Chicago Bears: Projecting The Starters For Opening Day
By Erik Lambert
The Chicago Bears are confident they’ve put together a roster that can win some football games in 2018. It’s all about putting in the work necessary.
The praise for their offseason to this point is widespread. GM Ryan Pace along with head coach Matt Nagy conducted a disciplined and aggressive approach that saw them upgrade several positions of need built around the idea of giving their young quarterback every opportunity to excel moving forward. On paper, it looks like they did their job, but the saying never changes.
“You gotta play the games.”
That’s why the Bears need to see if their new starting lineup can match the other ones they’ll have to face this year. One can’t lie. Their schedule is filled with a lot of tough ones this year, not the least of which lies in their own division. The NFC North is always a proving ground and this team hasn’t done it for years. This time though feels like it could be different. So how does their lineup look heading towards September?
Offense:
- QB: Mitch Trubisky
- RB: Jordan Howard
- WR: Allen Robinson
- WR: Taylor Gabriel
- WR: Anthony Miller
- TE: Adam Shaheen
- LT: Charles Leno Jr.
- LG: James Daniels
- C: Cody Whitehair
- RG: Kyle Long
- RT: Bobby Massie
Defense:
- DE: Akiem Hicks
- NT: Eddie Goldman
- DE: Jonathan Bullard
- OLB: Leonard Floyd
- ILB: Danny Trevathan
- ILB: Roquan Smith
- OLB: Aaron Lynch
- CB: Kyle Fuller
- CB: Prince Amukamara
- S: Eddie Jackson
- S: Adrian Amos
This might be the easiest starter projection the Bears have had in a long time. Not since the late Urlacher period were there so few surprises. The only positions that were mildly difficult to pin down were the second defensive end spot opposite Hicks and the second outside linebacker spot opposite Floyd.
Jonathan Bullard seems like the most obvious choice. He’s been the primary backup behind Mitch Unrein since he was drafted. He showed signs of good progress in 2017. He’s ready for a chance. Aaron Lynch meanwhile is the most talented of the other experience edge rushers they currently have and has a history with Vic Fangio. It’s the most plausible.
Other impressions
It’s hard not to feel excited about the Bears skill position group. Not only is it a talented bunch that includes two former Pro Bowlers in Howard and Robinson, it’s also exceedingly young. Gabriel is the oldest at 27 and that’s by a good three years to the next closest in Robinson who doesn’t turn 25 until August. If things go as planned this group can be together for a long time.
There’s also nice stability on the offensive line. The only change from last year is Daniels replacing Josh Sitton at left guard. Every other spot features a starter who has played there since 2016. Continuity is such a big thing with offensive blocking. A bout of good health may turn this into one of the more underrated lines in the entire NFL.
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People often underestimate what adding good inside linebackers can do to a defense. So here’s an interesting nugget. In 2000 the Bears defense went from 29th to 16th upon the addition of Brian Urlacher. Four years later the Jets defense went from 21st to 7th when they took Jonathan Vilman 12th overall. Lawrence Timmons took the Steelers from 9th to 1st overall in 2007. Luke Kuechly took the Panthers from 28th to 10th in 2012. It’s a fairly consistent trend that says one thing: having good inside linebackers makes the entire defense better.