Bears' 2024 NFL Draft class puts several starters on thin ice heading into the summer

The Chicago Bears have completely overhauled the roster this offseason and general manager Ryan Poles has done an incredible job transforming his team's future.

Following the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears brought in five impact players set to join the roster heading into the offseason program.

While the addition of these five new rookies was seen as a major success for the Bears, it could lead to the end in Chicago for some of the Bears' 2023 starters. Here's six people who came out of the draft as either winners or losers for the Bears.

Winners

HC Matt Eberflus

After retaining head coach Matt Eberflus for the 2024 season, many people immediately speculated that Eberflus' third season will be a lame duck season despite a rookie quarterback coming to town. And it's easy to see why, considering the same thing happened to each of the previous two head coaches for the Bears. However, things now seem different this time around for Eberflus.

During the draft, Poles mentioned how he's tired of moving backwards as a franchise saying "those days are over" and how he wants to change everything up. While he seemingly is talking about the team culture and roster management, I also believe he's talking about the team's head coach.

It hasn’t been the easiest tenure for Eberflus after a troubling start, but the support he has in the locker room goes a long way. Now, Eberflus has the best roster he's ever had as a head coach and the road is paved to make a playoff push in 2024. Simply put, it's going to have to take an absolutely abysmal season for him to leave Chicago.

RB Khalil Herbert

After previously being an offseason loser, running back Khalil Herbert is back in the winner’s category after the draft. While the Bears didn’t plan on adding a running back during the draft, the team did do some research on some of the backs in the class.

Herbert will still enter the 2024 season fighting for opportunities behind D'Andre Swift alongside 2023 rookie Roschon Johnson. Let's not forget Herbert rushed for 4.6 yards per carry during last season and had three games with 100+ rushing yards.

Now that he's not the primary bell-cow, Herbert could also return to his 2021 role as a kick returner under the new rules, which could push Velus Jones Jr. off the roster. Even still, this will likely be his last season in Chicago with one year left on his contract.

TE Stephen Carlson

New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has been well known for his multi-TE sets which led the Bears to sign Gerald Everett in free agency. However, the Bears never made any other addition to the position and still only have three TEs on the roster.

The third tight end is former undrafted free agent Stephen Carlson, who spent the last season with the Bears. Carlson was only elevated from the practice squad on two occasions: Week 1 against the Packers and Week 10 against the Panthers. Carlson only has six receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown in his entire career.

However, considering the fact the Bears didn’t look to add a third tight end in the draft could lead to a big opportunity for Carlson, unless the team does bring in another free agent. If not, Carlson could have a legitimate chance of making the 53-man roster if the team decides to keep three tight ends on the roster to please Waldron.

Losers

LT Braxton Jones

This one seems like a given, although it won't be an immediate replacement. After the Bears drafted Kiran Amegadjie in the third round, the writing is on the wall for Braxton Jones to eventually be replaced at left tackle.

Amegadjie is still a work in progress and is coming off of a major leg injury that ended his 2023 season. The Bears still saw a lot of value in what his celling could look like and used a premium draft selection to acquire him.

After making the selection, Poles noted that Amegadjie will initially start out as the team's swing tackle and be a depth player at guard but it's only a matter of time until he catches on and challenges Jones for the starting job at left tackle.

P Trenton Gill

One player who is already packing his bags out of Chicago is punter Trenton Gill. After finishing last in the NFL in net average of punts at 38, changes needed to be made in order to round out the special teams unit. Enter Iowa legend Tory Taylor.

The Bears drafted Taylor with the 122nd overall pick, which seems high for a punter, but not every punter is Tory Taylor. Taylor shattered multiple punting records at Iowa, including an FBS record of 4,479 punt yards in 2023 and a single-season NCAA record with an average of 48.2 yards per punt. He was also a 2x B1G Punter of the Year and the 2023 Ray Guy Award winner (best punter in college football).

Taylor will immediately transform the Bears' special teams unit and become a legitimate weapon for the team who can flip the field at a moment's notice. Oh yeah, Taylor also pinned 39 of his 80 punts in 2023 inside the 20-yard line. He's a stud.

DE Dominique Robinson

After trading back into the 2024 NFL Draft to select defensive end Austin Booker in the fifth round, the Bears defensive line is starting to look pretty deep which could lead to less opportunities for certain players. Dominique Robinson is one who will be without a major role thanks to Booker's addition compared to what it could have been.

The reaction after Poles drafted Booker is eerily similar to the reaction he had after drafting Robinson in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Robinson was drafted with limited experience at the position and Poles mentioned Robinson's upside, flashes and how he was excited to see what kind of player he turns into.

Booker falls into the similar category in terms of having limited experience at the position in college. Once again, Poles noted Booker had "tremendous upside" with a lot of "growth and development." It seems to me that Booker is the new Robinson and will get more of an opportunity to reach his full potential as a starter off the edge.