2. Nicholas Morrow
Considering Nicholas Morrow did not play last season with an injury, it is easy to say that his 2022 is already better than his 2021. Still, Morrow has been in the NFL since 2017, and this is clearly his best shot at having a career year.
Morrow came up as depth but wound up starting five games in his first NFL season. He started five games in 2018 as a reserve as well, before getting considered a potential starter. Still, he started 19 games over the following two seasons.
He was started to earn a role, but it was a slow path to becoming a starter. The last we saw Morrow he played 11 games and posted a career-high 78 tackles with three sacks.
The fact of the matter is that if Morrow stays healthy this season then the Chicago Bears are going to see a career year out of him. He has never started a full slate of games, and he is certainly in line to do so this year.
Even more, whether he hits the statistical production, he is expected to call plays this year on defense. This is expected to make Roquan Smith more of a playmaker, but the reality is that it also is putting more on the plate of Morrow. With this much responsibility, it is clear that if he stays healthy and does his job his reputation will be much stronger in a few months than it is now.