Bears: 5 players other than Justin Fields facing a make-or-break year

The Chicago Bears defense needs certain players to have good years in 2023.

Trevis Gipson needs to start racking up sacks.

Gipson had a disappointing 2022 season. He tallied just three sacks. He showed a lot of promise in 2021 when he had seven sacks and an 87 pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus.

The Bears switched from a 3-4 front to a 4-3 front and the thought would be Gipson’s numbers would improve since he played in a 4-3 defense in college.

Instead, he slumped to a 48.9 Pro Football Focus pass-rushing grade. Although, he did have a career-high 11 quarterback hits.

He needs to get home more if he hopes to earn a second contract from the Chicago Bears. Plus, Ryan Poles has not added much to the edge rushing group. DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green were signed this offseason, but they had a combined 10.5 sacks last year.

If the Bears’ pass rush is going to improve, it will have to be because Gipson bounces back while Walker & Green provide their consistent production.

Although, Poles could still sign a veteran or two before training camp. If he does that, Gipson could be on the outside looking in.

Kindle Vildor faces a training camp battle for a roster spot.

Cornerback is one of the team’s strongest positions. Jaylon Johnson is already one of the best cover corners in the game. Kyler Gordon improved every game during his rookie season.

Kindle Vildor for a moment last season showed he could be a reliable starter. For the most part, he was inconsistent. Inconsistency has been the running theme of his career.

You can also add injuries as they forced Vildor to miss six games last season.

Poles took Tyrique Stevenson in the second round. Stevenson appears to be the early leader for the starting job opposite of Johnson on the outside.

Poles also drafted Terell Smith in the fifth round. With Gordon moving to the nickel corner full-time, it means Vildor will have to compete with Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell, and Greg Stroman Jr. for the final roster spot at cornerback.

It would go a long way for him to have an impressive camp and get a few turnovers during preseason games. Otherwise, he might be another former general manager Ryan Pace draft pick that Ryan Poles cuts.