Bear Digest

Pinpointing Most Indispensable Bears on Training Camp Roster

Analysis: Only a few select Bears can be truly labeled indispensable because GM Ryan Poles has done a solid job supplying depth, but even with backup support these Bears can't be replaced.

Gene Chamberlain

Losing DJ Moore for even a little bit of time, especially early, can be a tough blow for this Bears team despite the presence of Keenan Allen.
Losing DJ Moore for even a little bit of time, especially early, can be a tough blow for this Bears team despite the presence of Keenan Allen. / Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
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Part of the focus of Ryan Poles' emphasis in staffing this year's roster has been fortification.

Depth is always critical, especially behind the best players.

The Bears GM has running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen and secondary players all thoroughly supported by players who also have talent.

Even at linebacker, where Pro Football Focus says they have the third-best group of players, Jack Sanborn provides more than adequate backup strength at more than one position.

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In base, he’s the starting sam linebacker. And then he really plays four different spots.

Nevertheless, there are either thin spots on the depth chart or some players so vital that backup help is going to be inadequate regardless.

Here are the most indispensable Bears for this training camp's roster.

It's a short list but all are legitimately rated as players the team cannot do without. The ranking might raise a few eyebrows in some places.

4. DJ Moore

They've got Keenan Allen, they drafted Rome Odunze. There should be plenty of depth here behind Moore, right?

Not exactly, especially early in the season. Odunze can't be said to be a force of any kind. He hasn't played a down yet.

Allen is 32, and although he hit a career-high for receptions last year, he's coming to a new offense, in a new city and with a rookie quarterback. It's going to be an adjustment early for even this grizzled veteran.

Moore is their speed among the three starting receivers. He had the fastest 40 time (4.42, Odunze 4.45) of the big three and has been a good yards-after-catch guy who also can gain a step behind a defender for cover-2 beaters along the sidelines, or even one-on-one victories. In fact, Moore does a little of everything. He'll even win 50-50 battles.

So, losing Moore any amount of time before the first half of the season could leave the Bears in a pinch.

3. K Cairo Santos

It has become quite apparent the Bears finally got it right with kickers after the double-doink and Eddy Pinerio.

Santos is the most accurate Bears kicker of all time and last year had the chance to address the questions about his leg strength by nailing 7 of 8 from 50 yards or longer.

So how does a kicker become more indispensable than the top wide receiver?

Take a look around. One need look no further than the NFC North, where all three of the other teams have struggled with kickers and misses and the worst times over the past three seasons.

It's easy to find kicker candidates. It's not easy to find truly effective kickers like Santos.

If the Bears did lose Santos, they might find at least a short-term replacement only as far away as Rolling Meadows High School, where Robbie Gould is the head coach⁠—as long as he's getting his kicks in out on the practice field.

2. QB Caleb Williams

They have two backups who have limited experience, so Williams for this season isn't backed by a player with years of NFL experience and numerous starts.

Not every team can have a veteran backup and a backup like Tyson Bagent, who won two starts last year, might be sufficient.

However, long term losing Williams for any time in his rookie year only further sets back his development. This is far more critical.

One need only look at Anthony Richardson with the Colts to see where something of this type happened. Now it's Year 2 and they're counting on him to be playing like a second-year QB when he has only four starts.

Williams needs to play and he needs to be healthy. The backups can play enough to get them through a rough patch caused by his absence but they drafted Williams because of his special arm and knack for making plays off-script as well. They won't get those from the backups.

1. DE Montez Sweat

The Sweat Effect was very real. It wasn't just his six sacks, 14 QB hits and 21 pressures in nine games. It was how he made teammates better with attention focused his way.

DeMarcus Walker had 11 of his 16 QB hits after Sweat arrived. Gervon Dexter had nine of his 12 QB hits then, as well. Former Bear Justin Jones had 3 1/2 of his 4 1/2 sacks, 13 of his 22 pressures and 10 of his 17 quarterback hits after Sweat arrived.

Go beyond last year's statistics, and what have they done to make sure they have edge quality who can get the job done in the event something happened to Sweat, or in case opponents had an answer by double- or triple-teaming him? Nothing really. They're counting on young players to step up.

Drafting Austin Booker, a fifth-rounder, isn't an answer for this.

It's a little-discussed fact but teams did adjust to Sweat in the final three games last season. They focused all of their pass blocking his way and he didn't have a single sack and had just one of his QB hits and one of his pressures in the last three games.

If the Bears want to continue to realize benefits of the Sweat Effect and also get production from him, they may need to do something about getting him some edge rush assistance.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.