The 2023 Chicago Bears are looking like a completely different team than they did a year ago. General manager Ryan Poles took his first year on the job to set the organization up for a big Year 2 under his leadership.
That's exactly what has happened, and the Bears are looking like a competent team, finally.
Poles went out and filled in plenty of gaps within this roster, and his moves over the course of the offseason received rave reviews from several outlets. This coming season, the Bears' projected win total has them at 7.5.
That's more than double their win total from 2022, which is already an improvement. However, there are reasons to believe the Bears will win at least eight games. Why?
The majority of weaknesses are no longer weaknesses
Four areas, in particular, may have turned from weakness into strength. First of all, the interior defensive line has become a major area of potential. Between free agent signing Andrew Billings and draft picks Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, the Bears added beef up front.
They should no longer be getting gashed in the run game, and the two rookies are very similar in their aggressive play style. Poles hammered that weakness into a possible strength.
Second, the Bears went out and created one of the more impressive linebacker cores in all of football by adding Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards to last year's rookie standout, Jack Sanborn.
Third, the Bears will be healthier and overall improved up front on offense. Drafting offensive tackle Darnell Wright, signing guard Nate Davis and getting the young, tenacious Teven Jenkins accustomed to playing guard will help that unit greatly.
Last, and most notable, is the D.J. Moore acquisition. Wide receiver became an immediate strength the day he came to Chicago. But, Darnell Mooney is an established name and still a threat. Plus, drafting the speedy, track speed type of athlete in Tyler Scott should only further boost this offense's potential.