The Chicago Bears are being projected to be amongst the worst teams in the NFL this season.
Those predictions are largely thanks to an offseason where new general manager Ryan Poles assessed a 6-11 roster and hit the full-out rebuild button.
Gone are roster mainstays in Khalil Mack, Eddie Goldman, Allen Robinson, James Daniels, and Akiem Hicks. All were either traded (Mack), cut (Goldman), or allowed to leave via free agency (Robinson and Daniels).
Poles is using this offseason to fix a salary cap mess left behind by previous general manager Ryan Pace. The Chicago Bears are carrying over $52 million in dead cap space.
The goal is to have a better ledger going into the 2023 offseason to build up the roster into a playoff contender.
Right now, the Chicago Bears are +7500 according to WynnBet to win the Super Bowl. Pro Football Focus has the Chicago Bears as the second to worst team in the NFL. They list the Bears under their rebuilding category. Their two main reasons are the Bears’ offensive line and wide receiver group.
On paper, it is not like Poles has done a ton to quell those doubts.
Poles signed Lucas Patrick to be the starting center. Dakota Dozier was signed in the offseason and is currently penciled in as the starting right guard. Poles also used four late-round draft picks to add depth.
Not exactly uplifting moves for an offensive line that allowed 58 sacks last season.
The wide receiver room is being perceived as possibly the worst in the NFL. It is also considered one of the team’s biggest area for concern.
Ranking the positions by concern … with a very early 53-man Bears roster projection.
My annual exercise https://t.co/dw3rCq6WqI
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) May 31, 2022
Darnell Mooney is the only receiver returning who has caught a pass from starting quarterback Justin Fields. Second-year receiver Dazz Newsome is the only other receiver on the roster who has a reception while wearing the navy blue and orange.
Poles did not exactly add premium receiver talent in the offseason. He signed Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown in free agency. He also added journeymen receivers in Tajae Sharpe, Dante Pettis, and David Moore.
The Bears drafted 25-year-old rookie Velus Jones Jr who possesses tremendous speed.
The Chicago Bears head into the 2022 season with a collective of wide receivers who caught 169 passes for 2061 yards and 10 touchdowns in the NFL last season.
Mooney accounts for 48% of those receptions and 51% of those yards. He is being counted on to be Fields’ top target. There are some doubts Mooney is a legit WR1.
Is Darnell Mooney a top-20 wide receiver? pic.twitter.com/3Uvpw5dEYA
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) May 26, 2022
There is not a lot of confidence in the Bears’ wide receivers. Then again, when you look at the rest of the division, maybe the Bears receiver situation is not as bad as you think.
