Gone is iconic middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. Nick Roach, the Bears' strong side linebacker for the last since 2008 is now an Oakland Raider.
Their replacements — D.J. Williams in the middle and James Anderson on the outside — are on one-year deals.
Lance Briggs will turn 33 in November.
It's no wonder the Bears spent two of their six picks in the 2013 Draft on linebackers Jon Bostic and Khaseem Greene.
At the latest, the Bears will need their production next year. An injury or two — Williams has already spent the better part of a week in training camp in a walking boot — and the rookies could find themselves as major factors in the team's 2013 success.
Both have already displayed tremendous upside as well as major flaws that leave concerns.
Bostic, a second-round selection, is farther along in his development as evidenced by his work with the first team during training camp with Williams sidelined.
A fantastic athlete, Bostic already possesses the abilities to take on blockers in the box and clog up running lanes. The biggest concern for the 22-year-old at this point is learning the Bears' Cover-2 scheme as opposed to the Cover-1 he anchored while at Florida.
"It's really just having vision on the quarterback," Bostic said. "In man-to-man, you're taking a guy away. In Cover-2, everybody has to be able to play together. Everyone has to know what their teammates are doing on every play."
That vision plays a crucial roles in the Bears' success on defense. The middle linebacker must make an almost instantaneous read to stay near the line of scrimmage or drop into coverage as deep as 20 yards down field.
Any hesitation can leave the defense susceptible to a tight end or receiver following the inside seam up field for a big play over the middle.
It's a read that made Urlacher a perennial Pro Bowler and one defensive coordinator Mel Tucker admitted Bostic still needs to improve on.
"He's going to get better with reps. It's just having to see it," Tucker said. "Certain things guy pick up quicker than other things. That's one of those things he's got to work on."
Greene, on the other hand, has his work cut out for him near the line of scrimmage.
His playmaking abilities earned him Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors 2012 at Rutgers. Greene was all over the field in his senior year with 136 tackles, six sacks and six forced fumbles, but his propensity for the big play also led to some big mistakes.
Oddly, Greene might need to rein in his abilities at the NFL level. Greene's has a tendency to take bad angles in pursuit or over-pursue early in a slow-developing play that leaves him out of position.
"You've got to, obviously, be disciplined. You've got to learn your assignment, learn your technique and then be disciplined with your eyes," Greene said. "As I get more comfortable with that, it evolves into second nature. Right now, I'm just trying to build great habits and make everything second nature for me."
Those habits take time and repetition. Luckily, the Bears don't open the preseason until Friday, and even then have nearly a month before the season kickoffs against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.
Until then, the rookies will lean on the very guys they could replace next fall.
"You've got your coaches who teach you tricks. You've got vets like Lance Briggs and James Anderson who teach you certain things," Greene said. "I've got the right guys around me to help me pick up a lot faster on it than I would if I did it by myself.
I'm listening to D.J., Lance and James as much as I can," Bostic said. "They've played Cover-2 and they know how some of these quarterbacks in this league can make great throws and can put balls in certain places."
Follow Kyle Nabors on Twitter @kylenabors for Chicago Bears news throughout training camp.
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