The Chicago Bears have played five games and are past the quarter mark of the season. Sitting at 1-4 they are not where they want to be, but their last two games, along with some of their upcoming opponents give reason for a potential turnaround.
Which players on the Bears have been the biggest surprises of the 2023 season?
5. Darnell Wright is on the right track for the Chicago Bears
Darnell Wright has not been perfect, but it is easy to say that he has been the best lineman on the Chicago Bears this season. First, that is easy to say because he is the only one who has not missed serious time on the line. Second, that is still impressive because despite being a top-ten pick, he is still a rookie, which can be a rocky road.
His biggest losses of the season have come against Montez Sweat, Rashan Gary, and Chris Jones. He did have a loss to Nik Bonitto, but overall, it takes some of the elite pass rushers to throw him off at this point in the season.
When you look at Wright and the opportunity of Jalen Carter being lost, it is easy to get mad about that. However, while Carter is having a great rookie season, Darnell Wright is not very far behind. That is exactly what the Chicago Bears need, and as Nate Davis and Teven Jenkins are finally healthy, the offensive line may start to form around him. This could lead to a great rookie season when it is all said and done.
4. D.J. Moore is the real deal for the Chicago Bears
D.J. Moore is taking off this season, just like we thought he might. It did not come together for him in week one, but he had a great game against the Buccaneers in week two. He needed garbage time to find the end zone in week three, but in weeks four and five, we have seen something special.
Sure, it is the Broncos and Commanders who have bad secondaries, but that is what good receivers do to them. He did not just have a decent day with 80 yards or so; he went off with 361 yards in those two games. Moore is now fifth in yards and third in touchdown catches this season.
He has been everything that the Bears have wanted. He showed up in training camp, was professional, and set the tone. He played well in the preseason, and even in his worst performances this season, his times touching the football have been impactful.
The Chicago Bears getting Moore and the Panthers first-round pick is going to be a robbery of a trade we have talked about for years. That is something for Bears fans to be happy about.
3. The Chicago Bears are getting solid defense out of Andrew Billings
Ryan Poles has not had the best offseason of signings through five games, but Andrew Billings has certainly been a pleasant surprise. Billings is a nose tackle, so he is not the most glorified player on the team, but every week, he pops up with a couple of big plays.
His 12 pressures this season on 83 pass rush repetitions are more than the ten he had the year prior on 216 snaps.
Billings has also done a great job getting into the backfield as a run defender. He has two tackles for loss after just three last year. The Chicago Bears have been rotating Billings out on pass rush snaps to get Gervon Dexter more work. However, we need to see Dexter, who has been a smaller success in his own right, next to Billings on more early downs. Justin Jones can be sacrificed because these two have been the Bears best defensive linemen.
2. Greg Stroman has provided the Chicago Bears quality play in the slot
When the Chicago Bears lost Kyler Gordon to the IR, it did not look good in the slot. Then, Josh Blackwell, his backup, went down a few plays later in the game. He has tried to fight back, but he is dealing with a hamstring injury, and it is hard to speed that recovery process up.
It left the Chicago Bears with Greg Stroman. Stroman played the nickel in training camp and preseason, and he was with the team last season. He had been dealing with injuries after getting on the field and playing well for Washington back in 2018.
It has been a long road back, but it looks like he is finally taking advantage of his chances. First, teams have decided to pick on other matchups and avoid Stroman. Then, he had a big-time interception against Washington that led to points, and he had a sack later in the game that helped keep Washington to just a field goal.
His play through four weeks after Gordon went down is about what the fans would have hoped to see from Gordon this season. Nobody saw that coming. When Gordon returns, he will likely step back in over Stroman, but Stroman has shown he belongs in the NFL.
1. Cole Kmet is the Chicago Bears second best pass catcher
After signing an extension this offseason the Chicago Bears admitted that they were betting on what is to come with Kmet more than what they have seen from him so far. Through five games, the team has made the right bet.
Cole Kmet is averaging 46.2 yards per game after averaging 32 yards per game last season. His career high before this year was just 36 yards per game. He also has a 65.5% success rate, which is up from his career rate of 54.9%. He is playing good football right now.
Cole Kmet currently ranks 6th in yards and 7th in yards after the catch amongst tight ends. He also ranks third in expected points added, which shows that he is stepping up for the high-leverage moments.
With Darnell Mooney coming back from his injury and Chase Claypool already shipped out, the Chicago Bears have needed everything Kmet brought to the passing game this season. It is a timely jump-up.