Here we are at part three of the Chicago Bears rebuild. This has been a more uneventful one in terms of creativity. In large part due to what I mentioned, in that the Bears are in the time of the year where they have to make moves. With that being said, this final part will be centered around some exciting ideas for the future rather than simply summarizing what the Bears have been doing. With that being said, let’s summarize the draft! (I promise it’ll be quick then we’ll get to the fun.
The first thing the Bears did was trade the number nine pick they had previously traded down for to the Philadelphia Eagles for the number ten pick and a 2024 fourth-rounder. So another asset to work with. With that tenth pick the Bears took Darnell Wright, the tackle out of Tennessee. This felt good because it is one of the three guys I highlighted as most likely to be picked by the team. I also feel the need to note that Carter went ninth to the Eagles with the pick they acquired from the Bears, so those projections as to who might be available and go to the team were pretty good. The rest of my ideas were not as well received I guess. None of the other guys I listed out as potential picks beyond the first round were taken by the Bears. Goes to show that I know less than I think. Of the later additions, there are a few that I believe will establish a role with the team as they move towards destiny. Both their second round picks could find roles. The first is Gervon Dexter out of Florida. With the signing of Billings in the off-season Dexter can play the second or third most snaps at the interior position in his rookie year. He offers more upside as a pass-rusher than Billings, but how effective he will be at that in his rookie year remains to be seen. Billings is on a one-year deal so if Dexter shows the promise he could there’s a chance he moves into that starting role in the 2024 season. Zaach Pickens, another defensive tackle, was taken by the Bears in the third round. Him and Dexter could be the starting duo for the Bears going forward, and like Dexter will get the opportunity to ease into his role with Billings on the roster for at least 2023. The Bears also took Kennesaw State DL Travis Bell, but it’s hard to pencil in a seventh-rounder as taking on a significant role within a couple of seasons, but could potentially be good depth.
The team’s second pick of the second round was Miami corner Tyrique Stevenson. In the first part of the series I mentioned how the secondary was much more set than other parts of the team. I still really like the pick of Stevenson. He has good size, physicality and closing ability, which gives him the potential to be a solid pairing with Jaylon Johnson if he can continue to be more fluid with his hips. They also added a corner in the fifth-round in Terrell Smith out of Minnesota. I really like this pick and looking back I am mad at myself for not listing him in the last piece. Another live and learn situation for me. Smith has great footwork at his size and is willing to participate in run support. He’s got the potential to play the slot or a hybrid safety/slot role, a position that is becoming more prevalent in modern defenses. With Jackson, Brisker, Stevenson, Johnson and Smith in hand, the Bears should feel good about the upside of their secondary.
The other pick worth mentioning is Noah Sewell, brother of Lions tackle Penei Sewell. The younger of the brothers has a great nose for the ball and offers the potential to be a solid rotational backer behind Edwards and Edmunds. With Jack Sanborn in the mix as well, the Bears should have four playable off-ball linebackers for the next few years. Other picks included Texas running back Roschon Johnson, Cincinnati receiver Tyler Scott and Stanford DB Kendall Williamson. These guys don’t project as factoring into a significant role for the Bears in the next couple seasons, but could be on the roster when the team returns to its former glory.
Now that all the off-season additions have been acknowledged, it’s time to make some 2023 regular season predictions. In order to be a 2024 Super Bowl contender, we’d like to see a jump to being a borderline playoff team this year. That is a significant improvement from last year’s 3-14, but with the additions made it’s possible. The Bears should see a much improved defensive unit in totality next season. It’s possible the unit starts slow as building chemistry is more important on the defensive side of the ball as opposed to the offensive. With a much deeper linebacker core, and an improved defensive line the Bears should fare decently against the run. It’s possible that the unit sees itself with a top 10 finish in this regard. The passing defense is a little harder to project because I like the secondary pieces but still don’t like the pass-rush. A more middle of the pack to bottom third finish against the pass seems realistic. If the secondary and linebackers can be opportunistic and finish top ten in takeaways, something Eberflus’ defenses have thrived at, I could see the unit finishing anywhere from 12th-16th in total defense, and anywhere from 8th-12th in scoring defense.
