5 Chicago Bears who won't be back for 2024 campaign
By Josh Wilson
Equanimeous St. Brown & Darnell Mooney
The Bears have a passing game problem. Though they've done enough to rank dead-middle looking at the entire season in offensive points scored, the Bears have come in 22nd in touchdowns and 26th in passing yards.
The issue is likely two-fold, but diagnosing exactly where the problem is is somewhat tricky. Is it the passing, or is it the receivers? Decoupling the two from one another is almost impossible, so we'll have to say that both parties are at least partially responsible, which ultimately is probably somewhere close to the reality of the situation.
That said, I'm inclined to suggest the receivers might be a tad more responsible than the passing. The Bears rank ninth-worst in the NFL in win probability added by yards after the catch and 10th best in win probability added by air yards. PFF grades the receiving value as 19th-best.
Whether or not the Bears move forward with Justin Fields or decide to take a new franchise quarterback with the top overall pick, they should reinvent their receiving corps. Equanimeous St. Brown and Darnell Mooney are both unrestricted free agents this offseason who the Bears should pass on bringing back. Both graded as about average players per Pro Football Focus's grading system, and neither inspires a ton of confidence.
Right now, Tankathon mocks Caleb Williams to the Bears at No. 1 and Rome Odunze to the Bears at No. 10 overall. I like that!