The 10 Most Important Chicago Bears of 2022

A year ago the Chicago Bears were coming off a .500 record and a playoff appearance, but the franchise was directionless as general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy seemed to have different visions on what the team should be. They acted as if the team was on the upswing while dipping their toe into a rebuild mode at some positions. The Pace/Nagy disconnect filtered through to the players as the product on the field was disjointed as well.

But the 2022 Bears know exactly who they are. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have a plan, and they are in lockstep thus far. They are building towards the 2023 season by giving plenty of young players a long look, but if the new offensive and defensive schemes come together it is possible the team could surprise.

If the individuals on our annual Ten Most Important Bears list all come through in a big way, then maybe, perhaps, possibly... they could be playing competitive football by season’s end.

Importance is subjective, so here are some of the things we look for when compiling the list.

What potential impact they may have, how much the team will look to the individual for guidance or leadership, how badly the team would suffer if they lost the player to injury, and other intangible attributes.

Here’s the full list!

10) Trevis Gipson

9) David Montgomery, RB

8) Nicholas Morrow, LB

7) Cole Kmet, TE

6) Jaquan Brisker, S

5) Jaylon Johnson, CB

4) Darnell Mooney, WR

3) The Offensive Line (yep, all of them)

2) Luke Getsy

1) Justin Fields

Check out the full story stream below for each individual write up!