The Chicago Bears report for training camp Tuesday at Halas Hall and will hold their first practice Wednesday morning. As coach Matt Eberflus gets to work with his revamped roster, the Tribune’s writers addressed four topics surrounding the team with less than seven weeks to go until the Sept. 10 season opener.

Brad Biggs: Due.

With 25 starts through his first two seasons and a roster that has been overhauled to better support the quarterback, it’s time for Fields to take a step forward. There are plenty of positive factors that should aid the 24-year-old. Continuity with the coaching staff is no small matter. The addition of wide receiver DJ Moore and improvements on the offensive line were necessary. There was no shortage of highlight-reel plays a year ago, but the Bears — and Fields — need more consistency in 2023. The Bears hold two first-round picks next year and will need to make a decision on the fifth-year option in Fields’ contract after this season. It’s unusual for quarterbacks to arrive as elite players after Year 3. He’s in a position to transform the offense and has lofty goals for this season. There’s no question he knows the significance of Year 3 and the timing.

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Colleen Kane: Pivotal.

Or more accurately, Fields’ 2023 season is pivotal. He is in his second season in Luke Getsy’s offense. He has a No. 1 receiver to throw to in Moore. He has a (theoretically) upgraded line to protect him, though that will have to be proved, especially on rookie right tackle Darnell Wright’s end. Fields has a solid experience base from last season that included many electric plays on the ground. Now what is he going to do with all of that? Can he make the necessary strides in the passing game to elevate the offense to the next level? Can he strike the right balance in his decision-making and awareness so that he uses those incredible running skills only when needed? The answers to those questions could be pivotal for Fields’ career trajectory with the Bears.

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Dan Wiederer: Driven.

Fields understands the stakes of the next six months better than anyone. Either he makes a developmental leap in his third season and establishes himself as the Bears’ long-term answer or he struggles with his consistency and passing production and leaves Chicago in a perpetual tug-of-war between hope and doubt. Fields spent his offseason pushing himself and his teammates and believes a second season in Getsy’s system will propel him. His speed and athleticism will remain on display as he stresses defenses as one of the league’s most electric runners. But to become one of the game’s best quarterbacks, Fields has to become more comfortable and purposeful in the pocket, picking defenses apart with his vision, decision making and passing precision. A big season for the offense could position Fields for a massive contract extension while establishing the Bears as a dangerous playoff threat for the next half-decade or longer. Prolonged stretches of struggle, however, will create the all-too-familiar Halas Hall headache of having to consider a new direction. Fields knows all of this but is using his Type A wiring and drive to focus on each day’s improvements.

Brad Biggs: Be better across the board.

The Bears were at or near the bottom of the league in way too many key categories. The unit wasn’t good to begin the season and was worse after the Roquan Smith trade. Where to start? Well, everywhere. The pass rush could remain an issue — and that’s a big one — but general manager Ryan Poles has done a lot of work to improve the unit and the contributions young players made in the secondary a year ago shouldn’t be overlooked. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams and his players need to do a better job of eliminating explosive plays. Opponents averaged 7.98 yards per pass attempt last season. The unit is better at linebacker with the additions of Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, and a host of young players on the line will be interesting to watch. Matt Eberflus’ defense did a decent job creating takeaways in Year 1, but everything else needs improvement.

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Colleen Kane: Get to the quarterback more.

It’s the obvious answer given that the Bears had a league-low 20 sacks in 2022, and getting after the quarterback should help them increase takeaways too. The question is: Do they have the players to get it done? Bears fans have been waiting all offseason for Poles to add a veteran to the edge-rushing group that includes veteran newcomers DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green and returnees Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson. Poles invested more heavily in linebackers in free agency and in interior defensive linemen and cornerbacks in the draft. He noted more than once he wasn’t going to rebuild the entire defense this offseason, so bigger investments in edge rushers could come in spring 2024. Until then, the Bears need to create more pressure with what they have, including a pair of intriguing rookie tackles in Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens.

Dan Wiederer: Establish a pass rush.

The NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles threatened the single-season record for sacks with 70 a year ago, using their talented and attacking defense to reach the Super Bowl. The Bears lost 14 games and wound up with the No. 1 draft pick thanks in big part to a defense that left quarterbacks with few fears. They managed only 20 sacks and just 10 1/2 from linemen, and it was no coincidence they allowed an average of 408 yards and 33.1 points during a woeful 10-game skid to end the season. Can Gipson reignite his career in the final year of his rookie contract? Will free-agent signee Walker back up his bark with some bite? Might Robinson take the next step in his growth? Is Poles willing to stretch his spending wishes to add a veteran pass rusher before Week 1? Like many things with the 2023 Bears, those are a handful of “We’ll see” questions. And the answers will go a long way toward establishing the defense’s direction.

