Mike Glennon: 3,950 yards, 24 TDs, 12 INTs
The 2017 Bears stat predictions always must start with the quarterbacks. It's important to keep expectations reasonable here. Glennon is entering his first year in a new offense and hasn't started a game since 2014. There's a lot for him to overcome and be productive. In the end, presuming he plays a full schedule he will have a decent stat line. The yardage total will actually be a Bears franchise record, aided in part by having a lot of speed on the field to gain yards after the catch. Everything else from touchdowns to interceptions will be right along the 2-to-1 ratio he's had most of his career.
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RUNNING BACKS
Jordan Howard: 1,472 rushing yards, 317 receiving yards, 12 TDs
Tarik Cohen: 460 rushing yards, 222 receiving yards, 3 TDs
There is no denying that Jordan Howard expects and is expected to be the focal point of the Bears offense. He's the lone Pro Bowl weapon they have. Until that changes he will get the football. The stats show he surpasses his rookie season by over 100 yards rushing and scores double digit touchdowns. He will be aided by the quick, shifty change-of-pace work of rookie Tarik Cohen who gains that role over Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey. With good reason as he puts up better than expected numbers for his lack of significant touches.
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WIDE RECEIVERS
Cameron Meredith: 72 catches, 1059 yards, 7 TDs
Kendall Wright: 51 catches, 700 yards, 1 TD
Kevin White: 45 catches, 547 yards, 5 TDs
Other receivers will see a bit of action but these are the three men who will emerge as the primary trio. Cameron Meredith, ironically, is the emerging star of the group. The former undrafted free agent cracks 1,000 yards for the first time and also improves his TD total from last year. Kevin White, all things considered does fairly well. He avoids notable injury for the most part and powers his way to decent numbers as the secondary target. As for Kendall Wright, he just clicks in this offense for some reason. He cracks 700 yards for the first time since 2014.
TIGHT ENDS
Adam Shaheen: 42 catches, 501 yards, 6 TDs
Zach Miller: 34 catches, 311 yards, 3 TDs
Dion Sims: 18 catches, 176 yards, 1 TD
Expect the tight ends to be a serious part of the offense. Dowell Loggains loves to feature them in the passing game and Glennon has a history of liking to use them. The tricky part is figuring out which of them will become the primary target. It ends up going like this. Miller being the veteran will see most of the early snaps but soon his health will inevitably become an issue. Say about a month or two into the season. At that point the rookie Shaheen ascends to the starting lineup and begins showing flashes of the dominant player he can be. Sims will add the occasional first down grabs and help with blocking.
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THE PASS RUSH
Leonard Floyd: 68 tackles, 12 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 INT
Pernell McPhee: 54 tackles, 9 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Akiem Hicks: 47 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
There will be other contributors like Willie Young, Eddie Goldman and hopefully Jonathan Bullard but the bulk of the pass rush success will funnel through these three men. They proved that much last year. When healthy it can create some pretty major havoc. The 2017 season will be about Leonard Floyd's ascension. Thicker and stronger than his rookie year, he breaks out becoming the first double digit sack producer for Chicago since Julius Peppers. Pernell McPhee compliments him very well with a career-high sack total of his own.
INSIDE LINEBACKER
Jerrell Freeman: 118 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 INT
Danny Trevathan: 75 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
Nick Kwiatkoski: 52 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 safety
He's getting a bit older now but Jerrell Freeman is playing the best football of his career. This should be the season where he peaks. Second-year hopeful Nick Kwiatkoski fills in ably for the injured Danny Trevathan through the first six weeks. Then Trevathan returns and produces 75 tackles in just 10 games. All in all the inside linebacker group does a pretty fair job. The ability to force turnovers and make impact plays is a welcome wrinkle to their status on the roster. Sure they're not exactly Urlacher and Briggs but one step at a time here.
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THE SECONDARY
Prince Amukamara: 49 tackles, 2 INTs, 12 passes defended
Marcus Cooper: 60 tackles, 3 INTs, 14 passes defended
Cre'Von LeBlanc: 39 tackles, 2 INTs, 10 passes defended
Quintin Demps: 62 tackles, 4 INTs, 10 passes defended
Adrian Amos: 58 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack, 5 passes defended
In the end the Bears don't exactly get what they wanted from the secondary, but they get what they need. What they need of course is more turnovers. As a group in 2016 the secondary produced three interceptions. That's it. Terrible and a big reason why the team struggled to pull out victories. This time around there's a nice improvement. Not a giant leap forward but they do quadruple there interception total from a year ago with 12. That's certainly a step in the right direction. Quintin Demps and Marcus Cooper lead the way with seven combine while Amukamara matches his career high.
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