Chicago Bears 2022 season in review: Grading the defense

While 14 other teams are preparing for the playoffs, the Chicago Bears are preparing for the offseason. After losing their last 10 games and finishing with a 3-14 record, the Bears earned themselves the top pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

In addition, the Bears will have the most salary cap space in the league, somewhere north of $125 million.

Ryan Poles has a tall order to reload the Chicago Bears defense in 2023

General manager Ryan Poles set up the 2022 season as the foundation of the rebuild. He wanted to create flexibility to make whatever moves he desires. That is exactly what he accomplished. He can be in on any free agent he wants and he can trade his valuable draft picks to amass even more than the eight he currently has. This could be one of the most impactful offseason in the history of the Chicago Bears.

Before that, however, we need to review the 2022 season. Poles needs to determine which of the players currently on the roster stay and which ones have to go. When he determines that, he will know who needs to come in.

Let’s take a look at the team’s performance this season to get somewhat of an idea of what Poles may look for. Of course, only he and his staff actually know what the moves will be. This, however, is a fun way to kill the time before the new league year begins in March.