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After many ups and downs, another Chicago Bears season has come to a close along with potentially the Justin Fields era. The season was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions for die hard fans, but ended on a somewhat positive note with the Bears winning four of their last six games. While the move to keep Matt Eberflus next season with potentially yet another rookie quarterback looks to be a very risky decision, it is undeniable that he did improve the defense dramatically over the second half of the season, which in turn increased morale across the whole team. As the Bears face a big decision whether to run it back with Justin Fields or draft Caleb Williams, the attention will mainly be placed on that decision this offseason. Therefore, it is only fair to give love to the rest of the team before the offseason officially begins and assess how each position group played this season.
Quarterbacks
Getting the most scrutinized and discussed position out of the way, I would have to give the quarterback play as a whole a C grade for the season. It was a season of ups and downs for Justin Fields, and to me he did not make enough of a jump expected in year three for me to feel secure in the notion that he is a franchise QB. He displayed flashes of taking the next step, but struggled with consistency and fumbles all season long. He also regressed as a runner, although it was hard to distinguish whether that was all on him or Luke Getsy’s playcalling in fairness.
He struggled particularly in the opening three game slate against Green Bay, Tampa Bay and Kansas City, posting mediocre stats of just 526 passing yards, three passing touchdowns 109 rushing yards, and having five total turnovers during that short time frame. His games against Minnesota and the finale against Green Bay were also particularly rough, as he threw for only 58 yards and no touchdowns in the first game against Minnesota before leaving with injury, 217 passing yards and no touchdowns in the second game versus Minnesota, and 148 passing yards in the finale against Green Bay. He wasn’t able to do much with his legs in any of these three games as well, as he never ran for over 60 yards and scored no TDs on the ground.
There were some things that were exciting to see out of Fields though, as he did start to show some improvement after coming back from injury. His games against the Commanders and Falcons were standouts, throwing for 282 yards and 4 TDs versus Washington and 268 passing yards and a touchdown versus Atlanta. In addition to these games, he also threw for 300 yards for the first time in his career against the Broncos, which was awesome to see him hit that milestone.
In the games that Fields missed, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent played well enough considering the circumstances, as his quick release and arm strength allowed him and the team to net two wins during the four game stretch he started. While he did not show nearly enough potential to ever be considered a future starting quarterback, he showed enough flashes to stick around as the backup quarterback for this team.
Grade: C
Running Backs
The running game took a pretty notable step back this year with the loss of David Montgomery in the offseason. It seems pretty apparent to me that none of the running backs on the roster are a long term building block on this offense, as the three headed committee of Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson and D’Onta Foreman all struggled with individual injuries, inefficiency and inconsistency.
Khalil Herbert was the teams most efficient runner when healthy. He started out the season solid, rushing for 272 yards and three touchdowns in the first five games before landing on injured reserve for five weeks. When he returned he ran for 339 yards and 2 touchdowns, with a solid 4.2 yards per carry. He also had three games this season where he rushed for over 100 yards, which was nice to see. Unfortunately, he did not make improvements in his receiving or pass blocking which puts a major cap on his ceiling being not much more than a committee back.
The most perplexing running back of the bunch was D’Onta Foreman, as he sometimes looked like a star but also looked like he was running in mud at times. It unfortunately took Eberflus and Getsy way too long to properly utilize Foreman in the backfield, as he was made a healthy scratch for weeks 2-5. This looked to be a mistake after he exploded for 89 rushing yards, 3 total TDs (2 rushing, 1 receiving), and 5.5 yards per carry in week 7. He held his own for the next four weeks running for 3.9 yards per carry, 261 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs, but fell out of favor again with the coaching staff after a dreadful game against the Browns where he rushed for -6 yards on 6 carries.
Rookie Roschon Johnson showed a few flashes but was largely underwhelming to me, although he was the best receiver of the three backs by going for 204 receiving yards this season. Besides that, he did not show that he is anything more than a third down back for this team.
