The 2023 NFL season has reached the halfway point with Week 9 concluding later today. With nine weeks down, and nine weeks to go, now is the perfect time for team's to begin evaluating how the season has gone so far and discuss what changes need to be made going forward.

For the Chicago Bears, the team has played 9 of their 17 games already this season, with 8 more remaining on the schedule. It's been a disappointing ride for the fanbase in 2023 after starting the season with high expectations.

One good thing the Bears and their fanbase have been able to view this season has been the development of their 2023 rookie class. Each player has made their own unique impacts to the overall team but now it's time to truly analyze the first half of their rookie campaign. Here's my mid-season grades for the team's notable rookies.

RT Darnell Wright

The Bears first round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft has certainly lived up to the high capital used to select him. Wright was known coming out of Tennessee for his incredible resume dominating top pass rushers at the college level and that hasn't changed since entering the NFL.

Through the first nine weeks of the season, Wright has been tasked with operating on an island against some of the league's premier pass rushers. Wright has relatively been able to hold his own while being ranked as the highest graded rookie offensive lineman in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wright has started all nine games for the Bears despite dealing with a few injuries throughout the season. In fact, Wright is the only Bears offensive lineman to start each game at the same position. The only downside to Wright's rookie season has been the fact that he's allowed 5 sacks and 28 pressures on the year.

Grade: A-

DL Gervon Dexter Sr.

The Bears first of two second-round selections has had a relatively productive rookie season given the amount of opportunities he's been given on defense. Gervon Dexter Sr. has totaled 8 tackles, 6 hurries, and 6 defensive stops in his first nine games.

However, Dexter has played just 37% of the defensive snaps as he continues to be used as a defensive rotational piece. Dexter's best game of the season came in Week 5 against the Washington Commanders where he totaled 6 QB pressures, a 82.4 pass rush grade, and a 22% pass rush win rate while playing a season-high 47% of the defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Dexter definitely seems like the player on the Bears roster who will have the biggest second-half turnaround. The team is at the point of the season when they need to start getting the younger players more opportunities and Dexter has proven he's worth getting more snaps.

Grade: B-

CB Tyrique Stevenson

The Bears other second-round selection has also been very productive for the team's defensive unit but has started in all 9 games this season. Tyrique Stevenson was quickly thrown into the fire in his rookie season and has made a name for himself among league circles.

As a rookie cornerback, Stevenson has rightfully been the target for many opposing quarterbacks and top receivers. And like any player getting that kind of attention, Stevenson's had several ups and downs.

However, the Bears rookie defensive back has shown he has what it takes to be a long-term piece to the future of Chicago's defense. The stats look bleak for the rookie defensive back, but he's only going to get better as time goes on.

Grade: B

DL Zacch Pickens

Zacch Pickens, the Bears third round selection, is another player who is deserving of a higher snap count as the season continues. Pickens hasn't been as equally as productive as Dexter despite his limited opportunities but he's shown some flashes.

In Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pickens was the Bears highest grade defensive player after recording two stops and forced fumble, according to Pro Football Focus. Pickens has 6 tackles and 6 stops on the season while playing just 24% of the defensive snaps.

Unfortunately, the total output just hasn't been enough to earn a high grade through nine weeks, but with more opportunities in the final eight games of the season, Pickens' grade is bound to improve.

Grade: C

RB Roschon Johnson

The Bears rookie running back Roschon Johnson had a strong start to his rookie campaign that was halted for a few weeks due to a concussion. Johnson missed two weeks due to the injury and unfortunately fell down the pecking order at the position.

Johnson has totaled 149 yards on 33 carries in 2023, but is averaging a solid 4.5 yards per carry. Johnson however, hasn't seen the endzone since Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. In his last 3 games combined, Johnson has just 11 carries for 46 yards.

The production hasn’t necessarily been there for the rookie back this season but the Bears currently have a crowded backfield to manage. That will be even more troubling once Khalil Herbert returns from the IR. Johnson still has a major role in the Bears future offense going forward despite the disappointing start to his career.

Grade: C+

WR Tyler Scott

The Bears fifth-round rookie wide receiver has slowly started to get more opportunities on offense but the current scheme the Bears are running just unfortunately has no clear role for a third wide receiver.

Tyler Scott is still playing limited snaps on offense despite being the team's usual go-to in three wide receiver sets. The rookie has just 8 receptions for 62 yards on the season, and 5 carries for 28 yards. The role just hasn't presented itself yet to Scott on offense for him to truly make a sizable impact.

Grade: D+ 

LB Noah Sewell

The Bears fifth-round pick at linebacker made a lot of preseason and training camp headlines in Chicago but has since been quiet since the season began. The main reason why is because Noah Sewell has mainly been used for special teams duties.

Sewell has played 190 snaps on special teams in 2023 and just 25 total snaps on defense. Sewell played 10 defensive snaps in Week 9's loss to the New Orleans Saints and recorded one stop, according to Pro Football Focus. It's been a quiet season for Sewell without many impactful plays for the former intriguing college prospect.

Grade: D

CB Terell Smith

Terell Smith has been the kid in class who always performs really well, but unfortunately got sick and missed a lot of major assignments. The Bears other fifth-round pick had a strong start to the season after injuries in the secondary forced him into a major role that included him starting two games.

However, Smith has missed the last four games of the season with mononucleosis which has derailed the first-half of his rookie season. Smith looked great in the games he's played allowing just nine receptions for 115 yards on 17 targets while adding two pass breakups and 1 forced fumble.

Grade: B-

QB Tyson Bagent

The Bears undrafted rookie quarterback out of Shepard looked great in his first NFL start in Week 7, but unfortunately fell flat in his last two games. Tyson Bagent posted 5 combined turnovers in his last two starts, potentially ending his Cinderella story.

However, for an undrafted rookie out of a small Division II college, Bagent did more than he ever could have believed possible in the NFL. It's nowhere near the end of the Bagent's story in the league but the Bears ultimately will have to turn the offense back to Justin Fields going forward this season.

Grade: C-

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