Grading The 2023 Bears Rookies Based On Their First Season
January 8, 2024, 10:51 PM CST
It's time to give the 2023 Bears Draft Class their rookie season grades. I am grading based on performance compared to expectations I had for them coming into this season. Poles has gotten some nice pieces for the future in his first two draft classes. Let's see if the 2023 class can live up to Poles' 2022 class.
Round 1, Pick 10 - RT Darnell Wright: A
Home run to start the draft. Wright stepped into the Right Tackle role immediately and was able to neutralize great pass rushers. Guys like Chase Young, Maxx Crosby, Joey Bosa, and Khalil Mack were held in check by Wright. When it comes to Crosby, Wright was playing hurt and was able to neutralize one of the best pass rushers in the league using just one arm. A lot of people gave Poles slack for passing on Jalen Carter and moving down a spot, but it worked out. Wright is our Right Tackle of the future, and whoever the QB is next year, he'll have a great player blocking for him.
Round 2, Pick 53 - DT Gervon Dexter Sr: B+
Dexter was drafted as a project player. However, he exceeded all expectations in Year One and impressed as a rotational 3-Tech. Especially after the acquisition of Montez Sweat, it felt like Dexter was unlocked. He finished the year with 20 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. His best game was against Atlanta, with 5 tackles and 1.5 sacks. If the Bears don't bring Justin Jones back, expect Dexter to have an elevated role next season.
Round 2, Pick 56 - CB Tyrique Stevenson: B+
Rique started the year off pretty slow, kind of like how Kyler Gordon took a while to adjust to the league last year. But after the mini-bye following the Panthers game, Stevenson just took off. He had 4 interceptions on the season, his first coming in that Week 11 game, and then added on three more to finish the season while also being great in coverage. His 16 pass deflections were tied for 5th overall in the NFL, and he was with another rookie in Devon Witherspoon (5th Overall Pick) in that total. So while he may have had a rough start, his great finish made many Bears fans call for him to be mentioned for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and he'll certainly be a great corner moving forward.
Round 3, Pick 64 - DT Zacch Pickens: C
Unlike Dexter, Pickens didn't break out this year. He did show flashes in limited action but didn't get a huge role. He also finished the year with 20 tackles, but only half a sack, which came in Week 4. He did force a fumble in Week 8 too. Hopefully, he can develop into a good rotational DLineman this offseason.
Round 4, Pick 115 - RB Roschon Johnson: B-
Roschon was one of my favorite picks coming out of the draft as I had a Round 2 grade on him after he saw limited action at Texas due to him being the backup to Bijan Robinson. However, he was a lot more raw than I anticipated. 81 carries, 352 yards, and 2 touchdowns on the ground while adding another 209 yards on 34 catches through the air isn't bad numbers, though I expect those numbers to jump up next year after D'Onta Foreman leaves. A B- grade for now, but a lot of room to get up to an A and even an A+ grade.
Round 4, Pick 133 - WR Tyler Scott: C+
Scott, like Johnson, was drafted lower than my grade on him but was also a lot more raw than I anticipated. He caught 17 passes for 168 yards, but no touchdowns despite having a couple of opportunities to snag one. If Mooney ends up leaving, Scott could take over at WR3 full-time if we add another guy in the draft, and that could unlock his potential more than what he's used now. Again, a C+ grade for now but a lot of room to improve next year.
Round 5, Pick 148 - LB Noah Sewell: C
Due to the signings of Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards, along with the returning Jack Sanborn, Sewell didn't get much time on defense to contribute. He also missed some games due to an injury but did contribute on special teams throughout the season. He tallied 9 total tackles and a forced fumble in his rookie season.
Round 5, Pick 165 - CB Terell Smith: A
Huge hit for Ryan Poles in the 5th Round. Smith, despite being CB4, excelled when his number was called and even forced CB2 Kyler Gordon to have to sit on the bench for some plays just to get him involved. While he did struggle against Green Bay without Jaylon Johnson, it is clear that Smith, or T-Time, will be great depth and is a good player to call on if a guy gets injured next year. His final numbers include 49 tackles, 3 TFLs, and 6 pass deflections along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
Round 7, Pick 218 - DT Travis Bell: N/A
Bell did not play a single snap for the Bears and is no longer in the organization. He was cut after preseason and signed to the Practice Squad, but Atlanta grabbed him from there and he played in a few games for them. He finished the season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Round 7, Pick 258 - S Kendall Williamson: N/A
Williamson, the second to last pick in the draft, also didn't play a single snap like Bell. Unlike Bell though, he remained on our practice squad throughout the season.
