Five young Bears players to watch during the second half

With half the season in the books, the Bears are sitting at 3-6 and looking at an uphill climb to make the postseason. FiveThirtyEight's NFL projections give the team just a 5% chance to make the playoffs.

The remainder of the 2021 season, however, will not be about making the playoffs. In all likelihood, that ship has sailed.

No, the final eight games of 2021 will be about seeing which players can contribute to this team in 2022 and beyond. The Bears need their rookie quarterback to continue taking strides, and they need the pieces around him to do the same.

These are the five most intriguing young players to keep an eye on.

1. Justin Fields

Thanks, Captain Obvious.

There can be no other No. 1 on this list. The NFL is a quarterback league and the Bears need Justin Fields to be elite. That's going to take time.

His performances against San Francisco and Pittsburgh already showed improvement. The 49ers game highlighted his running ability. The Steelers game highlighted his passing ability, and his desire to perform in big moments.

The second half against Pittsburgh was Fields' best half of football as a pro. What the team needs now is simply more of that.

2. Larry Borom (and hopefully Teven Jenkins)

The Bears invested heavy draft capital in the tackle position. They are just starting to see it pay off. With Larry Borom back after sitting out with an ankle injury, his starts at right tackle are invaluable. The Bears need to determine if he's an option at right tackle long term, and so far the early results are promising.

When the team elected to place rookie tackle Teven Jenkins on the active roster, then injured reserve, coming out of training camp, they signaled an expectation that he will return this season. If they had immediately placed him on IR, he would've been lost for the season.

If Jenkins plays this season, still a big if, his development will be just as important as Borom's. Jenkins has been working out on the side at Bears practices and during warm ups prior to the Pittsburgh game, but he remains on IR.

3. Kindle Vildor

Let's flip gears to the defense. The Bears need second-year cornerback Kindle Vildor to step up. On a heavily veteran defense, cornerback is one of the few positions where the Bears start younger players. Jaylon Johnson has already established himself. He's good enough to be a starter in the league long term.

Vildor is another story. Every game he has his share of good plays and bad. The Bears need to see consistency from the 23-year-old. If Vildor can continue progressing - remember this is his first year as a starter - then cornerback might be one less thing they have to worry about in free agency or the draft.

4. Cole Kmet

After a mountain of touchdowns for Jimmy Graham in 2020, the tight end position has gone eerily quiet in 2021. Until Monday night against Pittsburgh.

Cole Kmet was Fields' top target Monday night. That's a positive development. In fact, he has caught four or more passes in three out of the last four games. Every good offense has a reliable tight end. The Bears need Kmet to be that.

5. Sam Mustipher

Center Sam Mustipher will be an exclusive rights free agent in the offseason, meaning if the Bears offer him a one-year deal at the league minimum, he can't negotiate with other teams.

The 25-year-old has had his share of rough moments this season. As with any offensive lineman, you tend to notice the mistakes more than the victories.

According to ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder, Mustipher lies smack dab in the middle in the advanced metrics for centers. Mustipher sports about a league average "pass block win rate" to go along with a league average "run block win rate." There's certainly room for improvement in both metrics.

The rest

I left a few guys off this list who are deserving. David Montgomery, Darnell Mooney and Jaylon Johnson come to mind. My reasoning here is because those guys are already well-established, as far as young players go.

Of that trio, I'm keeping the closest eye on Montgomery because 2022 is the final year of his rookie contract. He could be in line for an extension next summer. How he performs down the stretch of 2021, and whether he can stay healthy, will determine how much money the Bears might have to fork over in an extension.