Bears' Biggest Weaknesses Ahead of 2023 NFL Training Camp

The Chicago Bears will enter the 2023 NFL regular season with an improved roster, but there are still some clear weaknesses on the depth chart.

Chicago added offensive line help and D.J. Moore at wide receiver, but an argument can be made that it got worse at running back.

D'Onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert will be tasked with filling the void left by David Montgomery, and while they could excel in that job, they form a running back tandem that ranks in the bottom third of the NFL.

Defensively, the Bears' clear offseason focus was at linebacker, but T.J. Edwards and Terrell Edmunds could be asked to do a ton of work if the defensive line does not play up to its potential.

The lack of a big-name pass-rusher could hurt the Bears in certain games, and to avoid that, they need to focus on that position in training camp.

The same can be said about cornerback outside of Jaylon Johnson. The Bears have some decent pieces on the outside, but they may not hold up over 17 games.

Running Back

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Chicago Bears running back D'Onta Foreman works on the field during NFL football OTA practice in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago employed a peculiar strategy at running back this offseason.

Foreman is coming off a 914-yard season with the Carolina Panthers, but the 27-year-old only has one season with more than 600 rushing yards and over four touchdowns.

Last season's performance for the struggling Panthers could have been a flash in the pan and Foreman could revert back to being a 500-yard back who would be nice to have as a No. 2 or No. 3 guy.

Herbert has been a solid No. 2 for the Bears over the last two seasons. He improved by 298 yards and two touchdowns from 2021 to 2022.

The question surrounding Herbert is whether or not he is ready to take over the No. 1 role, especially if Foreman does not play well in the opening few games.

There may be some hope internally that Foreman and Herbert form a strong duo, but on paper, the Bears have a weaker tandem than the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.

The Foreman-Herbert pairing does not compare well to other tandem across the NFL either.

The Bears are taking a risk by combining these two ball carriers, but if it works, they will be praised for their approach while landing stars at other positions.

Defensive End

Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 27: Chicago Bears linebacker Trevis Gipson (99) during the National Football League game between the New York Jets and the Chicago Bears on November 27, 2022 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Bears are asking a lot out of Trevis Gipson and DeMarcus Walker at defensive end.

Gipson has 10 sacks in his last two seasons, but seven of them came in 2021. He only had three sacks last season, which is not sufficient for a starting defensive end.

Walker is coming off a seven-sack season with the Tennessee Titans, but that was an outlier compared to the rest of his career. That was his only season with more than five sacks since entering the NFL in 2017.

The Bears need their defensive ends to impose their will on every game, not just a handful of contests over 18 weeks.

The defensive ends will get some help from Edwards and Edmunds in the pass rush, but there will be plenty of instances in which the two players have to get to the quarterback on their own.

Chicago can trust its interior linemen to stuff the run. Andrew Billings and Justin Jones combined for 17 stuffs in 2022. Billings came over from the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason, while Jones stood out in his first season with the Bears.

Billings and Jones will provide cover defending the ground game, but the Bears need a high sack total from at least one of Gipson and Walker, and that may be tough to achieve.

Cornerback Depth

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Chicago Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson smiles as he speaks at a news conference after the NFL football team's rookie minicamp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., Friday, May 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The Bears are not in dire straits at cornerback, but there will be a competition for the starting spot opposite Johnson in training camp.

Second-round pick Tyrique Stevenson and incumbent Kyler Gordon will fight for playing time, and it could lead to the most spirited battle this summer.

The second cornerback spot could be viewed as a weakness from the outside because the Bears do not have a confirmed starter in that spot yet.

The Bears are set with starters across most positions before training camp. which is a promising sign for a team attempting to claw out of the NFC basement.

The second cornerback spot, and who lands in the nickel role, will be crucial to the Bears' success because of all the wide receiver talent littered across the NFC.

Justin Jefferson and other top wide outs will try to target the opposite side of the field as Johnson, and that could make the Bears vulnerable if the depth chart is not sorted out.