With four games remaining and coming off another disappointing loss to the Green Bay Packers, the eyes of Chicago Bears fans are on 2022. Brad Biggs answers questions about building blocks for next season, wide receiver issues, a lack of takeaways and more in his weekly mailbag.

How quickly can the Bears turn their record around assuming Justin Fields is who we think he is? They have bright spots in Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith, Jaylon Johnson, Teven Jenkins and Darnell Mooney, but not a lot of picks next draft to fill glaring gaps in the O-line, secondary and wide receiver corps. — @ryanlovelidge

That’s a great question and one that will be prominent when we find out who is leading the organization in 2022 and what their vision is. Few people expected the Bears to explode in 2018 during coach Matt Nagy’s first year when they went 12-4 and won the NFC North. The defense was good and became dominant after the trade for Mack.

I’m not convinced there are as many building blocks for the future as some do. If the Bears are a roster in transition, are they going to want to pay top dollar for two edge rushers over the age of 30 in Mack and Quinn? That’s a question that will be answered. The team could make the decision to keep a strength a strength — provided Mack can return to his durable form — or make a move with one of those guys.

Smith is going to be due a massive extension as he’s under contract for only one more year and that will require a good chunk of salary cap space. Johnson continues to be an ascending player but the defense has needs throughout the secondary.

I think it’s premature to label Jenkins a “bright spot” and we also don’t know how fifth-round pick Larry Borom will develop. Maybe both of them pan out. Maybe one of them pans out. It’s possible neither one works out long term.

Mooney is a nice player but he has games in which he doesn’t make much of an impact. Talking to people around the league, they like his skill set but view him as a quality No. 2 receiver and not a true No. 1. That’s not a knock on Mooney. There’s a need for a speed merchant like him. They just need to surround him with more talent at the position.

You probably inadvertently left running back David Montgomery off your list. He’s a good player that will help the offense moving forward. A quick turnaround absolutely hinges on the ability of Fields to improve and do so at a rapid rate. With a new coaching staff, perhaps he can take off in Year 2. But there’s no way of telling right now what that will look like. It could be a couple years before the Bears are challengers again. Of course, if Aaron Rodgers departs Green Bay in the offseason, the division will look dramatically different.

The NFL likes to talk about competitive balance. Has a team ever played four out of five opponents that have had more than a week to prepare for it? Chicago played Baltimore, Arizona, Green Bay and Minnesota in a five-week span with each getting at least 10 days of prep. — @edwardwburns

You make an excellent point and it’s a quirk in the schedule that the Bears have noticed. The Bears have had extra time to prepare for two of those opponents as well, coming off their bye before the Baltimore game and then playing on Thanksgiving Day before the Arizona game. It’s definitely a scheduling oddity and I wouldn’t expect the Bears to have a similar issue next year. Each year there are going to be a handful of teams that can point to the schedule and wonder why they got the short end of the stick or a tough draw. With 32 teams and 17 games, it’s impossible to put together a master schedule that doesn’t leave some wondering what happened.

The Bears benefited from an evenly balanced schedule that’s had them rotating between away (opener at Los Angeles Rams) and home every week. That means they haven’t had consecutive road games (or consecutive home games), and teams sometimes feel challenged when they have to go on the road in back-to-back weeks. It’s actually the first time in team history the schedule has been evenly balanced that way.

Any explanation why it took so long this season to use the speed receivers properly in the slot against Green Bay? Jakeem Grant, Damiere Byrd, Darnell Mooney and Marquise Goodwin (hurt) all have sub 4.4 40-yard dash speed, and Sunday was the first time it appeared the game plan actually tried to get them isolated. — @panotopalis

The game at Green Bay isn’t the first time this season the Bears have had success with the slot receiver. Goodwin has made plays for them this season but the offense has struggled to get those guys going, struggled utilizing the slot receivers and struggled in general.

My first reaction is that while the Bears (and outsiders) talked up the addition of speed during the offseason, we’re talking about some guys that are fast but aren’t top-tier wide receivers. Could those players have been better utilized this season? No question. But the Bears have struggled throwing the ball and the receivers have struggled too. The passing game has been a giant disappointment across the board.