Grade: C
Wide Receivers
The Chicago receiving core received a much needed boost when they acquired DJ Moore in the infamous blockbuster trade down from the number one pick, and he more than lived up to his top billing. DJ Moore quickly established a chemistry with Justin Fields and rewarded the Bears for trading for him by posting a monster stat line of 1,364 receiving yards and 8 TDs, which were both career highs for Moore and placed him in the top ten for receiving yards. Whenever Justin Fields had a great game, Moore always had something to do with it, as his huge games against the Broncos (131 yards, 1 TD), Commanders (230 yards, 3 TDs) and Falcons (159 yards, 1 TD) put them in position for victories and gave fans reason for excitement knowing we now have a true number one receiver for whoever the quarterback is next season. If it was only Moore’s season graded, he would get an A+, but unfortunately the rest of the receiving core left a lot to be desired.
Darnell Mooney had a significant regression this season as the number two, struggling with drops and questionable effort at times. He never scored a touchdown after week one against the Packers, and had his worst statistical season as a pro. His 414 receiving yards were a career low and with him approaching free agency, it seems apparent that he is replaceable and not in Chicago’s long term plans if he wants a more than a short term deal.
There really isn’t much to say about Chase Claypool that hasn’t been said, his “me first” attitude showed when he gave zero effort and had next to no production in the three games he played. His toxic presence in the locker room brought the whole offense down, considering the offense looked significantly better once he was traded. This was by far Ryan Poles worst move as a GM trading the 32nd overall pick for him, but the best thing I can say is that he realized his mistake early and cut his losses. Not all execs would do that so props to Poles.
The rest of the core was essentially non factors and also struggled with drops all year long.
Grade: B–
Tight Ends
Tight end was one the strongest areas of the Bears offense this season. Fresh off a breakout year that netted a large contract extension, Cole Kmet had high expectations in 2023 and he delivered. With the lack of a quality number two receiver on the offense, Kmet stepped up for the role as much as he could. He had a career high 73 receptions and 719 receiving yards, in which his yardage was top ten for tight ends in 2023. He had standout games against the Broncos (85 yards, 2 TDs), Saints (55 yards, 2 TDs) and Cardinals (107 yards), with the Cardinals game being the first time he broke the 100 receiving yard threshold in his career which was awesome to see. His blocking continued to be elite as per usual, and now that he is coming off his best season as a receiver the sky is the ceiling for Kmet.
Robert Tonyan being brought in as a backup this offseason unfortunately turned out to be a total bust, as he only finished with 112 yards all season. He never developed a chem He is now approaching free agency and can safely leave for the open market, his services will not be missed.
Grade: B+
Offensive Line
For what was considered one of the league’s worst offensive lines in the 2022 season, the group showed some signs of improvement this season which was encouraging. Rookie Darnell Wright came into the core with high expectations after being selected with the 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft, and he was able to deliver and establish himself as a legitimate building block on the line. While he suffered from some of the typical rookie struggles of giving up pressures and sacks, those decreased as the season went on. He gave up twenty pressures and three sacks in the first half of the season, and decreased that number to twelve pressures and three sacks in the second half of the season against some of the leagues top edge rushers. His run blocking was the highlight of his rookie season and improved steadily all year, bringing a lot of excitement for the future.
While health has always been his biggest question mark, when healthy Teven Jenkins was easily the best player on the offensive line and was the spark the line needed. Jenkins missed the first four games after being placed on injured reserve but came back in week five and did not miss a beat. He was consistently the top graded offensive lineman and was the only guy on the line to not allow a sack or QB hit through the first eight games, something I would consider to be not only the highlight of Jenkins’ season but the highlight of the entire offensive line. What made this even more impressive is that he was asked to switch positions for a second straight season, as he moved from right to left guard.
