It’s easy to give credit to Chicago Bears superstars like Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson and Mitchell Trubisky for the team’s remarkable NFC North championship season in 2018, but winning 12 games and earning a trip to the playoffs takes a lot more than just a few big names at the top.
Several key contributors on the Bears’ roster seem to have gone under appreciated since the close of the season.
Here are four of them.
Taylor Gabriel, WR
Gabriel was arguably the Bears’ top receiver over a 16-game span. He was the only pass-catcher among the big three (Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller) to play all 16 games and finished the year second on the team in receptions. Was he a fantasy football superstar? No. But he gave Trubisky a reliable target — especially in the middle of the season — that helped give the young quarterback the confidence he needed to succeed.
Bilal Nichols, DL
Talk about coming out of nowhere. Nichols, a fifth-round pick from Delaware in the 2018 NFL draft, was expected to be nothing more than a depth player with developmental upside. Instead, he became one of the key cogs on a defensive line that led the Bears’ push into the playoffs. Nichols ended the year with 28 tackles, seven quarterback hits and three sacks. He’s a star in the making, even if he flew under the radar in 2018.
James Daniels, OL
Daniels may not qualify as a truly underappreciated player, considering he was a second-round pick and his every move was evaluated last season. But his ability to step into the starting lineup and perform like a seasoned veteran was one of the bright spots of this young and developing roster. Daniels is overshadowed by Charles Leno, Jr.’s status as a Pro Bowler, Kyle Long’s role as a team leader and Bobby Massie’s shiny new contract, but he’ll soon be valued as one of the most important players on this team.
Aaron Lynch, OLB
Lynch didn’t have the breakthrough year some had hoped for when he signed a one-year contract last offseason, but he did produce three sacks in limited action. Combined with Leonard Floyd’s four sacks, Lynch helped the duo post respectable numbers opposite Khalil Mack. Considering Lynch missed three games, he probably would’ve finished the year with more sacks than Floyd. Not bad for a one-year bargain free agent.
