While everyone will agree that players such as Darnell Mooney, Cody Whitehair, and Lucas Patrick were disappointments last year, they will not be on the roster moving forward, either. Who are some players on the Chicago Bears that did not live up to expectations? Now, the Bears will have to rely on them again next year.
4. The Chicago Bears need more from Nate Davis next year
This was not the season that Nate Davis wanted in his first year with a new team. Almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong. First, he got off on the wrong foot because he was dealing with a personal issue in the offseason. He was not in training camp or the preseason for most of the summer, and came in behind.
Once he appeared to get back up to speed, an injury came, and he missed more time. When he was healthy, there were moments when he was really good. However, they were few and far between and not consistent enough.
Overall, Davis played in 11 games, and maybe five of them were above-average quality. That is not what the Bears thought they were getting in free agency. Davis has an $11M cap hit, and the team cannot get out of it. Injuries and a family issue are the big factors holding him back as well, so the team has to be banking on better health and a better mindset towards the new season. If not, they are in trouble.
3. The Chicago Bears did not like the production from Zacch Pickens this season
Zacch Pickens was not up to par during his rookie season. It is interesting to note because, between Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, Dexter was the one who labeled more of a project. He had the higher ceiling, but Pickens had the traits that could play right away.
Dexter did take time, and you can see where he has to improve. However, he has now shown that he not only has more upside than Pickens, but his floor is much higher as well. Dexter was able to get on the field early and then continued to get more snaps as the year went on.
As the Chicago Bears saw more of Pickens on the field, they were even more turned off. They knew he would not be a great pass rusher, but he gets almost no push. He was supposed to be better than Dexter as a run defender, and while he can be gap-sound, he struggles to get leverage.
Is the league too big for him, or does a year working on his body mean a much better and stronger season in year two? What the Chicago Bears do with Justin Jones will be telling on their confidence in Pickens. If Jones is back, Pickens will rarely see the field again in 2024. If Jones is gone, they expect a jump.
2. Is Tyler Scott ready to take a step for the Chicago Bears?
Entering the season, the Chicago Bears did not expect much from Tyler Scott, and yet somehow, his season was still a disappointment. Scott produced just 168 yards and averaged 0.65 yards per route run. Those are not the numbers of a rookie ready to break out in year two.
To be fair, he was technically not supposed to do much. His rookie year was about learning the slot to replace Darnell Mooney next year. However, with Chase Claypool traded and Equanimeous St. Brown injured, the Bears could not rely on him in any manner, and they started to sprinkle in Velus Jones and Trent Taylor to decrease his role from a full-time player.
This year, Mooney is gone. Will the Chicago Bears add a slot, or do they still fully expect Scott to be that answer? After his rookie year, it would not be a shock if a veteran slot receiver was brought in to push Tyler Scott this offseason.
1. Was Tremaine Edmunds a disappointment for the Chicago Bears?
Early into the season, there was no doubt that Tremaine Edmunds was a disappointment. He was banged up in training camp and appeared to be a tick behind in the defense. TJ Edwards started off slow, but he picked things up faster than Edmunds, who was struggling deep into the season.
When Edmunds got injured, Jack Sanborn came in, and the defense started to play better. Some of that was the timing of the Montez Sweat trade, but after 12 weeks of Edmunds being with the team, it was hard to tell if the prize free agent or second-year UDFA was the better asset. That was an issue.
Edmunds turned things around, as did the rest of the defense. Still, he finished the year as the lesser of the linebackers, and he is making more than double Edwards. If he was on a standard salary, his play was fine, and the end of the season is reason to be optimistic.
At his salary, the season was a disappointment, and he should be even better than he was at the end of the season to make that contract worth it.