ESPN dubbed this position the Chicago Bears’ X-factor in 2023

The success or failure of the Chicago Bears’ 2023 season depends on several factors. The biggest, of course, is the development and overall play of Justin Fields. If he doesn’t progress, or worse, regresses, the Bears’ season is doomed.

But fields isn’t the only X-factor determining how many games Chicago wins.

According to ESPN, the Bears’ biggest X-factor are their cornerbacks:

X factor for 2023: CBs Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson. Gordon and Johnson each allowed worse-than-average yards per coverage snap last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. And Stevenson is a rookie. But like Mike mentioned: The Bears have no pass-rush, so if this defense is going to succeed, it’s going to need a big season from its DBs.

Seth Walder, ESPN.com

It’s hard to disagree with Walder’s take. The Chicago Bears will begin the 2023 season with one of the most unproven pass-rushes in the NFL. The lack of production and experience on the edge will put more pressure on the defensive backfield to hold up against passing attacks like the Vikings’ and Lions’ in the NFC North, let alone Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Week 3.

The Bears could be in the midst of a transition at cornerback, too. Johnson is in the final year of his rookie contract, and there’s been no indication of GM Ryan Poles wanting to extend him. That leaves Gordon, whose rookie season was a mixed bag, and Stevenson, who Chicago is banking on as a starter after selecting him in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft, as the projected long-term keepers.

Johnson will be motivated to play at a high level in 2023. It’s one of the benefits the team will get from not extending him before his contract year. But if he has the best season of his career, he’ll likely price himself out of the Bears’ market. Hey, ya win some, ya lose some.

The best friend to any defensive backfield is an effective pass rush. If the Chicago Bears can’t develop their edge rushers early in the 2023 season, it may not matter who they line up at cornerback. It’ll be a long year.