4 Chicago Bears players who have the most to prove in 2023

As a team and all-around organization, the Chicago Bears have a lot to prove in 2023. Ryan Poles has to establish he won’t be another in a long line of failed Bears general managers. Head Coach Matt Eberflus has to prove that a defensive coach can still lead a team in a pass-happy league to success. And many of the players must prove this year that they belong in the team’s long-term plans

There are four players, in particular, who must have at or near career-best seasons.

Let’s take a look.

Justin Fields

The Bears had the first overall pick in the 2023 draft and could have selected a quarterback. Instead, they chose to stick with incumbent Justin Fields and spent a lot of money and draft picks to put talent around him. That’s a huge vote of confidence, a move that will demand a massive return on investment in 2023.

A mediocre season could get Fields traded, especially if Bryce Young or CJ Stroud lights the world on fire.

To be clear, I don’t doubt — at all — that Justin Fields can be a great quarterback. I agree with Dan Orlovsky, who said Fields could be in the MVP conversation this year. But now is the time for him to prove it.

Jaylon Johnson

Over the last three years, Johnson has proved to be as reliable in coverage as any cornerback in the league. The only problem with his game is the lack of takeaways, an especially big problem in a defense led by Eberflus. Johnson is entering the final year of his contract, and if he doesn’t put up a few interceptions, it could be hard to convince Poles to pay him what he may think he deserves in a second contract with the Bears.

Khalil Herbert

For the first time in his career, Herbert appears set to be the Bears’ starting running back, but his game still has flaws. Most notably, he struggles with pass blocking and catching the ball. The Bears brought in D’Onta Foreman in free agency and spent a fourth-round pick on Roschon Johnson, a player that Poles seems very excited about.

That’s two explosive backs behind Herbert, who wasn’t selected by Poles. If he doesn’t improve significantly in the passing game, he could lose his starting spot in 2023 and be in danger of no longer being a Bear in 2024.

Braxton Jones

A delightful surprise for most Bears fans, the fifth-round draft pick from Southern Utah played every snap of 2022 as the starting left tackle, the only Bears offensive lineman to do so. While he did struggle at times last year, he also showed a lot of promise and improved significantly as the year went on.

But Poles appears to have improved the entire offensive line in one offseason through the draft, free agency, and shuffling some starters around. If Jones regresses or fails to show improvement, he will stick out badly for everyone to see. The Bears have two first-round picks in 2024, and there are a few elite left tackles who will be available in next year’s draft, so Jones could easily find himself replaced if he cannot take the next step in his game in 2023.