The rest of the offensive line had its fair share of struggles. Braxton Jones showed some flashes of potential to be a long term starter, as he showed significant improvement as a pass blocker in the second half of the season. However, he missed six games after suffering to a neck injury and due to his low draft capital, Ryan Poles failed to commit to him long term leaving him as a guy who could potentially be replaced. The rest of the line was straight up bad. Nate Davis had his worst season as a pro and struggled with both run and pass blocking, and honestly could be in danger of being a cap casualty. Lucas Patrick was also a liability at center and is virtually a lock to be replaced in the draft. Cody Whitehair is also officially on his last legs, as the once reliable lineman began the season as the starting left guard and ended it on the bench, also making him likely to be a cap casualty in the last year of his deal.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
Although they had a slow start, the Bears’ defensive line had one of the best seasons in the past few years. The midseason trade that saw the Bears trading their second round pick to Washington for Montez Sweat did wonders for their defense, as the defensive line went from one of the worst lines in the league to a dominant unit that ended up saving Matt Eberflus’ job as head coach. The Bears took a gamble by rewarding Sweat with a four year, $98 million extension only four days after the trade. To say this paid off would be an understatement, as the arrival of Sweat elevated the play of everyone around him. The Bears’ defense generated a whopping 19 takeaways in the team’s last seven games, five of those games seeing the core have three or more takeaways in one games. Sweat wasted no time putting up insane numbers in Chicago himself, as he had eight QB pressures in his first home game versus Carolina, and finished the season with six sacks in Chicago, becoming the first player to lead two different teams in sacks (6.5 sacks in Washington). His big season in Chi-town resulted in him earning his first Pro Bowl nomination and has left the Bears with their most exciting defensive lineman since trading for Khalil Mack in 2018.
Free agent signing Yannick Ngakoue was a pretty big disappointment, as he signed a one-year, prove it deal in the offseason and failed to do just that. He failed to reach eight sacks for the first time in his career and struggled mightily at pressuring the quarterback this season. While he did slightly improve after the arrival of Sweat (2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss), he suffered a broken ankle in week 13, making it highly likely the Bears let him walk in the offseason.
Andrew Billings proved to be a much better free agent signing, as he can be credited for the massive turn around the Bears had with their run defense. Before Billings’ arrival, the Bears had the second worst run defense in the league by allowing 157.3 yards per game in 2022. Billings was responsible for reducing that number to a league best of 86.4 yards per game, almost cutting last years total in half and earning himself a two year extension midseason.
Rookie defensive tackle Gervon Dexter finished the season as one of the highlights of the Bears draft class this season. Dexter was another guy who greatly benefitted from Sweat’s arrival, as he finished the last nine games with 20 QB pressures, more than doubling his first half total of nine pressures. Dexter also had 2.5 sacks and 20 tackles on limited playing time, and with these promising numbers and a new defensive coordinator in Eric Washington known for his emphasis on the defensive line, Dexter is a prime candidate for a huge second year breakout.
Justin Jones, the only returning starter on the Bears line, improved his numbers in his second season here. He finished the season with career highs in sacks (4.5) and pressures (36), and proved to be valuable enough where he could be brought back next season pending free agency.
Grade: A-
Linebackers
The “Monsters of the Midway” have always had great linebackers, and this season was no different. After trading Roquan Smith at the 2022 trade deadline, the Bears addressed the void Roquan had left by signing both T..J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds this offseason.
Edwards made an impact almost immediately and proved to be one of the best value deals of last year’s free agency period, as his production was more than worth the three year, $19.5 million dollar deal he signed. He led the team with 155 total tackles, and finished seventh overall in the league for total tackles as well. His speed made him a nightmare for the offense, as he would make so many big stops at crucial times, and he even was a ball hawk as well as he got three interceptions of his own. Edwards is going to be an essential cog to this defense for the next few years and I could not be more excited for it.
