Now that the offseason is here, the Chicago Bears have a lot of decisions to make. Here are players who likely won’t return in 2024.
Now that the 2023 season is over, the Chicago Bears restart the job of trying to strengthen the roster. General Manager Ryan Poles starts Year 3 of his rebuild. He tore down the roster in Year 1. In Year 2 he started to add to it. Now, in Year 3, he has to field a competitive team.
The Bears do not just have to be competitive for competition’s sake. They have to start winning games now. That was not much of a priority in the first two years. The Bears had a pretty good team in 2023.
Yes, they finished 7-10. However, three collapses turned sure-fire wins into losses. Had they finished those games, the Bears would be in the thick of the playoffs. That cannot happen happen moving forward. They should have the talent and coaching to avoid that.
Sure, there will be frustrating games. However, having that happen three times and in games where they had a 2+ turnover advantage is unacceptable. At least it should be unacceptable as the rebuild progresses.
Poles has some big decisions to make. He will bring in more players, For that to happen, though, some current players must go. Some of these players could be popular players. Poles understands that.
Poles already made some of those tough calls. He parted ways with popular players like Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, and other popular players for the sake of the rebuild. Those decisions were met with anger in many cases. However, we see the results of a better team. Those moves were made to give Poles and the Bears flexibility to make moves.
Here are some players who likely won’t return in 2024.
Lucas Patrick, Offensive Lineman
When it comes to having former Green Bay Packers come to Chicago, things have not worked out for Poles. We saw how bad it got with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. He is now out.
Then there is the case of Lucas Patrick. Poles had high hopes for Patrick when he signed him to a two-year contract in 2022. His last two seasons in Green Bay were strong. He was the right guard but moved to center because of injuries to the Packers’ offensive line.
Patrick played well in both spots. Poles thought he’d have a player who could give the offense some flexibility. Patrick would be the starting center and, if needed, could help at guard.
Things fell apart almost from the beginning. On the first day of training camp, he got injured. After he came back, he was injured again. He missed 10 games in 2022. When he was in, he struggled.
Poles figured that the struggles were due to his injuries. He brought Patrick back for 2023 Things got worse, however. He played in 16 games, but he looked nothing like he did with Green Bay. He struggled at both center and guard. He became a liability.
Now that he is a free agent, it seems all but certain that Poles will move on from Patrick.
Velus Jones, Wide Receiver
Drafting Velus Jones in 2022 was trouble for Poles from the beginning. Many felt that he reached for him in the third round of the draft. The feeling was he was at best a fifth-round pick.
- Feed has no items.
Jones has an excess of speed. That is something that attracted Poles. He wants to have a plethora of speed and athleticism. The problem was that Jones spent six years in college yet had minimal handling of route-running.
Jones’ forte was returning. He was a killer in punt and kickoff returns. However, that did not translate in the NFL. He muffed two punts that resulted in losses in 2022. Since he could not run too many routes, he was used minimally on offense.
Things did not change in 2023. It got to the point that the Bears benched him and started looking at other receivers and returners. While he did a good job as a kickoff returner, that is not enough to keep him.
The Chicago Bears need an upgrade at receiver so Jones will be on the outside looking in.
Darnell Mooney, Wide Receiver
As mentioned before, the Chicago Bears need an upgrade at wide receiver. DJ Moore had an incredible season but there was no production at the wide receiver spot beside him. That has to change in 2024.
Darnell Mooney has been a popular player in his time in Chicago. He had 1,055 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in 2021. However, in the two seasons afterward he had a combined 907 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
Eddie Jackson, Safety
Eddie Jackson has had some great seasons with the Chicago Bears. Those seasons seem like they are in the past, though. Once an incredible ball hawk, he went through a stretch of 30 straight games without an interception.
In 2022, Jackson had a resurgence when he had 4 interceptions in 12 games. However, he got injured and missed the rest of the season. He came back in 2023 but was not the same. He still dealt with injuries.
It appears that Jackson’s body is now breaking down. Given that and his huge contract, he may be looking for a job elsewhere in 2024. If the Bears designate him as a post-June 1st cut, they will save $14.15 million. That is a big chunk of change that could be put to good use.
Teven Jenkins, Offensive Lineman
This one might make a lot of fans mad. Jenkins is a very popular player and when he is on the field he is a very good player. Therein lies the problem — he spends way too much time off the field than on it.
The Bears drafted Jenkins in the second round of the 2021 draft. He has dealt with many injuries right from the moment he became a Bear. He needed to have back surgery in his rookie season and played in only six games.
He missed four games with an injury in 2022. He also missed time in a few other games and had to miss parts of games. In 2023, he started the season on injured reserve. Late in the season, he missed another game due to a concussion.
In all, Jenkins missed 20 games in his three seasons. Yes, he is a talented lineman. However, he cannot help anyone if he spends more time in the trainer’s room or injured reserve than on the field.
The offensive line has to be a priority for the Chicago Bears this offseason. There is a question about whether the team should keep quarterback Justin Fields or use the number one pick in the draft on a quarterback. In either case, the line has to play well.
Whoever is under center has to have good protection. Having players who cannot be depended upon to stay in the lineup will not work.