Every team in the NFL will have holes on their roster with lackluster starters. You won’t come to find a flawless roster and teams constantly shift around guys to reach a fit. Many obvious liabilities lay dormant in Chicago’s starting roster, with hopes that they are fixed to the best of Poles ability. Many liabilities have been left lingering over the past few years, despite fans calling for action to no avail. The problem comes down to priority and what needs to be fixed first in particular order. Meaning in the draft, Chicago needs to utilize their higher order picks on the positions they deem more valuable.
#1: Offensive Line
This is a boring pick, and obviously I could’ve gone with the defensive line here as well. I believe both spots need two more starters as well as depth. The consensus is that Chicago is going to start Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, and Nate Davis. However, I would rather not see Cody Whitehair or Lucas Patrick in starting roles in the time being. I find them to be very inconsistent players and bring little to an offense that we are trying to make stronger.
#2: Nickel Corner
A big problem with Chicago’s performances is that their air defense gave up chunk yardage with ease. Many quarterbacks were able to hit their receivers in stride and often faced little contest. Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are surefire starters and should show slight improvement after a year already starting together. Kindle Vildor, however, should not be allowed as our Nickel Corner. Chicago needs to find a solid replacement to make sure that the clamps are put on opposing quarterbacks. I will be expecting Chicago to take a defensive back on day one or two.
#3: Defensive Tackle
In the off-season, the Bears were quick to replace the loss of Al-Quadin Muhammed with the better Demarcus Walker. I’m quite certain that Trevis Gipson will be starting opposite of Walker at the beginning of the year, and I have no problem with that. Chicago also acquired Andrew Billings to pair up as a run stuffer with Justin Jones. I still believe that more depth at the tackle position will increase any success we already have in stuffing the run. You should expect Chicago to select a Defensive Tackle on either day one or two of the draft. Defensive ends come at less of a fortune so depth shouldn’t be too hard to find there.
#4: Kicker
Now I may be jumping the gun on this one, but we have seen a slight decline in the performance of Cairo Santos since 2020. Last year he missed seven kicks on the season with five of them being extra points. Now that should ring some bells, as the Bears lost many games by a field goal or less. If someone more consistent were to become available, I would have no problem with Chicago going after them. In retrospect, it could end up helping us win more games. It could be way too early to give up on Cairo Santos, but you never know if you can trust Chicago kickers since they let Robbie Gould walk.
