7 Bold Pre-Training Camp Predictions for Chicago Bears

It would be quite the understatement to suggest the Chicago Bears are a hard team to predict in 2017—they are almost impossible to figure out.

The direction isn't hard to see—the Bears are on the upswing of a significant rebuild and have gone all-in around the strategy put forth by general manager Ryan Pace, whose apparent affinity for small-school prospects is counteracted by his resume of roster building in places like New Orleans.

But 2017 itself? It's hard to nail down how a team with two new potential franchise quarterbacks, completely revamped wideout corps and secondaries will perform, on an individual level and as a team.

However, what fun would the offseason be without trying to figure out some of the finer details? Below, let's nail down some bold predictions and explain the how and why while the team gets ready for training camp.

Akiem Hicks Is the Big Extension

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Chicago figures to nail down at least one noteworthy extension in the coming year and the discussion has to start with defensive lineman Akiem Hicks.

Hicks isn't necessarily a household name in Chicago, but he's flirting with the label.

After four so-so years spent with two different teams, Hicks joined the Bears in 2016 and was a stellar fit alongside defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, finishing the campaign with seven sacks and graded eighth among 3-4 defensive ends, per Pro Football Focus.

Keep in mind this is impressive because Hicks rarely had tackle Eddie Goldman next to him, nothing much to talk about at the opposite end and stand-up rushers like Leonard Floyd, Pernell McPhee and others were on and off the field with injuries.

Hicks, 27, only has one year left on his deal. The Bears are at the point where they need to start retaining core pieces for a long time, so look for the front office to dish him a big-money deal.

It will be more than fans might prefer, but that's the cost of business for a rebuilding team trying to get talent in free agency or keep it around via extensions.

Jordan Howard Hits 1,500

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Cliche or not, the sky is the limit for Jordan Howard in 2017.

Few saw him coming last year when he turned his rookie campaign into a breakout debut overshadowed only by Ezekiel Elliott, rushing for 1,313 yards and six touchdowns on a 5.2 per-carry average.

Basic stats don't do Howard justice, though, which is why PFF pointing out his missed tackles (40) were more than any other rookie, including Elliott, is so impressive.

And Howard has his eyes set on bigger things as a sophomore.

"I'm definitely trying to be the No. 1 rusher in the league this year," he said, per Terrin Waack of the Chicago Tribune.

Maybe Howard doesn't hit that mark, but he's going to improve for reasons besides his own progression.

He's still running behind arguably the best interior offensive line in the league. He now has quality passing-game complements like Tarik Cohen and Benny Cunningham. Most importantly, he now has a respectable passing game with upside arms leading the offense and keeping defenses honest.

Fans can expect Howard to be more effective as a rusher in 2017 given the circumstances, which should naturally push him to the 1,500-yard mark.

Adam Shaheen Is the Biggest Impact Rookie

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Believe it or not, Chicago has several rookie players who could have giant impacts in 2017.

One is obviously rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, should he win the starting gig. Another is the aforementioned Cohen, whose game-breaking speed could make big plays starting in Week 1. And if safety Eddie Jackson doesn't win a spot next to Quintin Demps, he's still an elite special teams returner prospect.

Then there's tight end Adam Shaheen.

The knee-jerk reaction to Shaheen's selection in the second round was borderline hilarious. A 6'6", 278-pound tight end isn't anything to be upset about, no matter what the Bears already have on the roster.

It hasn't taken long for the giant, sure-handed target to turn heads at the pro level.

"You see him out here catching fade balls and wreaking havoc there on the inside," linebacker Jerrell Freeman said, per CSN Chicago's JJ Stankevitz. "He has a lot of intangibles. He has a lot of upside. I think he's going to be a pretty good guy."

Shaheen isn't going to have a problem cracking the starting lineup right away. He puts veteran Zach Miller's job in danger and free-agent add Dion Sims is more of a block-first player, which has its own merits given the offensive tackle play from a year ago.

Look for Shaheen to bail out whichever quarterback happens to be under center and have the biggest impact of all rookies by a long shot.

Leonard Floyd Slams Through the Double-Digit Sack Mark

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Observers might notice a certain theme around the Bears with the way this list is going.

A year ago, the Bears grabbing Leonard Floyd out of Georgia at No. 9 wasn't the most popular pick. It didn't take long for him to prove doubters wrong on his way to seven sacks in 12 games.

