We have more 2022 NFL Power Rankings! This time, it's an update from ESPN after the dust has settled on the 2022 NFL Draft. Every team welcomed a new class of rookies who will offer a wide range of impacts this season, including the Chicago Bears, who drafted two starters on defense in the second round.
Cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker provide an immediate upgrade to a Bears secondary that had significant questions at both positions before draft weekend. Now, it's a position group viewed as one of the team's strengths.
Despite the defense leveling up, ESPN didn't move Chicago up or down its 2022 NFL Power Rankings. Instead, the Bears remain at No. 24.
"The Bears came away from the second round with two starting-caliber defensive backs and hope to revive their secondary off the play of rookies, including Jaquan Brisker," ESPN's Courtney Cronin wrote. "Jackson hasn't recorded an interception since the 2019 season and might stand to benefit from playing farther away from the box, with Brisker starting opposite him at strong safety. Brisker is a physical, versatile defender who played 400 snaps at safety, 100 snaps at inside linebacker and 100 snaps at slot corner in 2021 at Penn State. With this season being dubbed a 'clean slate" for Jackson, aligning him with a DB whose skill set complements his could lead him to rediscover the level of play that made him one of the league's best safeties three years ago."
The Bears have enough talent on the roster, even on offense, to finish at or near .500 this season. And if the ball bounces their way a few times, a winning record is within a reasonable range of outcomes, making rankings like these incredibly low.
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