Bears' Biggest Weaknesses Ahead of 2022 NFL Training Camp
The Chicago Bears are supposed to be entering the 2022 NFL season ready to showcase quarterback Justin Fields.
The second-year signal-caller is the face of the franchise, but success may be too far out of reach starting in September.
Chicago has plenty of holes around Fields in its offense, including at wide receiver following the departure of Allen Robinson for the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason. That left the Bears with just Darnell Mooney as a proven top threat in the NFL.
Fields may have trouble getting the ball to Mooney and others since the offensive line is a work in progress as well.
The Bears brought in Lucas Patrick from the Green Bay Packers to stabilize the middle of the offensive line, but there could be concerns about the younger players surrounding him in the Week 1 lineup.
First-year head coach Matt Eberflus and his staff have their work cut out for them on the defensive side of the ball as well. Khalil Mack was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers, but the Bears need to find a defensive playmaker who can limit the loss of his presence.
Wide Receiver
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The Bears have a single reliable commodity at wide receiver.
Darnell Mooney exploded for a 1,055-yard season in his sophomore campaign last year while Allen Robinson dealt with injuries.
The 24-year-old is now the go-to guy in the Chicago passing attack, with Robinson now playing for the Los Angeles Rams.
Chicago has added some decent pieces around Mooney, but most of them are unproven in the roles the Bears want them to play in.
Byron Pringle was a solid supporting cast member in the Kansas City Chiefs offense, but he has never been the No. 1 or No. 2 target. He could be the top target in certain games if Mooney is blanketed by opposing cornerbacks.
Equanimeous St. Brown, Tajae Sharpe and Dante Pettis would be viewed as solid additions if they were filling out the back end of the depth chart, but one of them could be the No. 3 wide receiver.
Third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. will also be in the mix for targets. He played in a fast-paced, high-scoring offense at Tennessee last season.
All of those players could surprise us with career seasons, but there are too many unknowns regarding how they will perform in elevated roles to feel confident in them.
The Bears took a risk by letting Robinson go, trusting Mooney with the top receiver spot and signing inexpensive wide receiver depth. That will either turn out to be a brilliant strategy, or it could come back to haunt them throughout the regular season.
Offensive Line
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You will find a similar theme on the Chicago offensive line.
In theory, all of the players will come together to protect Justin Fields over 17 games to allow him to have a breakout season.
In reality, though, the offensive line could go through some growing pains over the first month of the season as they continue to get used to each other and new positions.
Teven Jenkins was chosen with Chicago's next pick after Fields in the 2021 NFL draft. Last season was marred by injuries and he has now moved to right tackle.
Cody Whitehair, Sam Mustipher and Larry Borom are the likely starters elsewhere on the line to complement Jenkins and Lucas Patrick.
Patrick's arrival from Green Bay should help the Bears have some stability in the middle of the offensive line, but how they deal with the pass rush off the edges will determine how successful the unit can be.
Borom and Jenkins have 10 NFL starts between them from last season. Eight of those belong to the former, who is expected to start at left tackle.
The pair need to stay healthy and adapt well to their new roles in order for the Bears to be remotely successful.
Trusting two young offensive tackles to protect a second-year quarterback does not seem like an ideal situation going into training camp, and Borom and Jenkins need to prove their worth on the field in September to show that the right decision was made.
Linebacker
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Chicago's linebacker situation feels similar to its wide receiver predicament.
The Bears have a proven young player at the top of the depth chart who shined last season while a veteran was injured.
Roquan Smith produced 163 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three sacks over 17 games, while Khalil Mack missed a good chunk of time in the middle of defense.
Mack recorded 36 sacks in his four seasons with the Bears. He was moved on to the Los Angeles Chargers in an offseason trade so Chicago could clear up some cap space.
Smith will be the anchor of the defense once again, but he needs help around him to improve Chicago's defensive totals.
A handful of relatively unknown linebackers will be tasked with supporting the 25-year-old, including Nicholas Morrow and Matt Adams.
The Bears improved other layers of their defense by signing defensive tackle Justin Jones and drafting Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker for the secondary.
If Smith goes down, there is no clear plan for how Chicago will replace his production. It will likely be by committee with the hope that one of the other linebackers embraces an increased role.
The Bears have to hope an injury to Smith does not happen in 2022. If he stays healthy, he will be one of the NFL's leading tacklers once again.
If he doesn't receive the necessary help from other linebackers, his numbers could drop with more attention coming his way from opposing offensive linemen.
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