The Chicago Bears were a playoff team in 2020, which is still hard to comprehend considering how bizarre their regular season was.
Their 5-1 start was followed by a six-game losing streak, Mitch Trubisky was benched for Nick Foles, who was benched for Mitch Trubisky, and their wild-card berth was thanks in part to the newly added seventh seed in 2020.
Weird year. No doubt about it.
But the offseason brings hope for a brighter future. It’s especially true for the Bears this year: they finally have a first-round pick again!
It’s the first NFL Draft that they’ll pick in Round 1 since 2018; they hold the 20th overall selection.
Here are the Bears’ top draft needs before the roster gets upgraded (or downgraded) in free agency. Note: this post assumes Allen Robinson leaves for greener pastures. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
Quarterback
-Life as a Bears fans is one big circle that keeps coming back to quarterback as the biggest offseason need every few offseasons. From the days of Rex Grossman being picked 22nd overall in the 2003 NFL draft, to the trade for Jay Cutler in 2009, to the decision to draft Trubisky second overall in 2017, Chicago always finds itself back in this awful, awful place.
The Bears need a quarterback in the worst way. If one slides to No. 20 overall — and they don’t address it via trade or in free agency — GM Ryan Pace will have no choice but to think long and hard about pulling the trigger.
Offensive Line
-Is it possible Pace and the Bears think they found the right combination of starting offensive linemen in the final month of the 2020 season to push this position group down on their list of draft-day priorities? Let’s hope not.
Yes, Sam Mustipher was fantastic, and there’s no reason for him not to be an implied starter next year. But Chicago needs to add more talent at offensive tackle and would be well-served adding more power to the interior. If quarterback is off their list of needs, bump O-line to the top.
Wide Receiver
Even if Robinson comes back to Chicago, which doesn’t appear likely, the Bears need to add more to the receiver room than just A-Rob and Darnell Mooney.
Anthony Miller has likely played his last game in Chicago and Javon Wims hasn’t taken the next step in his development to count on him as a factor in 2021. Riley Ridley remains invisible.
This could end up being a first-round target by the time April rolls around.
Edge Rusher
The Bears signed Robert Quinn in last year’s free agency period in an effort to provide Khalil Mack with the kind of help in the pass rush that star players require to take all of the offensive line’s attention off of them. Quinn finished the year with a career-low two sacks.
Quinn will be back in 2021, but he should have competition for reps. There will be some appealing edge rushers who slide to No. 20 overall, and while most Bears fans want the team to focus on offense in the first round, Chicago has to get better at rushing the passer if they’re going to get the defense back to the elite level it was playing at in 2018.
Inside linebacker
Roquan Smith is a stud, but Danny Trevathan’s best days are behind him. Trevathan redeemed himself with a strong finish to 2020, but it’s hard to forget how slow and ‘old’ he looked at the beginning of the year. Maybe he just had to get his legs under him. Or maybe it was a warning that his wheels are beginning to fall off.
Chicago has to find its next ‘Nick Kwiatkoski’ in this year’s draft class, even if they wait until Day 3 to land that guy.
