It's only May, but by the looks of it, the Chicago Bears are going to be a better team this upcoming season than they were last year. Seeing as they finished 5-12 and fired their head coach in the middle of the season for the first time in franchise history, that shouldn't be all that difficult to achieve. It's still striking, though, how the Bears have addressed last season's deficiencies in such an immediate way.
Every team's fans drink the offseason Kool-Aid to some degree, and if we're being fair, Bears fans have overindulged in their own navy and orange sugary concoction in recent years. This time around really does feel different, though. Ben Johnson is already making his mark as the replacement for Matt Eberflus, with multiple players praising his intensity and attention to detail in a way that they never did for his predecessor. Ryan Poles was lauded for his work in the trade market, free agency and the draft.
The Bears have one of the most difficult schedules in the NFL, but at the very least, they don't look like a team that others around the league can expect to get an easy win against.
Being better does have its costs. Better players mean increased competition up and down the roster, which will inevitably lead to some players who might otherwise have stuck around to be left on the cutting room floor. Already this offseason the Bears have released backup tight end Gerald Everett, who disappointed after coming over last offseason from the Chargers, and DeMarcus Walker, who was functional but never stood out during his time in Chicago.
What other players could see their dreams of making the Week 1 roster go up in smoke? Today we've got three candidates whose days in the Windy City, for various reasons, are numbered.
Case Keenum is serving a valuable role but won't beat out Tyson Bagent for QB2
The Bears didn't have a veteran quarterback on the roster last year to mentor Caleb Williams, opting instead to keep Tyson Bagent, the undrafted son of a world arm wrestling champ who had some good moments backing up Justin Fields.
When given the chance, Bagent has proven to be a capable backup, but his hold on the clipboard appeared to loosen when the Bears signed 37-year-old Case Keenum last month. Keenum has been around the block and then some, as the Bears are now his eighth NFL team. He last played for the Texans, where he backed up and mentored C.J. Stroud.
It's going to come down to Keenum and Bagent to see who backs up Caleb this year, but the smart money is still on Bagent, not only because he's shown great development since entering the league, but because Keenum's main utility will be found between now and Week 1.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer said in his most recent "NFL Takeaways" column that Keenum has been used "almost as another coach after hours (to work around the CBA-mandated limits on what the coaches can actually do with the players at this point in the calendar)." That mentorship can be invaluable to Caleb throughout the offseason, but when it comes time to make final cuts, Ben Johnson will be more comfortable with a younger, more athletic quarterback that can better replicate what Caleb can do if the former top overall pick goes down.
Tyler Scott doesn't have a place in this new-look wide receiver corps
Keenan Allen isn't returning to the Bears after one moderately productive season, but the receiver room has only gotten more crowded even in his absence. Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay were signed in free agency, and Luther Burden III was taken in the second round with the 39th overall pick.
Burden is sidelined at the moment with what Ben Johnson called a soft tissue injury, but he's expected to be the starting slot receiver once the season starts. That's a role that was occupied by another rookie last year, Rome Odunze. Odunze has been impressive already in stepping up to second on the depth chart behind DJ Moore, with many expecting a monster year from him.
With Zaccheaus and Duvernay splitting WR4 reps, there doesn't seem to be a place for Tyler Scott. The former fourth-round pick was practically nonexistent last year, catching only one pass after reeling in just 17 in his rookie season. It feels kind of miraculous that he's still on the roster, but unless he somehow wows the new coaching staff between now and the end of training camp, there's no way he'll stick around.
Zacch Pickens is expendable now that Grady Jarrett and Shemar Turner are here
The offensive line deserved all the negative press it received last year, but the defensive line wasn't much better. The Bears were just average at getting to the quarterback, and their run defense, which allowed the fewest rushing yards in the league two seasons ago, plummeted all the way to 27th in the league.
Ryan Poles took steps to address that weakness by signing veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett away from the Falcons and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo away from the Colts. He then drafted highly touted Texas A&M DT Shemar Turner with the 62nd overall pick after trading down in the second round.
That likely leaves Zacch Pickens as the odd man out. Pickens played only nine games last year as he dealt with an ongoing groin issue, and when he was on the field, his production was extremely limited. He recorded just one sack and 11 tackles, and although PFF grades aren't foolproof, his 45.5 season-long grade left little to interpretation.
Dennis Allen is the team's new defensive coordinator, and he'll be looking to get his kind of guys in, players like Turner who are more versatile. Pickens hasn't done enough during his two seasons on the Bears to merit keeping his roster spot.