Notorious NFL Critic Now Thinks Chicago Bears Are "A Year Away"

The Chicago Bears have concluded the primary portions of their NFL off-season. GM Ryan Poles was certainly active. He added several veteran free agents, including two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Then he traded the #1 overall pick to Carolina, securing wide receiver D.J. Moore and three additional picks. From there, he added ten players in the draft, headlined by big offensive tackle Darnell Wright from Tennessee. Poles emphasized the line of scrimmage, recognizing it was an area of clear weakness last season.

Not everybody loved what the Bears did, but not everybody hated it either. Pete Prisco has covered the NFL for decades as a beat writer and is now a columnist for CBS Sports. Those familiar with him know he can be a somewhat notorious cynic and hard to impress. However, it appears he is a big fan of what the Bears did. When posting his post-draft power rankings, they jumped from 32nd all the way to 23rd. Prisco believes there was no greater beneficiary of the past three months than Justin Fields.

"This is another team moving in the right direction. Justin Fields needs to improve as a passer, but they made moves this offseason to help that become a reality. They are a year away."

The Chicago Bears rebuild seems to be right on schedule.

Poles spent the first year tearing down the roster, unloading older players for draft picks and salary cap space. At the same time, he looked to add as much young talent as possible. This off-season was about building the foundation. It was time to start stockpiling potential building blocks that could get this team into the postseason in the near future. Often the easiest way to do that is through the trenches. Teams with strong lines almost always end up playing in January. Look at Philadelphia and Kansas City for confirmation.

There is also the fact the Chicago Bears have pieced together an intriguing secondary. Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker showed lots of promise last year. Now 2nd round pick Tyrique Stevenson will join them. If Fields takes the next step and the defense is even modestly better than it was last season, this team should at least double their win total from three games to six. Throw in a weaker NFC North division, and it's far from crazy to think they can show significant progress, building momentum for 2024.