You won’t find many that have the Chicago Bears near the top-half of their way-too-early power rankings. What else would you expect after a disappointing 2019 season that saw a dominant playoff team from a season ago take a hard fall to 8-8?
While many were calling for Chicago to repeat as NFC North champions just one year ago, those same people have the Bears doomed for another third place finish in the division. But the truth is, we really just don’t know until the season unfolds, especially with so many question marks.
Although, you could argue that the Bears got better in the 2020 NFL Draft, where they selected two likely starters in the second round in tight end Cole Kmet and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
The Bears landed at No. 17 in Touchdown Wire‘s post-NFL Draft power rankings, where the subject remained about — what else — the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.
Look, in the end what matters for Chicago is not their 87th tight end or a cornerback they drafted in the second round, but who wins the showdown of showdowns: Trubisky v Foles: The Melee of Mediocrity. Joking aside, if they can just find a quarterback to execute Matt Nagy’s offense and make throws on time and in rhythm, they will be a much-improved team on that side of the ball.
While the Bears had one of the worst offenses in the league last season, their defense remained among the best — even after suffering some devastating injuries to the likes of defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, linebacker Danny Trevathan and linebacker Roquan Smith.
Now that Chicago has made that dominant defense even more impressive with key offseason acquisitions including pass rusher Robert Quinn, safety Tashaun Gipson and rookies Jaylon Johnson and Trevis Gipson, they’re gearing up for a rebound. If only the offense can right the ship.
The Bears offense, which justifiably will remain the biggest question mark in Chicago’s success, just needs to be good enough for this defense to carry them back to the playoffs. While Trubisky and Foles are battling for the starting job, it’s important to remember that quarterback wasn’t the only concern on offense last season.
But if the offense can finally get it together — coupled with this defense, which on paper looks like it could rival the 2018 squad — this Bears team is poised for a rebound in 2020.
[vertical-gallery id=444309]
[lawrence-related id=444371,444361,444476,444466]