Final Grade: B+
No real stinkers were selected in Poles' second draft class. He acquired young players that can help the team move forward, whether they start or are primary backups or even special teamers. He's done a great job of building through the draft so far, and I'm excited for this year knowing that I can trust his talent evaluation skills. April can't come soon enough.
Darnell Wright had a pretty good rookie season
How Ryan Poles Has Built The Bears For Future Success
December 31, 2023, 6:14 AM CST
When Ryan Poles was hired as the Bears General Manager in January 2022, he was tasked with doing something that hadn't been done since 1985. Bring the Bears a Super Bowl Championship. His first task was to bring in a Head Coach, and out of candidates Matt Eberflus, Jim Caldwell, and Dan Quinn, Poles chose Eberflus to be the guy to lead the team. As the season concluded with the Rams beating the Bengals in the Super Bowl, it was time for the Ryan Poles era to officially begin in Chicago.
The Tear Down
Heading into the 2022 offseason, the Bears were in a pretty bad spot. Coming off a 6-11 year, the team had almost no cap space with a lot of money being taken up by aging veterans. On top of that, they had no first-round pick in the 2022 Draft after Poles' predecessor Ryan Pace traded the pick the year before to move up for Quarterback Justin Fields. The first move Ryan Poles made was trading Pro Bowl Edge Rusher and fan favorite Khalil Mack to the Chargers, receiving a 2022 Second Round Pick and a 2023 Sixth Round Pick. The 2023 Sixth was eventually shipped back to LA for two 2022 Seventh Round Compensatory Selections (which turned into Punter Trenton Gill and Depth Safety Elijah Hicks). The Bears cleared more cap by releasing RB Tarik Cohen with an injury designation, and also releasing NT Eddie Goldman after they could not find a trade partner for him. They would also release Linebacker Danny Trevathan as he had struggled to stay on the field the year prior and had a pretty big contract. Finally, the team released Nick Foles after the draft to get his contract off the books. The Bears would not cut or trade any more players until the regular season when they traded struggling Edge Rusher Robert Quinn to the Eagles for a 2023 Fourth Round Pick, and then a week later traded young Linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens for a 2023 Second Round and a 2023 Fifth Round Pick after the two sides could not agree to an extension during the 2022 offseason.
Establishing A Young Core Early
Ryan Poles made it clear early on that the team would build through the draft and spend wisely in free agency. He stayed fairly quiet in the 2022 Free Agency period, with his biggest signing in Larry Ogunjobi falling through due to a failed physical. Notable names that would stick around for more than one year include WR Equanimeous St. Brown, DT Justin Jones, FB Khari Blasingame, and Center/Guard Lucas Patrick. The team also made depth signings for one year, bringing in LB Nick Morrow, WR Byron Pringle, QB Trevor Siemian, and most importantly, bringing back Long Snapper Pat Scales and Special Teams Ace/Safety DeAndre Houston-Carson. Poles remained quiet on Day 1 of the draft, electing not to trade up into the First Round. The Bears entered Day 2 with picks 39, 48, and 71. With those picks, they selected Kyler Gordon (CB from Washington), Jaquan Brisker (Safety from Penn State), and Velus Jones (WR from Tennessee). Gordon and Brisker have developed into key pieces in the secondary, despite the Front Office originally believing neither one of those players would even fall to them in the draft. Both are absolute studs and will hopefully be here for a long time. Jones has struggled since being drafted, with many drops that have cost the team points and sometimes even the games themselves. He's still hoping to prove himself and carve out a role in the offense. The Bears ended up selecting 8 players on Day 3 of the draft after trading back to acquire all those picks. The most notable of these players and the only one currently starting (if you exclude Punter Trenton Gill) is Tackle Braxton Jones from Southern Utah, an FCS school. Jones came into the league and immediately surpassed all expectations, locking down the Left Tackle spot and being a huge solution that we needed on the O-Line. So far in the 2023 season, he's only allowed one sack, and played very well last year given the circumstances. The team is also hoping that Miami Ohio talent Dominique Robinson can still develop into a solid edge rusher, as he's been left in a more rotational role this season. I'll cover UDFA LB Jack Sanborn more a little later, as he has been an absolute stud for us. Poles also made a trade for WR N'Keal Harry, giving up a 2024 Seventh Round Pick and hoping Harry could finally break out after a bad start to his career in New England. It was clear from this draft that the Bears were finally ushering in a new philosophy of building around young talent and were going to do so moving forward.
