NFL preview 2017: Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears will attempt to make some noise in a tough NFC North this season, but they may be at least a year or two away.

When John Fox took over the Chicago Bears after the 2014 NFL season, he was supposed to get the franchise back on track. Together with starting quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bears figured the two men would bring the franchise back to being a playoff contender. Well, two years later, Cutler is a member of the Miami Dolphins, and the Bears have gone 9-23 under Fox’s watch.

Last season, the Bears got off to a horrid start, winning only one of their first seven games. Throughout the rest of the regular season, the Bears would win only two more games, while playing Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, and Matt Barkley at the quarterback position. They are hoping to have more stability at the position this season, and made two offseason moves to help bolster the depth on the roster.

This past April, with the Bears holding the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the franchise decided to make a bold move towards the future. They traded up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers to get University of North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who has looked very good this Summer. The future looks bright with him under center, but the 2017 season does not look as good.

In addition to bringing in Trubisky this offseason, the team also spent good money to sign Mike Glennon to be their starter at quarterback. Glennon was shown potential, but it is clear he is no longer the long-term answer. Luckily for Bears fans, the team has one of the better young running backs in the NFC, and he should be in for another solid season.

Jordan Howard finished the 2016 NFL season as the second-leading rusher in the league, despite the fact that the team struggled mightily with the quarterback position. Howard rushed for 1,313 yards, finishing only behind fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott. Joining Howard in the backfield was Jeremy Langford, as the two combined to find the end zone ten times.

Howard is expected to be one of the best in the league again in 2017, and the team is going to need all of him once again.

Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was the team’s top option at the position for the past few season, though he is currently with the Philadelphia Eagles. Cameron Meredith, was supposed to take over being the WR1 on the roster, but he was injured during the preseason. Meredith not only tore his ACL, but he also has other knee damage, so that return from injury will definitely be worth watching over the next 12 months.

With Meredith out, more emphasis will be placed on the team getting more from Kevin White. White was selected No. 7 overall by the Bears back in 2015, but has played in only four games since. He finally appears to be healthy, so expect a big season out of him if he can stay out of the trainer’s room.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears actually have some really talented players. Middle linebacker Jerrell Freeman could be one of the top tacklers in the league this season, after leading the team in tackles in 2016. Fellow linebacker Danny Trevathan is as steady as they come, giving the team two very good linebackers in the unit.

Strong safety Quintin Demps had a career-year last season with the Houston Texans, racking up six interceptions. The Bears signed him to a three-year deal, and although he is 32-years old, he seems to have some good football left in him. Chicago also brought in veteran cornerback Prince Amukamara, as they made a concerted effort to get better in the secondary.

Up front, there are two big named players to keep an eye on. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman is very good at stuffing the run, which should play big in the NFC North. Leonard Floyd collected seven sacks as a rookie last season, and has the talent to be a double-digit sack guy at the NFL level.

The NFC North is going to be tough this season, as the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings could all be playoff teams. The Chicago Bears figure to finish at the bottom of the division, but they should improve over their three win total from last season. John Fox is one of the better head coaches in the NFL, and has a proven track record of winning, so the wins have to be on the horizon for this franchise.

Throughout the 2017 season, the chatter around the Bears is going to be when are they going to put Trubisky in. It is a pretty difficult situation for Mike Glennon, who was finally going to get his shot to be a team’s franchise quarterback. With all the movement around the NFL at the position, Glennon should look at this season as a rehearsal, though Fox may not give him a long enough leash if the season starts to get away from them.

The Bears are always going to play tough, but it seems like the NFC North is really starting to distance themselves from Chicago in terms of talent. Maybe another Howard will step up in 2017, but all signs point to this being a long season in the Windy City.

X-Factor

With the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected West Virginia wide receiver, Kevin White. The speedster was arguably the best wideout in the draft, posting a 4.35 40-yard dash time prior to the draft. Teamed with Jay Cutler’s big arm, the Bears probably figured he would be the best deep threat in the league, but that never worked out.

White injured his shin prior to his rookie season, and the injury would eventually rob him of his first season in the league. Last season, White appeared in four games before breaking that same leg, as he ended his season with more disappointment.

If the Bears are going to take a step in the right direction this season, White will have to become a breakout player, and if healthy, he has the skill set to do just that. The quarterbacks are going to look for him early and often if he is back to 100 percent, which all signs point to him being.

Best Case

Looking at the Chicago Bears schedules, and I really do not see them winning more than five games this season. However, if I have to give a best case scenario for this season, it would be that the defense plays well enough to shut down some of the high-powered offenses they will face. Jordan Howard proved to be a beast last season, so playing good defense, and running the ball will be the key this season.

The first eight games are rough, and the team could make a move to Mitchell Trubisky after the bye week. If he can play well enough to win some games, and set himself up for a solid second season, the 2017 campaign would have to be considered a win for the Bears.

Chicago does play San Francisco and Cleveland this season, which are winnable games, and their defense is strong enough to challenge against the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions. Figure an seven-win season would be the best case scenario this season.

Worst Case

The worst case scenario will take place on a couple of levels. The first would be that the team struggles to be competitive again in 2017, and they get absolutely nothing from their high-priced free agent quarterback, Mike Glennon. If the Bears win only three games again this season, it could spell the end for John Fox, who has had a disappointing run thus far in Chicago.

Through the first eight weeks of the season, I do not see a win, which is pretty alarming. If the team gets out to a terrible start, they will be forced to go with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback, and bringing him in too early could hurt his development.

If this is a three-win team, Trubisky doesn’t get an opportunity to grow, and Jordan Howard takes a step back, it will really set this franchise back. That would be the worst thing to happen on many levels, though it is not totally out of the realm of possibility.

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Final Word

On paper, the Chicago Bears do have some of the formula needed to win games in the NFL. They have a pretty solid defense on all three levels, and possess a solid two-headed monster at running back. Jordan Howard came out of nowhere to finish second in the NFL in rushing last season, despite the fact that they got absolutely nothing from the quarterback position.

Nobody expects Mike Glennon to be the team’s long-term answer at quarterback, so Bears fans will see Trubisky at some point in the season. The schedule is too tough early on to throw him to the wolves. Expect another big season out of Howard, and the defense to take the next step, but drafting towards the top of the 2018 NFL Draft may be in the cards for the Bears next April.