Bears quarterback Justin Fields throws during the 4th quarter against the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 24, 2021. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune, Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has a busy few months ahead to rework his roster.
As he prepares to make big decisions at multiple positions, here’s a look at how the 2022 Bears performed and each player’s contract status moving forward, starting with the offense.
Justin Fields, quarterback
Contract status: Entering third year of rookie contract with fifth-year option available.
What to know: Poles made it clear at his end-of-season news conference that the Bears plan for Fields to be their starter in 2023, noting he would have to be “absolutely blown away” by a quarterback prospect to draft him with the No. 1 pick. So Year 2 of the Fields-Luke Getsy pairing will be all about continued improvement in the passing game after Fields threw for 2,242 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while running for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns. And the players the Bears put in place around Fields will be a big factor in that improvement.
Trevor Siemian, quarterback
Contract status: Entering final year of two-year contract.
What to know: Siemian was called into action for only one start against the New York Jets when Fields was recovering from a separated left shoulder. And Siemian’s performance was hindered even before the game when he injured his oblique in warmups. He still played, completing 14 of 25 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but went on injured reserve the following week to have oblique surgery.
Nathan Peterman, quarterback
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: The third-string quarterback appeared in three games, making one start in the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings after the Bears shut down Fields. Peterman rotated with fourth-stringer Tim Boyle in that game and completed 11 of 19 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Darnell Mooney, wide receiver
Contract status: Entering final year of rookie contract.
What to know: The Bears said they hope Mooney can return to the field in the spring after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 12. Mooney — and the Bears offense in general in its first year under Getsy — had a slow start to the season. He had 10 catches for 173 yards over the first five games before finishing with 40 catches for 493 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. But if Mooney’s injury rehab continues positively, the Bears should have reason to expect more from him in 2023.
Chase Claypool, wide receiver
Contract status: Entering final year of rookie contract.
What to know: Poles stated his belief last month that the Bears will benefit from Claypool’s talent next season despite a “choppy” start with the team. In seven games after joining the Bears from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Claypool had just 14 catches for 140 yards. Poles chalked up the rough start to getting acclimated to the offense and injuries to Fields and Claypool. Poles expects more time building chemistry with Fields also could help Claypool. As for a possible contract extension, Poles said the Bears will start with seeing how the offseason goes.
Equanimeous St. Brown, wide receiver
Contract status: Signed a one-year contract for 2023 in January.
What to know: The Bears and St. Brown moved to extend their partnership even before the season was up. Coach Matt Eberflus talked about St. Brown’s work ethic on the practice field and his blocking as factors that don’t show up in St. Brown’s stat line of 21 catches for 323 yards and a touchdown in 16 games. Wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert mentioned St. Brown’s reliability. St. Brown’s familiarity with Getsy after their time together with the Green Bay Packers also was beneficial in 2022.
Byron Pringle, wide receiver
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: Poles was familiar with Pringle from their time together in Kansas City, and that led to the Bears signing Pringle to a one-year, $4.125 million contract last offseason. But Pringle had just 10 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games in 2022, missing some games with injuries — not the production for which the Bears were hoping.
Velus Jones Jr., wide receiver
Contract status: Entering second year of rookie contract.
What to know: Poles drafted Jones in the third round out of Tennessee last spring, but Jones’ production didn’t match up to his draft status in his rookie season. He had five punt returns for 35 yards before the Bears stripped him of those responsibilities for muffing two punts. He had flashes of brilliance during his 22 kickoff returns for 607 yards (27.6 average). And his offensive production was limited, with nine carries for 103 yards and a touchdown and seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in 12 games.
Dante Pettis, wide receiver
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: Pettis was a cheap addition last year on a one-year, $1 million deal. He caught 19 passes on 41 targets (46%) for 245 yards and three touchdowns. He also stepped in to return punts, with 18 for 163 yards (9.1 average).
N’Keal Harry, wide receiver
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: The Bears traded a 2024 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots for Harry, a 2019 first-round pick, but his Chicago tenure got off to a bad start when he suffered a high ankle sprain that required tightrope surgery in training camp. He played in seven games and finished with seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
David Montgomery, running back
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: Montgomery said he would love to play in Chicago in 2023 after he totaled 201 carries for 801 yards and five touchdowns and 34 catches for 316 yards and a touchdown. Poles declared himself “a big David Montgomery fan” just last month, praising the fight and tenacity of the 2019 third-round pick. But Poles also noted the Bears and Montgomery need to see if they match on the contract side in a year in which a lot of good running backs could be on the market.
Khalil Herbert, running back
Contract status: Entering third year of rookie contract.
