Where Bears Roster Dictates Moves

Comparing the Bears roster to start last year with where the roster is at now reveals where they need to add players and how much they've improved.

Cash allows Bears general manager Ryan Poles to keep signing players.

In fact, Overthecap.com still has the Bears with the most available cap space but it's at $38.4 million.

They're obviously not signing many big-ticket players at this point, but the rest of the league has even less money so remaining free agents signed by anyone will be lower-cost players. Now the law of supply and demand is reversed and it's the cash in low supply and players available in far greater supply when it was flipped before signings began.

In some cases there can be gems remaining but they're few and far between.

Using last year as an example of what to expect, Poles had little money to start free agency but at this point he had ended the first phase of signings. He went into a one-week rest period and then came out in the second phase of free agency signing players mostly at minimum rates. The initial signing "frenzy" last year ended with the ill-fated signing of Dakota Dozier, the former Vikings lineman who suffered a season-ending knee injury during offseason practices. One week later they signed Trevor Siemian.

They then signed mostly their own unsigned free agents or draft picks until just before training camp began, when they signed Riley Reiff and traded for N'Keal Harry. Reiff eventually became a starter.

The $38.4 million left allows a little more leeway but not much. What they've done so far is add real impact players they lacked like Tremaine Edmunds, DJ Moore and T.J. Edwards.

Remember, they have to sign their draft picks and it won't be like some of those drafts under Ryan Pace where they had five or six players drafted. They'll have eight to 10 picks, depending on what kind of moves up or down Poles brokers.

They have 62 players under contract now and that leaves room for 28 more before camp starts.

Bears stay with their value chart it seems to a T. And that makes me think that RT is not a lock for the first round. Whoever they have highest on their board is ultimately who they will choose. I think they will have Johnson, Jsn, Carter and Robinson ranked high.

— Raul Bennington (@black_42) March 18, 2023

The initial signing "frenzy" last year ended with the ill-fated signing of Dakota Dozier, the former Vikings lineman who suffered a season-ending knee injury during OTAs. A week later they signed Trevor Siemian.

Where will they go next?

From a look at what the roster and comparing it to last year's opening day roster, the moves likely would be edge rusher, defensive tackle, offensive tackle, linebacker and backup quarterback, if not cornerback and safety. You can never have too many of those players on the practice squad, as the Bears found out last season and the previous season.

They still don't have enough quality backup defensive tackles or ends. Their right tackle position needs a quality player and not necessarily a depth piece.

Backup quarterback might not be P.J. Walker alone. They had two experienced backups last year. Bringing in another backup with some league experience might make sense because Walker has started only seven games in his NFL career and is far less experienced than Siemian was.

Adding an undrafted or late draft pick at the position makes sense as a developmental player, but if something happened to Justin Fields then they're looking at Walker and his inexperience, backed up by a rookie.

I’m currently 4-0 with the new Bears players in Madden

I’m not saying anything though

But at the same time I’m saying something

Do what you want with this information

— Michael J⭕️hn (@captainhugs) March 18, 2023

The most improved positions on the roster compared to the start of last season appears to be wide receiver, tight end and linebacker. Least improved positions look like tackle and defensive line, two where they needed help the most starting free agency.

Here's a roster comparison to last year's opening-day starters and the net effect of Ryan Poles' improvements.

Quarterbacks

2022: Justin Fields

          Trevor Siemian

          Nathan Peterman

2023: Justin Fields

           PJ Walker

Net Effect: Experience gained by Fields is the main thing. They've lost overall experience with Sieman and Peterman gone and Walker inserted. But Walker looks like a bit better fit for what they're doing on offense by moving the quarterback. Still, he's not really a runner like Fields is. They could stand to add either another experienced player or bring in two undrafted or late-round developmental possibilities to compete for the third spot.

Running Backs

2022: David Montgomery

          Khalil Herbert

          Trestan Ebner

          Darrynton Evans

          Khari Blasingame

2023: Khalil Herbert

          D'Onta Foreman

           Trestan Ebner

           Travis Homer

           Khari Blasingame

Net Effect: There is a big speed gain by bringing in Foreman after Montgomery's departure. Foreman was .15 seconds faster than Montgomery in the 40, although he has since had an Achilles injury in 2017. It's also a better system fit as a downhill and one-cut runner for the wide-zone scheme. They lose that second, third and fourth effort stubborn style Montgomery had. More than improvement, this is just different and more in line with what the coaches envision.

Wide Receivers

2022: Darnell Mooney

          Byron Pringle

          Equanimeous St. Brown

          Velus Jones Jr.

          Dante Pettis

          N'Keal Harry

          Nsimba Webster

          Ihmir Smith-Marsette

2023: Darnell Mooney

           DJ Moore

           Chase Claypool

           Equanimeous St. Brown

           Velus Jones Jr.

