![]() Whether that would be the right call is genuinely debatable.įields ranked 32nd in interception percentage (3.5%) and absorbed 55 sacks in 2022, tying for the league high with the Broncos' Russell Wilson on 125 fewer dropbacks. In theory, the Bears could gain even more picks and aim to draft Anthony Richardson or Will Levis to reset at quarterback.Ī QB prospect would need to wow Poles to spur him to move on from Fields, the GM reiterated recently at the NFL Scouting Combine. Poles' nuclear option is to deal both the No. 61 pick, Carolina's first-round selection next year, and the Panthers' second-rounder in 2025. Good offensive linemen will be there for the taking, too. 1 next month to draft a budding star defender like Will Anderson, the Alabama edge rusher.ĭifferent pass-rushers - maybe Texas Tech's Tyree Wilson or Clemson's Myles Murphy - should be available to target at No. Poles could have opted to stand pat at No. 11 overall in 2021, Poles didn't pick in the first round in his first draft. Because the previous regime traded up to land Fields at No. Hired in January 2022 to revamp the Bears in tandem with his handpicked head coach, Matt Eberflus, the GM shed salary by swapping Smith to the Ravens, linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chargers, and edge defender Robert Quinn to the Eagles for draft capital. But the roster's not remotely strong enough to snap a playoff win drought that dates to 2010. Safety Jaquan Brisker's four sacks ranked fifth among NFL rookies. Two up-and-comers on the offensive line, left tackle Braxton Jones and right guard Teven Jenkins, posted respectable PFF grades above 75.0. The Bears allowed a 105.9 passer rating in first halves, meaning the average QB they faced resembled Patrick Mahomes, whose season rating was 105.2. The defense ranked last by some distance in expected points added per play in the first half of games, per Ben Baldwin's database, creating deficits that Fields couldn't surmount. Fields' receiving corps was ineffectual, partly because Darnell Mooney missed a third of the season with an ankle injury and Chase Claypool averaged a scant two catches per game after he arrived at the trade deadline.ĭefensively, Chicago didn't stop the run (31st in yardage), generate pressure (32nd in sacks with 20), or show up on time. No team threw the ball less frequently or for less yardage than Chicago. Fields topped out at 1,143 yards - 63 shy of the mark and the second-highest total ever - when a hip injury shelved him for the season finale.įields progressed but remained limited as a passer in 2022. Justin Fields thrilled fans in his second NFL season by supplanting Lamar Jackson, at least temporarily, as the sport's top rushing QB.įields challenged the single-year yardage record that Jackson set in 2019. The Bears need reinforcements at every position but quarterback. 9 pick and a 2024 first-rounder - and three-time 1,000-yard wideout D.J. 1 pick to the Panthers last Friday for four draft selections - most notably this year's No. Poles has up to $75 million available, more than twice as much as almost every other team, according to Over The Cap. Few teams will be as interesting to watch in the new league year, which starts Wednesday.Ĭhicago dwarfs the field in cap space. Equipped with gobs of cap space to allot to free agents, plus four picks in the first 64 slots in April's draft, general manager Ryan Poles has the opportunity to kick Chicago's rebuild into high gear. Unlike the season itself, the Bears' offseason brims with potential. ![]() ![]() Davis Mills' last-minute heroics gifted the Bears the first overall draft pick. The Texans marched 83 yards to score eight points on their final drive of the season, rallying to beat the Colts and leapfrogging Chicago in the standings. The key moment of the Bears' year didn't involve the Bears. ![]() The team's only All-Pro, linebacker Roquan Smith, was traded at the outset of a 10-loss skid that finally ended when the schedule did. No defender recorded more than four sacks. A single Bears player surpassed 500 receiving yards. 32 defense, both of which were franchise firsts. Chicago lost 14 games in 2022 and fielded the league's No. In the Bears' 103rd season, they squandered the all-time NFL wins lead to the reviled Packers. ![]()
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