After months of anticipation, the NFL Draft is finally in the rearview mirror. As always, there was plenty to talk about, from Shedeur Sanders and his unprecedented tumble into the fifth round, all the way to... actually, that seemed to be all anyone wanted to talk about. I'll only open my windows if you promise that I won't be able to hear Mel Kiper Jr. loudly extolling Shedeur's virtues from my house anymore.
Fans of the Chicago Bears took comfort heading into the draft that there was no need to worry about the quarterback position. It's a nice place to be, and one the Bears could get used to after so many decades of having an antagonistic relationship with the forward pass.
Instead, the Bears were focused on putting a bow on what's been a special offseason. General manager Ryan Poles upgraded the coaching staff and the offensive line in a big way well before the draft, and though he surprised even Bears fans with many of his selections, there's no doubt that the Bears are a deeper, more exciting, and all around better team today than they were a few weeks ago.
Once the regular season arrives, every NFL team will have to have its active roster pared down to 53 players. That means that for all the rookies that are being welcomed into the fold, there are just as many players that are about to be on the unemployment line. Here are the Bears who are in danger of being squeezed out.
The Bears suddenly have way too many weapons in the passing game to give Tyler Scott another shot
One catch for five yards. That's the full receiving statline for second-year wide receiver Tyler Scott last season. That was also before the Bears added Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay in free agency, then drafted Missouri wideout Luther Burden III in the second round.
The writing was already on the wall for Scott due to his lack of production (he had just 17 grabs for 168 yards in his rookie season, and hasn't scored a touchdown in his NFL career), but if there was any hope of him earning a fresh chance now that Ben Johnson is the head coach, that seems to be out the window. Burden, who has drawn comparisons to Amon-Ra St. Brown, figures to be the starting slot receiver, while Zaccheaus and Duvernay will be the fourth and fifth receivers, and kick returners, in some configuration.
The Bears even drafted Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick, an athletic matchup problem that has drawn comparisons to Sam LaPorta, whom Johnson worked with in Detroit. Add a returning Cole Kmet to the mix, and there are simply too many pass-catchers for Scott to have any role on this team.
Dominique Robinson is the odd man out on the defensive line
The Bears didn't devote quite the same resources to remaking their defensive line as they did their offensive counterparts in the trenches, but they still made great strides to address an area that was a clear weakness last year. Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo were added in free agency, and Texas A&M D-lineman Shemar Turner was added with the 62nd pick after the Bears traded down with the Bills, upgrading a third to a second and turning a seventh-rounder into a fourth-rounder in the process.
Turner is 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, and he has the versatility to play defensive tackle or rush the passer from the edge. He's a tantalizing chess piece for new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who likes being able to move his linemen around to give opposing offensive lines problems.
With the addition of Turner, Jarrett and Odeyingbo, there's not much room for Dominique Robinson, if there ever was to begin with. The Bears already cut the much more productive DeMarcus Walker in February and lost one-year rental Darrell Taylor to free agency, and Robinson, with his seven total tackles in just six games played last year, has to be next on the chopping block to make room for the new blood.
Kyle Monangai's arrival could be the beginning of the end for either D'Andre Swift or Roschon Johnson
The No. 1 question that Bears fans wanted answered when Draft Day finally arrived was whether or not Boise State superstar running back Ashton Jeanty was going to fall to the Bears at 10 and carry on the franchise's proud running back tradition. Unfortunately, Jeanty was scooped up by the team that many experts predicted would be a thorn in the Bears' side, the Las Vegas Raiders.
Losing the chance to draft a possibly generational back hurt, but it was ameliorated by the fact that this was thought to be one of the best running back classes in years. North Carolina's Omarion Hampton, Arizona State's Cam Skattebo, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson and the two-headed Ohio State monster of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson are all thought to be potentially special players, and so when Jeanty got drafted sixth, most Bears fans assumed that one of those names would come their way in the next round or two.
That never happened, as Poles elected to fill other needs instead. As the draft wore on, the urgency increased, and for one simple reason: incumbent starter D'Andre Swift was one of the least effective backs in the league last year. With Caleb Williams, a rejuvenated offensive line and a buffed-up receiving corps in place, not to mention Johnson, an offensive wunderkind, calling the plays, it seemed that the only weak link on the offense was Swift.
The Bears finally did draft a running back, but they waited until the seventh round to do it. First Team All-Big Ten running back Kyle Monangai was the pick, and though the Rutgers product didn't come off the board until the 233rd selection, his resume is more impressive than one would expect.
Monangai never fumbled despite touching the ball over 700 times in college, and his back-to-back 1,250-yard seasons make him look like the kind of dependable option that can thrive in Johnson's system. He also has a reputation as a ferocious pass-blocker, a trait that will put any running back into a coach's good graces.
Johnson employed a two-back system in his time in Detroit, with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery forming the famous "Sonic and Knuckles" pairing. Monangai has all the traits to fill a role even in his rookie season, but that would mean that somebody else will be squeezed out.
Will it be Swift, or third-year backup Roschon Johnson? It's tempting to see Johnson as the easy candidate to lose his spot, but don't be so sure. The Lions once traded Swift away, which I doubt they would have done if Johnson was high on him. A trade or even a cut is still possible if the Bears believe that Monangai will be ready to contribute immediately.
The most likely scenario is that all three backs will enter camp in an open competition to earn touches, with Ian Wheeler, last year's Hard Knocks sensation that tragically tore his ACL in the preseason finale, also potentially in the mix. Another veteran muddying the waters, such as free agent Nick Chubb, is also possible.