All salary cap information included in this article is via Spotrac.

The Chicago Bears are in an interesting position this offseason. Not only do they have the number one pick in the NFL Draft, but they also have nearly $100 Million in cap space. The surplus of money that they have gives them lots of flexibility to do what they please.

While Chicago has the opportunity to be a pretty solid team in the future, they still have some question marks heading into the 2023 off-season. Is Justin Fields the franchise quarterback? What will they do with their wide receiver corps? How will they reshape their defense?

Sitting at the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears have many options. Assuming that the Bears stick with Fields and let him continue to develop, is selecting one player (Likely Will Anderson Jr or Jalen Carter) even worth it when you could trade back and accumulate more assets?

For example, the Raiders need a quarterback. Let’s say, hypothetically, Las Vegas calls the Colts to trade up to the number one overall pick. The Raiders offer the seventh overall pick, two additional first-round picks, and a Day 3 pick. Maybe the Bears have a player that they love that’s going to fall to pick number seven anyway. Not only would they get their guy — they would get two more future first-round picks.

If the Bears decide to keep the pick, they can go a few different ways. One of the ways — the more likely of the two — would be drafting the top non-quarterback prospect on their board. As previously mentioned, that would likely be Chicago selecting Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter.

The other route that the Bears could take is selecting their top quarterback prospect with the first overall pick. If Chicago decides that Justin Fields is not their quarterback of the future, they can simply select one in the Draft. I get the sense that the Bears will give Fields more time, but anything can happen and if they fall in love with a quarterback prospect, maybe they will pivot from Fields.

The Bears have a few key free agents. Some of their top free agents include David Montgomery, Byron Pringle, Nathan Peterman, and Riley Reiff.

David Montgomery is an interesting case. He’s 25 years old and has shown upside in his four seasons with the Bears. Montgomery is projected to get a contract of more than $6 Million per season this offseason.

Chicago also has Khalil Herbert, though — a younger and much cheaper option. Herbert is under contract through the next two seasons, making around $1 million per year.

If the Bears opt against bringing Montgomery back, they will likely take a look at running backs in the NFL Draft in order to supplement Herbert in the backfield.

One of the other most talked about positions on the Bears is their receiving corps. Chicago traded a second-round pick at the trade deadline in exchange for Chase Claypool. Claypool wasn’t targeted much after he was traded and has been labeled as a “disappointment” by some.

Velus Jones, who will be a second-year player in the 2023-24 season, showed some signs of potential last season and will likely be utilized more.

The Bears’ other notable receivers include Darnell Money and Equanimeous St. Brown. Chicago will likely go after one of the top free-agent wide receivers with their nearly $100 million in money flexibility.

Some of the top free agents at wide receiver — JuJu Smith-Schuster, Allen Lazard, DJ Chark, and Jakobi Meyers.

While those guys aren’t $20 million per season caliber, you may be surprised at the money they command. Christian Kirk reset the wide receiver market last season by signing a 4-year, $72 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While Kirk did prove his value, the contract seemed absurd to some around the league when it was signed.

Chicago’s offensive line is well-rounded. In 2022, they were ranked the seventh-best run-blocking group in the NFL. Offensive Guard Teven Jenkins has proven himself as a standout at the position.

As for the defense, Chicago will be re-tooling. At the trade deadline last season, the Bears traded away Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn to the Ravens and Eagles respectively. They acquired all 2023 picks — a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and a fifth-round pick.

On the defensive end of the ball, Chicago is very, very young. They only had three players in 2022 over the age of 30 (excluding Quinn and Smith).

Chicago will likely look to improve and solidify their defensive line and linebackers while continuing to bolster their secondary.

Anderson and Carter, as mentioned earlier, could be potential top targets in the NFL Draft.

Dalvin Tomlinson, Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney, and Matthew Ioannidis could be potential big-name defensive line free-agent targets. Some of the top potential free-agent targets at linebacker include Deion Jones, Lavonte David, Devin Bush, and Tremaine Edmunds.

If Chicago can make the correct splashes on the offensive and defensive side of the ball this off-season, they will be a team to watch in the coming years.

One move isn’t going to change the trajectory of the Chicago Bears franchise. It’s going to take consistent drafting and free-agent signings in order to put the Bears into the playoffs. The last time a Chicago team made it to the postseason — 2020, where they lost in the Wild Card.