What needs to happen for the Bears to contend for a Super Bowl

There’s been plenty of trade speculation involving Justin Fields because the Bears have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. But Chicago would be silly to move on from Fields after what he showed during his second season. With a depleted roster — including one of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines and an underwhelming group of receivers — Fields still managed to carry this offense on his backs, rather, his legs. Fields showed he’s capable of being the kind of playmaking quarterback Bears fans have been dreaming about for decades. Does he need to improve in the passing game? Absolutely. But it’s hard to truly evaluate Fields before you surround him with an adequate roster. While you can guarantee GM Ryan Poles will do his due diligence in the pre-draft process, he did say he’d need to be “blown away” to take a quarterback. Translation? Fields isn’t going anywhere. As it should be.

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When Ryan Poles was hired as general manager, he came in with a plan to rebuild the roster. That involved tearing it down to the foundation, which included the Bears trading away or released aging veterans with big cap hits — or players that simply weren’t going to be part of the future. Now, Chicago essentially controls free agency with an estimated $99 million in salary cap space, the most in the NFL (by a wide margin), in 2023. The Bears have a bunch of holes on the roster, but Poles has the resources to make some impact additions. But it’s not just about having the money. Poles needs to hit on his free agent acquisitions. When looking at last year’s…