Bears Mailbag - Way-Too-Early Player Award Predictions?

After an offseason that seemed to drag on forever, football is finally back! The Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens kicked off the NFL Preseason in the annual Hall of Fame Game on Saturday, as both teams saw their respective, legendary linebackers officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Brian Urlacher! Ray Lewis? Yeah, well ... Though the Bears lost 17-16 in a sloppy, turnover-filled battle, the "real" preseason kicks off this week for all teams. The Bears will head over to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals on Thursday night. Remember, the two teams played each other last year in the regular season at Paul Brown Stadium, where the Bears turned in their most dominant performance of the season, steamrolling the Bengals, 33-7, in a game that wasn't as close as the score would suggest. Head Coach Matt Nagy confirmed that the starters would play, though how much they play remains to be seen. My guess would be a series or two for both the offense and defense. I'm looking forward to these starting units finally taking the field, though! With that, we reach into this week's Bears Mailbag. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions; I always appreciate the participation!

Q: Before preseason even starts, can you give me some player predictions for this upcoming season? Superlatives, etc. -- Alex J.

I actually tweeted some predictions a couple of weeks ago before the Hall of Fame game was played. Here's that tweet, and I still endorse these predictions. Of course, the caveat is everyone on this list should remain healthy...

Let me explain. Trey Burton never got a chance to truly shine in Philadelphia, given their yearly wealth of tight ends. But I've always thought he's good player, and I think the sky is the limit for him in Matt Nagy's offense. As the starting Move tight end, he'll have plenty of opportunities to produce. Allen Robinson is coming off a torn ACL, and he's expected to be the Bears' go-to receiver. I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. He should return to the field and, assuming he develops the expected chemistry with QB Mitch Trubisky, take off as a dominant force yet again. The next one is self-explanatory, too. For this season to have any chance of success, Mitch Trubisky MUST take the next step THIS year. He doesn't have to be elite, but he has to show significant progress in Year 1 under Nagy, and enough to show that the Bears weren't *wrong* to select him the way that they did. I think he will, so I have him as my rising star. And honestly, I think that if he's even average this year, this team can compete for the playoffs. Jordan Howard is often forgotten about when discussing the best running backs in the league. Sure, he's had trouble catching the football, but he's an elite runner and an excellent workhorse that can succeed in most offenses. Yet analysts, and even fans, continue to forget about him. It's confounding. Aaron Lynch, for his sake and the Bears' sake, has to rebound this year. Lynch has missed a ton of time over the years with various injuries, but he's proven in the past that he can rush the passer. And at this point, the Bears are dreadfully thin at EDGE. Isaiah Irving and Kylie Fitts showed some things in the Hall of Fame game, but that was against third and fourth stringers. If they show something against second-stringers this Thursday, I'll feel a bit better about what the Bears have. But until then, they need Lynch back on the field. He had his best season under Vic Fangio in San Francisco, when he tallied six sacks and numerous other pressures. The Bears need that player opposite a healthy Leonard Floyd. If he stays healthy, Anthony Miller is going to be a star. End of discussion. Charles Leno Jr.'s floor is as an average NFL left tackle. That's really not bad at all, especially for a former seventh-round pick. He is NOT a liability, as some fans continue to think. He has proven he can hold his own against some of the better pass rushers in the league. And while his discipline must improve, he has improved every year, and the Bears control him for relatively cheap for the next couple of years. A solid player at a solid deal at a premium position. I'll take it.

There are some who believe that Roquan Smith might be orchestrating part of it, especially given what happened with his UCLA-Georgia decision when committing to school. Jack Silverstein of Windy City Gridiron put this thread together to highlight some very interesting facts. I highly recommend you check it out. But I have a feeling Smith's agents are also certainly trying to show that they are tough negotiators who have their clients' "best interests" in mind, in an attempt to secure future prospects signing with their agency. There are so many conflicting reports about what the holdup is really all about, so I'm going to hold off on speculating on who is to blame (or "more" to blame) for this mess. All I know is that I want Roquan at camp ASAP. But I'm comfortable rolling with Nick Kwiatkoski to begin the season, if we must. I just hope he and Danny Trevathan stay healthy. As far as trading Smith, realistically, I would only do so for Khalil Mack or for future draft capital.

Thanks, @ConvincingPpl, for the double-dip! Honestly, it's not even worth talking about the weapons at this point, because the reality is that all of these passing attacks begin with the quarterback. And until further notice, Mitch Trubisky is the fourth-best quarterback in this division. Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford are as elite as it gets, and Kirk Cousins has also proven that he is a decent starting quarterback in the right system. Cousins was very good in Jay Gruden's scheme in Washington, and depending on how good John DeFilippo is at calling plays, he should continue his solid play in Minnesota.

Wow, @ConvincingPpl with the triple-dip! Thanks for the participation! Also, I love predictions. Here you go, along with an actual number: Yards: Robinson (1,180) Touchdowns: Burton (9) Pro Bowl: Hicks (there are too many good corners in the NFC for Fuller to make it, IMO) Defensive INTs: Jackson (5) Trubisky INTs: 12+ (I made a prediction a while back that he'd throw 13) Reception Yards: Gabriel (950)