The Tank
Prior to the 2022 season, Bears President/CEO Ted Phillips announced he would be retiring at the end of the season, and a search for his replacement began. The search committee would eventually decide on Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, who officially began in April 2023. The first year of the Poles-Eberflus era did not bring many expectations with it. Most fans around the league had us finishing towards the bottom of the league. I predicted a 7-10 finish. After going 3-0 in the preseason and starting out 3-4 in the regular season, it looked like the team was going to finish closer to where I predicted rather than fan consensus. After trading Robert Quinn, losing big to Dallas, and trading Roquan Smith though, the team began to fall apart. Poles, in an attempt to get another WR for Justin Fields, acquired Chase Claypool from the Steelers for a 2023 second-round pick. During Claypool's entire Bears tenure, the team would not win a single game. They arguably should've won at least two more during the 2022 season, but alas, the tank rolled forward. Suddenly, the Bears found themselves at 3-13 heading into Week 18 against Minnesota and held the Second Overall Pick. The Texans were 2-13-1 and were playing the Colts. With Justin Fields (and most of the offense) out due to injury, Minnesota handled business and won 29-13 as we finished the season 3-14. The Texans just had to lose to the Colts to secure the number-one pick. But Lovie Smith, knowing he was getting fired after the game, had the last laugh in all of this. Instead of going full tank mode, he decided to try and win the game. Davis Mills somehow converted two Hail Mary's, the second one for a touchdown, to put the Texans down by one, and instead of kicking the extra point, Houston went for two, got it, and sealed the First Overall Pick going to the Bears. With by far the most cap space in the league AND the number one overall pick, the Bears were set to control the 2023 Offseason.
The Trade
It was pretty obvious from the moment the Bears got the First Pick that they were going to trade it. The question was, when would they do it? Despite knowing that Justin Fields would be their QB moving forward, the Bears still did their due diligence on all of the Quarterback prospects in the draft. They would bring in a QB from this class later on, signing Shepherd QB Tyson Bagent as a UDFA, who would later win the QB2 job in preseason and go on to start four games in the 2023 season. Shortly after the combine, the Bears struck a deal with the Carolina Panthers. In exchange for the number one overall pick, the Panthers sent the Bears the 9th Overall Pick in 2023, their First Round Pick in 2024, the 61st Overall Pick in 2023, a Second Round Pick in 2025, AND WR DJ Moore. By acquiring Moore, many believed he would be the WR1 Justin Fields needed to take the Jalen Hurts/Josh Allen step into becoming an elite QB. This trade, if the Bears play it right (which they have so far) could wind up going down as one of the all-time biggest fleeces in sports history.
Spending Spree
Just a few days after the Bears and Panthers agreed to the trade, the free agency period opened up in the NFL. Unlike last year, the Bears immediately got on top of things. They made the very first signing of the offseason by bringing in Linebacker TJ Edwards on a bargain deal, and would later shell out a big contract for LB Tremaine Edmunds. Remember how I mentioned Jack Sanborn earlier? By signing these two guys to pair with him, the Bears now had a linebacker group that could jump from bottom tier to top tier this season. So far, it's paid off. While Edmunds did struggle early on, he found his footing, and watching him and Edwards has been so fun this year. And Sanborn always seems to be making plays every game. While some fans may still be upset about not getting a deal done with Roquan, you can't deny they did a good job using the money he would've gotten himself to build an elite overall group. Oh, and Poles wasn't done there. He also signed RG Nate Davis to a three-year deal that same day. He's been serviceable this year when he's been healthy, but grouped with Braxton Jones, stud Teven Jenkins who moved to Left Guard, and a Right Tackle that I will mention later, the line has been a lot better this year. The Bears capped off Day 1 by signing DeMarcus Walker, who has been decent as a rotational 3-Tech and Edge Rusher. One of the best moves of the Bears' offseason came a couple of days later when Poles signed DT Andrew Billings to a one-year deal. Billings, along with the linebackers and other acquisitions we made, has helped transform the Bears' run defense from 31st to 1st in just one season. He has already received a two-year extension from the team and looks to be Poles' version of Akiem Hicks, another fan favorite that was great at stopping the run. From here on, the Bears mostly made depth signings as they prepared for the 2023 Draft, though one of those depth signings, RB D'Onta Foreman, has made a big impact and has been the lead back since Khalil Herbert got hurt, and it remained that way even after Herbert's return.
