The State of the Bears

For this article, I am offering as little analysis as possible. Instead, I simply gathered numbers available from Spotrac, Tankathon, Pro Football Reference, SportsMuse, and Over The Cap. In the case of conflict, I went with the source that offered a more detailed breakdown of how their numbers were determined and that matched what could be confirmed independently. This is how the league stands as the Chicago Bears prepare for their next era, and this is where the Bears stand in regards to the league.

3-Year Win Average

Calculated by looking at total wins over three years and dividing by 3; ties are not included in any way (this is wins only, not winning percentage).

The League: Mean 8.16 wins, Median 8.33 wins

Chicago: 7.33 (Rank 20th-21st)

Most: 13 wins (Packers)

Fewest: 3.3 wins (Jaguars)

Total Draft Picks

Only includes picks as of Monday, January 10th, and therefore excludes any trades that might happen before the draft. Draft order is based on current seeding in the playoffs.

The League: Mean 8.1 picks, Median 8 picks

Chicago: 5 (Rank 31st-32nd)

Most: 12 (Jaguars)

Fewest: 5 (Bears and Patriots)

Highest Pick

As above, based on current seeding.

The League: Mean #22.7, Median #20.5

Chicago: #39 (Rank 28th)

Best: 1 (Jaguars)

Worst: 101 (Rams)

Number of Top 50 Picks

The League: Mean 1.56 picks, Median 1 pick

Chicago: 1 (Rank 17th-30th)

Most: 4 (Jets)

Fewest: 0 (Rams/49ers)

Johnson Value Draft Power

Using the Calculator Soup tool, based on expected picks and position as of January 10th, in terms of total points on the Johnson chart.

The League: Mean 1899.55 points, Median 1449.85

Chicago: 828.2 (Rank 29th)

Best: 4621 (Jets)

Worst: 182.15 (Rams)

Stuart Value Draft Power

Based on the tool at Football Perspective and based on position as of January 10th, determined by looking at expected return value, not trade value.

The League: Mean 43.94 points, Median 38.63

Chicago: 25.8 (Rank 29th)

Best: 91.1 (Jets)

Worst: 11.9 (Rams)

Players Under Contract in 2022

Determined by looking at players under contract in 2022 and removing players with void years and those with prorated roster bonuses who are not actually signed to play in 2020. These totals do not include RFAs or ERFAs, both categories would still need to be signed to contracts and incur additional spending.

The League: Mean 37.7, Median 37

Chicago: 27 (Rank 32nd)

Most: 46 (Patriots)

Worst: 27 (Chicago)

Pro Bowlers Under Contract

Based on the Pro Bowl roster as of January 10th, 2022 and cross-references at Spotrac and Over The Cap.

The League: Mean 1.91, Median 2

Chicago: 1 (Rank 19th-25th)

Best: 5 (49ers)

Worst: 0 (7 teams)

Salary Cap Space

Based on totals reported by Spotrac.

The League: Mean $28.38mil, Median $32.85mil

Chicago: 11 ($42.8mil)

Best: $75mil (Dolphins)

Worst: -$61.6mil (Saints)

Salary Room per Opening

Based on looking at actual cap space and dividing by the number of roster openings needed to be filled to reach 51.

The League: Mean $1.97mil/spot, Median $2.13mil

Chicago: $1.78mil/spot (20th)

Best: $6.77mil/spot (Jets)

Worst: -$4.4mil/spot (Saints)

This information is not a commentary. Instead, it is intended to help inform fans of the Chicago Bears regarding the current state of the franchise as it compares to the league.