The Chicago Bears did not make the playoffs, and now that the 2023 regular season is over, the team will begin to focus on 2024. The team is young and has an ascending group of core players who have started to establish themselves over the past eight weeks. However, there are some players who saw this fun second half and will now move on to a new team.
Which starters will be gone and will need to be replaced this offseason?
5. The Chicago Bears will finally move on from Lucas Patrick
The Chicago Bears needed a center around this time last year. Also, we speculated that both Lucas Patrick and Cody Whitehair would be cut candidates, as their salary did not match their play, and the Bears could throw more depth at the position for that money.
Instead, the Bears brought both Whitehair and Patrick back. Whiethair was supposed to be the week one starter at center, but an injury to Teven Jenkins had him shift over. His season was a nightmare. He is included with Patrick here because he is not a starter, but this is another player who will not be back.
With Whitehair over to center, the Bears' backup center, Lucas Patrick, had to step up. To be fair, they had him as a starting center last year before his preseason injury derailed those plans. Still, despite the Bears signing him as a starter last year and giving him a second chance to start this year, he has struggled every step of the way.
The Chicago Bears locked down their four offensive line spots. Braxton Jones has done enough at left tackle, and Darnell Wright has a bright future at right tackle. When Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis play together, the run game looks strong. So, they just need a center. This will mean moving on from all of the in-house options and starting over.