What’s the plan with the first three picks? Cornerback, safety, wide receiver? The draft is approaching soon and the offensive line has got to be the focus of free agency, right? — @just_acy

It’s easy to look at the roster and declare the Bears need upgrades, additions or more talent. But you can’t pinpoint specific positions until you see what the team is able to accomplish in free agency and after the club has made moves with players currently under contract. Think of primary offseason areas for player procurement (free agency and the draft) as a big puzzle with connecting pieces. You start to fill in some of the pieces in free agency in March and that provides clues as to what pieces might be added in the draft. With limited draft capital in 2022, it’s going to be more challenging for the Bears. The roster is such that I don’t believe the team can be fixated on one or even two positions with their top picks in Rounds 2 and 3. They need quality football players, period, so they have to remain true to their draft board and trust that their grades are accurate. But cornerback, safety, wide receiver and offensive line all loom as needs.

Next year, how would you handle the potential hole at wide receiver that could be left with Allen Robinson likely leaving? Rather sign a big name to fill it immediately or fill it with depth through the draft knowing it’s at best a second rounder? Or will the new regime try to keep Robinson? — @fresh3doug

I would be very surprised if the Bears, regardless of who is in charge, decide to use the franchise tag on Robinson for a second time. I would also be surprised if Robinson opted to re-sign with the team in free agency. So, I believe the Bears will be seeking to replace him and free agency is the first place to start. It’s an important decision because the franchise needs to carefully build around quarterback Justin Fields.

The last couple of drafts have proven that teams can find talented wide receivers outside of the first round. Sometimes they take a little bit of time to develop, but the college game is producing high quality receivers on an almost annual basis. The Bears are going to have to see what is available in free agency and consider their other needs, and then decide how they want to allocate their resources.

Roquan Smith is a good player. However, inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense ranks toward the bottom of the list of premier NFL positions. If someone told me I can have Davante Adams or Smith for comparable money, it would be Adams 100% of the time. Your thoughts? — @rradulski

I agree with you, but the problem is Adams’ next contract and Smith’s next contract are not going to be for comparable money.

Adams is in line to become the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL and could push toward an annual average near $30 million. DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals currently has the highest annual average at $27.25 million and below him is Julio Jones of the Tennessee Titans at $22 million. Amari Cooper of the Dallas Cowboys and Keenan Allen of the Los Angeles Chargers are at just above $20 million. It’s easy to see why Adams will push to become the top earning wide receiver in the game.

Conversely, the four highest-paid inside linebackers range between Darius Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts at $19.7 million and C.J. Moseley of the New York Jets at $17 million. No other inside linebackers are earning more than $14.5 million per year, and I’m not sure Smith will crack the top of the pay scale at the position.

Yes, if you could have Adams over Smith at comparable money, you would choose Adams in a heartbeat. But as you can see, they’re not going to be earning anywhere near the same amount.

Bears cornerbacks have one interception in 13 games. I thought that would be statistically significant but it looks like they only had two in 2020 (assuming Sherrick McManis was the nickel cornerback when he had his). This has to be rare, right? — @zevyr

It’s no secret the Bears have struggled to generate takeaways this season and they have only five interceptions as a team. The New York Jets (4) are the only team with less. This has been a trend for some time. The defense led the NFL in interceptions in 2018 with 27. Otherwise, the Bears have ranked near the bottom of the league in the category for six of the last seven seasons, including 2021.

2020: 10 interceptions, tied for 23rd
2019: 10, (T-25th)
2018: 27, 1st)
2017: 8, (T-29th)
2016: 8, (T-28th)
2015: 8, (T-30th)

The offseason plan in 2020 was to ramp up the pass rush by adding Robert Quinn, a move the Bears hoped would lead to significantly more takeaways. The idea was the more pressure the team put on opposing quarterbacks, the more plays the secondary would be able to make. Quinn has been excellent this season but it hasn’t led to picks.

The franchise low for interceptions in a season is eight, which the defense hit three years in a row from 2015-17. With four games remaining, the Bears need to make some more plays on the ball to avoid setting a new low.