Chicago Bears: Crucial, updated offseason storylines to watch closely

6. Depth all over the roster

There is more depth at some positions than others however, overall, the Bears have more depth going into 2020 than they did in 2019. When looking at positional groups that have been upgraded, tight end and offensive line automatically come to mind.

In 2019, besides quarterback, the offensive line is another positional group that regressed to the point where the Bears were forced to make two major changes. The first was switching Cody Whitehair back to center and James Daniels back to left guard. The second was having Rashaad Coward start in place of the injured Kyle Long.

As a result, deficiencies showed up and to ensure this wouldn’t happen again in 2020, investments were made in Germain Ifedi, Jason Spriggs, Arlington Hambright, Lachavious Simmons, and a new offensive line coach in Juan Castillo.

Then there are positional groups such as defensive line, where the Bears continue to invest year in and year out. Over the last few years, the Bears have done a good job of drafting and developing talent like Bilal Nichols and Roy Robertson-Harris. The latest addition to that group? 2020 fifth-round pick Trevis Gipson who had 13 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss over a four-year period at Tulsa University.

What the Bears did to shore up depth this offseason shows that they’re not just planning to have guys like Spriggs and Ifedi be here for just 2020. The goal is to revive their careers to have them play at a high level for the next few years.