Continuing To Build The Young Core
When Pick 9 came around for the Bears, many fans felt the decision was obvious. DT Jalen Carter, who many considered to be generational, could easily fill the hole we had at 3-Tech. Instead, the Bears traded down one spot with the Eagles to secure a 2024 Fourth Round Pick. This move outraged the fans, who all wanted Carter (myself included, though without the outrage part). Using the 10th Pick, the Bears selected RT Darnell Wright from Tennessee. Wright is a stud, let's put it that way. He's been the best rookie tackle this season and has solidified a crucial spot on the O-Line. Now, we just need a Center to complete what has the potential to be a Top 5 unit if we get the right guy. The Bears' Day 2 would consist of drafting DT Gervon Dexter, CB Tyrique Stevenson, and DT Zacch Pickens. Dexter has been great, he was seen as a project player and has already exceeded most expectations. He has a higher pass rush win rate than Carter since Week 5, so we were crying over nothing. Hopefully, he continues to develop well and be our 3-Tech for the future. Pickens hasn't gotten as much action as Dexter has, but he has also shown flashes and looks to be a great rotational guy moving forward. Stevenson has been a stud since Week 11. After having a rough start to his career, he's turned around and shown that he is going to be a great corner for us moving forward. Extend Jaylon Johnson, and man we have an incredible room. Add 5th Round Corner Terrell Smith out of Minnesota to that room as well. He has been awesome when he has played as well. Jaylon Jones and Josh Blackwell, two UDFAs from 2022, have also held down Special Teams roles this year and played well in the latter stages of the 2022 season when Johnson and Kindle Vildor were hurt. Smith was the fourth player we took on Day 3. Roschon Johnson was the first, and despite being RB3 right now, he's shown flashes and has the skills and traits to be RB1 in the future. I had a Round 2 grade on him going into the draft, the same grade I had WR Tyler Scott from Cincinnati who we ended up taking with our second pick of the 2023 Draft. With Darnell Mooney out today against Atlanta, maybe we will see Scott have a breakout game. Even if not, he has shown that he can be a solid WR3 going forward. Noah Sewell was the third player we took on Day 3, and he's been good as a rotational LB and special teams player. The final two players we took on Day 3, DT Travis Bell and Safety Kendall Williamson, have not played a snap for the Bears. Bell is no longer with the organization while Williamson is on the Practice Squad. With his second draft now complete, Poles had built a nice foundation of youth around QB Justin Fields and expectations were raised heading into the 2023 season.
The First Half of 2023
Poles finally signed a pass rusher in Yannick Ngakoue during Training Camp. It was a move that had been anticipated for a while, but Ngakoue was finally here to help get to the QB. After a 1-2 preseason, fans were eager to get the year started. Most people, both locally and nationally, had predicted the Bears to beat the Packers in Week One of the 2023 season. The Bears wound up losing 38-20, disappointing everyone. Luke Getsy was blamed a lot for designing a game plan of screen passes and failing to adjust at halftime. The defense also failed to prepare for Green Bay to adjust at halftime, as they came out of half by allowing two straight touchdown drives before the offense could answer. The Getsy screen passes would become a common theme throughout the season. People hoped the Bears would bounce back and that this game was just a fluke. They then lost to Tampa Bay. During preparations for Week 3, Justin Fields made comments about coaching that sent Bears social media into a frenzy. Braxton Jones also suffered a neck injury that would keep him out for many weeks. Then, DC Alan Williams resigned and rumors began to spread about what happened, including some outlandish rumors that turned out to be false. Mind you, all of this happened on the same day. Matt Eberflus took over as defensive play-caller for the rest of the season. Naturally, the Bears got blown out by the Chiefs. They then had enough of Chase Claypool's antics and ostracized him from the team until they found a trade partner in the Dolphins where they dumped him off to for a Sixth Round Pick. The Bears choked a 28-7 lead against Denver before FINALLY winning a game on Thursday Night Football against Washington. What a coincidence, Chase Claypool gets kicked off the team, and the Bears finally win. Or you could credit it to Teven Jenkins coming back whichever one fits your narrative the best. Moving on, the Bears found themselves at 2-6 at the Trade Deadline. Instead of selling players, they decided to go out and make a deal with Washington for Edge Rusher Montez Sweat, sending a 2024 Second Round Pick to the Commanders. They got to work on an extension, quickly getting it done that week as we now have Sweat for the next four years. He will earn $98 million across those four years. Justin Fields, at the time of this trade, was hurt, leaving Tyson Bagent to start 4 games in which he went 2-2 with wins over Las Vegas and Carolina.
