I worry about some of that ish.
1) Forte
I think he'a already lost some burst. He seemed to by the end of last year. He was never a burner, but still. He was, however, dependable. And he was probably the top pass-catching RB in the NFL. I loved that play @ KC when Cutler picked up the ball and chucked it over Forte's left shoulder for a TD. Langford has the dropsies. Maybe Langford can work it out on the Juggs machine, IDK. I'm much more worried about losing Forte as a receiving threat than as a running or blocking threat.
2) Bennett
Bad year last year. Funny guy. Weird guy. Damn good TE when his head is on straight. Unless this UFDA is something, I'm scared to death of our TE crew. I don't trust Miller to stay healthy, and there's nobody behind him.
3) Gase
I think he & Cutler had a really good rapport. Cutler hugging him as the clock expired @ KC was cool. Our O wasn't setting the league on fire, but it was only year 1. Bennett sucked, Royal sucked, AJ missed half the games, our #7 pick missed the whole season. Throwing to castoffs makes it difficult to judge. But aside from Cutler sorta' tiring of the "What happens when you lose Gase?"-questions toward the end of the year, I do think he & Cutler worked well together. Dustups happen (Rodgers and McCarthy have them all the time), but I think it's important that your QB respects his coaches & vice-versa. Martz, Tice...I think there were some respect issues. Cutler & Gase seemed to click. I'm worried that this new Patton Oswalt-looking little guy...IDK...I fear Cutler could laugh him off and not respect him, thinking he can walk all over him. I know they supposedly like each other, but still. It's a fear I have.
Maybe JC is all grown with his family now, a changed man. Hoping this pairing works out well. I do trust the current head staff to hire good people to replace guys who leave a lot more the previous staffs.
I'm still bullish on the BEARS this year. We were competitive in every game in which Cutler started & finished last year, despite playing the toughest schedule in the league. I think they had the 3rd-highest winning % against playoff teams too. And the aforementioned losses scare me, but it's not like we haven't improved other things at the same time. Some losses, some gains. I listed the losses, not the gains. I think there are plenty of those.
I expect the BEARS to be in playoff contention at the end of the season. Despite having a young, good D...I thought MIN was overrated last year (not much of a Bridgewater fan). Yet they were a kicker shitting his pants away from the 2nd round of the playoffs. Who's to say what happens if/when you make the playoffs? I'm always excited going into the season. I'm more excited going into this season than I was going into last season. Fox has a history of having a much better team his 2nd year than his 1st, and I like the additions they've made.