The offense should be good. If Justin Fields is the guy it will be. The offensive line was improved through both the draft and free agency, plus Teven Jenkins is someone that could make a jump to one of the better offensive lineman in football. DJ Moore gives Fields a trio of perimeter threats, and while I won’t argue it’s in the discussion as one of the top 3-5 units, it at least has an argument for top ten. Kmet and Tonyan provide a solid TE duo, and Herbert still being on the roster, mixed with the addition of Foreman, gives the team a solid running back stable. Chicago really struggled passing this past season, but the aforementioned additions will help with Fields development being a driving force. I really believe in Fields and think a Jalen Hurts like jump is not out of the question. I’d argue Fields has a stronger arm and is a better overall athlete. Hurts is certainly far more polished in consistency and accuracy, as well as knowing when to use his traits to make the team better. Fields has still shown a toughness and grittiness that I like. I don’t see him putting up Dan Marino like numbers through the air, but a jump to around 3,600 yards, 25 touchdowns, 9 interceptions on 63% completion is not unrealistic in my estimation. If that’s complemented by 800-900 yards rushing and 6-8 more touchdowns, the Bears will have one of the most improved units in football. A realistic estimation for the offense is 13th in total offense and 11th in scoring.
With this combination of offense and defense the Bears could finish anywhere from 7-10 to 12-5. Given the current climate of the NFC North which just saw the Packers lose franchise QB Aaron Rodgers and the Vikings win a majority of their games by a single possession, the Bears could finish second. I have the Lions penciled in as division champs with probably 11 wins. I could see the other three teams all battling for second, but feel the vikings are the more realistic possibility. Ideally the Bears will win four of their six division games, and could finish 10-7. This would hopefully earn them a playoff berth as a sixth or seventh seed.
This would be a great show of progress for Chicago, and if it happens they’ll likely push to add the last pieces they need to win a super bowl. They have acquired the assets through the draft to continue building that way, but it is a riskier option. Given the assets they accumulated and the cap space they could have, I think they elect to go the route of free agency and trade. Edge would be the most pressing need I’d address. Trey Hendrickson and Carl Lawson are options I really like that are scheduled to hit free agency in 2024. Lawson is on the Jets who will likely prioritize extending Leonard Williams, letting Lawson walk. Hendrickson could get an extension from Cincinnati, but with extensions for Ja’marr Chase and Joe Burrow coming up, it’s likely they’ll look to avoid taking on another big money deal. The Bears would have to let some guys walk to get the space, but Claypool, Mooney and Kmet all becoming free agents that should give the Bears the flexibility they need. They’d probably be able to retain one of those players. The last big addition in my eyes is a solidified number one. DJ Moore Could turn into this, but again, I feel like he’s number two. With the assets they have the Bears could swing big and that’s exactly what I have them doing. I have the Bears flipping a package of their 2024 and 2025 first round picks, 2024 fourth round pick and 2025 third-round pick to Buffalo for Stefon Diggs. After the Bills loss this past postseason to Cincinnati Diggs was visibly frustrated and some speculated Buffalo could move him this offseason, but I think one more season of shortcomings will do the trick. The Bears even after this trade would still have the Panthers first round pick, as well as their second and third round selections. It’s hard to do, but teams regularly find starters in the first three rounds who draft well, and if the Bears do the same they could be in a great spot. To be more realistic I have two names that I think could potentially wind up on the Bears via the 2024 NFL Draft. The two I’m going with are speedy Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, and Wisconsin offensive tackle Jack Nelson.
With Hendrickson, Lawson, Diggs, Worthy and Nelson being added the Bears should have all they need to compete for a super bowl. It’s just going to be a question of harnessing that talent over the next couple seasons. But That’s going to do it for the Bears rebuild. I’m not going to list a full 53-man roster below, but will have more of a depth-chart highlighting the key guys on the team.
Hopefully Bears fans see this as a desirable team and see their team lifting the Halas and Lombardi Trophies again soon. Make sure to check out the other rebuilds we’ve done, and thanks for checking this one out.
Final Players- ()= players current college/team
Quarterback: Justin Fields
Running Back: Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson
Wide Receiver: Stefon Diggs (Bills), DJ Moore, Xavier Worthy (Texas)
Tight End: Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan
Offensive Line: Darnell Wright, Nate Davis, Teven Jenkins, Jack Nelson (Wisconsin)
Defensive Tackle: Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens
Edge: Trey Hendrickson (Bengals), Carl Lawson (Jets), DeMarcus Walker
Linebacker: Tremaine Edmunds, TJ Edwards, Noah Sewell, Jack Sanborn
Defensive back: Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Terrell Smith
Unqualified GM 
Leave a comment