With three games remaining in the Chicago Bears’ 2021 season and nothing but pride left to play for, it’s time to dive into which players have performed well despite the challenges presented this year. We’ll keep this analysis to guys who’ve either started or played a good share of the team’s snaps, and we’re using the grades from Pro Football Focus to drive the conversation.
OFFENSE
OT Jason Peters (75.8)
Who would’ve guessed that Peters, who was signed by the Bears as an emergency plug-and-play starter because of the injury to rookie Teven Jenkins, would actually be Chicago’s highest-graded player on offense? Peters looked like his best days were behind him in 2020 when he scored the worst PFF grade of his career (67.6), but he’s become one of the best stories to come out of the 2021 season. Still, it’s highly unlikely he returns to Chicago in 2022, so a tip of the cap goes to Peters for being a true professional this fall.
WR Darnell Mooney (72.7)
Lost in this year’s letdown has been the continued development of Mooney, who’s taken one step closer to being a legitimate WR1 for the Bears moving forward. There are still some issues in his game that need refinement—he’s had a few too many drops this year—and it remains something of a mystery whether he’ll be able to overcome his size limitations and emerge as a three-level threat in the passing game, but his ascent to the top of the wide receiver pecking order this year was nice to see. He’s 197 yards away from the first 1,000-yard season of his career and the arrow continues to point up for the 2020 fifth-round pick.
RB David Montgomery (72.0)
Montgomery’s hot start to the 2021 season was derailed by a knee injury about a month into it, and it’s been somewhat tough sledding for him to find consistency since his return. But there’s little doubt that Montgomery remains the heartbeat of the offense and will be critically important to the development of Justin Fields in 2022. With a new coach and offensive philosophy likely coming to Halas Hall next season, Montgomery’s usage should go way up. And when it does, he’ll garner the national respect he deserves as one of the league’s top overall running backs.
DEFENSE
SAF DeAndre Houston-Carson (78.0)
Raise your hand if you pegged Houston-Carson as a player who’d finish at or near the top of Bears defenders on PFF’s grading scale? Few analysts would’ve predicted his strong 2021 season that’s included 420 snaps and the team’s best coverage grade among key contributors. His previous career-high in total snaps was 95 (in 2020), making his emergence this year a pleasant surprise for a player whose quality reputation has come from being a core special-teamer. It’ll be interesting to see if the Bears make Houston-Carson a priority to re-sign this offseason.
OLB Robert Quinn (68.8)
This grade seems a little light, doesn’t it? Quinn is approaching the Bears’ all-time single-season sack record after recording 16 in 13 games played and has been one of the dominant pass rushers in the NFL all year. His career-high is 19 sacks way back in 2013, which makes this rebirth of a season a remarkable accomplishment for the 31-year-old edge rusher. The guy once labeled as a massive free-agent bust has proven to be worth every penny of the five-year, $70 million deal he signed in 2020.
CB Jaylon Johnson (66.1)
Johnson may be the most important player on defense for the Bears as they enter the first phase of a massive rebuild. His play has been up and down at times this season but there’s no denying he’s one of the most talented young cornerbacks in the NFL. Chicago will build its secondary around him, and for good reason. Few corners offer his combination of size, toughness, and athletic ability. He’s a stud, even if his PFF grade isn’t what was expected of him in 2021.
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