The Tez Effect
If you scroll down a little more, I wrote an article on the Tez Effect. But to sum it all up, the defense has been balling since his arrival. They are finally starting to get sacks and force interceptions. Somehow, we are now second in the league in interceptions, only behind the 49ers. The Bears are 3-2 since Justin Fields' return in Week 11. We could've very easily been 5-0 in those games and charging for a playoff spot, but we again choked to the Lions and Browns, basically dashing any playoff hope we had. At 6-9, there's still a slight chance we can make it, but it is highly unlikely as many things need to go our way. One other notable thing in this period, the Bears extended Kicker Cairo Santos and locked him up for the next four years. He's now the most accurate Kicker in Bears history and has solved all of the problems we had at the position after Robbie Gould left in 2015.
The Future
As the Bears enter their final two games of the 2023 season with just a 1% chance to make the playoffs, they are set up well for the future. Remember the 2024 First Round Pick that Carolina gave us to move up last year? That pick is almost guaranteed to be the Number One overall pick next year. The Bears' needs are also a lot less than what they were this time last year. There's the Caleb Williams vs Justin Fields debate that is ongoing on Bears social media right now, and there are benefits to both sides. Where I identify the main needs are WR2, Another Edge, Center, and Free Safety of the future for when Eddie Jackson leaves. Oh, and Offensive Coordinator as Luke Getsy has to be gone. It looks like Eberflus will return next season, but Getsy needs to go. That's it. No matter which QB Poles decides, there aren't that many holes left to make this a great team. With the most cap space in the league again, he controls the offseason. If this year's roster came as close to the playoffs as they have, I am expecting next year to be the year where we take a leap into the playoffs and possibly compete for a division title. I trust Ryan Poles, and based on his track record, you should too. It's a bright future in Chicago, something we haven't had in a long, long time.
GM Ryan Poles and President Kevin Warren are at the top of a new era of Bears football
The Montez Sweat Effect: Bears Defense Is Finally Balling
December 10, 2023, 8:28 PM CST
Man, what a trade by Ryan Poles to snag Montez Sweat. And to get an extension done almost immediately was incredible as well. Even if it was a slight overpay, you have to give money to good talent. And the effects of the Sweat trade are already being felt across the entire defense. Last season, the Bears only sacked the QB 20 times. They also only snagged 14 interceptions. This was with a non-existent D-Line, if you could've even called it a D-Line after the Robert Quinn trade. During the offseason, the Bears added Yannick Ngakoue to be a pass rusher and they drafted two defensive tackles relatively high in Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens. They also signed DT Andrew Billings, though he was brought in to be a run-stuffer. Still, the D-Line was not great. Through the first 9 games of the season, which included Sweat's first as a Bear, they only had 10 sacks and 6 interceptions. The majority of their sacks (5) came in one game, ironically against Washington. But after Sweat got acclimated with the team and began to eat, the defense immediately got better. Since Week 10 against Carolina, which is just four games mind you, the Bears defense has sacked QBs 11 times as well as snagged 9 interceptions. 3.5 sacks have come from Sweat, though he has provided important pressure on QBs that have allowed his teammates to finish the job. Since his arrival, we have seen Justin Jones and DeMarcus Walker improve and get pressure on QBs. Yannick Ngakoue had a sack today as well and should keep his production going in the last four weeks. Maybe even more important, we are finally seeing Gervon Dexter take steps in his development, with him showing flashes of being a monster once he develops more. Over this stretch of four games, the Bears are 3-1 and should be 4-0 had they not choked to Detroit. The arrival of Sweat is the biggest reason for this sudden rise in defensive production, as improving the D-Line has helped the secondary get takeaways and now we know how good they can be. The arrival of Sweat has arguably saved Matt Eberflus' job, if they keep winning he'll go from surely being gone at the end of the season to being the guy to lead the team into next season. The team arguably needs another top-tier talent edge rusher and an elite 3-Tech to get back to being the elite defense that we Bears fans were used to during the Vic Fangio and Sean Desai days. Having a lot of draft capital and cap space helps their chances at filling both of those positions this offseason and the defense has a chance to be dangerous next season. Pair that with an even better offense with more talent next season, and the Bears could be a dangerous team in not just the North, but the entire NFC next season.
