Grading the Bears' rookies as they enter Week 14 bye

The Chicago Bears enter their Week 14 bye battered, bruised, and somewhat defeated. They've amassed a 3-10 record and hold the second pick in the 2023 NFL draft. In other words, they're one of the NFL's worst teams this season and have slogged through three months of frustrating late-game losses and a recent rash of injuries before getting a week off.

However, all hasn't been lost in an otherwise lost season for Chicago. Justin Fields' development is exciting and has the Bears' future as bright as any team in the league. And that whole 2023 NFL Draft pick? Yeah, Chicago will land an elite talent with their first-round pick, one who's likely to elevate the defense's play next season.

But before we focus on who the Bears could add in next year's draft, let's look back at the rookies who joined the squad this year. How have they performed through the first three months of their NFL careers? Here are our grades for the Bears' main rookies entering the bye week.

AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Head of the Class - Jack Sanborn (Linebacker): A

No rookie has made a bigger impact for the Bears in 2022 than Jack Sanborn, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent from Wisconsin. His emergence as the team's top linebacker following the Roquan Smith trade has been one of the biggest positive developments for the team as they march toward the 2023 offseason. Sanborn is fifth on the Bears in tackles despite playing only 300 snaps this year. By comparison, Nicholas Morrow has logged 808 snaps but has just 25 more tackles than Sanborn.

Sanborn is the future at inside linebacker for the Chicago Bears. Forget about draft pedigree. He's the real deal and will be a fixture on defense for a long time.

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Jaquan Brisker (Safety): B+

Jaquan Brisker, like Sanborn, has established himself as a long-term starter and building block on defense during his rookie season. The second-round pick from Penn State has the second-highest PFF grade on the Bears' defense and has proven to be the ideal complement to Eddie Jackson.

Brisker ranks fourth among Bears defenders with 73 tackles and leads the team with three sacks. His numbers would be even better if he didn't miss the last two games with a concussion.

Braxton Jones (Left Tackle): B

Braxton Jones may be the most overlooked rookie in the NFL this season. The fifth-round pick from Southern Utah leads the Bears' offense in total snaps played (809) and has the third-highest PFF grade on Chicago's offense.

"Jones looks nothing short of the Bears" long-term starter at left tackle at this point," . "After allowing only one pressure against the Packers, Jones has now allowed only five pressures over his previous four games."

Jones hasn't been perfect this season, but he's played above his draft grade. Barring a surprising move in free agency, Jones will enter the 2023 season as the starting left tackle again.

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

Dominique Robinson (Edge Rusher): C

Dominique Robinson's fast start to the 2022 season has cooled quite a bit. He has just 1.5 sacks on the season.

Remember: Robinson was viewed as a developmental pass-rusher with upside when the Bears selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He created unreasonable expectations with his Week 1 performance against the San Francisco 49ers (when he recorded his 1.5 sacks). But his outlook remains the same.

Robinson's production has stalled, but his future is bright.

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Kyler Gordon (Cornerback): C

Kyler Gordon barely gets a passing grade entering the bye week. He's been better of late, but the second-rounder from Washington had a brutal start to his rookie year.

Gordon's surrendered 50 receptions on 61 targets for 615 yards and three scores through 13 games. Opposing quarterbacks are completing 82% of their passes against him for an average of 12.3 yards per catch.

The Bears have no choice but to go through Gordon's growing pains. He's an uber-athlete with the kind of twitch reserved for elite cover guys. Cornerbacks take time to adjust to the NFL game, Gordon should be OK.

Trenton Gill (Punter): C

The Bears spent a sixth-round pick on Trenton Gill, so we have to review him, right?

He's currently 20th in the league in net average yards per punt. And while that isn't great, it ranks higher than last year's starter, Pat O'Donnell. That's a win.

Gill is fine. He'll be back in 2023.

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Trestan Ebner (Running Back): D

Trestan Ebner earns a low grade because of his inability to carve out a role during Khalil Herbert's absence. Darrynton Evans was activated from the practice squad to take the reps vacated by Herbert's injury, proving Ebner isn't ready for an NFL workload, even if it's a reduced one.

Ebner has some juice and is a quality pass-catcher. But the fact he couldn't hold Evans off as the No. 3 running back puts his roster spot in 2023 in jeopardy.

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Velus Jones Jr. (Wide Receiver): D-

No rookie has disappointed more than Velus Jones in 2022. The former Tennessee Volunteer was drafted in the third round to provide the offense and special teams with field-flipping juice. And while he's flashed (a little), he's proven unreliable as a receiver and return man.

The good news for Jones is that he has four games left in the regular season to prove GM Ryan Poles made the right decision by selecting him. He'll need more reps to get there, he hasn't played more than 15 snaps in any game this season.