The Chicago Bears have been on the upswing for the past two months. Several players have made big contributions along the way, helping the team to go 7-5 in their last 12 games. That meant there could be a good opportunity for some of them to crack the Pro Bowl roster this year. It hasn’t been something this organization has been great at in recent years. Thankfully, they got some love from voters as defensive end Montez Sweat and cornerback Jaylon Johnson earned their first honors, respectively.
Both men have played a pivotal role in turning around the Bears defense this season. Johnson has four interceptions and nearly had several others. His coverage has been suffocating all year. Chicago acquired Sweat via trade in October for a 2nd round pick. He’s compiled six sacks and 14 quarterback hits in his first eight games. The guy has been an absolute beast. Credit must go to GM Ryan Poles for making that acquisition despite lots of criticism from the media.
Despite this great news, the Chicago Bears got shortchanged.
Sweat and Johnson absolutely deserved to get nods. However, they weren’t the only ones. Two other notable names got snubbed in a big way. One was linebacker T.J. Edwards. The free agent from Philadelphia has been phenomenal all season. He has 145 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three interceptions this season. Those are almost identical to former Bears linebacker Roquan Smith, who happened to make the Pro Bowl himself. The other is wide receiver D.J. Moore. He has 1,300 yards this season and eight touchdowns. Both are career highs. Sadly they weren’t enough to get him over the hump.
Either way, this is a welcome sign for the Chicago Bears. Sweat and Johnson are both under the age of 28. They should have multiple seasons of this caliber ahead of them if they can stay healthy. At the same time, the organization has other young names ascending into the conversation as well. Teven Jenkins could finally crack the lineup if he plays a full season next year. Cole Kmet keeps getting better. Tyrique Stevenson has four interceptions as a rookie. This team isn’t likely to go away anytime soon.
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