           Daurice Fountain

           Nsimba Webster

           Joe Reed

Net Effect: Add Moore. Add Claypool because he wasn't around the first half of last season and really had only a couple of games to work as a healthy receiver with Fields. Subtract Pringle and Harry. It's a colossal jump in talent, experience and potential. As signings continued last year, Poles brought in various minimum-pay veterans to compete in camp and try to win one or two roster spots. The same thing could happen this year. The big glaring need is a receiver, back or defensive back who can be a punt returner. If they brought back Pettis again as a return man and sixth or seventh receiver it could make sense, but there will likely be numerous unsigned players available to do this chore and the draft has them as well.

Offensive Line

2023: Braxton Jones

          Nate Davis

          Cody Whitehair

          Teven Jenkins

          Larry Borom

          Lucas Patrick

          Ja'Tyre Carter

          Alex Leatherwood

          Dieter Eiselen

          Doug Kramer

2022: Braxton Jones

          Cody Whitehair

          Sam Mustipher

          Teven Jenkins

          Riley Reiff

          Michael Schofield

         Lucas Patrick

         Ja'Tyre Carter

         Alex Leatherwood

         Dieter Eieselen

Net Effect: It's unclear they have actually improved personnel at all. They've apparently moved Whitehair to center, where he struggled snapping the ball initially but eventually improved enough to make the Pro Bowl in 2018. He hasn't played there since 2020. Can he make this type of change back at this later date in his career or would drafting a center be a better option? Is he a net gain over Mustipher? As a blocker, he would be. In other aspects, such as recognition and line calls or snapping the ball, it's entirely unclear. Davis is an excellent added mobile blocker they lacked. A right tackle question still exists and losing Reiff to the Giants makes it clear there must be an answer in the draft. Offensive line is difficult to judge in terms of net effect. Line play improves with experience and players working together to build a cohesive unit in the run game. Individual technique matters more in pass blocking. At the moment, best guesstimate is they appear slightly better as run blockers and not much different as pass blockers.

Tight End

2022: Cole Kmet

           Ryan Griffin

           Trenton Wesco

           Chase Allen

           Jake Tonges

2023: Cole Kmet

           Robert Tonyan Jr.

           Chase Allen

           Jake Tonges

Net Effect: Having a tight end who can actually work in the passing game at the U-position to complement Kmet is invaluable and Tonyan provides this. He has been in this offense and so he shouldn't need an adjustment period. They had nothing last year beyond blocking and special teams play from Wesco and Griffin. The lack of a blocking tight end alone exists but Tonges could fill that or they might add one veteran blocking tight end.

Linebackers

2022: Roquan Smith

           Nick Morrow

           Matthew Adams

           Joe Thomas

           Jack Sanborn

           Sterling Weatherford

2023: Tremaine Edmunds

           T.J. Edwards

           Jack Sanborn

           Sterling Weatherford

           DeMarquis Gates

Net Effect: Quality is up greatly over the end of last year and somewhat higher than where they started last season because they brought in two of the best free agents available in Edmunds and Edwards. Sanborn showed last year he can play, but can he play strongside? That's questionable. They could add someone as competition at that position, which they'll use about 40% of the defensive snaps.

Defensive Line

2022: Trevis Gipson

           Robert Quinn

           Dominique Robinson

           Al-Quadin Muhammad

          Justin Jones

          Armon Watts

          Angelo Blackson

          Mike Pennel

2023: Trevis Gipson

           Dominique Robinson

           DeMarcus Walker

           Gerri Green

           Justin Jones

           Andrew Billings

          Jalyn Holmes

          Donovan Jeter

Net Effect: The need for a quality player at edge rusher stands out like a beacon in the night, if not two of them. They could sign one cost-efficient free agent and draft one. Defensive takle is a real numbers shortage. They have two now with Billings and Jones. Jeter, Holmes and Green are practice squad players or competing for the last spots on the 53-man roster. They could use three players here. One must be a three technique, the other a one-technique backup or combo and then the other an edge. Or they could flip it and go three technique/edge and one technique.

Secondary

2022: Eddie Jackson

           Jaquan Brisker

           DeAndre Houston-Carson

           Elijah Hicks

           A.J. Thomas

           Jaylon Johnson

           Kyler Gordon

           Kindle Vildor

           Jaylon Jones

          Josh Blackwell

2023: Eddie Jackson

          Jaquan Brisker

          Elijah Hicks

          A.J. Thomas

          Adrian Colbert

         Kyler Gordon

         Kindle Vildor

         Jaylon Johnson

         Jaylon Jones

         Josh Blackwell

Net Effect: It's unchanged. This group started strong and faded last year as injuries decimated them. Adding competition for Vildor as a starter is a possibility through the draft or free agency. The next important act is re-signing DeAndre Houston-Carson. It would be unfathomable for them to look at what he has done last year and prior years and determine they don't need him.

Specialists

Unchanged: LS Patrick Scales, K Cairo Santos, P Trenton Gill.

 Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven