The Chicago Bears will report to training camp in less than two weeks, where they’ll be looking to rebound following a disappointing 2019 season.
Ahead of camp, we’ve been previewing the position groups where they stand with the current 90-man roster (see them here). But how does each position group stack up against the others? Which position group is the deepest? Which is the weakest?
Here are the Bears’ position groups ranked from best to worst heading into the 2020 season.
1. Defensive line
When discussing Chicago’s biggest strength on the roster, it’s easily the defensive line, which is absolutely loaded. While the Bears did lose a key reserve in Nick Williams to free agency, the defensive front remains the strength of this team.
The defensive line is anchored by defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, whose season was cut short due to an elbow injury that landed him on injured reserve in Week 5. Before that, Hicks was coming off a Pro-Bowl season, where he notched 7.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits and three forced fumbles in 2018.
Then there’s arguably one of the league’s most under-appreciated players in nose tackle Eddie Goldman, who in a down season had 29 tackles, including two tackles for loss, one sack and two quarterback hits. Bilal Nichols and Roy Robertson-Harris are also key parts of the success of the defensive front. Chicago also has some key depth pieces in Brent Urban, Abdullah Anderson and John Jenkins.
2. Outside linebackers
The Bears have one of the best pass rushing combinations in the entire NFL with former All-Pros Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, which should only help this already-dominant defense take a step forward in 2020. While Mack is coming off a down season, he still led the Bears with 8.5 sacks and added five forced fumbles. Quinn, on the other hand, is coming off a 11.5 sack season with the Dallas Cowboys and pairing him with Mack off the edge should give him opportunities for one-on-one situations, in turn while Quinn’s presence should help free up Mack.
Chicago also addressed the pass rush this offseason with the free-agent signing of Barkevious Mingo, fifth-round draft pick Trevis Gipson and undrafted rookie Ledarius Mack, who join depth players such as Isaiah Irving and James Vaughters.
3. Inside linebackers
The Bears are returning both of their starting inside linebackers from a season ago with Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith, although they did lose two key reserves in Nick Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis to free agency. Still, the tandem of Trevathan and Smith has over these last two seasons has proven to be a recipe for success for Chicago.
Both Trevathan and Smith are coming off injury-shortened seasons, although both were playing some of their best football before being sidelined. While Smith’s sophomore season saw a dip in production, he led the Bears in tackles for the second straight year with 100, also adding a pair of sacks, two passes defensed and an interception. Trevathan was leading the team in tackles prior to his elbow injury in Week 10 against the Lions. In nine games, Trevathan logged 70 tackles, one sack and four quarterback hits.
Chicago will need reserves like Joel Iyiegbuniwe and Josh Woods to step it up following the departures of Kwiatkoski and Pierre-Louis, especially given the injury history of Trevathan.
4. Safeties
The Bears have one of the game’s best safeties in two-time Pro Bowler Eddie Jackson, who has established himself as a ballhawk roaming centerfield. In his first two seasons, Jackson accounted for eight interceptions and five defensive touchdowns. Jackson was moved to strong safety last season, which accounted for a dip in production in terms of interceptions and creating those game-changing plays he’s known for. But that changes in 2020, where Jackson will move back to his natural free safety position.
With the departure of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to free agency, the Bears brought in an established veteran in Tashaun Gipson, who when paired with Jackson could really wreak havoc for opposing offenses. Gipson has recorded an interception every season in his eight-year career. While Gipson will compete for the starting strong safety job, he’s the clear-cut favorite to win it.
Chicago also has some key depth pieces in Deon Bush and newcomer Jordan Lucas, who will be among those challenging Gipson for the starting job, as well as DeAndre Houston-Carson.
5. Cornerbacks
Chicago’s cornerbacks are anchored by two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller, who led the team in interceptions last season with three. Although, that number was a far cry from the seven he nabbed in his All-Pro season in 2018. Still, Fuller remains among the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL, and his presence in the secondary is a big reason for Chicago’s success.
The starting cornerback spot opposite Fuller will be one of training camp’s biggest battles, although it’s second-round rookie Jaylon Johnson that figures to be the favorite to win the job. Johnson was pegged by many as a top-three cornerback prospect, but the Bears got a steal in the second round as he was the seventh corner off the board. The Bears also signed veteran Artie Burns and CFL star Tre Roberson to compete for the starting spot, along with three-year corner Kevin Toliver. So despite who wins the job, there’s certainly depth at the position.
Then there’s nickelback Buster Skrine, who quietly had a productive year in his first season with the Bears. While Skrine was criticized during his time with the New York Jets, he’s settled in with a good scheme with a better defense in Chicago.
6. Wide receivers
Allen Robinson was the best thing about the Bears’ offense last season. Despite the struggles on offense, Robinson had a career-best 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns. In just two years, he’s established himself as Chicago’s clear-cut No. 1 receiver. And entering a contract year, that should only motivate Robinson even more. While Cordarrelle Patterson’s snaps as a wideout are limited, he’s always a speedy threat that they can rely on, whether that’s as a receiver, running back or kick returner.
Chicago has a lot of young talent on their receiving corps, led by third-year receiver Anthony Miller. While Miller had a slow start to his sophomore season, he thrived once the Bears offense got going. He had a five-game stretch in the middle of the year where he had 33 receptions for 431 yards and two touchdowns. Then there’s second-year wideout Riley Ridley and former seventh-round pick Javon Wims, who show a lot of potential.
The Bears added speed to their offense this offseason with the additions of veteran Ted Ginn Jr. and fifth-round rookie Darnell Mooney. They figure to fill the void left by Taylor Gabriel, who spent most of the season sidelined with a concussion.
7. Running backs
While David Montgomery’s rookie season didn’t go as planned, he put together a solid year despite the limitations on offense. Montgomery finished the season with 1,000 all-purpose yards, which included 889 rushing yards with 3.7 yards per carry. But it’s fair to note that Montgomery wasn’t done any favors from the offensive line or play-caller Matt Nagy. Montgomery had more than 20 rushing attempts in just four games, and there were seven games where he had less than 15 carries.
Then there’s Tarik Cohen, who is far from your traditional three-down back. His versatility and speed, particularly in the passing game, is something that he showcased in 2018. But last season, Nagy didn’t seem to know how to utilize him. Hopefully that changes this season, as Cohen has the kind of breakaway speed that can be hard on defenders.
Although there are concerns with depth after Montgomery and Cohen. Ryan Nall and undrafted rookies Artavis Pierce and Napoleon Maxwell will battle for the third running back spot, which will ultimately serve as Montgomery’s backup. There’s not much experience between those three guys, which is certainly a cause for concern for Chicago.
8. Tight ends
Last year, Bears tight ends combined for 36 receptions, 416 receiving yards and just two touchdowns, which is why Chicago overhauled their tight ends room this offseason following one of the worst collective outputs in the entire NFL last season. Chicago’s top three tight ends will be players not on this roster last season, led by veteran Jimmy Graham, who the Bears signed to a two-year, $16 deal with $9 million guaranteed. Although this certainly isn’t the Jimmy Graham from New Orleans or Seattle. Still, Pace is banking on Nagy finding a way to utilize Graham in a way he hadn’t been in Green Bay.
The Bears also targeted tight end with their top draft pick in Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet, who was the most NFL-ready tight end in the draft class. Kmet will occupy the starting “Y” tight end role, but he’ll also be utilized as a weapon in the passing game. Chicago also signed veteran Demetrius Harris, who has experience operating in an offense similar to Nagy’s during his time in Kansas City.
With Kmet and Harris occupying the “Y” tight end roles, that figures to be the end of the road for former second-round pick Adam Shaheen, who likely won’t make the roster. But there’s still the fourth and final spot up for grabs, and there are no shortage of tight ends on this roster vying for that spot.
Braunecker is entering the final season of his two-year extension with the Bears, and he had some impressive moments before he landed on injured reserve last season. But with young guys like J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted also in the mix, training camp will be huge for determining that final spot.
9. Special teams
Last season, the Bears had major questions at kicker, which escalated into a circus of a kicking competition. Ultimately, it was Eddy Pineiro that won the job in preseason, and his rookie season was pretty solid. Pineiro connected on 23-of-28 field goals (82.1%) and 27-of-29 of extra points. Although, there were concerns with Pineiro’s ability to kick in the windy conditions at Soldier Field, and he had a concerning stretch last season where he went 3-of-7 on field goals. The Bears brought in Ramiz Ahmed to battle Pineiro for the starting job, but Pineiro is the clear favorite to win.
Chicago’s special teams remains unchanged at punter with Pat O’Donnell, who averaged 44.8 yards per punt, which ranked 26th in the NFL, including a long of 75 yards. He also had 26 punts inside the 20-yard line, which ranked 16th in the league. Long snapper Patrick Scales also returns after the Bears re-signed him to a one-year extension earlier this offseason.
Then there are the return specialists, which include some of the game’s best in kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson and punt returner Tarik Cohen. Last season, Patterson finished second in the NFL in kick-return average (29.5 yards) and led the league in kick-return yards (825), which garnered him All-Pro and Pro-Bowl nods. Not to mention, Patterson excels as a gunner. Cohen, a former All-Pro and Pro-Bowl specialist in 2018, averaged 9.2 yards per punt return in 2019, including a long of 71 yards.
10. Offensive line
The Bears offensive line had its share of struggles in 2019, but they’re returning four of five starters from a season ago. Considering the team didn’t make any changes with those four returning starters, they’re banking on the addition of new offensive line coach Juan Castillo to help them turn things around in 2020.
Chicago has invested a lot of money into this offensive line, particularly at the tackle position, where Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie didn’t played up to those deals last season. The interior of the offensive line has less concerns, as Cody Whitehair figures to resume his role at center with James Daniels at left guard.
The big story at training camp involving the offensive line will be the vacant right guard spot left by the departed Kyle Long, where four-year starter Germain Ifedi figures to be the favorite to win the job over players like Alex Bars and Rashaad Coward.
11. Quarterbacks
The Bears certainly upgraded the quarterback position this offseason with the addition of veteran Nick Foles. But quarterback still remains one of the biggest concerns on the roster. Mitchell Trubisky will battle Foles for the starting job in training camp, and the small sample size should give the former No. 2 overall pick an advantage.
Foles has experience operating in an offense similar to Matt Nagy’s, which is a big reason why they shelled out a ton of cash and a fourth-round pick to acquire him over more affordable options. While the Bears have two starting caliber quarterbacks, Foles lost his job to rookie Gardner Minshew in Jacksonville, and Trubisky is close to losing his to Foles.
