One of the biggest topics of discussion that popped up ahead of the 2021 season? How old the Chicago Bears have gotten. It seemed to happen so fast. One moment they were in the middle of a youth movement. Now they’re the oldest team in the NFL with an average age of 27.0 according to Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice. This has a lot of people concerned. Everybody knows that being older in this league is almost never good.
It means you’ve become a team either with an established roster that is nearing the end of its string or you’re one that became reliant on a lot of veteran free agents due to lack of successful draft picks. Or just a lack of picks in general. Chicago falls into the latter category. GM Ryan Pace has mixed an aggressive mentality in the draft with a number of high-profile misses. As a result, he’s been forced to lean on older veterans to keep the team competitive.
This has a lot of fans nervous.
They all remember this same exact scenario back in 2014. The Bears were the oldest roster in the league. GM Phil Emery was relying a lot on veteran free agents because several of his draft picks weren’t panning out as hoped. Everything reached a breaking point that season. The defense had completely fallen apart and the offense was rife with internal discord due to Marc Trestman’s coaching. Not to mention some untimely injuries.
As a result? The team collapsed to a 5-11 finish. Trestman and Emery were fired. When Pace came in, he realized he’d have to tear everything down and start over. The rebuild ended up taking until 2018 before the Bears found success again. Is this what fans could be looking at again?
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Not necessarily. There is a distinct difference this time compared to 2014. How so? It centers around the roster. Seven years ago, the Bears were olds but also lacked foundational pieces to build around. Below is their depth chart from that season. All the players boxed in red are ones who were or would be solid and age 25 or younger at the time.
Chicago Bears had just four players to work with moving forward
It’s no wonder the rebuild took as long as it did. That was barely any sort of foundation for Pace to work with. This is where the 2021 Bears are not just different, but considerably different. When looking at their roster, there is a much stronger presence of younger players in the mix. Players who look like genuine building blocks for the future.
- Roquan Smith – 24
- Bilal Nichols – 24
- David Montgomery – 24
- Darnell Mooney – 23
- James Daniels – 23
- Jaylon Johnson – 22
This doesn’t include Eddie Goldman and Eddie Jackson who are both still just 27. Each is capable of having plenty of good years in front of them. This group is a far better foundation than what the team had going into the 2015 offseason. It might get even better if guys like Cole Kmet (22) and Trevis Gipson (24) can take steps forward in their development after strong training camps.
One also can’t forget about Justin Fields.
He is not proven yet but his talent is undeniable. If that kid is the real deal? Then any “rebuild” the Chicago Bears undertake moving forward will be massively accelerated. They might be old on paper, but this roster is far better equipped for a fast turnaround thanks to a young foundation they have slotting into place.