Chicago Bears: Youth will strike gold if new leaders emerge

The Chicago Bears are a young team on both sides of the football and currently lack a proven leader in the locker room. A veteran leader must emerge for youth to strike gold and improve, otherwise the season looks grim.

No matter how poor or successful a team’s season was, there are always major offseason questions on the front burner. The NFL turns over too much for even the best teams to advance a calendar year unscathed. Let’s continue the team-by-team overview with the Chicago Bears.

Though this still feels like a young roster years away from contention, the Bears are actually on the razor’s edge here in 2018. Some of their young, highly drafted players need to start reaping benefits right now, or another rebuild will be necessary. That means new leaders must emerge for Chicago’s youth to strike gold in the wins column.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the Chicago Bears in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

Take a look through the post-2018 draft depth chart for Chicago. A top pick sits at quarterback (2017), two starting linebacker spots (2018 and 2016), and wide receiver (2015 and 2018 round two). The team made big splashes this offseason signing Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton to the offense, but Mitch Trubisky, Kevin White, and Anthony Miller — the aforementioned high picks — will still have a larger say in this unit’s success.

On defense, the secondary is the most experienced group, and even that is projected to start a second-year man at safety and has little depth beyond somewhat injury-prone starting corners. A lot hangs in the balance.

And yet that is offset by the possibly unrealistic expectations that Trubisky should be ready to lead after one season of starts. It is even more unfair to Trubisky considering the overhaul his skill players have gone through around him.

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The worst thing that can happen to Chicago is obviously if its young players don’t develop at all. However, a close second would be to witness dual progressions that don’t line up. If the front seven pieces on defense come into their own but the offense doesn’t follow suit, the Bears won’t look very good. If Trubisky and the offense then look serviceable by 2019 or 2020, where does that leave their teammates on the other side of the ball? The entire secondary and line could look vastly different by then.

Things move too quickly in the NFL for franchises to get into the weeds with planning specific progressions. They just hope young players improve. Hoping they improve at the same pace is a fool’s errand. Where does that leave the Bears? Looking like fools; that’s where.

Dan Salem:

The key to developing a young roster is having savvy veterans sprinkled throughout the offense and defense. Those veterans must also be leaders and willing to defer when the time comes. Chicago’s primary issue is leadership. We do not know which players will step up and guide this team in 2018, or if any are up to the task. Talent will develop in unison if one or two veterans galvanize the Bears. Such team building is unlikely to come from a second year player, but Trubisky may surprise us all.

Some teams full of youth scare the hell out of me, but Chicago is not one of them. I’m fairly confident that leaders will emerge over the summer and Trubisky will blossom into the offensive leader that the Bears need. I’m a big Allen Robinson fan and have yet to give up on White. Robinson can take a ton of pressure off of White, or at least that’s the hope. I also like the team’s depth at tight end, leaving unknowns on the offensive line and defense.

Considering the Bears have not had a winning season since 2012, its obvious that the fanbase is getting anxious. But the pressure is still off this team in 2018. It would shock me if they don’t improve upon their five wins of a season ago. Those five victories were an improvement upon the mere three wins in 2016. Rebuilding can be slow and with a rookie head coach, everyone must have patience. Chicago is poised to improve, but as you noted, it might not be very fast and it could get ugly at times. But I refuse to rule out the possibility that a few team leaders emerge to galvanize things and allow both offense and defense to improve together this season.

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Time will tell and the Bears do play in a tough division. The preseason will truly give us insight into the potential in Chicago this season. For now, perhaps the Bears add one more veteran in Dez Bryant. Or perhaps they stand pat and let youth be served.