Were it not for concussion issues, Floyd might have hit 10 sacks or a bit more. But he has learned from his mistakes, bulked up and sounds quite a bit more comfortable heading into his second year.

"I'm just more used to things," Floyd said, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson. "Everything was new to me last year. I'm just way more comfortable with the play calls and getting my assignment out to everyone else on the field. I'm just way more comfortable. It's like night and day compared to last year."

Like many predictions here, Floyd's uptick in production will also come from factors around him. It's safe to presume Chicago won't suffer as many injuries as it did last year considering the team had one of the highest dollar amounts on injured reserve for most of the season.

Floyd should also benefit from a completely new-look secondary, which could trot out not only two new safeties but also a pair of new boundary corners on the edges. New talent there could mean more coverage time to get to quarterbacks.

Given his progression alongside the unit's as a whole, Floyd can easily flirt with the 15-sack range as long as he can suit up for 16 games.

Kevin White Struggles to See the Field

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The news around wide receiver Kevin White hasn't exactly been great so far.

White, the former top-10 pick who hasn't shown much on the field yet because he can't seem to stay on it, is already 25 years old going into his third season.

Thanks to his rocky path through the pros so far, wideout coach Zach Azzanni has made it sound like White continues to need work on the basics like a rookie would, according to Kevin Fishbain of the Northwest Herald.

But here's the problem: White has these developmental hurdles to jump through still and the coaching staff hasn't waited for him. The front office added veterans Kendall Wright, Markus Wheaton and Victor Cruz this offseason.

If healthy, those three could take all the three-wide snaps on their own if asked. This hasn't even mentioned massive breakout candidate Cameron Meredith or quality depth pieces who could make some noise such as Josh Bellamy or Rueben Randle.

At least compared to what some might expect of a player with White's draft status, he's going to disappoint in 2017. Combine a shaky injury history with a much-improved depth chart and his still needing to work on the basics, and White isn't going to have anything close to a breakout year.

It's not the beginning of the end for White just yet, but this won't be a typical Year 3 jump after two false starts.

Mike Glennon Surpasses 4,000 Yards

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This year belongs to Mike Glennon, which lets the Bears put Trubisky on the shelf while he learns.

Glennon earned himself a giant contract despite only attempting 11 passes since 2014, but he has another shot at a potential monster deal if he can show well in what might be a contract year with the Bears in 2017.

Lost in the overreactions to Glennon's deal is the fact he's a solid quarterback who found himself in one of the worst positions possible back in 2013, going to the miserable Tampa Bay Buccaneers and essentially acting as a stopgap before the team drafted Jameis Winston.

In Chicago next season, Glennon will have all the aforementioned weapons at his disposal. He'll have defenses respecting Howard out of the backfield, a high-upside depth chart at wideout and three viable tight ends in the passing game, provided they all stick on the roster.

This means Glennon will post some gaudy numbers in 2017, which Bears fans aren't unfamiliar with after the odd 300-plus performances by Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley last year.

Look for Glennon to slam through the 4,000-yard mark after 13 quarterbacks did so a year ago, with names like Blake Bortles and Sam Bradford getting close.

As Bears fans know thanks to last year, stats don't necessarily equate to wins. But Glennon will at least put on a show from a numbers standpoint and give the Bears something to think about.

Bears Flirt with .500

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If most of the above sounds rather optimistic, well, it is.

Look at it this way—Chicago had one of the most injured rosters fans will see in their lifetimes a year ago, started names like Hoyer and Barkley under center and still won three games, not to mention lost six more by six points or less.

Simply getting healthy will help the Bears turn things around in the win column. The running game and defensive front seven will be strong once again, but it's also important to keep in mind the front office attacked the roster's two weakest points, wideout and cornerback.

It's almost impossible in every sense of the word for the Bears to be worse at those positions. Now add in competent quarterback play, provided the offense meshes well this summer, and it's not so ridiculous to see the Bears winning seven games.

Granted, few will agree after the disaster the franchise put on last year. But that's the beauty of taking a deep dive on the happenings around the team, right?

Make no mistake—next season is very much a stopgap year for the Bears. One only has to look at the front-loaded deals free agents received this offseason to confirm it.

But that doesn't mean the team can't make a significant jump in the win column.

All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.