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Gabriel: Bears' Lack Of Depth On Display More Than Ever

By Greg Gabriel--

(CBS) These Bears have become a tease.

They can look good for a few series or a half, but they can't put together a full 60 minutes of consistent play. Their 22-16 loss at the New York Giants on Sunday was a prime example. The Bears dominated the first quarter and a half before falling flat in the final minutes of the second quarter and then the whole second half.

Why does this happen? Part of the reason is the Bears simply don't have the depth to be able to overcome injuries. I have been involved in the NFL since 1981, and I don't believe I have ever seen a team that has been decimated by injuries as much as this team.

It's hard enough to win in the NFL when all of a team's core players are healthy. It's almost impossible when the top players are injured. In the Bears' case, there have been, by my count, only two games all year when their top 22 players have been healthy.

The Bears have been playing with backups, and what we have seen is that the depth on this team isn't good enough to compete against the better teams.

Let's use the cornerback position as an example. With Kyle Fuller and Deiondre' Hall out with injuries, the Bears are playing with only one player who was actually drafted: Tracey Porter, a second-round selection in 2008. Cre'Von LeBlanc, Bryce Callahan and Demontre Hurst were all undrafted free agents. Granted, some of these players have shown flashes, but the consistency isn't there to be playing winning football at that position.

We can say the same about the receiver position and the offensive line. At receiver, the starters going into the season were Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White. Jeffery was a second-round pick, while White was the Bears' first-round selection in 2015.

Right now, Jeffery is out four games because of a PED suspension and White  is on injured reserve with a broken leg, his second major injury in two years. Those playing are Josh Bellamy, Cameron Meredith, Deonte Thompson and Eddie Royal. The only draft choice of the group is Royal, who was a second-round selection back in 2008 by the Denver Broncos. Of the three free agents, only Meredith has a chance of becoming a legitimate top player in the NFL. The others are "just guys" and are no better than fifth or sixth receivers on a roster, if that.

When healthy, the offensive line is really strong on the interior with Kyle Long, Josh Sitton and Cody Whitehair. But backups Eric Kush and Ted Larsen are lucky to be on an NFL roster. They just aren't good enough to have to play.

Starting tackles Charles Leno and Bobbie Massie, along with backup Mike Adams, shouldn't be starting. The reality is all of them are no better than average backups in the league.

If the Bears are going to compete in the NFC North moving forward, they have to upgrade the roster. This is the second year of the John Fox/Ryan Pace regime, and they haven't done a good job in finding enough quality players to compete.

It's imperative that in both the draft and free agency, the Bears have to do a better job of finding players who are capable of competing and playing at a high level. It will start with finding a quarterback who has the talent to play and win. If that doesn't happen, we will continue to see losing football in Chicago.

Greg Gabriel is a former NFL talent evaluator who is an on-air contributor for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @greggabe.

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