What the Bears See Plenty of in Year 2

Unlike with experience, leadership is an intangible with football teams difficult to gauge.

A team's experience level can be measured with a roster showing their years in the league. The leadership needed in difficult times and on-field situations isn't apparent on paper.

Last year the Bears began a rebuild and it meant trimming many of the leaders off the roster.

Gone on defense were Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn.

In their place? Nicholas Morrow, journeyman Joe Thomas, rookie Dominique Robinson, Trevis Gipson and players of this ilk. They had brought in Al-Quadin Muhammad and Matthew Adams to help as leaders who knew the HITS principle but neither one worked out and are gone.

Their one true remaining leader on the defensive side as a veteran starter was Eddie Jackson and he was out for the year injured in Week 12.

The offense had its leader in Justin Fields, but here was a player trying to pick up a new scheme and in only his second season and first full season as starter. If he wasn't paying as much attention to leadership on offense it was understandable. He did what he could.

David Montgomery definitely was a leader, and Darnell Mooney when he was healthy but he was gone during the 12th week and without another real standout at receiver there was lack of leadership in this group. The offensive line had Cody Whitehair but another player brought in to provide some direction was Lucas Patrick and he spent much of the year injured. The rest of the line was either young players finding their way like Braxton Jones and Teven Gipson, or spare parts brought onto the roster as free agents like Riley Reiff.

This year's team looks to have the leadership intangible all over last year's team and maybe in sufficient numbers to get a team through tough times like the 10-game losing streak they need to end.

Here are potential Bears 2023 leaders.

DT Justin Jones

He already took the lead by standing up and thumbing his nose at the Packers and their fans with some expletives. To be sure, Jones was exhibiting leadership last year but was limited as it was not only his first year on a new team with a new coaching staff and in a new defense, but he was learning to play his position in a new one-gap style that he hadn't done much in the past. Now Jones is a player on the defensive line who is entirely comfortable and leading in what he does and says.

"I take pride in knowing what I do," Jones said. "I take pride in knowing what the guy next to me is doing. I take pride in knowing who's behind me and what they're doing. I take pride in knowing this scheme. I take pride in that."

C Cody Whitehair

It's a change of position but he's been there, done that. He has been a Pro Bowl center in the past. It's always good to have a real leader at center with successful experience in the league at his position. It's also easier for an offensive lineman to be a leader from the center position than at guard.

"He's a true professional so ups or downs, he is always going to be the same guy in the building every single day," Eberflus said. "So we really appreciate that from him and the guys gravitate towards him because of his leadership and years pf experience he's had playing multiple positions. So he's great for Braxton (Jones), he's great for Darnell (Wright), he's great for all those young guys."

DE DeMarcus Walker

Walker arrived from Tennessee calling out players to prevent anyone from not performing at acceptable levels. It was something he learned from veterans with the Titans and when he wasn't sure it was going to be entirely necessary he consulted Jackson and was assured he needed to keep doing it.

"I've had that leadership quality inside me, even when I had to take the back seat for six years," Walker said. "Even when I was taking the back seat the guys that were in the front would look at me at a point in time to give some energy towards the guys. So I just keep it humble and I'm still learning, too. Because when becoming a leader you can get yourself too high. I try to look in the mirror and see nothing. I heard this old quote, 'When a giant looks in the mirror, he sees nothing.' So I have to keep that humbleness, you know what I'm saying?"

LB Tremaine Edmunds

He was brought in to be The Leader as the guy in the middle.

"You got leaders all over the board," Edmunds said. "Justin Jones, obviously Eddie (Jackson), even the young guys like Jaquan (Brisker). There's a lot of guys leading from the front and you can just feel that, you can just feel something special is definitely brewing."

LB T.J. Edwards

You want someone to lead a team to the Super Bowl, it makes sense to bring in someone who just played in one.

"You also need great leaders," Edwards said. "You need guys who understand how the place is run, which we have here, and you need your leaders to work the hardest. That was big-time for us (in Philadelphia). That was something I definitely took away from that for sure."

