Will The Bears Finally Nut Up or Shut Up This Year?
The Chicago Bears are a team usually made up of individuals that you probably wouldn't want your daughter dating, but at the same time, a group of individuals that share the same passion for football and defense. In part two of my four-part article this week. I'll dive deep into why this is a make-or-break season for the Windy City.
Bears On The Run
Last year the Chicago Bears came into the season with only two things to look forward to new head coach Matt Eberflus and Justin Fields' progress from year one. Well, things started like your typical Bears year, losing four of their first six games while trading away star players like Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn while acquiring some not-so-talented players in Chase Claypool.
With the season's end, instead of feeling sad, angry, and confused, Bears fans can sleep a little better at night knowing they finally have a rising superstar at quarterback with Justin Fields at the helm. A feeling Chicago Bear fans aren't used to or haven't been used to since the Jim McHahon days from long ago.
While the jury may still be out on Fields with his passing skill, his leg talent is undeniable. Rushing for over 1,000 yards is no small feat for a quarterback. The only downside to that is he wasn't even able to crack 2,500 yards passing, which in today's NFL game, if you're not at least passing for 4,000 plus, then you're not a Franchise quarterback. With that said the Chicago Bears ended the year 3-14. Losing the last ten games to end the year is not what Bears fans had in mind or expected coming into the year.
Eberflus Lets Loose
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus's first year with the Bears was probably not how he expected it to go, not winning many games, but that's okay similar to the Lions, the Bears are building a culture in the Windy City like back in the old days which was lost after the Lovie Smith era.
Unfournetly what Eberflus was good at coaching defense underperformed all year, ranking in the bottom end of the league in most defense static categories.
Pair that with an offensive line that gave up fifty-five sacks and no playmakers besides Justin Fields; you're asking for trouble.
Luckily for the Bears, some promising young players and some guys returning from injury could significantly impact this upcoming season.
On defense, we have the young guys Jerome Brisker and Kyle Gordon taken together in the 2022 NFL draft to help sure up the secondary for years to come; I would say this was a major hit for GM Ryan Poles' first draft with the Bears.
The offense, even with giving up fifty-five sacks, the Bears might have found a hidden gem in tackle Braxton Jones, who showed lots of promise despite being a fifth-round draft pick, Darnell Mooney, who suffered a broken leg towards the end of the season, didn't help the passing game either.
Despite that, it seemed like it was a down year for Mooney and the Chicago Bears before the season-ending injury, who only had one game over 90 yards before missing the season's final five games. Only time will tell if he can play the way he did in the 2021 NFL season.
Will Justin Be A Moore-Polished Passer?
Bears fans, I hear you all loud and clear it's finally Chicago's year this year. Trust me, I'm all for it despite being a die-hard Patriots fan, but let's dive into some of the new additions this offseason for the Bears. First, let's start with the big draft haul. They got to start the offseason by getting two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and wide receiver DJ Moore in exchange for the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft.
With that out of the way, let's talk about the other juicy stuff the Bears are cooking up in the Windy City with additions like Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards, two young veteran linebackers that play hard and fast to help out the Windy City defense. Adding guard Nate Davis to help the offensive line was a solid move, along with adding tight end Robert Tonyan and running back D'Onta Foreman, who might be a big pick-up this offseason, finally getting his time to shine with there being no clear starter on the roster at the moment.
This Bears draft class could be as solid as last year or even better depending on how things pan out during the season with additions like tackle Darnell Wright, a solid player out of Tennessee, and fellow teammate running back Roschon Johnson. On defense, the Bears added either possible starters or rotational players early on, adding two defensive tackles, Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, along with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson all players who showed flashes of potential in college.
With everything said, this is an essential year for Justin Feilds and the Bears. Usually, year three is when young quarterbacks finally become the guy. Adding a true number-one receiver in DJ Moore, a player who never got to play with a talented quarterback like Fields, should finally give the Bears the passing attack they missed since the Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery days.
With all the new additions, if the Bears can't at least make the playoffs this year, you might as well restart and tear everything down with all this talent on the roster. It's up to coach Eberflus to get these players in the right position to succeed and Fields to get the offensive going to make it to the playoffs this year in what I like to call a Nut Up Or Shut Up year for the Chicago Bears.
How Will The Bears Fare In 2023?
Top-5 2024 draft pick
Narrowly out of the playoffs
Fringe Playoff berth
Title contention
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