Chicago Bears receive A+ from Bleacher Report after excellent off-season
After an awful 3-14 season that resulted in the Chicago Bears getting the number one overall pick, GM Ryan Poles needed to have a plan in place this off-season. He knew he was dealing with an irritated fanbase based off the past few seasons of dismay and took matters into his own hand.
Was it a perfect off-season? No, but that’s a rare feat. The draft hasn’t even happened yet, and this Chicago Bears team is already a lot better than they were last year on paper. And even after all the signing’s, they’ve still retained a league high 36.7 million dollars in cap space which is quite impressive. Some would say they had the best off-season out of any team in the NFL.
Today, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report released his grades for each individual team based on their off-season. The Chicago Bears received an A+, the highest out of the 32 teams. He had this to say about the matter.
Along with wideout D.J. Moore, the Bears have added running back D’Onta Foreman, tight end Robert Tonyan and guard Nate Davis to help support third-year quarterback Justin Fields.
A skill-position lineup of Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Cole Kmet, Tonyan, Foreman and Khalil Herbert seem like it’ll be quite potent.
Chicago also added linebacker T.J. Edwards, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, defensive tackle Andrew Billings and edge-rusher DeMarcus Walker to help bolster a defense that ranked dead last in points allowed last season (27.2 per game).
This off-season success translating to on the field success will depend on a number of things, but likely nothing more important than the play of Justin Fields. He needs to be better as a passer and a game manger in order to take this team and his game to the next level.
Reportedly, he’s been working with a QB wizard this off-season, the former trainer for Mike Vick. In a weak NFC, there will be no excuse if Fields doesn’t have this team in contention for a playoff spot. It’s the little things he needs to work on in order to put it all together.
Poles made all of these additions while retaining a league-high $36.7 million in cap space. He can continue adding quality veterans after the draft if he so chooses.
Next week, the Bears have 10 selections, including four picks inside of the top 64. As long as Fields can make positive strides with an improved supporting cast, Chicago could challenge for a playoff spot in 2023.
If Poles can nail this draft, the Chicago Bears will have the city buzzing and excited for this next NFL season.
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