Chicago Bears Depth Chart 2019 Bears Depth Chart

Offseason Moves

As with any NFL team’s off-season, the Bears have made a plethora of moves, many of which involve names that will never be heard again. There were a few interesting moves, though, that would have been hard to predict at the end of last season. Losing Adrian Amos to the Packers, the Bears had a safety spot to fill and they did so with the former Packer (most recently of the Redskins) Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. They signed him to a one year deal, so I assume it will be a sort of trial run to see how the 26 year-old stacks up in their defense. Cody Parkey being released came as no surprise and felt like the only thing the Bears could do to make up for the heart-breaking NFC Wild Card Game loss.

While the Bears currently have a few kickers under contract competing for a spot, there have been murmurs all off-season that Robbie Gould of the 49ers will somehow make his way back to the Windy City after the 36 year-old requested a trade from San Fransisco. Cordarrelle Patterson is an exciting and explosive pickup for the Bears. Not only will they have more speed coming from the WR position, but he will be a versatile player in Matt Nagy’s smoke-in-mirrors offense, and of course an elite kick returner which will bring back happy memories of Devin Hester to Bears fans.

Signing Mike Davis provides depth at the RB position behind newly-drafted David Montgomery and the elusive Tarik Cohen. CB Buster Skrine, formerly of the Jets, was another big signing for the Bears which provides further defensive back depth which through injuries last season proved to be a position Chicago needed to fill in.

Looking Ahead

Going 12-4 and winning the NFC North last year proved to be both a blessing and a curse for this Bears team. It brought a much-needed culture change to the Bears’ organization, instilling an expectation of winning. This year, their schedule reflects last year’s success and will prove to be a challenge for the Bears, albeit a challenge they are capable of overcoming. FanDuel currently has the Bears and Packers equal parts likely to win the NFC North next year.

While the Bears didn’t make any huge signings this off-season, they filled in some cracks of their offense with Patterson and Montgomery to give Trubisky the best chance to do his thing. As this will be his second year under Matt Nagy, it will be a defining year for the young QB. Last year, it seemed like he was improving on a weekly basis. This year, he will likely be more stabilized after having some more experience under his belt and getting more and more used to the offense Nagy runs.

Are the Bears a cinch to win the NFC North and go deep in the playoffs? Absolutely not. But do they have the potential to do just that? Yes. With the Lions, Packers, and Vikings all improving in the off-season and a harder schedule on the docket, 2019 will be a challenge for this young Bears team, but a strong defense has been the saving grace for Bears teams in the past, and there’s no doubt it will be again this year. If you think back to the 2006/7 season, the Bears made the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman at the helm. They essentially made it to the Super Bowl with a lock-down defense and elite special teams with Devin Hester (Cordarrelle Patterson is a similar player) having a historic season. Only now their offense is developing in a much more sophisticated way than the 2006/7 Bears’ ever did.