Chicago Bears ceiling and floor for 2023

Coming off a 3-14 finish in 2022, the only way to go is up for the Chicago Bears this season, right? While it'd be hard for the Bears to be worse in 2023, turning things around will be a challenging task. 

Now that training camp and the preseason are in the rearview, here's the Bears' ceiling and floor heading into Week 1.

Ceiling: 9-8

The NFL is a passing league, and thus far, Justin Fields has proved to be an electric, versatile playmaker at quarterback for the Bears. However, he still needs to blossom into the field general the team needs to become a winner. With that being said, entering his third season, Fields' maturation in the passing game will likely tell the story of the Bears' season. 

The Bears have done their best to set Fields up for success. Fields now has a bonafide No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore, and the addition of veteran D'Onta Foreman and rookie Roschon Johnson has strengthened the backfield. Meanwhile, the Bears also bolstered their offensive line, adding guard Nate Davis in free agency while selecting tackle Darnell Wright 10th overall in this year's NFL Draft. 

On top of posting 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, Fields did show small growth as a passer, improving upon his poor touchdown-to-interception ratio as a rookie (7 TD/10 INT) by throwing for 17 scores while being picked off 11 times. If Fields can make another jump with some increased weaponry, the Bears could surprise.

Floor: 5-12 

There may be no clear favorite to win the NFC North, and with some breaks, the Bears could put together a miraculous turnaround from last season. However, three-win teams rarely make giant leaps so quickly. 

Fields, despite his insane abilities, is still a huge question mark, having won only five of 25 starts in the NFL. Furthermore, Fields finished with the fifth-most turnover-worthy plays (21) and the fourth-worst adjusted completion percentage (71.7), according to Pro Football Focus. This season marks a fork-in-the-road moment for the Bears and Fields. If he proves not to be the guy, Chicago could be picking high again in the 2024 NFL Draft and potentially looking for a new QB. 

Also, the Bears defense was abysmal in 2022, giving up more points per game (27.2) than any team in the NFL, and drastic improvements from that unit this year might not be feasible. Match that with an unproven offense; things could get out of hand quickly.