Ranking the Chicago Bears’ position groups, from weakest to strongest

Here’s a sentence none of us expected to hear after, say, Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season: Ya gotta give props to the Chicago Bears front office.

After last year’s Dumpster fire, GM Ryan Poles and his staff did exactly what they needed and wanted to do: Fix the trenches and give quarterback Caleb Williams some new weapons. Thus the props.

The question now becomes, which Bears position group got the most impressive makeover, and which unit still needs some tweaking?

Let’s break it down, and save the best for last:

13) Running Back

Regular readers know that I ain't exactly what you’d call a D’Andre Swift truther. He’s not an honest-to-goodness RB1—he had his best seasons as part of a backfield timeshare—and unless they get him a partner via trade or free agency, this’ll be the biggest hole at Halas Hall.

12) Linebacker

T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds | Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Love, love, love T.J. Edwards. Love, love, love Tremaine Edmunds. Hate, hate, hate the loss of Jack Sanborn.

The lack of depth can’t make up for quality of the two go-to LBs.

11) Special Teams

While kicker Cairo Santos is perfectly swell, this’ll be a show-me season for punter Tory Taylor. Last year, his eminently average performance made Poles look silly for using a fourth-round pick on the Aussie.

Newcomer Devin Duvernay will help the return game, but he won’t scare anybody.

10) Defensive Tackle

If Grady Jarrett were three years younger and Gervon Dexter Sr. was 30% better, the Bears would be set in the middle. As it is, this is a C+ unit at best. For now.

9) EDGE

I’m legit concerned that Montez Sweat downshifted after landing his fat contract. But if free agent signee Dayo Odeyingbo and rookie Shemar Turner show out, maybe Tez will have the space to rediscover his 2023 form.

8) Offensive Tackle

OT lands in the middle of our survey because things are very much up in the air. Will Braxton Jones be fully healthy come August? Will Darnell Wright move to the other side of the line? Will rookie Ozzy Trapilo be a thing?

The talent is there, but the certainty isn’t.

7) Center

Former Falcon Drew Dalman is the unquestioned starter, and will likely play 95-ish% of the snaps. If he goes down, the less-than-awesome Doug Kramer will be the next man up, so it’d be a good idea to somehow, some way add some depth.

6) Offensive Guard

Poles, a former O-lineman, did a masterful job of rebooting the position, acquiring former Pro Bowlers Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. As is the case at center, this slot gets dinged for a lack of depth.

5) Safety

If Jaquan Brisker is indeed over his concussion issues, Chicago is 100% set at safety.

If not, veterans Jonathan Owens and Kevin Byard III are The Guys, and, as demonstrated last season, that isn’t quite enough.

4) Tight End

This comes with a caveat: If Colston Loveland is as good as advertised, and if Ben Johnson dials up the kind of clever TE plays he did as offensive coordinator in Detroit, Loveland and Cole Kmet could thrive. If not, whoops.

Stay tuned...

3) Quarterback

This is Caleb Williams' team, and what with the new weapons at his disposal, he should shine.

I don’t love Case Keenum as the requisite veteran third-stringer, but Tyson Bagent is still in the house, so all good.

2) Cornerback

Jaylon Johnson is arguably the best pure football player on Chicago’s roster, and if Kyler Gordon plays up to his contract, this could be a top-five duo.

1) Wide Receiver

Before free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, the Bears receivers room, led by D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze, was fine. Not great. Not awful. Just fine.

But adding rookie Luther Burden III and free agents Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay into the picture—not to mention Loveland—will make this unit a problem for the rest of the NFL for years to come.