Bears could be positioned for a Jaguars-like turnaround
Even though the Chicago Bears had the NFL’s worst record in 2022, it does not mean their short-term future is doomed. The Jacksonville Jaguars might be the team that offers them hope that a rapid turnaround is possible.
The Jaguars were one of the surprise teams during the 2022 season, going from the league’s worst record in 2021 to a division winner one year later and actually winning a playoff game. Many of the elements that made that turnaround possible also exist in Chicago right now.
The most important piece is the quarterback, which the Bears seem to have taken care of.
Even though Justin Fields still has some work to do as a passer, he took an enormous step forward in the second half of the season and started to play like the superstar the Bears hoped he would be. Over his final eight starts his passer rating jumped up to 93.6, while he completed more than 63 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also put up historic rushing numbers for a quarterback almost every week and was one of the league’s most electrifying players with the ball in his hands.
Having a young, talented quarterback in place means the Bears can utilize their No. 1 overall pick to address another need or perhaps even multiple needs if they elect to move back. One hypothetical option for that pick has the Bears potentially moving back twice in the draft from the top spot (going from No. 1 to No. 2 in a trade with Houston and then moving back from No. 2) to address multiple immediate needs with several high picks.
The Bears are also armed with nearly $100 million in salary cap space this offseason, more than any other team in the NFL, and could theoretically be players for any of the league’s top free agents. Along with having a young quarterback (Trevor Lawrence) and the No. 1 overall pick (used to take Travon Walker), the Jaguars were also swimming in salary cap space and went wild in free agency, signing players like Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Brandon Scherff, among others, to bolster the roster around Lawrence and Walker.
After all of that, the Jaguars were also able to take advantage of a weak division.
That brings us to the NFC North.
It seems increasingly likely that the Green Bay Packers, who already missed the playoffs a year ago, might take a step backward if franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers departs and the leaves the team in the unproven hands of Jordan Love.
As good as the Minnesota Vikings were a year ago, their entire operation seems like a house of cards. They relied on winning almost all of their games by a single score, something that is not always sustainable from one year to the next, while they were actually outscored for the season with a negative point differential. Regression there is very possible, if not entirely likely.
With a young star in place at quarterback, the flexibility that the No. 1 pick provides, an entire roster’s worth of salary space to play with and potentially some weakened teams in the division, there is a path in place for the Bears to rapidly turn this thing around. They just need to maximize the value of that top pick and spend wisely next week.
