5 Chicago Bears Players with Most to Prove in 2017

The 2017 season is a show-and-tell spectacle for the Chicago Bears.

Deep in the middle of a franchise overhaul, the Bears have hit the juncture where nobody's job is safe. It's the point of no return, where the front office has fully committed to the course and needs to see an uptick in the wins department, while talent of the future and placeholders combine on the hunt to exceed expectations.

To their credit, the Bears—led by general manager Ryan Pace—have structured the roster in such a way that even big-name free-agent arrivals don't cost the team much after this year, meaning the front office can dramatically go in different directions at certain spots if things don't work out. 

This means that while everyone on the roster has something to prove this year, some sit in more precarious positions.

With the franchise looking at what could be another high draft pick and plenty of cap space to spend next offseason, struggling young players and veterans alike need to prove themselves in a big way this season.

These are the guys facing the most pressure.

Kyle Fuller

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

This doesn't come as much of a surprise, right?

Kyle Fuller, the No. 14 pick in the 2014 NFL draft, missed all of last year and then had to watch as the Bears declined his fifth-year option and hit on his position twice in free agency with Marcus Cooper and Prince Amukamara.

Translation: This is Fuller's last year to reach out toward his lofty potential and either secure a long-term agreement with the Bears or at least convince other teams on the market he's worth the investment.

For his part, the 25-year-old appears to be healthy for the first time in a long time and is ready to compete with the new arrivals.

"It's just an opportunity for you to compete every day," Fuller said, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. "So I'm looking forward to the opportunity I have right now."

There's no denying Fuller has the talent to be a starting defensive back in the NFL. The Bears might experiment with giving him snaps at safety this summer. Either way, he's in a make-or-break year—and the Bears would love it if he made it.

Jonathan Bullard

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Jonathan Bullard follows a similar trajectory as Fuller.

Bullard, a 2016 third-round pick, didn't beat stopgap veteran Mitch Unrein for many snaps last year because he wasn't overly ready for the every-down responsibilities.

Unlike Fuller, though, Bullard didn't watch the Bears address his position in a notable way this offseason despite many speculating it might happen in the top five of the draft. This means that the 23-year-old has a chance to beat out the veterans around him and shore up one of the roster's biggest weak spots.

As Pro Football Focus pointed out in a graphic recently, Bullard finished as the second-ranked 3-4 rookie end in run-stop percentage.

To add to the recent positives, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently said, per Finley: "I don't think he was quite ready for that last year, both physically or mentally. Emotionally, he's more ready. We're hopeful that he does well."

In other words, the Bears are right enough to expect big things from Bullard this year. He has a chance to pair a second-year leap with strong situational play from a year ago and eliminate a major need for the team.

Charles Leno Jr.

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Looking at Chicago's roster at the end of last season, both tackle spots were areas of need. Thanks to a weak rookie class, though, they would only be filled if the team found itself in a position of luxury.

To cut a long story short, Chicago flirted with the idea of a tackle in free agency but wound up doing nothing of note there.

Now the Bears have to get Charles Leno Jr. to take the proverbial next step.

Pace certainly sounds hopeful, per the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs:

"We were so fortunate to come into him. He was one of the brightest spots (on the roster). He's got great athleticism. He's long. I like Leno a lot. I like his makeup. I like his intelligence. I am so hopeful he will get back on this track (hand motioning skyward) because last year was a little bumpy."

Indeed—he ranked as the 53rd tackle in football at Pro Football Focus. While he's only 25 years old, Leno has a huge contract extension opportunity coming up if he can put on a strong performance this year.

Leno's season is doubly important. He has plenty at stake on a personal note, but his play on the left side of the line might dictate how well veteran Mike Glennon or rookie Mitchell Trubisky, if not both, adapt to their new surroundings.

Kevin White

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Kevin White headlined our biggest questions column recently for good reason.

Now going into his third year, White hasn't just failed to live up to the expectations of a top-10 pick, he's struggled to even stay on the field and resembles a rookie more than an experienced veteran.

White missed his entire rookie year and 12 games a year ago. He's now 25, but as Kevin Fishbain of the Northwest Herald wrote, wideout coach Zach Azzanni said he's at "square one" when it comes to development because of his injury setbacks.

Before the nosedive into injury-riddled campaigns, experts like NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compared him to DeAndre Hopkins.

Now the Bears simply hope he can morph into a solid No. 2 next to Cameron Meredith. This isn't going to be a quick fix for White, who spent part of the offseason working on simply aligning his stride, according to the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell.

This year, simply staying on the field and developing alongside the new players under center—not to mention new wideouts Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright and Victor Cruz—is what White needs to prove to the organization that invested so much in him.

Mike Glennon

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Maybe Mike Glennon didn't know fully what he was walking into when he inked a contract with the Bears this summer.

At first, he saw a chance to turn his career around at the ripe age of 27, finally freeing himself of the career purgatory known as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (then because of its mediocrity, now because of Jameis Winston). Glennon saw a chance to maybe develop into a franchise quarterback, with the gigantic contract that eventually comes alongside the status.

Then he watched as the front office moved up in the draft and selected Mitchell Trubisky. Whether he was told about it beforehand or not, most quarterbacks in Glennon's situation don't land $45 million deals.

And whether he likes it or not, Glennon understands it's all eyes on him (believe quarterback-needy teams are watching closely) and has handled the development like a professional.

"That's the bottom line," he said, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. "But it was made clear to me about 10 minutes after, from a call from [general manager] Ryan [Pace], and the next morning again, the 2017 season is my year. That's all I can worry about. I'm not worried about the future. I'm not worried about the past. I'm worried about the present, and right now this is my team, and that's where my focus is."

And indeed there hasn't been any indication the Bears will start Trubisky over Glennon. The team is clearly the former's in the long term unless the latter explodes into something nobody would dare predict. 

But that's on Glennon, right? He has a superb running game backing him behind one of the league's best interior lines. He has targets like Meredith, Cruz, Wright and Wheaton, not to mention tight ends Zach Miller, Dion Sims and rookie Adam Shaheen.

While in a bit of an awkward situation, Glennon has the tools and budding environment necessary to get his career back on track, taking the Bears right along the same path.

He's facing more pressure than anyone in Chicago next season.

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