The Chicago Bears have a roster that is in a much better spot right now than it was just a year ago at this point. However, it is not quite there yet. This offseason is monumental to bring the roster together and turn them into contender quality. What positions must be addressed for that to happen?
5. The Chicago Bears have to figure out the quarterback
This one is the obvious position, so we should get it out of the way now. Maybe the move is just to do nothing. That would not be the craziest thing in the world when you consider Justin Fields started to lead the Bears to victory down the stretch. However, in almost all cases, the Chicago Bears have to make a change at quarterback.
They are in a rare position where they can make the change at quarterback. In most cases, Fields would stay because the team does not have a better option or escape lever to pull. The Carolina Panthers gave the Chicago Bears a huge out when they handed over their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. They had no clue the value that it would actually have.
Whether the Chicago Bears decide on Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels, they should pick a quarterback, trade Justin Fields, and then use the assets from the Fields trade to continue to improve the roster. That is when they have to start to look at these positions.
4. The Chicago Bears need more help at edge rusher
The Chicago Bears ended up putting a decent amount of assets into the edge rusher room this past season. When they did not draft anyone, it did not look like much, but they did sign Yannick Ngakoue, DeMarcus Walker, and Rasheem Green. That was not enough, so the team had to trade for Montez Sweat. While the Sweat trade worked out tremendously, they still need to put assets into the room this offseason.
The main reason now is that Ngakoue and Green are almost certain to leave in free agency. Ngakoue was disappointed, which is why the team added Sweat. Then, he got hurt. When you add that he never stays in one spot for more than a year, he is long gone. Green just did not work out here, and he is looking to move on.
So, they have Sweat, a high-end rusher, and they have Walker, a solid rotational edge. They need a starter or someone who can rotate with Walker, along with one more depth edge rusher. Expect to see two new names in here this offseason.
3. The Chicago Bears need to add more at wide receiver
Every week if you look at the box score of the Chicago Bears game, you will see D.J. Moore with impressive numbers, and then either running backs or tight ends as the second leading receiver. Hardly ever would you see one of the wide receivers. The team needs to do something about this.
They entered the year thinking that they had Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney to join Moore. Claypool is in Miami, and Mooney just played his last game with the Chicago Bears before hitting free agency.
Tyler Scott was drafted to replace Mooney, but he did not show much at all as a rookie. Velus Jones has shown absolutely nothing through two years, so as they stand right now, they have one trusted wide out on the roster behind Moore.
They may re-sign Equaninmeous St. Brown, but that would just be for depth. The team needs to add a starting caliber weapon next to Moore, and they need to add some depth. They should be replacing Claypool and Mooney this offseason, and if Scott jumps up, they should be replacing the fourth wideout.
2. Will the Chicago Bears finally address center?
The Chicago Bears have to address center this offseason. Everyone thought that it would be smart for them to address it last year, but they came into the season with Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick instead. It is hard to say who had a worse season between the two.
So, both of them will be gone this year. Dan Feeney is a free agent, but the Bears may want to retain him as depth. Still, that would lead to the team having a backup center and not a starter. They need to find a way to add a starting center this year.
When you look at their line, they have a left tackle, right tackle, and left and right guards locked in. Three of them are on their rookie contract. If they can add another young, talented starter in the middle, this line would be in place and ready for anyone who is going to start at quarterback this year. This would be a great situation to fall into next year.
1. The Chicago Bears will add a couple of new tight ends this offseason
This is not a major need, but you know that there is going to be a shake-up at tight end this year. The backup tight ends behind Cole Kmet were Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan. Both are free agents, and both were here because of Luke Getsy. The Bears retained tight ends coach Jim Dray, which may help keep one, but neither had a good year, so it would make sense for both to move on.
So, the Chicago Bears have to add more at tight end. Similar to Tonyan and Lewis, you would think that they would like to add a blocking type as well as a pass-catching tight end. Kmet is a good mix of both, so having depth that can complement him in all areas makes plenty of sense.
No, this is not the most pressing need, but the roster does not have major holes across the board. They need to clean things up with depth at tight end, and they will have a roster ready to compete next year.