Bears Mailbag -- Breakout Candidates In 2021?

The Chicago Bears wrapped up voluntary OTAs recently, and by all accounts, things are looking up.

Andy Dalton, the presumed Week 1 starter, looked better than expected. Justin Fields held his own in his ramp-up in this offense. David Montgomery looked better than ever. The offensive line got reps together. A lot of good.

Meanwhile, in Green Bay…

Source on #Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers: “No change.”
So the expectation, barring any developments overnight, is the NFL MVP won’t be reporting for minicamp.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 7, 2021

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Whew.

With that, let’s reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.

Bears Mailbag

I have one on each side of the ball:
Cole Kmet on offense. (James Daniels a close second.)
Kindle Vildor on defense. (Trevis Gipson a possible second.)
I'd also keep a serious eye on Anthony Miller.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) June 9, 2021

Does he have a chance? Sure, but I doubt he will win the job in Week 1. Andy Dalton reportedly looked quite good in OTAs, so if he's playing steady, the Bears will want Fields to learn on the sideline for a bit.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) June 8, 2021

Very hard to project the practice squad/reserves list at this stage, but I expect the Bears to have some difficult decisions at certain positions, especially OL, RB and WR.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) June 8, 2021

Significantly. People underestimate how good Goldman is and how much he helps anchor the Bears' defense. His role is extremely thankless, but it's so important to have someone like him who commands multiple blockers' attention.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) June 8, 2021

I think getting rid of a league-average left tackle (who is relatively inexpensive) is a tough sell, no matter how much hate Leno gets from Bears fans.
However, if Teven Jenkins is as good as I think he is, the Bears will be OK at LT as he grows into the role.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) June 8, 2021

Quinn was a sneaky effective pass rusher toward the end of 2020. His sack numbers were poor, but he was disruptive.
If he's healthy, I expect him to contribute much more in 2021.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) June 8, 2021

This is a really tough one. I am on record saying paying significant money to RBs is a poor business decision (Tarik Cohen is an exception).
But if Montgomery continues to improve as much as he did last year, the Bears may explore a solid extension with him (think Cohen $).
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) June 8, 2021