Ranking Bears position groups from worst to best ahead of training camp
The Chicago Bears are preparing for the start of training camp next week, which will kick off a new era of Bears football under general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus.
Ahead of camp, we’ve been previewing the position groups where they stand with the current 90-man roster (see them here). But how does each position group stack up against the others? Which position group is the deepest? Which is the weakest?
Here are the Bears’ position groups ranked from worst to best heading into training camp.
Wide receiver
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The Bears have one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL, and there’s no denying it’s a huge concern heading into the 2022 season. Darnell Mooney, who’s stepping into the WR1 role, is the only proven commodity at the position. While newcomers Byron Pringle and rookie Velus Jones Jr. are promising, they have plenty to prove. Outside of those top three wideouts, there’s not much in terms of solid depth. Veterans Equanimeous St. Brown, N’Keal Harry, Dante Pettis, Tajae Sharpe and David Moore are among those who will compete for those final three roster spots. That could change. But right now, it’s not an overall reassuring group.
Offensive line
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The Bears are a couple of injuries away from having a brutal offensive line as there are depth concerns, outside of what the starting combination will look like. Left guard Cody Whitehair and center Lucas Patrick are the only proven linemen while Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom have plenty to prove in their second seasons. There’s a good chance Chicago will have a fifth-round rookie starting at left tackle in Braxton Jones, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on the whole Jenkins situation. The Bears have a pressing need at the right guard position, which is currently being filled by Sam Mustipher. Fields was among the most-sacked quarterbacks last season, and it’s not encouraging that there are so many questions on the offensive line.
Interior defensive line
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
The Bears defensive line has been the strength of the team for the last few seasons. But that’s certainly not the case this year following the departure of three starters in Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols in free agency. As Chicago transitions to a 4-3 scheme under Eberflus, it’ll be newcomer Justin Jones filling the all-important role of the 3-technique. He’s Plan B after Larry Ogunjobi failed his physical and didn’t sign with the team. Jones needs to prove he can be a disruptive force in the middle, something this defense relies on. Then there are questions at the nose tackle position, where it’ll likely be Angelo Blackson, Khyiris Tonga or Mike Pennel starting alongside Jones. But Eberflus’ system also requires a defensive line rotation to keep fresh legs on the field, which is where the depth piece comes in. Blackson and Mario Edwards should both see an uptick in reps this season.
Linebacker
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Roquan Smith is one of the best linebackers in the NFL, and there’s no questions about him — other than when the Bears will lock him down for a contract extension. Chicago added veteran Nicholas Morrow to occupy an important role at either middle or weak side linebacker — with Smith filling the other. But outside of Smith and Morrow, there are huge questions with depth at the linebacker position. Matt Adams is the favorite to land the starting strong side role, but there are certainly roster spots up for grabs heading into training camp. Joe Thomas, Noah Dawkins, Caleb Johnson and undrafted rookie Jack Sanborn are among those competing for roster spots. But there’s not a lot of proven options at linebacker behind Smith and Morrow.
Quarterback
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The fact that the Bears have a young, rising quarterback in Justin Fields certainly helps them in this ranking. While Fields had a rough rookie season, he survived Matt Nagy and the arrow is pointed up under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Fields has a chance to take a step forward in his development with an offense that is catered to his strengths. But behind Fields, it’s pretty grim. Chicago definitely got worse at the quarterback position this offseason. They essentially swapped Andy Dalton and Nick Foles, both solid veteran options as backups, for the likes of Trevor Siemian and Nathan Peterman. And given anything can happen in the NFL — and the questions along the offensive line — it’s not encouraging should anything happen to Fields.
Tight end
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
There’s been plenty of turnover at tight end this offseason, and Cole Kmet is the only returning tight end this year following the departures of Jimmy Graham, Jesse James and Jesper Horsted. Kmet is entering a pivotal third season where he’s looking to finally have that breakout season. It’s something that just might happen in Getsy’s offense, where Kmet will get to show off his blocking skills and be involved in the passing game. Behind Kmet, the Bears added a couple of veterans in Ryan Griffin and James O’Shaughnessy, who specialize in blocking and are also receiving options, as well as a couple of undrafted rookies in Chase Allen and Jake Tonges. Tight end isn’t the strongest group on the roster, but it’s far from the weakest.
Special teams
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The Bears special teams will look a little different this year following the departure of punter Pat O’Donnell, who signed with the rival Packers in free agency. But Chicago is returning two key members in kicker Cairo Santos and long snapper Patrick Scales, who is just one of two in-house free agents who was re-signed by Poles. The Bears drafted Trenton Gill in the seventh-round of the NFL draft, and he’s expected to be the starter given he’s the only punter on the roster after Ryan Winslow was released earlier this offseason. It’s a solid core heading into the 2022 season.
Edge rusher
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Despite trading Khalil Mack to the Chargers, edge rusher is one of the Bears’ strongest position groups heading into training camp. That has a lot to do with Robert Quinn, who’s coming off one of his best seasons where he set a single-season sack record last season. While there is speculation about Quinn’s future, him being on the roster certainly makes this position a strength. Behind Quinn, Trevis Gipson and newcomer Al-Quadin Muhammad are solid pass rushers off the edge, and they’ll be competing for that starting role opposite Quinn. Gipson showed his potential as a starter filling in for an injured Mack while Muhammad has been a solid edge rusher coming from Indianapolis with Eberflus. There’s plenty of young talent behind them in fifth-round rookie Dominique Robinson, Charles Snowden, Sam Kamara and undrafted rookie Carson Taylor.
Safety
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The Bears improved the safety position this offseason alongside Eddie Jackson, who carries the second-highest cap hit behind Quinn. That starts with the addition of second-round rookie Jaquan Brisker, who will start at strong safety opposite Jackson. Brisker, a physical and ballhawking safety, made a strong impact this offseason, and he could wind up being a steal for the Bears. There’s solid depth at the safety position behind Jackson and Brisker, which includes DeAndre Houston-Carson, who re-signed with the team this offseason. Chicago also signed veteran Dane Cruikshank, who’s known as the tight end eraser, to provide depth at safety and special teams value. Chicago added some young talent in seventh-round rookie Elijah Hicks and undrafted rookies Jon Alexander and A.J. Thomas.
Cornerback
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It’s hard to believe that cornerback was the Bears’ biggest weakness last season, and it’s now become one of the team’s biggest strengths. Poles identified cornerback as an area of concern and addressed it with the addition of second-round rookie Kyler Gordon, who will start opposite Jaylon Johnson on the outside. He’s a huge upgrade from the likes of Kindle Vildor and Artie Burns. But Chicago also improved in the slot, which was a huge hole last year. Veteran Tavon Young and Thomas Graham Jr. will compete for the starting nickel cornerback job, and both are solid options. Young, when healthy, has been productive in the slot while we haven’t seen Graham’s full potential. There’s certainly more to love at the cornerback position this season.
Running back
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It’s a good thing the Bears have a solid group of running backs considering it’s going to be their offensive identity this season. David Montgomery is one of the most underrated running backs in the league, while second-year back Khalil Herbert showed his potential in his rookie season. Chicago’s offense will feature the tandem of Montgomery and Herbert in what’s expected to be a run-heavy scheme to support Fields. Montgomery is in the final year of his rookie deal, and a strong season from Herbert could help propel him into a starting role with the team next year. The Bears signed their first fullback in four years in Khari Blasingame, who’s a strong blocker and can rip off some solid runs. They also added Darrynton Evans and sixth-round rookie Trestan Ebner, who could find some nice opportunities.
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