Ranking Chicago Bears' Best Players so Far This Season
The Chicago Bears now rest as one of the league's more surprising teams after a 3-4 start and two wins in a row.
These haven't just been any wins, either, not after going to Baltimore and taking down the Ravens in overtime before shutting down Cam Newton in a Week 7, with a 17-3 thumping of the Carolina Panthers.
For a team still deep in the throes of a rebuild, the Bears have one of the best possible things going ahead of Week 8: Both veterans and new faces are stepping up big time to help.
It sounds like a small feat, sure. But the combination of free-agent signings and draft picks coming together accelerates a rebuilding process. Here, we rank the best players on the Bears so far this year.
10. Eddie Goldman
1 of 10
Look at what Eddie Goldman can do when healthy.
Entering last offseason, one didn't have to search far for worries about Goldman and whether the team should start looking for some competition. That was fair enough, as he had missed a large chunk of time the year prior.
This year, though, Goldman has been on the field and making a difference. He's not registering major stats, but as Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic pointed out before Week 7, 10 of the 23-year-old's tackles had been for two or fewer yards.
Goldman's continued emergence here could mean one less area the Bears have to worry about down the road.
9. Eddie Jackson
2 of 10
Consistent readers might have known something like this was coming.
The biggest knock on rookie Eddie Jackson coming out of college was his ability to stay healthy. Otherwise, he was one of the safeties in the class with the most range and sheer instincts with a knack for creating turnovers.
The 24-year-old did just that against the Panthers, scoring two touchdowns on plays of 75 or more yards.
Jackson hadn't received major playing time to start the season, but he's on the field now and making a difference. Like Goldman, he's shoring up a critical spot the Bears might be safe to ignore as the rebuild continues.
8. Zach Miller
3 of 10
Zach Miller gets a nod here almost by default.
The Bears don't have Cameron Meredith or Kevin White. Markus Wheaton had been hurt. Mike Glennon hamstrung the offense to the point the team went a full game with one completion to a wideout.
Miller is the only guy on the roster with multiple receiving touchdowns.
This isn't meant to discredit the 33-year-old—the knock on him for years has been his ability to stay healthy. He is a reliable chip while fending off rookie Adam Shaheen and free-agent add Dion Sims for attention.
If the Bears are lucky, the veteran can stay on the field all season and help a young offense.
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7. Prince Amukamara
4 of 10
Sometimes not hearing a cornerback's name often is a good thing.
A case in point is the tale of Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper this year. Both are new arrivals, yet the former hasn't seen his name in the spotlight much while the former has—for the wrong reasons.
Amukamara hasn't been a lock-down corner by any means, but he's playing high-quality football the Bears haven't had at the position in a long time.
In Week 7, he keyed one of Jackson's touchdowns, per Larry Mayer of the team's website: "Prince Amukamara made play, breaking up slant pass to Kelvin Benjamin. Ball caromed high into air. Jackson picked it off, deked Newton."
So far, the 28-year-old has solidified a bad spot for Chicago. It's hard to imagine the Bears aren't already thinking about keeping him long term.
6. Mitchell Trubisky
5 of 10
Fans might want to see their rookie quarterback higher on the list, but here's the thing: Be happy he's on the list at all.
The Bears could have easily toughed it out with Glennon all season. Instead, Mitchell Trubisky has been on the field for this winning streak, and the threat of his athleticism and arm is making a difference for the offense.
The 23-year-old might be higher, but let's be honest, he only had to attempt seven passes during the win against the Panthers.
This is a good thing, though. Trubisky is getting high-quality experience while he learns on the fly. He's been a top-10 highlight of the season for the Bears so far, which is exactly what a rebuilding team should want as it blossoms and heads to another offseason of potential upgrades.
5. Kyle Fuller
6 of 10
Talk about making a team pay.
The Bears declined the fifth-year option on corner Kyle Fuller, which made sense at the time because he seemed headed toward bust territory after a few shaky campaigns and injury problems.
Now the 25-year-old is one of the team's top breakout players.
Fuller has been a downright stud this year. So much so that Bleacher Report's Ian Wharton has even floated his name in the Comeback Player of the Year discussion.
Such talk isn't hyperbole, and now the Bears have a good problem on their hands—they might have to decide how and if they can pay two cornerbacks.
4. Leonard Floyd
7 of 10
One of last year's breakout rookies, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to see Leonard Floyd pop up here.
After posting a strong performance over 12 games a year ago on a lesser unit, Floyd is back, heavier and still playing strong ball. He only has three sacks so far, but there's only so much to go around with Goldman and a player yet to be named feasting on most snaps.
Sacks aren't the only number that matters, anyway. Per Robert Zeglinski of the Rock River Times, the 25-year-old posted seven quarterback pressures against the Panthers.
For Floyd, flashy numbers would be nice because it would equate to more national exposure. But the team and fans know his worth—and the fact he's still on the upswing.
3. Tarik Cohen
8 of 10
Notice a trend here? General manager Ryan Pace knocked his latest draft class out of the park.
Another good example of this is versatile weapon Tarik Cohen. He hasn't seen consistent usage from the coaching staff by any means, but when he's on, he is one of the NFL's most electrifying players.
Against the Panthers, the 22-year-old took one catch for 70 yards. In two games he's rushed for north of 60 yards on no more than 12 attempts and has caught four or more passes four times.
It almost feels like the Bears coaching staff is still trying to figure out how to use Cohen, which is fine—he's growing alongside Trubisky, and unlike the cliches, he's legitimately a threat to score each time he touches the ball.
2. Akiem Hicks
9 of 10
Few players can change a game the way Akiem Hicks does on a per-snap basis.
There's a reason the Bears hit Hicks with a big extension—the 27-year-old is a game-changing player and makes an entire unit better.
Floyd might have more sacks and be higher on a list like this, but guys such as Fuller and Amukamara might not make it at all because they spend more time in coverage and end up getting burnt.
Short, sweet and to the point from Kevin Powell of WGN Radio: "Akiem Hicks is playing at an All-Pro level this year."
No argument here. Hicks is stout against the run and throwing down constant pressure, making him one of the bigger wins in modern Bears history after he had up-and-down seasons at two different locales before joining the team in 2016.
1. Jordan Howard
10 of 10
Arguably no player on the Bears deserves more credit for slogging through last season with the team on his back than Jordan Howard.
Coming off a breakout rookie season, it's clear the 22-year-old isn't going to suffer a sophomore slump considering the 495 yards and four touchdowns on a 4.2 per-carry average he sits on right now.
More noteworthy than numbers, though, is the sheer grit Howard showed for a few weeks while battling through a shoulder injury—even bullying the hurt shoulder through a game-winning touchdown run in overtime against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. Don't forget his 167 rushing yards in the overtime win against Baltimore.
Without a back such as Howard balancing the offense, the Bears would be a disaster right now and Trubisky's odds of success would go down.
However, Howard is consistent, far from a one-year fluke and has plenty of room to keep growing into one of the league's better backs.
All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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