The final games of 2023 for the Chicago Bears will be about finishing strong and creating momentum for the next year. Some players will be playing to cap off a contract year, and other players will be looking to start and find jobs for next year. Who are some players with a lot to gain in the final two weeks?
3. The Chicago Bears have a cornerback battle
The question for the Chicago Bears at one cornerback spot is whether the team will extend Jaylon Johnson or if they will have to play out a year on the franchise tag. However, things are getting very interesting opposite of Johnson. Tyrique Stevenson has not been bad, but he has been picked on at times. The Bears' other rookie, Terell Smith, had looked good when he was called upon. An injury to Stevenson against the Vikings led to Smith starting, and since then, they have decided to platoon the two.
It went from 72% in favor of Stevenson to 65%, and last week the split was 51%. At this rate, Smith is coming for his job. It makes sense. Over the last three games, Stevenson has allowed 2.2 yards per coverage snap, while Smith is at 0.65.
Teams tend to target Stevenson when he is on the field but do not attack Smith at the same rate. So, these two have a lot on the line. Training camp will obviously come into play next year, but if Johnson is not going anywhere, these are the last two games we will see before they set a depth chart after next offseason. If Smith plays better than Stevenson in the final five games, why wouldn’t he start over him to begin next year?
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2. The Chicago Bears could re-sign Justin Jones
Justin Jones will be a free agent at the end of this season. So, he will not only be playing for the chance to earn a contract from another team but also showing the Bears why he deserves to stick around on their roster. Earlier in the year, it felt like a done deal that he would move on.
However, while Gervon Dexter has played well, the Bears still do not trust him on run-downs, so there is a question as to whether he will start or remain rotational next year. Beyond that, Zacch Pickens has hardly shown any flashes or reason to think that he should be trusted in a rotation next year.
If the Bears still believe in these two taking a step, they will probably look elsewhere, perhaps at a late-round pick to fill the fourth spot. However, if the run defense finishes strong with Jones and the Bears do not find much progress from Dexter and Pickens over the next two weeks, there is a chance that the two sides work out a one-year that keeps Jones in the mix while they get a longer look at their draft picks.
1. Is Braxton Jones playing for his starting job with the Chicago Bears?
The Chicago Bears have a left tackle in Braxton Jones, the question is whether or not he is the left tackle of the future. Most fans would agree that he has been good enough, but also, with the draft capital and cap provided, there is always a chance to upgrade.
Braxton Jones has ranked 11th amongst qualified left tackles in PFF grade since he returned to the lineup from his injury in week two. However, he graded out 21st in pass protection and fourth in run blocking.
On the one hand, it is a good thing he is so much better in run blocking with Justin Fields. Still, will the Chicago Bears run the same offense, or would they want to upgrade the pass protection?
This is why the final two games will be big for Jones. A lot of his biggest issues came against Myles Garrett, and while you would like to think he could handle himself against the best, it is also better to see him lose to Garrett than some lesser names, as we saw with Larry Borom.
If Jones finished the final two games strong and has similar pass protection ability in all of the games, minus his Garrett showdown, he will have shown the Bears and all fans that he has done enough to be the starting left tackle in 2024.