Experts are reluctant to buy too much into the Chicago Bears right now. Those are the consequences of going 3-14 last season. Respect is earned, not purchased. They will have to do some winning before some people start believing they’re on the rebound. That said, there are pockets of experts that think they’re in a better position to improve than many think. Despite their ugly record last season, several of those losses were by single digits. One or two bounces in a different direction and they easily could’ve gone 7-10 or even 8-9.
At the end of the day, you are what your record says you are. The Bears need to get better. They know that. GM Ryan Poles put in tons of effort to have a productive off-season. He spent tens of millions in free agency, engineered multiple trades, and made ten selections in the draft. The array of players he acquired has gotten nods of approval from experts. Was it enough to get some believing they can make a run at the division? Mike Jones of The Athletic thinks so, especially with Aaron Rodgers out of the picture.
“It’s a wide-open race to the playoffs for the Vikings, Lions and Bears as the Packers likely take some lumps while Jordan Love acclimates to life as an NFL starter. Minnesota last season won the division for the first time in five years, and Detroit flirted with a playoff berth. Each worked to address key weaknesses this offseason. And don’t sleep on Chicago, which took an aggressive and impressive approach to upgrading on both sides of the ball while continuing the mission of building around Justin Fields. Now is the time to strike with Green Bay forced into reset mode.”
The Chicago Bears have no reason to fear this division.
Neither Minnesota or Detroit look like juggernauts. The Vikings look far weaker than last season after multiple roster losses. The Lions are the biggest obstacle after their strong finish. Even so, a team quarterbacked by Jared Goff is never unbeatable. The same goes for Kirk Cousins. Now the Packers are mortal too, with Jordan Love. If Chicago can put together a positive record against the NFC North this year, their odds of making a playoff run will spike. Much of it hinges on two things.
Justin Fields must take another step forward in his development. We already know he’s an electric runner. Now he has to blossom more as a passer. The Chicago Bears have done well to help that along, retooling the offensive line and adding productive receiver D.J. Moore. Then there is the defense. They have to climb out of the NFL cellar to something approaching average. Large investments like Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, DeMarcus Walker, Gervon Dexter, and Tyrique Stevenson should make this possible.
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If both necessities are met, this team will surprise people.
