The Chicago Bears had the worst passing attack in 2022, amassing only 2,598 yards, so there’s obviously a lot of room to improve in the 2023 season.
Improving their passing game starts by adding more receiving options for quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears achieved this in the offseason by trading for star wide receiver D.J. Moore and signing tight end Robert Tonyan. These additions and the receiving talent the Bears already possess can help them become a top-ten passing attack.
First, we look at the wide receiver the Bears traded for D.J. Moore. Moore is a proven number one receiver in the NFL. He has over 1,000 receiving yards in three out of his first five seasons in the league. Moore can provide Fields with a reliable target for catching passes. Moore and Fields are already fostering a connection, as evidenced in OTAs and minicamps when Fields threw many balls Moore’s way.
The Bears also have wide receiver Darnell Mooney. The Bears drafted Mooney in 2020 and so far, he has one 1,000-yard season in 2021 when he was Fields’ number two wide receiver. Last year as the number one receiver Mooney only gathered 493 receiving yards.
An ankle injury ended his season early, which is part of the reason for his low production. Mooney has a chance to produce as he did in 2021 this year since other teams’ best cornerbacks will not be covering him.
Along with Moore and Mooney, the Bears also have wideout Chase Claypool. Whom they acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the middle of the season last year. It may not have been the best start for Claypool in Chicago, with only 14 catches for 140 yards in his first seven games, but fans and coaches should not give up on him.
In his first two years in the league, Claypool had 1,733 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. That is over 800 yards a season which is great production. His drop-off in receiving yards in his third season was not all his fault. He played with a quarterback in Ben Rothesburger, who should have retired the previous year.
Claypool’s lack of production last season is understandable because the Bears’ playbook is difficult to understand. His production should be back up this season since he has had a full off-season to learn the playbook.
Moving on to the Bears’ tight ends, Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan. Kemet has been with the Bears since 2020 and has a total of 1.399 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. Seven of the touchdowns occurred last year. Kmets most yards receiving in a season was 612 in 2021. Even though Kmet is not the most prolific receiving tight end, he has certainly been a good target for Fields the past two seasons.
As part of the Bears’ two tight end sets, Tonyan will also play tight end. Tonyan joined the team from Green Bay this offseason.Throughout his career, Tonyan has accumulated 1,437 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. His best season so far was his 2020 season, when he had 586 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
Tonyan will not need to produce 11 touchdowns to be a productive Bear. If Kmet and Tonayn can combine for 700-900 yards receiving and six touchdowns, that would be a success for the Bears.
With all these weapons, the outlook for the Chicago Bears’ 2023 passing game looks great. The only question mark is Fields passing development. However, according to reports from OTAs and minicamps, it sounds like he is making good strides.
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