Brad Biggs: … besides Justin Fields?

You could fill two or three paragraphs with names here. Who doesn’t have a lot to prove coming off a three-win season? The most obvious non-Fields answer is Chase Claypool. The Bears traded for him at the deadline with the idea he would be a big asset for Fields. The passing offense didn’t get any better and the Pittsburgh Steelers passing offense didn’t get any worse. Talk about a nonfactor when you remove from the equation the second-round pick the Bears traded to get Claypool. Claypool was learning a new offense on the fly and got a little banged up. He should be comfortable in the system, although he missed a good chunk of the offseason program with what Eberflus called multiple soft-tissue injuries. The Bears placed Claypool on the physically unable to perform list Sunday, then removed him Monday. Forget about who wins or loses the trade. There’s a ton to prove for a player in a contract year. Remember, last summer Claypool talked about being one of the top-paid receivers in the league.

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Colleen Kane: The wide receivers behind DJ Moore.

As we all mentioned last month, Moore turned heads during offseason practices, and the Bears know what they are getting in the proven producer. But after him are a lot of unknowns. Darnell Mooney doesn’t need to prove his talent or work ethic, but he will want to show he’s good to go after recovering from a left ankle injury that cut his 2022 season short. What the Bears will get this year out of Claypool is among the biggest questions because he turned in a subpar performance in 2022 after joining the team midseason. Then, after missing some offseason practices with minor injuries, he went on the PUP list for one day, bringing into question what he can accomplish early in camp. Veterans Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis, second-year player Velus Jones Jr. and rookie Tyler Scott will be working to stay in the mix, with Pettis, Jones and Scott also looking to show their worth in the return game.

Dan Wiederer: Chase Claypool.

We all know what the Bears invested to acquire Claypool in November, trading what turned out to be the No. 32 pick to the Steelers to get Fields another weapon. But in seven games in Chicago, Claypool barely produced — 14 catches, 140 yards, zero touchdowns — battled injuries and frustrated some within the organization with his emotional volatility. Then this spring, he missed nearly a month of organized team activities and minicamp practices with an undisclosed soft-tissue injury. And on Sunday he was designated as “physically unable to perform,” although the Bears removed him Monday. Had Claypool shown enough to convince Poles and the front office he was a building block in their long-term plans, the Bears wouldn’t have had to target Moore in their trade of the No. 1 pick in March and instead would be heading into 2023 with a feeling that Claypool could be an every-week playmaker. Instead, Claypool is being challenged to improve his rapport with Fields and show he can a reliable producer and steady teammate. The first step is having a productive camp with no more interruptions.

Brad Biggs: That he can win more games.

The roster is better and the Bears should be in a lot more competitive games this season. They were 1-7 in one-score games last season and 1-3 in games decided by a field goal, almost all of them coming in the first half of the season. A young roster needs to learn how to win, but the decisions made by Eberflus and his staff will be magnified in close games.

Colleen Kane: That his team is progressing.

Eberflus and his staff rightfully were given a bit of a pass for a 3-14 season. The roster they were coaching in 2022 wasn’t expected to do much. The midseason excitement Fields brought to the offense and the hoopla surrounding the Bears securing the No. 1 draft pick cushioned the blow of a season that ended on a 10-game losing streak. Public messiness and lack of effort — things that can come up during such bad seasons — weren’t much of an issue, and that certainly helped public perception too. But goodwill can last only so long for a coaching staff. Plain and simple, with Poles making upgrades at multiple positions, the Bears need to show progress on offense and defense. Maybe they don’t need to be a playoff team yet, but they need to show they are much closer.

Dan Wiederer: To show an upward arc.

Sounds basic, sure. But how much do we really know at this point about Eberflus’ ability to lift a team to new heights? As much as he has talked about the “foundational floor” that was established in 2022 with the players buying into his HITS principle and developing an understanding of the daily expectations of his effort-based culture, the Bears finished Eberflus’ first season with more losses than any team in franchise history and will open this season 321 days removed from their last victory. A talent-deficient defense got shredded last season, and the offense was inconsistent at best and unable to regularly win close games. The Bears spent the offseason improving their roster and molding the players they already had. This season will be a major test of Eberflus’ growth and leadership ability.

Originally Published: Jul 24, 2023 at 12:13 pm