One media outlet does not think the Bears have improved all that much.
The Bears have been busy this off-season.
The team started by trading the number-one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for a collection of picks and star receiver DJ Moore.
GM Ryan Poles then made a series of smart moves, including the addition of G Nate Davis and LB Tremaine Edmunds. With these moves, expectations are quickly rising around the Bears.
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Pro Football Network recently revealed a set of post-free agency power rankings.
In these rankings, the Bears were at the 22nd spot. This seems incredibly low given the on-paper improvements made to this point.
The Bears were included in "Tier 4" of teams, which is described as "teams who have a path, but it's dimly lit."
Regarding the Bears' ranking, PFN had this to say:
Speaking of linebacker, hello, Chicago. Adding T.J. Edwards for just $6.5 million annually was a nice move for a linebacker coming off a career year. Spending $18 million annually for Tremaine Edmunds is a lot to process, but he has some of the highest upside in the entire NFL.
Obviously, the trade with Carolina should get a ton of attention. Getting DJ Moore as part of the deal was incredible for Justin Fields and the Bears’ passing attack, which has been underwhelming… forever.
Paying $5.5 million for Travis Homer and D’Onta Foreman instead of paying David Montgomery $6 million is a peculiar decision, but they required shorter deals that take up very little of Chicago’s abundant cap space.
Edmunds was an expensive addition, but there are three other off-ball linebackers in the league who have more guaranteed money than Edmunds. CJ Mosley, Roquan Smith, and Shaquille Leonard all received more guaranteed money than Edmunds.
As for the running backs, the Homer deal makes sense because of his special teams prowess. Foreman has looked like a capable back when given opportunities.
As the lead back in Carolina after the trade of Christian McCaffrey, Foreman finished 2022 with 914 rushing yards and five rushing TDs. Foreman is definitely worth a flier, and it's still possible that the Bears add another RB in the draft.
It is undeniable that the Bears have already vastly improved this off-season. This is even before the 2023 NFL Draft, in which the Bears will have 10 picks to work with.
We aren't saying the Bears are a playoff team, but improvement seems guaranteed.
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