Edmunds took a bit longer to hit the ground running, but he was yet another guy who improved significantly after Montez Sweat came to town. Edmunds had the expectation of filling Roquan Smith’s shoes after signing a four year, $72 million dollar contract. He looked like a disappointment early on as he struggled to make the necessary tackles. He missed 13 tackles this season, 12 more than last year and the most since his rookie year. Once Sweat turned around the morale though, Edmunds had four interceptions which was the most for a linebacker since Brian Urlacher’s monster 2007 season. If Edmunds can build on his grand finish, he should be able to more than live up to the contract he signed.
Jack Sanborn, last year’s biggest undrafted gem, took an expected backseat to Edwards and Edmunds after their arrivals, but his impact was still present. On more limited playing time, he actually improved on last year’s tackle total by having 65 total tackles this season and seven tackles for loss. He has shown his worth as an intriguing rotational linebacker.
Grade: A
Secondary
The league’s worst ranked secondary in 2022 made significant strides this season, as this young unit showed potential to be possibly one of the best secondaries in the league down the line. Jaylon Johnson bet on himself during a contract year and was a top five cornerback in the league this season. Johnson. was a lockdown corner this year as he only allowed 25 catches, 195 yards (the league’s lowest amount of yards allowed), and one touchdown. He also led the league in the lowest passing rating when he was covering a receiver with a grade of 33.3. His unthinkable numbers earned him his first pro bowl and second team all-pro selections. Re-signing Johnson has to be the teams number one priority this offseason and they should write him a blank check for whatever salary he wants to get a deal done.
Tyrique Stevenson flashed the potential in his rookie year to be a future all-pro corner opposite of Jaylon Johnson. Stevenson began the season with the typical struggles rookie cornerbacks face by drawing a fair amount of penalties and missing assignments early on. By midseason the lights really came on though, and after week 11 he had four interceptions, ten deflected passes, and two forced fumbles. He showed the ability to be dominant and Poles hit the nail on the head on him in the second round.
Kyler Gordon was moved to the nickel corner after drafting Stevenson, and while he began the season with early season struggles and broken hand keeping him sidelined for weeks 2-6, he stepped his game up at midseason with the rest of the defense. After week 11, Gordon had two interceptions, a sack and three pass deflections, showing the spectacular athleticism he was drafted for in 2022.
Fifth round pick Terrell Smith also left a footprint to be a solid depth option in the future, as he finished the season with 49 tackles and a forced fumble.
As for the safeties, they did not have the same glory that the cornerbacks had.
Eddie Jackson regressed back to the overpaid, shell of himself safety that made fans eyes roll seeing him miss wide open tackles. His pass coverage was dreadful, as he only had one interception and allowed the second highest QB rating in the league of 120.6. It appears a divorce is on the horizon as he has been nowhere close to the $18 million per year he makes.
Jaquan Brisker also had some regression in his sophomore season, with injuries and an inflated ego getting to his head. He became known for trash talking this offseason but did not live up to the reputation his digital footprint left, which was evident by the large number of missed tackles he had. He did improve at midseason like the rest of the defense, as he was taken off concussion protocol in week 10 and got his first interception and tackle for loss for the season when he returned. His best game of the season was in week 14 versus Detroit where he had a tremendous 17 total tackles and a forced fumble. If he is able to have more performances like that and less of the first half blunders, he is in for a long, successful career in Chicago, but first he has to keep his mindset in check.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
It is arguable that Cairo Santos was the most valuable asset to the Bears across the board. He had another amazing season where he went 35 for 38 on field goal attempts, 31 for 33 on extra point attempts, and hit a career best 7 for 8 field goals from 50+ yard range. He is now the most accurate kicker in Chicago Bears history, and his consistency netted him a well deserved four year extension locking him up through 2027. After facing a rough stretch of kicking woes, it is such a relief to have someone as automatic kicking the ball as Santos.
Grade: A
How would you grade each position group for the Bears this season? Let me know in the comments.