Bears players brace for offseason of change

Guard Teven Jenkins will watch what the Bears do this offseason to know where he stands.

“It does have to do with my job, and it does affect my family a little bit,” he said Monday. “So, of course, I’m going to start paying attention a little bit.”

So will the rest of Chicago.

“There’s going to be a lot of roster turnover and rollover,” center Sam Mustipher said.

General manager Ryan Poles has $118.1 million in 2023 salary-cap room, more than $50 million more than the Falcons, who rank second in the NFL.

The Bears hold the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, a byproduct of their season-ending loss to the Vikings and the Texans’ self-immolating comeback victory against the Colts on Sunday. They also have the No. 56 overall pick — the Ravens’ second-rounder from the Roquan Smith trade — and the first pick of Round 3, No. 65 overall. The Bears would not, however, land a compensatory Round 3 pick if they lose assistant GM Ian Cunningham to a general manager position. The Titans and Cardinals are expected to interview him for their vacancies, but the draft picks only come if an outgoing executive has been with the team for two years.

Poles could end up with even more draft picks were he to trade the No. 1 overall pick to a quarterback-hungry team. That presumes the Bears aren’t one of those squads.

When he meets the media Tuesday for the first time since Oct. 24, Poles will be asked about his offseason plans — and about one player in particular: quarterback Justin Fields.

The Bears have been pleased with the development of the 2021 first-round pick this season, praising his leadership, athleticism and mindset while acknowledging the steps he still needs to take in the passing game. But Poles also has the No. 1 pick — and the ability to draft any of the top three quarterbacks in April should he so choose.

If Poles gives anything other than a full endorsement of Fields on Tuesday, it could be a sign the Bears aren’t convinced about their quarterback. Or, more likely, it could be a bluff to try to entice teams that need a quarterback to trade for the Bears’ No. 1 pick.

Landing additional picks for the top selection would help the Bears fill a roster that ranks among the worst in the NFL.

“We’re gonna get some good guys in here, man,” defensive lineman Justin Jones said. “We’re gonna do it crazy. We have a lot of good talent here already — and we’ve got a lot of good talent we’re gonna build on.”

It sounds extreme, but it’s not ridiculous to project half the Bears’ 22-man starting lineup being different next season than their most common lineup this season.

“I mean, we have a lot of cap space and a lot of opportunities in this draft, so I really don’t know how it’s going to go,” Jenkins said. “I don’t ever want to be the person to say, ‘Yeah, I have a spot.’ I don’t want to do that because I always want to stay hungry and feel like I still have to chase my job even if I have it secure.”

Change is coming.

“My job is strictly to get better, work on my skills at quarterback and ultimately get my teammates better,” Fields said. “So of course I’m going to pay attention to who we get and stuff like that, but, to be honest, I’m just focused on me right now. And everybody else that’s on the team. And just getting better with those guys.”