While the Chicago Bears will have plenty to fix on offense this offseason, the same won’t be said for the defense, which is concluding its first season under new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano.
Much like the offense did this past offseason, the Bears defense will be relying on continuity in order to take the next step in 2020 — something that Chicago’s offense failed to do this season.
“It’s very obvious that the offensive side of the ball is something that is going to be very, very important to me to get right,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “It’s plain and simple. So that’s going to be that. And when I say me, I mean all of us, staff and obviously [general manager] Ryan [Pace]. So that’s going to be a focus.
“Chuck and his staff will be doing what they need to do to figure out, OK, just like us last year on offense — where we obviously didn’t figure out the right way — but finding out what you do well and what you don’t do well.’”
When Vic Fangio left to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos, the Bears’ vacant defensive coordinator position was an attractive job for inquiring defensive minds. But given the success the Bears defense had in 2018 — where they ranked at or near the top in most defensive statistical categories — regression was going to be expected because of the sheer amount of success they had the previous year.
“It’s not easy, No. 1,” Nagy said. “It’s never easy following up the amount of success that we had here the previous year. And with the players that are on this defense. As enticing and sexy as it was to be the next defensive coordinator here with this team, there’s also extreme responsibility and accountability to walking into that.”
The Bears defense found success in its first season under Pagano, where they’ve allowed the fifth fewest points in the NFL this season with 18.6. But they’ve been ravaged with injuries, and they haven’t been as effective in producing takeaways, something they thrived off last season.
But with an offseason to continue to learn under Pagano, the Bears defense will be looking to build off the success they’ve had in 2019. It certainly helps that their defense will look pretty similar to this year’s. The only players whose contracts are up are linebacker Danny Trevathan and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, although that doesn’t mean others are safe as general manager Ryan Pace will need to create some salary cap space.
“I know things take time to adapt for the players — and for the coaches to learn the players and the players to learn the coaches …” Nagy said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how much that improves next year when it’s so much easier walking into OTAs and training camp knowing what they didn’t know at this time last year.”
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