5 Chicago Bears who must finish season strong

1. Bilal Nichols

Bilal Nichols is number one because he impacts the Bears, and himself. Unlike most of these other names, the Chicago Bears would really like Nichols back. Akiem Hicks is not getting younger, and he certainly is not proving that he can stay healthy.

This was expected and a good reason why the Bears did not extend Hicks before the season. An argument was made that they should have used that money on Nichols, but they elected to let both defensive linemen enter the season without a deal.

That may have been sharp as Hicks has been injured, and Nichols hasn’t lived up to expectations. It hurts when players are shuffling beside him, but Nichols and the Bears likely wanted more this season.

The Bears will try to keep Nichols, but the next six games will determine how easy that is, and how much money he could make.