Ryan Poles said he expected Montez Sweat to elevate the defense, and he has done just that
53-Man Roster Projection After Preseason Week 1
August 19, 2023, 1:25 PM CDT
After the Bears' first preseason game against the Titans, I got to work reviewing the film from the game to take down notes for both my end-of-preseason recap that will come out sometime after the Bills game in a few weeks, and it helped me create my updated 53-Man Roster projection going into this week. It sucked to leave some players out of the roster, but some of those players will be mentioned as other possible options if the team chooses to cut another player instead. So without further ado, let's get on into this.
QB (2): Justin Fields, PJ Walker (Other Options: Nathan Peterman)
I think the Bears will wind up only carrying two QBs on the active roster every week, possibly elevating a guy like Nathan Peterman from the practice squad as a third option if needed. Even though Walker did kind of struggle against Tennessee, I still think he enters the year as the backup. And as much as I liked what I saw out of Tyson Bagent against the Titans, I feel the Bears keep him on the practice squad this season and maybe he competes for the backup job next year. So Fields and Walker on the active roster, and Peterman and Bagent on the practice squad.
RB (5): Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson, Trestan Ebner, Khari Blasingame (Other Options: Travis Homer)
What this mainly boiled down to was whether or not the Bears were ready to give up on Trestan Ebner yet. I think they wind up sticking with him, at least at the moment. With some starters expected to rest tomorrow, Herbert may be among them, which would potentially get Ebner and Homer more playing time. Ebner has reportedly improved during camp both on offense and on special teams, so it is very possible he winds up with a roster spot come Week 1. I also roped in Blasingame here, as he's a lock to make the roster unless he gets injured, where you could maybe consider rookie fullback Robert Burns to get a 53-Man spot as a replacement. I do expect Burns to make the practice squad regardless, though.
WR (6): DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Tyler Scott, Dante Pettis, Velus Jones Jr. (Other Options: Equanimeous St. Brown)
The battle between Dante Pettis, Velus Jones Jr, and Equanimeous St. Brown for a roster spot will come down to how the Bears think they can use Velus. We know punt returning isn't going to work (hence why I chose to keep Dante as he's a serviceable punt returner), but kick returning may be another story. When Velus was on kick return last season, he was pretty good at it as he is very fast and moves well. His speed also makes him valuable as a gadget guy, as they could use him more in the backfield or on specific routes. If the team believes a guy like Tyler Scott or even a Trestan Ebner could be better used there to keep EQ on as a solid blocking and decent receiving option, I could easily see that as well.
TE (3): Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis
This was probably the easiest one so far. I don't think the Bears end up keeping four tight ends this season, though they could choose to keep one of Stephen Carlson or Jared Pinkney on the practice squad as depth. Cole and Tonyan will be the main pass-catching tight ends, and Lewis will be the main blocker in the group as he is the best blocking tight end in the league.
OL (10): Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Larry Borom, Alex Leatherwood, Lucas Patrick, Doug Kramer, Ja'Tyre Carter (Other Options: Logan Stenberg, Dieter Eiselen, Aviante Collins)
The final O-Line spot came down to Doug Kramer, Logan Stenberg, and Dieter Eiselen, and I chose Kramer as I think the plan may be for him to be the eventual successor to Whitehair at Center. Ja'Tyre Carter likely would've been on the bubble before the Tennessee game, but with him getting a lot of reps thanks to him starting the game (and good reps at that) gave me the confidence to lock him in with a 53-Man spot. The players listed in other options would likely head to the practice squad as depth unless they are claimed by other teams in the waiver claim period.
