Bears Improvement by Positional Group

When a team earns the top pick in the draft, there are multiple position groups in distress.

The positive aspect about the next year in a rebuild is the potential for multiple groups to make leaps forward.

After approximately $100 million spent in free agency, 10 draft picks and a high-level wide receiver acquired through trade, the Bears could be in line for several rapid position group improvements as they try to take advantage of what looks to be a weaker NFC North in 2023.

Here are the position groups most capable of leaping forward ranked.

1. Linebackers

Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards count pass coverage as their strengths but their tackling and run-stopping ability also is greatly elevated over last year when they finished with Joe Thomas and Nick Morrow as their weakside and middle linebackers. Jack Sanborn played middle last year but lacks the overall speed needed to be the middle in this scheme. The one position he seems better suited to play is strongside, which is on the field half the downs or less. Sanborn's strength is attacking the run and coverage in shorter areas or on tight ends. That is the role of the strongside, who has to take on the blocks from fullbacks or tight ends on the strong side of the formation. Hunter Hillenmeyer played this role with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs once in a very similar scheme with the Bears and Sanborn seems well equipped for this. They have two other options now that they didn't have last year in fifth-round rookie Noah Sewell and veteran backup Dylan Cole, but the obvious reason for elevation is Edmunds and Edwards and they seem capable of making the second-worst run defense in the league quite a bit more viable.

Bears linebackers were rated the Bears linebackers second in the league and this seems a bit generous considering they haven't played together.

2. Wide Receivers

Not only did they bring in DJ Moore and have a more well-informed Chase Claypool, but they also have an overall receiver group both more in tune with what coach Luke Getsy expects on offense and with how Justin Fields plays. PFF recognized the improvement in this group immediately by rating them 13th after it was obvious last year they had one of the worst wide receiver groups in the league after Darnell Mooney's season-ending injury, if not before.

The second year in this offense makes all the difference for receivers like it does with the quarterback. It was easy to this in off-season work when both Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis got open for catches at much higher rates than they had last season. Either that, or they simply felt the heat of pressure from young receivers like Tyler Scott and Velus Jones Jr.

3. Secondary

Most of the improvement shown by this group will be not from lineup additions but from a second year together and improvement from other aspects of the defense. However, the addition of second-rounder Tyrique Stevenson as a potential starter should also make a good impact. He ranked second in the NCAA in passer rating against while in press coverage last year according to PFF, and in off-season work flashed an ability to both jump routes and use a long reach and decent height to his advantage. He is not a rookie lacking for confidence, and this is what a cornerback needs regardless of where he's drafted.

PFF has ranked the Bears secondary 20th overall but second in the NFC North and only four spots behind Green Bay, which has some questions to answer after not signing Adrian Amos back. The Bears finished 17th in yards allowed passing last year but were top 10 against the pass until the week Eddie Jackson suffered a season-ending foot injury. Jackson is back now and 30 but coming off his best interception season since 2018. It might have been his best year if he could have finished. The other reason the secondary looks capable of making a big step forward is new linebackers Edwards and Edmunds provide them much more support underneath. They think of Edmunds as a player capable of the deep middle drop like Urlacher used to make in the Tampa-2 system. He can be a secondary's best friend.

What could elevate them to an elite status is a little more experience together and a stronger pass rush. One will inevitable occur. The other will have to happen in future years.

4. Quarterback

Fields' ability to get the football away faster should improve with better system knowledge and both improved receivers and an offensive line. He had such a long way to go in this area, though. His work in OTAs and minicamp suggested it's possible but as coach Matt Eberflus pointed out, there isn't a real pass rush coming then. Nor is there hitting and pads. There was enough balking or holding the ball a bit too long to indicate Fields has more work to do but he seems headed in the desired direction. The improved receiver group also has enough returning receivers who played with Fields who know how he moves and throws. The Bears should be much better at the scramble drill than in the past. So Fields should be able to use his legs more to buy time outside the pocket and then find open receivers extending their routes or breaking off and moving to open areas.

Fields might appear to be the most improved aspect of the Bears at times this year but don't be fooled. He made big strides in the second half of last season with a 92.5 passer rating and 15 TD passes to seven interceptions from Week 5 until the end. His rating until that week was 70.3 for his career with nine touchdowns to 14 interceptions. It's the other positional groups that needed to be improved around him to make for a leap forward. Now his ascension should become a little more obvious with victories.

5. Offensive Line

Plenty of room exists for them to improve after no other QB was sacked more times than Fields. The run-blocking executed last year was a bit overrated because 1,143 rushing yards came from the quarterback and NFLGSIS.com tracked more than 600 of those yards coming from scrambles. Without the scramble yardage, they still ranked as a top-10 rushing team and the changes they've made on the line should allow the wide zone to be a more effective scheme. With different players at four starting offensive line positions than last year, they appear better equipped to run and hit than the lineup used last year.

The problem they face is the continuity factor. It's going to take several games together to get them clicking in all aspects of play, so part of the season will occur at a less elevated level for the line.

Fortunately for Fields, he has plenty of experience carrying the entire team so he can buy time until the support gains a foothold and blends together better.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven