• Free agency recap: Tremaine Edmunds received a four-year deal with $41.8 million in guarantees and an average of $18 million per year. Edmunds, a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, enjoyed a breakout season in 2022, leading all off-ball linebackers in coverage grade (90.0).
• Best move of the offseason: Darnell Wright should be a solid starter and at a position of significant need for the Bears, but the real prizes of the deal are D.J. Moore and the future first-round pick.
• Outlook for 2023: With two potentially high first-round picks in 2024, the 2023 season for the Bears is all about coming to a definitive decision as to whether Justin Fields is the right QB for the long haul.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
As the dust settles on the 2023 NFL offseason, it's time to assess how each team fared in their quest to improve their roster.
Recapping blockbuster trades and high-profile signings to shrewd draft selections, PFF offers an in-depth assessment of all 32 NFL teams, shedding light on the potential impact these moves may have on their fortunes in the upcoming campaign.
For more information on each team's draft selections and offseason moves, download the PFF draft guide today!
CHICAGO BEARS OFFSEASON GRADE: A-
2023 NFL Free Agency
| FA signings | FA losses |
| LB Tremaine Edmunds | RB David Montgomery (DET) |
| LB T.J. Edwards | LB Nicholas Morrow (PHI) |
| G Nate Davis | |
| ED Rasheem Green | |
| RB D’Onta Foreman | |
| DI DeMarcus Walker | |
| TE Robert Tonyan | |
| DI Andrew Billings |
Free agency recap
Entering free agency, no team had more cap space to play with than the Chicago Bears. But while they managed to lock up several top targets, they spent the bulk of their money on linebacker and guard, positions that should be valued lower.
Tremaine Edmunds was first up, receiving a four-year deal with $41.8 million in guarantees and an average of $18 million per year. Edmunds, a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, enjoyed a breakout season in 2022, leading all off-ball linebackers in coverage grade (90.0). The Bears also signed former Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards, whose 78.4 coverage grade ranked ninth at the position last season.
On the other side of the ball, the Bears signed guard Nate Davis, who gave up just three sacks and one hit in pass protection last season and has posted three straight above-average overall grades.
2023 Draft class
R1 (10): T Darnell Wright, Tennessee
R2 (53): DI Gervon Dexter Sr., Florida
R2 (56): CB Tyrique Stevenson, Miami (FL)
R3 (64): DI Zacch Pickens, South Carolina
R4 (115): RB Roschon Johnson, Texas
R4 (133): WR Tyler Scott, Cincinnati
R5 (148): LB Noah Sewell, Oregon
R5 (165): CB Terell Smith, Minnesota
R7 (218): DI Travis Bell, Kennesaw State
R7 (258): S Kendall Williamson, Stanford
2023 NFL Draft recap
The Bears traded the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft to Carolina in exchange for the ninth overall pick, the 61st overall pick, Carolina’s first-round pick next year, Carolina’s second-round pick in 2025 and wide receiver D.J. Moore.
The Bears then moved back again on draft night, this time trading down one spot with Philadelphia before taking offensive tackle Darnell Wright. Wright plays with the physicality NFL teams love and shut down Alabama's Will Anderson Jr. this past season, thanks to his ability to anchor against speed-to-power moves.
Miami (Fla.) cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was an intriguing selection in Round 2, as he allowed just 40.5% of throws into his coverage to be completed last year.
Best move of the offseason: The Trade
Wright should be a solid starter and at a position of significant need for the Bears, but the real prizes of the deal are Moore and the future first-round pick.
Moore has yet to truly break out, but he never had the stable QB play he needed in order to be a consistent force in Carolina. Last season, he forced nine missed tackles on 64 catches and came down with 54% of his contested targets.
Remaining team needs: Edge defender
Chicago focused significant draft capital on improving the defensive interior play. However, they did not add any significant pieces at edge defender, which was every bit the issue the interior was last season.
There are a number of veteran edge players still on the market — including Jadeveon Clowney, Leonard Floyd and Frank Clark — but the Bears may opt to roll with their current lineup as opposed to committing significant cap space to a short-term vet.
Early position battle to watch: Interior defensive line
The defensive interior competition in Chicago will be one of the most intriguing position battles to follow this preseason, as at least five new faces will vie for significant playing time.
DeMarcus Walker will likely garner playing time at both edge and interior but should mostly play inside on passing downs. Andrew Billings was brought in from Las Vegas to be the nose tackle, but the Bears will also look to Day 2 selections Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens for production.
Dexter made a big impact against the run at Florida last season, recording 25 run stops over the campaign, third-most in the nation. Pickens was the pass-rush specialist at South Carolina, tallying 22 total pressures in his final campaign for the Gamecocks.
The Bears dipped back into the DI well on Day 3, selecting Kennesaw State’s Travis Bell in the seventh round. Bell was an outstanding run defender in college and earned three straight run-defense grades above 80.0.
2023 Outlook
With two potentially high first-round picks in 2024, the 2023 season for the Bears is all about coming to a definitive decision as to whether Justin Fields is the right QB for the long haul.
The addition of Moore should be a huge help in terms of his development, but regardless of his final record, he will need to display better accuracy and quicker processing if he is to continue as the face of the franchise.
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