DL (10): Yannick Ngakoue, Trevis Gipson, Dominique Robinson, Andrew Billings, Zacch Pickens, Travis Bell, Justin Jones, Gervon Dexter Sr., Demarcus Walker, Terrell Lewis (Other Options: Andrew Brown, Rasheem Green)
Just like with the O-Line, I decided to keep 10 defensive linemen for my first depth chart. 7 of which I think are locks to make it, while Lewis, Bell, and Gipson are all fighting for spots on the 53-Man roster. All three of them impressed against Tennessee, and so I decided to keep them on this week's final 53-Man roster. All three will need to continue to impress to lock in spots after preseason ends.
LB (5): TJ Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Jack Sanborn, Mykal Walker, Noah Sewell (Other Options: DeMarquis Gates, Davion Taylor, Dylan Cole)
I don't think the 5 players I chose to make the roster have much to do to lock in spots. Walker I believe has his spot down as the Bears claimed him off waivers and he has improved every year, and could even push Jack Sanborn in an attempt to become a starter. Davion Taylor, who is listed in the other options, could make it as well though since we just signed him instead of claiming him, I'm not going to jump him onto the roster quite yet, though look for him tonight against the Colts. Gates and Cole are also special teams and practice squad options if we have spots open after the preseason.
DB (9): Jaylon Johnson, Josh Blackwell, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Jones, Terell Smith, Eddie Jackson, Elijah Hicks, Jaquan Brisker (Other Options: Kindle Vildor, Greg Stroman Jr., Michael Ojemudia, Adrian Colbert, Kendall Williamson, A.J. Thomas)
The depth spots in the secondary are so hard to predict, as I'm sure many of the cuts will head to the practice squad or other teams. The starters are already locked in, and if the 53-Man has more spots available, we could see one or two more that I don't have making it get a spot on the roster. Jaylon Jones and Josh Blackwell I kept for special teams value and the fact that they impressed at the end of last year even though they were rookie UDFA's going up against good receivers in the league. Smith also makes it due to him being a 5th round rookie. Elijah Hicks also provided special teams value for us last year and will battle with Thomas, Colbert, and Williamson for a spot. Vildor, Stroman, and Ojemudia would likely fight it out for a corner spot if there's extra space on the roster.
ST (3): Cairo Santos, Trenton Gill, Patrick Scales
These guys are locked in for the season and will not be replaced barring an injury.
Terrell Lewis sacks Will Levis in the game against the Titans
Tyson Bagent Making Strong Case For The Backup QB Job
August 26, 2023, 8:40 AM CDT
The Bears this offseason signed QB PJ Walker to a two-year, $4 million deal to be the backup QB, and they also brought back Nathan Peterman to be the 3rd String QB like he was last season. So few people expected Undrafted Rookie QB Tyson Bagent out of Shepherd University to have a serious chance at making the roster, let alone beating out PJ Walker for the QB2 job as Walker has been a serviceable backup with Carolina the past few seasons. After just two weeks of preseason, however, it seems Bagent has already secured a spot on the roster and is in serious consideration to be the primary backup to Justin Fields this year. Let's take a look at what he has done this preseason.
The Bears signed Bagent out of Shepherd University after he didn't get selected in the draft. Across all divisions, Bagent is the NCAA leader in career touchdown passes, with 159 after he broke the record on December 3, 2022. He also impressed in the Senior Bowl, but it wasn't enough for teams to use one of their picks on him. Instead, the Bears brought him in to try and develop him, likely thinking he would be on the practice squad this year as QB4. There wasn't much word about Bagent's training camp and how he was doing, so our first taste of action came against Tennessee in Preseason Week 1. He only played the 4th Quarter, but he went 4/5 for 37 yards while looking calm in the pocket. His play in this one impressed the Bears enough to put him ahead of Nathan Peterman for the Preseason Week 2 match against the Colts. With Justin Fields sitting, and an atrocious performance from PJ Walker in the first quarter, the Bears inserted Bagent into the game to begin the second. He went 9/10 on passes for 76 yards, and he ran twice for four yards and a score to cap off a 92-yard touchdown drive. After that drive, he was pulled from the game as Nathan Peterman took over for the second half. Bears fans, and presumably the team, took notice of the talent we have on the roster. Especially how calm he was under pressure, something that is rare among rookies, even rarer among UDFAs. Bagent likely has a 53-Man Roster spot down, as you can't risk losing a guy like him to another team. He's making a strong case to be the backup to Justin Fields ahead of PJ Walker as well, with Walker not performing well and Bagent seizing his opportunity. Now, do I think he will end up being the backup? No, I think PJ remains the backup this season while Bagent serves as the third-stringer. But do I think we have a potential stud on our hands? Yes, and we need to keep him around on the 53-Man Roster at all costs.
