the Bears needed, the workhorse.
Projected Depth Chart
QB: Justin Fields, P.J. Walker, Nathan Peterman, Tyson Bagent.
RB: Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Trestan Ebner.
FB: Khari Blasingame, Robert Burns.
WR: D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, Velus Jones Jr, Equanimeous St Brown, Tyler Scott, Danet Pettis, Daurice Fountain, Nsimba Webster, Isaiah Ford, Joe Reed, Aron Cruickshank.
TE: Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Mercedes Lewis, Stephen Carlson, Jared Pinkney, Lachlan Pitts.
LT: Braxton Jones, Larry Borom, Robert Haskins.
LG: Tevin Jenkins, Alex Leatherwood, Gabriel Houy, Josh Lugg.
C: Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Doug Kramer.
RG: Nate Davis, Ja’Tyre Carter, Dieter Eiselen.
RT: Darnell Wright, Avianate Collins, Kellen Diesch, Roy Mbaeteka.
DE: DeMarcus Walker, Yannick Ngakoue, Dominique Robinson, Rasheem Green, D’Anthony Jones, Terrell Lewis, Jalen Harris, Trevis Gipson.
DT: Andrew Billings, Justin Jones, Zacch Pickens, Gervon Dexter Sr., Bravvion Roy, Travis Bell, Andrew Brown.
LB: T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Jack Sanborn, DeMarquis Gates, Noah Sewell, Dylan Cole, Micah Baskerville, Buddy Johnson, Kuony Deng, Barrington Wade.
CB: Tyrique Stevenson, Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell, Kindle Vildor, Greg Stroman Jr., Macon Clark, Michael Ojemudia.
SS: Jaquan Brisker, A.J. Thomas, Kendall Williamson.
FS: Eddie Jackson, Elijah Hicks, Adrian Colbert, Bralen Trahan.
KR: Velus Jones Jr, Khalil Herbert, Trestan Ebner, Tyler Scott, Aron Cruickshank.
PR: Velus Jones Jr, Dante Pettis, D.J. Moore, Eddie Jackson, Tyler Scott.
K: Cairo Santos
P: Trenton Gill
Season Outlook
There is an outstanding amount of hype surrounding the Chicago Bears 2023-24 season and Justin Fields this offseason heading into week one of the preseason. The additions of D.J. Moore, a full year of Chase Claypool, a much improved offensive line, headlined by first-round pick Darnell Wright, there is a reason for this hype. Poles has done everything in his power to give the Bears a chance to succeed and give Bears fans hope of what could be a re-run of the 2018 season, hopefully ending differently. The defense is much improved from last season, adding three pass rushers through the draft and another couple in free agency. Every position is basically upgraded. So what is the expectation? The expectation is playoffs or a division title, especially in the NFC where a nine-win team gets into the playoffs as the last wild card spot. So my prediction is the Bears go ten and seven and make the wild card spot.
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