Chicago Bears Preview and Prediction

Team Preview

The Chicago Bears enter the 2017-18 NFL season coming off a 3-13 campaign, their worst record since 1982. Averaging 17 points per game on offense and allowing opponents to score nearly 25 points a game, the Bears spent their offseason trying to add playmakers to both sides of the ball. 

Chicago started by overhauling their entire quarterback depth chart, with Matt Barkley, Brian Hoyer and Jay Cuter all signing with other teams. The Bears let Barkley and Hoyer walk while clearing $14 million by releasing Cutler. Chicago then went out and signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Mike Glennon to a three-year deal with $18.5 million guaranteed.

When the transaction was announced, many still expected the Bears to pick a QB in the NFL Draft. The Bears did just that, moving up in the draft to select North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky with the second overall pick. 

Here were the details of that trade:

Bears receive - Pick #2 (Trubisky)

49ers receive - Pick #3, 2017 third rounder (pick #67), 2017 fourth rounder (pick 111) and a 2018 third rounder. 

The Internet went absolutely crazy following the trade, and rightly so. The Bears mortgaged a number of potential prospects to grab a player that probably would have been their at pick three. Now, Trubisky is battling Glennon for the starting job. While Glennon may open the year as the starter, expect Trubisky to make at least a few starts this season.

The Bears also lost their most experienced wide receiver Alshon Jeffery to the Philadelphia Eagles during the offseason. Entering the 2017-18 season, the Bears' QB will look to 2015 undrafted wideout Cameron Meredith, 2015 first-rounder Kevin White and veterans Victor Cruz and Markus Wheaton. The group is going to have to stay healthy if the passing game is going to find a rhythm. Tight ends Dion Sims and Zach Miller should both get plenty of time on the field and provide solid red zone targets. Rookie second-rounder Adam Shaheen is also in the TE mix, but probably needs a year of seasoning before making an impact on offense. 

What will help the Bears' passing game is a running game led by 2016 fifth round pick Jordan Howard, who posted 1,313 yards and six touchdowns last season. His performance was outstanding given the round he was taken in and the offense he was playing on, yet he was not even included in the running for the Rookie of the Year award. This season, keep an eye on how Howard adjusts to the fact that defenses will load the box to stop the run. Jeremy Langford figures to receive a few carries as the Bears' backup RB while rookie Tarik Cohen is making a case for those carries with strong preseason play.

If the Bears' offensive line, led by former Green Bay Packer Josh Sitton and Kyle Long, can play as well as it did last year, the Bears should be able to move the ball on the ground again this coming season. The strong offensive line also might give the Bears more confidence in placing Trubisky in the starting lineup. The Bears tied for seventh-best in sacks allowed (28) last year.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears brought in a new batch of talent by signing the likes of safety Quintin Demps and cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper. While the trio does not lift the defense into elite status, they should provide veteran leadership while allowing the Bears to draft and develop some young talent for the future. 

The Bears most intriguing defensive youngster in outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, a 2016 first-rounder. Floyd finished with seven sacks in 12 games played last season. Willie Young fills the other outside linebacker slot and added 7 ½ sacks. Middle linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman combined for 176 total tackles despite playing in 21 combined games. If the linebacker core can stay healthy, the Bears' defense should improve as a unit.

(Note - Jerrell Freeman was supposed to be listed in the defensive players to watch article/video instead of Lamarr Houston)

On the D-line, Akiem Hicks leads the way after a seven-sack season last year. Outside Hicks, the Bears are going to need some others to step up. Eddie Goldman, Jaye Howard, Mitch Unrein and Johnathan Bullard are among that group.

With a revamped secondary (Amukamara, Demps, Cooper), the Bears should be in good shape, if healthy. Cornerbacks Bryce Callahan, Cre'Von LeBlanc and 2014 first round pick Kyle Fuller will also see the field and hope to keep the Bears' among the top-10 in terms of passing yards allowed per game (Bears only allowed 225 pass yards per game last year, but 122 on the ground).

2017-18 Schedule/Predictions

1. vs Atlanta Falcons (L)

2. at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (L)

3. vs Pittsburgh Steelers (L)

4. at Green Bay Packers (L)

5. vs Minnesota Vikings (L)

6. at Baltimore Ravens (L)

7. vs Carolina Panthers (L)

8. at New Orleans Saints (L)

9. BYE

10. vs Green Bay Packers (L)

11. vs Detroit Lions (L)

12. at Philadelphia Eagles (L)

13. vs San Francisco 49ers (W)

14. at Cincinnati Bengals (W)

15. at Detroit Lions (L)

16. vs Cleveland Browns (W)

17. at Minnesota Vikings (L)

Season Record: 3-13, 0-6 NFC North

The Bears are going to have to hit on a few draft picks before the team can think about making a playoff push. The Bears' matchups from weeks 1-8 are tough, and I don't see the Bears winning any of those games. After a bye in week nine, the schedule gets "easier." The fact is, if the Bears do start 0-8, an unprobable eight-game winning streak to end the year would still not get this team into the playoffs. I'd expect Trubisky to be the starter by week nine and the Bears to pick up at least three wins in the second half of the season. Having Trubisky lead the way could be just what the Chicago Bears' rebuild needs.

Next NFC Team Up - Los Angeles Rams

Sources not listed in article: ESPN - stats; Ourlads - depth chart; Playoff Predictors - schedule/record projections.

#ChicagoBears