The Bears featured a pair of All-Pro players in their secondary in cornerback Kyle Fuller and safety Eddie Jackson, while cornerback Prince Amukamara, nickelback Bryce Callahan and safety Adrian Amos also produced strong seasons.
But for all that success, the Bears couldn't avoid losing a pair of key starters in Callahan and Amos in free agency. Nickelback and safety now represent the two positions on defense with new starters in place, as Buster Skrine and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix step in, respectively.
Can the Bears repeat in leading the league in takeaways? The newcomers could play a big part in answering that.
Chosen one spot after the Bears missed out on Aaron Donald in the 2014 draft, Fuller in 2018 finally lived up to the potential that former general manager Phil Emery envisioned. He posted seven interceptions while earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition.
The Bears have enjoyed the steady play and veteran stability of Amukamara, who's entering his ninth season in the NFL. He had three interceptions last season, his most since 2014.
The departure of Callahan from the Bears wasn't as surprising as the team signing the 30-year-old Skrine as his replacement. A productive veteran entering his ninth year in the league, Skrine will be asked to step right in and hold his own.
When Jackson fell to the fourth round of the 2017 draft due to a leg fracture, the Bears believed they had found tremendous value. But Jackson performed beyond the team's expectations, as he broke out with an All-Pro season that featured six interceptions, two pick-sixes and two forces fumbles.
A Pro Bowl player in 2016, Clinton-Dix joined the Bears on a one-year deal with the belief that one of the league's top defenses could help elevate his game. But first, he will have to overcome a knee injury suffered at the end of the offseason program. Clinton-Dix was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list Monday.
The longest-tenured Bears player, McManis is entering his eighth year with the organization. He has played under Lovie Smith, Marc Trestman, John Fox and now Matt Nagy. He's a valued special-teams presence.
Once a prized cornerback at LSU who turned into an undrafted free agent, Toliver started earning the Bears' faith in training camp last season. He played in 15 games, starting once.
A 5-foot-9 cornerback out of Kansas State, the sixth-round pick Shelley stood tall against some of the Big 12's best targets last season. He could step into a role at the nickel.
Opportunity is knocking again for the 2016 fourth-round pick Bush, who will open training camp as a starting safety with Clinton-Dix on the PUP list. Bush started the final two regular-season games and the wild-card contest in place of Jackson (ankle sprain) and filled in admirably.
A sixth-round pick to the Bears in 2016, Houston-Carson has carved out a role on special teams. He has 21 total tackles, including 17 solo, in three seasons.
An NFL veteran of 13 seasons, Townsend called it a career in 2010 and entered the coaching world. He joins the Bears' remade defensive coaching staff having intercepted several of the quarterbacks whom his team will face this season.
Desai spent the last six seasons working a quality control role with the Bears, starting there under the watch of Trestman.
The breakthrough in the Bears secondary in 2018 was the culmination from years of work and plenty of struggles.
Before anyone else had arrived, there was Fuller as a rookie in 2014 tasked with eventually replacing the great Charles Tillman at cornerback. He was the consolation prize after the Bears' conviction in Donald came up one pick short.
Fuller missed the entire 2016 season and didn't even have a safe spot on the team's roster entering 2017, but he began to emerge that season. The guidance of former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and former defensive backs coach Ed Donatell was instrumental for Fuller, who would go on to thrive.
The Bears were eager to pair Fuller and Amukamara together at cornerback and established a quality tandem over these last two seasons. Amukamara broke through with three interceptions in 2018 after being shut out of that category since 2015.
Jackson's rise to becoming one of the NFL's top safeties was the byproduct of health and talent. There were glimpses of him being great during his rookie campaign, then it all came together for Jackson in 2018.
The development of Amos and Callahan in their respective roles was in part a credit to their coaching, as it ran linear with Fuller's. But the Bears were limited financially in free agency and had to allow them to move on.
Amos signed a four-year, $37-million deal with the Packers, while Callahan landed a three-year, $21-million deal with the Broncos. The Bears instead signed Clinton-Dix to a one-year, $3-million deal and brought in Skrine on a three-year, $16.5-million contract.
The Bears then added depth, notably at cornerback in Shelley and Denmark in the draft.
The Bears weren't motivated to give Amos a major contract, despite his steady rise as a starter in their defense since 2015.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace knew well that a team was going to offer Amos a deal that his team wouldn't want to match. It just happened to be the Packers, who dealt Clinton-Dix to the Redskins last October in a move that gave up on their 2014 first-round pick.
Clinton-Dix joined the Bears plenty motivated after his tenure came to a sudden end in Green Bay.
"I wanted to come in and prove myself and be a part of something special," Clinton-Dix said after signing in Chicago.
He will certainly get that opportunity.
Clinton-Dix is 26 and has plenty of his prime in front of him. He has joined a Bears defense that generated consistent takeaways in part because of a relentless front seven. Playing alongside an All-Pro and close friend in Jackson should only benefit Clinton-Dix.
Playing on a one-year deal should be more than enough to light a fire under Clinton-Dix. Time will tell if he gets the last laugh.