The hype of free agency has come and gone and now it’s time to look at what teams have gained and lost since March 16th and where they stand as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Let’s discuss the Chicago Bears.
Chicago Bears
Key acquisitions: G Lucas Patrick, DT Justin Jones, CB Tavon Young, LB Matthew Adams, WR Byron Pringle, WR Equanimeous St. Brown, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad, LB Nicholas Morrow, FB Khari Blasingame, S Dane Cruikshank, TE Ryan Griffin, G Dakota Dozier, QB Trevor Siemien
Re-signed: S DeAndre Houston-Carson, LS Patrick Scales
Departures: DE Khalil Mack (Chargers), WR Allen Robinson (Rams), G James Daniels (Steelers), RB Tarik Cohen, DT Bilal Nichols (Raiders), LB Danny Trevathan, DT Eddie Goldman, OT Germain Ifedi (Falcons), WR Jakeem Grant (Browns), CB Artie Burns (Seahawks), P Pat O’Donnell (Packers), QB Andy Dalton (Saints), S Deon Bush (Chiefs), RB Damien Williams (Falcons), WR Damiere Byrd (Falcons), OT Elijah Wilkinson (Falcons), G Alex Bars (Raiders)
Remaining free agents: DT Akiem Hicks, S Tashaun Gipson, LB Alec Ogletree, OT Jason Peters, TE Jimmy Graham, WR Marquise Goodwin, DE Bruce Irvin, TE Jesse James, LB Cassius Marsh, S Marqui Christian
Analysis: What to say about the Bears. They lost a lot of guys, signed a lot of B-tier players, but somehow there is hope, a breath of fresh air, a new era. There is a real reason for that as Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are finally gone after several bad seasons and poor decision making throughout all aspects of the game of football. But now its time to restart as they parted with several veterans on big contracts and former draft picks, but you have to start somewhere and the guys they brought in are capable starters.
Lucas Patrick is a former Packers UDFA from 2016 who started as a backup, then turned into a quality starter the last two seasons. He’ll be a starter after four-year starter James Daniels signed with the Steelers. 40 year old Jason Peters is likely not back, so it’ll be Teven Jenkins slated to be the left tackle with Germain Ifedi signing with the Falcons.
The big signing on defense came after the failed signing of Larry Ogunjobi, who had agreed to a multi-year deal but failed his physical, so in response the team signed former Chargers starter Justin Jones to a two-year deal. He takes the place of Bilal Nichols, who signed with the Raiders, the released Eddie Goldman, and star Akiem Hicks, who is one of the top free agents available.
In the secondary, the Bears brought in former Ravens slot cornerback Tavon Young and former Titans special teamer Dane Cruikshank. Safeties Tashaun Gipson, Marqui Christian, and Deon Bush are not with the team, so there is still work needed in the secondary, but the development of Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor alongside veteran Eddie Jackson is key.
Linebacker Danny Trevathan was released after six seasons, and to aid in his loss is former Colt Matthew Adams, who’s a core special teamer with defensive experience, and former Raider Nicholas Morrow, who’s been a starter for a couple seasons. Alec Ogletree is still a free agent so it might be worth bringing him back, but you still have Roquan Smith so I guess you’re fine.
The pass rush took a hit after the trading of former defensive player of the year Khalil Mack to the Chargers. After acquiring Mack before the 2018 season in a deal that included two firsts, Mack had three Pro Bowls and two All-Pros and led the Bears defense through the playoffs in 2018, but failed to do much after that. He was three years in to a massive six-year deal, and it was time to move on. So he was shipped to L.A. for a second and a sixth and they took on the remaining contract, so pretty good return on Mack at a time when the franchise needed to shift. The team still has Robert Quinn, who could be moved, and they brought in Al-Quadin Muhammad from the Colts.
There are a lot of offensive skill players gone in 2022. Star receiver Allen Robinson, who looked straight up checked out of the 2021 season, signed with the Rams. The team then signed former Chiefs receiver Byron Pringle, who sneakily had a solid 2021 season as the WR3, and has a chance to be a starter alongside Darnell Mooney with former Packer Equanimeous St. Brown.
Shifty running back Tarik Cohen was released after missing the last two seasons with injury. Still only 26 years old, its surprising that he is still a free agent, but he did missed two seasons, so maybe the torn ACL was pretty bad. Damien Williams signed with the Falcons after being the backup to David Montgomery and started a couple games while the starter was out with injury, so there is a lack of depth, but it looks like there could be a focus on the running game in 2022. Former Titans fullback Khari Blasingame was signed, so maybe this could be a great year for Montgomery, with Khalil Herbert sprinkled in.
Conclusion: While it feels refreshing in Chicago, don’t expect this team to be good in 2022. You can get excited about seeing the development of Justin Fields, but this team isn’t ready to compete. This is typical for a team that fired its head coach and general manager. This type of situation takes time, so just sit tight and enjoy the low expectations.
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