Bear Digest

Bears Who Need to Pick Up the Pace

Analysis: Two months into the season there is more the Bears could stand to see from a handful of players, which isn't surprising considering a 3-7 record.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears Who Need to Pick Up the Pace
Bears Who Need to Pick Up the Pace

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Chicago Bears

Justin Fields is not alone among Bears with much to prove coming out of the mini-bye and heading into the Detroit Lions game.

In fact, after two months of Bears games, there are several players who might need to prove even more.

Fields' statistics overall have not been terrible. If not for the start to his season, they'd be talking about what great advances he's made and maybe no one would mention the name Caleb Williams around Halas Hall.

Fields has a passer rating of 121.66 over the last three starts with eight TDs and two interceptions.

Whether he can simply pick it up at a level he showed against Washington and Denver needs to be proven. He had the loss to the Vikings when he left trailing 12-6 and suffered the thumb injury. He reverted to his playing level of the first three weeks in the Vikings game and his improvement against Denver and Washington might have simply been the result of facing weaker defenses. The Broncos are 29th against the pass and Commanders 23rd.

With Fields' uncertain contract status and the Bears' position at or near the top of the draft assured, they need answers before they put together the 2024 roster.

Other players with much to prove might have less or more at stake personally.

Here are the other Bears with much to prove after two months of football games that count.

1. LB Tremaine Edmunds

Some of the players who have struggled had injury problems and obviously can't be blamed for this. However, what they did before the injuries need to be examined and more was expected from Edmunds than 63 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery for eight games. Sportradar tracked his missed tackles at 10%, or seven in 70 attempts, and that's his highest total since his rookie season after he had only one last year in 103 tackle attempts. Also, the 78.8% completion percentage allowed when targeted tracked by Sportradar is the worst of his career. Like with Fields, Edmunds had given hope for a drastic improvement as he had two takeaways in his last two games before his knee injury. If he's back this week, the Bears have to hope the trend continues upon his return because they need more from someone with a cap hit of $14.7 million this year, $22.4 million next year and $17.4 million for the final two years of his deal.

2. DE Yannick Ngakoue

The Bears signed him for $10.5 million and one year and have three sacks and 18 tackles to show for it. He's on track for a career low in quarterback hits with only five so far. Ngakoue has never had less than 23 pressures in a season and according to Sportradar he has only eight to date. Pro Football Focus has him graded 103rd of 106 edge players in the league, one spot better than Bears second-year player Dominique Robinson, who now spends Sundays on the inactive list.

3. WR Velus Jones Jr.

Reversing course after another series of setbacks, including dropped passes and key penalties, in his second year seems unlikely considering he is now part of the inactive crowd on game day. Players only get so many chances.

4. G Cody Whitehair

Moving back and forth from guard and center has probably not helped him, and when he was at center he experienced some poor snaps in shotgun. However, the alarming thing is PFF has graded him 79th among 82 guards it grades, and 80th among run blockers. In 2016, 2017 and 2020 he had run-blocking grades in the 80s.

5. C Lucas Patrick

Being graded 34th out of NFL centers is not indicative of a dominant performance. Patrick has the experience to indicate he should be higher up and with a little more lineup continuity it's possible it could happen. PFF sees better pass blocking as his greatest need.

6. DE DeMarcus Walker

Walker signed a deal for $21 million over three yars and has been on the field for 424 snaps, only 32 less than his career high for an entire season. Yet, he has just 1.5 sacks. His 10 pressures and five QB hits indicate he's definitely giving the effort and just coming up short of the mark. The Bears have to hope the addition of "multiplier" Montez Sweat is the booster for Walker to make more impact plays. PFF has him graded 79th out of 106 edge players. Walker's impact is better against the run, which the Bears had anticipated. Curiously, the Bears talked about how he had the ability to go into the three technique for pass rush situations but have lined him up in the B-gap to pressure less than 50 times in 10 games.

7. G Nate Davis

Preseason/offseason injuries, then the personal tragedy with the death of his mother have made it a disjointed start to his Bears career. Davis could be back soon from a high ankle sprain. PFF had graded him 57th out of 82 guards for his 202 offensive plays on the year. Getting him back functioning at either right or left guard can make a difference in their offensive consistency if he's able to get some momentum and avoid further injury.

8. WR Darnell Mooney

Mooney's contributions as a receiver figured to decline on a percentage basis because of DJ Moore taking over as No. 1 receiver but at the rate of 22 receptions for the first 10 games he comes up 2.5 catches short of his career low of 40 from last year, when an ankle injury ended his season with five games to play. Mooney's yardage is up at 14.6 yards per catch, which figures to be the case from the way he's being used. And he does need to get more than 3.8 targets per game. However, with defenses obviously flipping their coverage to emphasize blanketing Moore, there should be more opportunities seized by Mooney. All of this said, the quarterback flipping situation due to injuries has affected Mooney like it has Moore. The Bears have to hope for better numbers when Fields returns and restores an arm capable of reaching the deeper routes to one of their fastest players.

9. S Jaquan Brisker

There has been a lot of talk about his leadership and being a playmaker but his passer rating against when targeted is up from his rookie year to 114.6 from 98.6 and he doesn't have an interception this season. Last game he had a total whiff on a tackle attempt of scrambling QB Bryce Young. An injury has affected his game, a second concussion in two years.

10. TE Robert Tonyan Jr.

Tonyan doesn't a ton of plays, just 161 total, which shows how little they get around to using him in 12-and 13-personnel packages. He went three games without making a catch to start the season, and then when he seemed to be catching on to his fit within the offense with five receptions in three weeks, he's had just two catches in the last four games. It isn't a huge problem but his seven catches for 50 yards and the one catch definitely can stand to increase. When the Bears traded Chase Claypool, there was some thought they would go to Tonyan as a bigger alternative in the passing game. It hasn't really worked out that way. After they used Ryan Griffin and Trevon Wesco so little as receivers, it seems the one tight end is all offensive coordinator Luke Getsy can get to or that Fields can get to in his progression.

11. DT Justin Jones

He's in a premier position within the defense, as much is expected from a three technique in this scheme. Especially with rookie Gervon Dexter pushing for playing time, Jones' production needs to be up. On the positive side, it has been looking better recently. He seems to be getting a boost up front from the Sweat multiplier. After a slower start, Jones is at 13 pressures and seven tackles for loss, and those are not bad numbers at all for a three technique getting his rep total. He has become a vital part of the defense leading the league in fewest yards allowed per rush. It's trending up on Jones, who is in a contract year but can still do more by seizing on opportunities.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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