It’s safe to say most people don’t believe in the Chicago Bears heading into the 2022 season — and it’s only May.
The national media have concerns about quarterback Justin Fields heading into his second season, as his receiving corps isn’t the most proven and the concerns on the offensive line. Darnell Mooney is the only proven wideout among the bunch, there’s a glaring hole at right guard and all eyes are on Fields entering a pivotal Year 2.
It also doesn’t help when you lose some key veterans on defense, including trading edge rusher Khalil Mack and losing defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman this offseason.
NBC Sports’ Peter King revealed his offseason NFL power rankings, which had the Bears landing at 28th. It’s not a complete surprise considering the national outcry about Chicago’s offseason moves. What’s more shocking is that the Bears were ranked eight spots lower than the — wait for it — Detroit Lions, who landed at 20th.
I’ve crushed Chicagoland dreams. I ranked the Lions over the Bears. Feels like the first time that’s been possible since Joe Schmidt roamed the middle of the field. But part of being a smart franchise architect is to survey the landscape and understand where you are and who you are. Ryan Poles did that when he took this job. He traded Khalil Mack, putting a $24-million dead-cap-money anchor on the franchise in the process, and saddled the team with $52.8-million in dead money.
The flip side: The Bears have a league-high $96.9-million in cap space in 2023 ($103 million more than the in-debt Packers, per Over The Cap). The upshot is if new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy can help Justin Fields to be a competent player, the Bears will be in great position to attack the market next March. Baby steps, Bear fans.
The Bears do have one thing going for them — a favorable schedule. Chicago has one of the easiest slates in the league, where they’ll face teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, New York Giants, New York Jets and Lions.
No one’s expecting much from Chicago in 2022 — even some of their fans. But you know things are bad when analysts start ranking the Lions higher than the Bears.
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