The Chicago Bears entered this offseason with one of the most explosive offenses in all of pro football. The defense, on the other hand, was an entirely different story, and it has only gotten worse through training camp.
The Bears overhauled their secondary, but Coby Bryant's injury may have thrown a huge wrench into their plans. To add insult to injury — literally — Kyler Gordon's health continues to be a major concern in the Windy City.
That's why Green Bay Packers star tight end Tucker Kraft might be licking their chops at the thought of squaring off with Dennis Allen's defense. And unless they figure things out early on in the season, that Week 5 date with the Packers might be problematic.
The Bears need to find an answer to Tucker Kraft
Cam Lewis is a solid placeholder at safety, but he's no Coby Bryant. They can also try to contain him with a strong and uber-athletic stopper like Dillon Thieneman, but he's a rookie first and foremost, so they may not want to feel comfortable leaving him on an island against such a savvy pass catcher.
Rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad has spent some time in the slot as well in training camp, but again, he's a first-year player, and he might not be big and sturdy enough to hold his ground against Tucker.
T.J. Edwards will have to step up in the middle of the second level of the defense to slow down one of the league's prime YAC players. He was in the midst of a breakout campaign before his season-ending injury forced him to miss half of the campaign.
Of course, even if Kraft is a star and has strong chemistry with Jordan Love, the Bears should still love their chances against Matt LaFleur's team. Ben Johnson seems to own him, and their defense — which may not have Micah Parsons in Week 5 — is still a work in progress under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
That said, the Bears can't bank all their hopes on outscoring their opposition. Granted, they can definitely hold their ground in a shootout, and they have the personnel to put up points in a hurry, but that's simply not sustainable.
Injuries are the worst part of the game, and losing Bryant was a huge blow after overhauling the safety corps this offseason. At least, they'll have a bit over a month to figure out a plan to stop the Packers' star playmaker.
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