What to know: Despite a hip injury, Herbert put together a solid season on the ground with 129 carries for 731 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. The 2021 sixth-round pick wasn’t as much of a factor in the passing game as Montgomery — he had nine catches for 57 yards and a touchdown — but his 5.7 yards per carry was the NFL’s best average among running backs.
Darrynton Evans, running back
Contract status: Restricted free agent.
What to know: He played in six games after the Bears signed him to a one-year contract and totaled 14 carries for 64 yards in a three-game stretch in November and December.
Trestan Ebner, running back
Contract status: Entering second year of rookie contract.
What to know: The 2022 sixth-round pick had 24 carries for 54 yards and two catches for 8 yards. He also returned 10 kickoffs for 226 yards.
Khari Blasingame, fullback
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: As the fullback for the best rushing offense in the NFL, Blasingame played 174 offensive snaps and 215 special teams snaps.
Cole Kmet, tight end
Contract status: Entering final year of rookie contract.
What to know: Kmet is among the players who could be looking at a contract extension before next season after Poles said the 2020 second-rounder elevated his game. Eberflus also has raved about Kmet’s contributions, which included 50 catches for 544 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s five more touchdowns than he had in his first two seasons combined.
Ryan Griffin, tight end
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: Griffin, a 10-year veteran, played on a one-year, $2.25 million deal and was on offense for 159 snaps and on special teams for 175. Primarily a blocking tight end, he also had four catches for 26 yards.
Trevon Wesco, tight end
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: The fourth-year NFL player logged 181 snaps on offense and had two catches for 26 yards.
Braxton Jones, offensive line
Contract status: Entering second year of rookie contract.
What to know: The 2022 fifth-round pick played every snap at left tackle, a feat Poles praised given that rookies have packed offseasons leading up to the draft. Jones is focused on improving his lower-body strength to better handle bull rushes and working on consistency with his technique this offseason. But Poles said Jones is wired right mentally and hopes with those improvements he can contribute to the Bears for a long time.
Cody Whitehair, offensive line
Contract status: Has two years remaining on his five-year contract extension.
What to know: Whitehair missed just two games over his first six years in Chicago, but he sat out five in 2022, including four at midseason with a knee injury. It will be worth watching to see if the Bears value his veteran presence over saving a little money by cutting him.
Lucas Patrick, offensive line
Contract status: Entering final year of two-year contract.
What to know: Poles’ major free-agent offensive line addition in 2022 played in just seven games because of injuries. He dealt with a hand injury in training camp that caused the Bears to move him from center to guard and limit his snaps early in the season. Then he suffered a season-ending toe injury that kept him out of the final 10 games.
Sam Mustipher, offensive line
Contract status: Restricted free agent.
What to know: Because of the injuries to Patrick and Whitehair, Mutsipher played all but a handful of snaps at center after playing in all 17 games in 2021. He has been with the Bears since he was an undrafted rookie on the 2019 practice squad.
Teven Jenkins, offensive line
Contract status: Entering third year of rookie contract.
What to know: Jenkins’ move from tackle to right guard was a success, especially considering there was talk over the summer of whether the new Bears regime wanted to trade him. But it’s hard to call his season a success simply because he missed significant time with injuries. He played in 13 games but was limited in snaps in six of those. Consistency in getting on the field will be big for him moving forward.
Riley Reiff, offensive line
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: Poles singled out Reiff, an 11-year veteran, in his season-ending news conference, saying he did more than people knew for the mentality and physicality of the offensive line and crediting him for helping the Bears run the ball so well. Reiff started the final 10 games at right tackle after the Bears benched Larry Borom.
Michael Schofield, offensive line
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent.
What to know: The Chicago-area native and eight-year NFL veteran was needed as a fill-in starter because of the many injuries on the offensive line. He started five games and played in 11.
Larry Borom, offensive line
Contract status: Entering third year of rookie contract.
What to know: Borom started the first seven games at right tackle before the Bears turned to Reiff to shore up their pass protection. The 2021 fifth-round pick also played guard late in the year.
Alex Leatherwood, offensive line
Contract status: Entering third year of rookie contract.
What to know: The Bears claimed Leatherwood off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders at the end of August. He was an intriguing addition because he was the No. 17 pick in the 2021 draft but also a clear project considering the Raiders moved on from him as quickly as they did. Leatherwood missed time early in the season with mononucleosis and appeared in only four games.
Other notable players
Among rookies, offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter saw action in three games, center Doug Kramer missed the season with a foot injury, tight end Jake Tonges played in four games and tight end Chase Allen played in one. … Offensive lineman Dieter Eiselen, who has been with the Bears since 2020 and played in 11 games, is an exclusive-rights free agent. …. Offensive lineman Dakota Dozier, who didn’t play because of a knee injury, is an unrestricted free agent. … Quarterback Tim Boyle, who played in the season finale, is an unrestricted free agent.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service