Tyson Bagent dives into the endzone against the Colts for his first career TD
Tyson Bagent All-22 Film Review vs Minnesota
October 22, 2023, 12:29 AM CDT
It's time to return to All-22 footage. I did a couple of these film reviews last year, but I haven't done any this season. With Tyson Bagent seeing his first NFL action against Minnesota, however, I decided to take a look at his film from the few drives he played to see the good, the bad, and the meh. This way, I can fully see what I can expect against the Raiders in his first NFL start. I won't be going in-depth into every play, rather, I will just summarize my findings from the 17 plays I graded. The other 14 plays he was on the field for were handoffs, so those did not receive grades. Now without further delay, let's dive into the Bagent film.
The Good:
Of the 17 plays I graded, 10 I gave good grades to. I mainly focused on whether Bagent was hitting his guys on the throws. For example, there was a screen pass to DJ on Bagent's second drive that went for a loss of 2. But that received a good rating as Bagent delivered it quickly and accurately, just as how he was supposed to. Or on the fourth down play later that drive, he threw a dime to Tyler Scott, but Scott got pushed out of bounds and it was incomplete and a turnover. I still gave that a good rating as it was an accurate pass that was caught by the receiver despite him being forced out of bounds. Most of the other good ratings came from short, quick passes that were Bagent's first read after the snap. The exceptions were a strike to DJ on the touchdown drive that went for a big gain, and the QB sneak for a touchdown.
The Bad:
Of the 17 plays I graded, 2 I gave bad grades. The first of the bad grades came right after the aforementioned screen pass to DJ that went for a loss. Bagent threw a third straight screen, this time being the same play as the first screen, up top to Mooney instead of down to the bottom to DJ. This time, Bagent's throw hit the ground before it got to Mooney, unlike the first two screens that hit the targets right in the chest. Though to be fair to Bagent, the snap was low and that doesn't help a Quarterback out when he's trying to make a short pass. The other bad grade was the interception that Bagent threw. So no, I did not give a bad grade to the strip sack touchdown, I gave that a meh as it was not entirely Bagent's fault. More on that in a bit, but in terms of the interception, it was just a bad throw. Bagent wasn't really under pressure, he just didn't get it to DJ. Now, he only looked towards DJ the entire play. Had he read the whole field, he would've seen a possible ten-yard gain to Tyler Scott. But I get it, Bagent's a rookie who was thrust into the game. He was probably just told to simplify things and just go for the first read. But in that situation, you have to hit all of your passes. In this case, he did not, and the Bears lost the ball because of it.
The Meh:
Of the 17 plays I graded, I gave 5 of them Meh grades. Now, what is a "Meh" grade? A Meh grade is a grade that I gave to plays that I just couldn't make a decision on. The strip-sack TD didn't deserve a bad grade. Maybe for the offensive line, who somehow failed to block 97 on Minnesota which resulted in immediate pressure on Bagent. But for Tyson himself, he didn't do anything wrong. Now you could say he should've tucked it, but he was loading up for a throw to try and get rid of the ball. Just awful offensive line play resulted in that defensive TD, so I'm not punishing Bagent for that. Another play I was undecided on was a deep ball to Tyler Scott, where DPI was called. Scott was gaining separation, but Bagent couldn't hit him in stride and Scott had to pull back and attempt a one-on-one catch, which thanks to the DPI might've saved Bagent from a bad grade on this one. Two of the remaining three Meh grades were given on another collapsing offensive line play and a read option, but the final one was a play where Bagent left a ball up in the air that Tyler Scott had to come back for. Sure, it did go for a completion, but if there was a defender in the area, it would've been like a sitting duck waiting to get picked off.
Overall Thoughts:
Despite going deeper into detail with the Bad and Meh grades, there was a lot to like from Bagent's first NFL action. He was getting the ball out quickly on most plays, he was making accurate throws, and he looked confident in the pocket. Definitely not what you would expect from a Quarterback out of Shepherd. Now, is there stuff to improve, yes. But with a full week of preparation, I think Bagent can go out there and have a good game against the Raiders and put us in a position to pick up our second win of the season.
Tyson Bagent delivers a pass in his first NFL game