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Bears Film Study: This season was a tough watch, but here are best players of 2024

Studying every Bears game in intricate detail was rough on the eyeballs this season, but not as painful as watching the news conferences.

So let's accept those small victories, help out GM Ryan Poles and unveil the final exam. Here is the list of Top 25 Bears players during the 2024 season, as chosen by Bears Film Study.

1. CB Kyler Gordon: Not a great cover corner, but the move to nickel back gave Gordon the chance to improvise and deliver some big plays. Good NFL defenses have at least one player that creates havoc, most of those fitting into the hybrid defensive end/linebacker category. Gordon becoming the Bears' version of that player from the nickel spot makes him somewhat unique.

2. LB T.J. Edwards: Poles' track record with free-agent signings has been spotty, but Edwards was a fantastic find. The Lake Villa native led the team in tackles for loss, played 99% of defensive snaps and is outperforming some of the team's high-paid stars at one-third the price.

3. DT Gervon Dexter: This lofty ranking is a combination of both performance and circumstance. The Bears let DT Justin Jones walk in free agency and lost NG Andrew Billings at midseason. With a ton on his plate, Dexter delivered in just his second pro season, tying for the team lead in QB pressures, according to pro-footballreference.com.

4. QB Caleb Williams: Yeah, the Bears were the league's worst offense by yards per game, and Williams has concerns about his ability to read defenses. At the same time, he survived a full season behind shaky protection, made some amazing throws on the run and fired some lasers in pressure situations. All things considered, an encouraging performance by the rookie.

5. CB Jaylon Johnson: Compared to his insane numbers of '23, Johnson took a step back. But one thing the Bears did do well was limit some of the league's best wide receivers. Minnesota's Justin Jefferson had two of his worst five performances against the Bears, including a season-low 2 for 27 at Soldier Field; while Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba had an eight-game streak of at last 69 receiving yards end with a 3-32 in Chicago.

6. WR D.J. Moore: This stat says it all, Moore finished 11th in the league in catches, 29th in receiving yards. Plenty to nitpick here, but Moore was the best at delivering big plays on a very flawed offense. Tagged with just 3 drops on 140 targets.

7. SS Jaquan Brisker: Had a good chance to be No. 1 on this list, but his campaign ended after five games. The biggest blunder of Bears season by a wide margin was the medical staff allowing Brisker to finish the Carolina game after a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit. He didn't play again. Two wishes moving forward — Brisker returns to full health and has the courage to retire from football if that's what's best for his long-term quality of life.

8. RB D'Andre Swift: The former Eagle finished 10th in the NFL in rushing yards, despite just 2.0 yards before contact. Only one player in the Top 20 had less room to run (Pittsburgh's Najee Harris at 1.9 YBC).

9. CB Tyrique Stevenson: How can he be this high after becoming the NFL's top meme at the end of the Washington game? Well, he was fourth on the team in tackles and his passer-rating numbers when targeted were better than Johnson's.

10. LB Tremaine Edmunds: The same description stands — good player, but a poor value at this price ($17.4 million in '24) in a league that's not paying up for the position. Very good in pass defense, but will probably never be an effective run-stuffer.

11. FS Kevin Byard: Wasn't very good in pass coverage, but was the Bears' leading tackler and finished the season strong.

12. DL DeMarcus Walker: Sometimes the best ability is availability. Walker's not a star, but he led the defensive line in snaps, tied for the team lead in QB pressures and finished ninth in overall tackles.

13. DE Montez Sweat: This is not where the Bears want their highest-paid player to land. He had 5.5 sacks, less than half of last year's total, but realistically needs a better pass rush threat on the other side to be effective.

Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen warms up during minicamp at Halas Hall in June. AP

14. WR Keenan Allen: The future Hall of Famer had his moments, but talk of Williams stepping into the greatest supporting cast of any overall No. 1 draft pick faded quickly.

15. TE Cole Kmet: His receiving numbers cratered, but the St. Viator grad has vastly improved as a blocker since his rookie year.

16. NG Andrew Billings: Another player the Bears sorely missed after he was lost to an injury at midseason.

17. WR Rome Odunze: It wouldn't be right to call his rookie season disappointing, since the Bears had two proven veterans competing for targets. Wish there were more flashes of brilliance — that line would be appropriate.

18. K Cairo Santos: Of his 4 missed field goals, two were blocked and one was a 56-yarder that came up short. Still, this was his lowest make percentage in five years with Bears.

19. DE Jacob Martin: Not a household name (he wore No. 55), but a helpful in-season pickup. Per snap played, he was more productive than Darrell Taylor.

20. S Jonathan Owens: Mr. Biles made some big plays, probably gave up more big plays, but did finish ninth on the team in tackles.

21. LB Jack Sanborn: The Lake Zurich native generally plays only first downs and special teams but hard to find any flaws.

22. RG Matt Pryor: There's no getting around it, the offensive line was not good this season and picking the best of the bunch is quite subjective. We'll go with the 332-pound masher, who was supposed to be a depth piece.

23. DT Byron Cowart: Fourth-year pro started as a rotation player and stepped up as injuries to others increased his workload.

24. (tie) RT Darnell Wright, LT Braxton Jones: Both young tackles have been solid run-blockers but get overwhelmed too often by good pass rushers.

25. P Tory Taylor: Bears improved from worst in the NFL in net putting to 19th, so “Bear Down?”

Honorable mention: DB Elijah Hicks, DB Terell Smith, RB Roschon Johnson, DB Josh Blackwell.

Chicago Bears punter Tory Taylor punts the ball during their game against the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, at Soldier Field in Chicago.
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