The Chicago Bears will enter the upcoming 2021-22 campaign in a very interesting spot.
The NFC North franchise isn’t quite there, but by no means are the Bears in line to tank the season away.
In fact, the Bears have a legitimate shot at pairing a tremendous defense with a young quarterback and formidable offensive attack, making the 2021-22 season one to remember.
Even though the Bears should not be considered as Super Bowl contenders this season, it will be interesting to see how head coach Matt Nagy enters life after quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
The Bears now have a new quarterback of the future: former Ohio State Buckeyes standout Justin Fields. Chicago must capitalize on his development and not miss out on a chance to win with a top-tier defense.
With all of this in mind, Nagy will surely be forced to make a few tough roster decisions in the coming weeks. Not only do Nagy and the Bears’ front office have some difficult choices to make before Week 1’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, but they have to make those moves at some key positions. Depth is no doubt a great thing to benefit from in the NFL, but pushing the right buttons will be vital for the Bears’ success in 2021-22.
Bears Roster Questions:
Andy Dalton, Quarterback / Justin Fields, Quarterback
The Chicago Bears signed former Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton, immediately tabbing the longtime NFL signal-caller as the team’s starter under center. However, Chicago then selected former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, which has unsurprisingly sparked quite the discussion in the Windy City.
Even with Dalton starting the team’s first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins this past weekend, it was Fields who promptly stole the show. After Dalton went 2-for-4 for 18 yards through the air and failed to register a first down, the 22-year-old Fields went 14-for-20 for 142 passing yards and a touchdown, good for a 106.7 passer rating. The rookie also added five rushing attempts for another 33 yards and one more touchdown, leading the Bears to a 20-13 comeback win over the Dolphins.
The 33-year-old Dalton previously spent his NFL playing career with the Bengals before joining Cowboys for one season in 2020-21. A second-round pick by the Bengals out of TCU back in 2011, the three-time Pro Bowler has produced 218 touchdowns and 126 interceptions in the pros, throwing for almost 34,000 yards.
A proven winner prior to his time with the Bears, Fields spent the early portion of his collegiate tenure at Georgia before breaking out at Ohio State. The 2019 Big Ten Championship Game MVP, Fields was a second-team All–American in 2019-20 and a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection with the Buckeyes.
Even with veteran quarterback Nick Foles floating around the Bears’ roster, this is no doubt a two-man race between Dalton and Fields. While Bears head coach Matt Nagy continues to insist that Dalton will be under center in Week 1, there is surely a chance Fields swoops in before the end of the preseason.
Jason Peters, Offensive Tackle / Teven Jenkins, Offensive Tackle
With offensive tackles Germain Ifedi and Elijah Wilkinson manning the right side for the Chicago Bears, one of two options will handle the left side in Week 1 in 2021. The Bears selected Teven Jenkins, a former Oklahoma State Cowboys offensive tackle, with the 39th pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, which initially slotted the 6’6,” 320-pound blocker as the team’s starting left tackle.
However, the Bears have since signed longtime Philadelphia Eagles and former Buffalo Bills left tackle Jason Peters, making things a bit cloudy for Jenkins.
The 23-year-old Jenkins was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in his final collegiate season in 2020. He initially redshirted as a result of his true freshman season before appearing in 12 games with three starts the next season. Jenkins was then named the Cowboys’ starting right tackle ahead of his redshirt sophomore season and was tabbed as an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection the next year, starting all 13 of the team’s contests.
The Bears newcomer was once again tabbed as an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection after his redshirt junior season, starting every game he appeared in that season.
Thanks to his versatility, size and ability to play on both the left and right sides, the Bears inked Jenkins to a four-year rookie contract this offseason.
The 39-year-old Peters stands at 6’4′” while weighing nearly 330 pounds. With 17 years in NFL under his belt with the Bills and Eagles, Peters has appeared in 213 career games, 203 of them being starts. Undrafted out of Arkansas back in 2004, Peters was a Super Bowl LII champion as a member of the Eagles. A nine-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro and four-time second-team All-Pro selection, Peters is also a member of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
However, Peters isn’t getting any younger and has been hampered by major injuries throughout the latter portion of his professional playing career. In addition to some trouble with his knees, Peters underwent big toe surgery last season and was placed on injured reserve by the Eagles in October 2020. Returning a month or so later, he was then placed on injured reserve once again in December with his season and Eagles tenure coming to an end.
It may be worth giving Peters a shot early on thanks to his body of work throughout his career, but Jenkins absolutely needs to remain ready to enter the fold sooner rather than later. Because of Peters’ age and his injury history, the up-and-coming Jenkins has a very good shot at becoming the team’s starting left tackle as a rookie in 2021.