S Eddie Jackson

Back for his seventh year and now 30, he is the guy they all will look at and it was obvious he was last year as the defense really collapsed when he was no longer available. They had lost Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn at mid-season but continued playing close games and losing. Once Jackson got hurt and they went into Week 13, the blowouts started to pile up as the inexperienced secondary lacked leadership. They went from ninth against the pass to 17th. Jackson has been in Chicago under three coaching staffs and in two drastically different defensive styles.

There's no doubt who's in charge deep middle in the secondary after he battled back in the offseason from a foot injury.

"It just impressed with his work ethic," Eberflus said. "And the ability to handle adversities. And he's had that throughout his whole career. Coming out of college he had that. He's had that in some different avenues in his life.

"He's just a strong man. I just commend him for standing on solid ground. He's done a really good job of coming back from that. He looks at adversity as opportunity."

WR DJ Moore

Called a leader by example more than anything, it was apparent when he was in Carolina by playing with a different quarterback every year but still producing.

"I think that speaks volumes for him to adjust to whoever is in the game," receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said. "He just continues to be a pro, go out and do his job."

Other receivers see it and it tells them how the game needs to be played.

"I think it's a credit to him to go out there and make those plays, continue to get open, continue to get in position to be open and make plays when the ball is thrown to him," Tolbert said. "It's a credit to him and to the coaches he's been with before."

WR Darnell Mooney

His commitment to the job is lengendary at Halas Hall. Last year he and Fields were battling to see who could stay at Halas Hall the longest doing work. Losing him with five games left in a tough season made the 10-game losing streak seem longer to them.

TE Cole Kmet

With Jimmy Graham gone and both the veteran backups from last year's team gone, Kmet has emerged a leader. Getting seven touchdown catches last year certified his status, but there was no one else with real NFL playing experience on this team left at his position so he inherited it. In essence, Kmet has been trying to be a leader since he arrived.

RB Roschon Johnson

How can a rookie be a leader? Johnson had that quality at Texas and wasn't even a starter. He has a sense of what's necessary to point a team the right way and doesn't mind talking about it. His ability to play special teams emotes leadership.

"You definitely have to earn your respect," Johnson said. "That's why I say, like, by first earning the respect of my teammates, as a rookie, I have to do that. I can't just come in here and try to command things and be a leader already. It's something I am going to have to grown into. Ultimately my peers will let me lead.

"So. Yeah. It'll take time. But ultimately, when they say how I work, I don't think it will be an issue."

Apparently they're already seeing it.

"He showed us something, or he showed me something, about who he is by staying at Texas (behind Bijan Robinson), doing a great job at Texas, and then you see those same qualities here with us of just a good kid, works hard, takes good notes," running backs coach David Walker said. "If he has a question, he asks. He doesn't make the same mistake, so he's doing a nice job so far of learning our system, learning our culture and he fits it already. Who he is fits what we want to be about."

QB Justin Fields

In the second year of the system, third in the league as a starter, Fields now can be more involved with the head games of leadership from his position.

"It all ties together," Whitehair said. "He's doing really well right now. He's very commanding in the huddle. His leadership has just taken a next step. I'm really excited to see him this year."

He'll direct the offense on the field and now the individuals within the offense.

A more mature Fields is evident to teammates as a better leader.

"He carries himself, I would say, probably like a 10-year vet right now," guard Teven Jenkins said. "Just seeing how he commands that huddle and what he wants to see out of all of us, it's like a wake-up call for me to see that I need to start pushing myself to get on his level because he's demanding that sort of effort out of all of us."

Fields and other younger leaders mixing with the young players on the team coming in is what Eberflus calls the right base for a Year 2 rebuild.

"I think you look at the draft/ picks from last year, the draft picks from this year, that's a young group," Eberflus said. "You know there was a great core when we got here, you know with the Coles and Justins and all those guys and Mooneys that were here. There is a great group that of leaders that were already here. So we're just gelling that with the guys that we signed this year, and we signed the right kind of guys and we drafted the right kind of guys in terms of they love football and their make up is right and their team ability is really good."

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven