The Chicago Bears are intent on delivering a significant jump in the standings this season. They finished with the worst record in the NFL last season at 3-14, and that allowed them to gain the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.

Since they already had their quarterback of the present and future in Justin Fields, they were in a position to trade down in the draft and pick up an elite receiver in the process.

That elite receiver is D.J. Moore, who came from the Carolina Panthers. He is expected to become the team's top playmaker for Fields. He made an eye-opening play in Chicago's first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans when he took a screen pass from Fields and raced 62 yards into the end zone.

Moore has looked extremely sharp in training camp and has performed the way a No. 1 receiver is supposed to. Of course, the key will be staying healthy for 17 games, establishing a rapport with Fields and producing on a consistent basis.

Moore caught 63 passes for 888 yards and 7 touchdowns last year with the Panthers, and it's clear the Bears are going to expect even more from him.

Prior to last season, Moore had three consecutive season with 1,157 yards or more, and it is obvious he can carry the weight of Chicago's heavy expectations. It will come down to how well Fields develops as a passer in his third season.

Justin Fields must take a step up

The team is quite confident in Fields, and they know that he is a remarkable athlete after he ran for 1,143 yards and 8 touchdowns last year. But he is going to have to demonstrate consistency on his short- and medium-range passes. He has struggled with both of those types of passes in his first two season.

While Fields and Moore are clearly the most important offensive players on the team as the Bears prepare for the start of the 2023 season, it will take a lot to help turn the Bears into a winning team.

There are a number of players the Bears are expecting a lot from, and we look at 2 players who must step up if they are going to make the team and demonstrate dependability. If not, they could get cut before the start of the season

Wide receiver Chase Claypool

The Bears traded for Claypool during the 2022 season with the idea that he would give them some talent at the bereft wide receiver position.

Claypool came over from the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he was not able to accomplish much for the Bears in the seven games he was active for them after the trade. Claypool caught 14 passes for 140 yards and he did not get into the end zone.

Excuses can be made that he was playing for a poor team and it took time to get used to his new surroundings, but he did very little in a Chicago uniform.

A look at the Bears depth chart reveals that Claypool is expected to start opposite Moore, but there are no guarantees that he will remain in that position by the time Chicago is ready to start the season against the Green Bay Packers September 10.

The belief is that the Bears coaching staff would like to see some productivity from Claypool this summer so they can have some reason to believe he will be a solid player for them in 2023. He has been slowed by a hamstring injury in training camp.

Return specialist Velus Jones Jr.

The Bears drafted Velus Jones in the third round of the 2022 draft after his college career at USC and Tennessee.

Listed as a wide receiver, the Bears have high hopes that Jones can demonstrate his explosive speed to give them a consistent threat as both a punt and kickoff returner.

However, before he can do any kind of damage with his legs, Jones has to show he can hold on to the football.

That was not a strength for Jones in 2022, and he has gotten off to a poor start in that area this summer.

In the first preseason game against the Titans, a ball ticked off Jones and the Titans were able to make the recovery of the costly turnover.

At this point it does not seem head coach Matt Eberflus has any reason to trust Jones in his role as a return specialist.

It does not seem likely that will change at any point in the rest of the preseason, and if that does not happen, Jones is likely to be cut before the start of the season.