There’s a reason the Chicago Bears have been known for their dominant defenses over their storied 100-year history. When it comes down to it, the Bears historically haven’t been good on offense.
Look no further than last season, where Chicago’s offense appeared poised to take a step forward in Year 2 under Matt Nagy and instead regressed to one of the worst offenses in the entire NFL.
And, in case you were wondering, yes, they were that bad in 2019. They averaged 17.5 points per game (29th in the NFL), 296.8 yards per game (29th) and 4.7 yards per play (31st). It was equal part struggles in the passing game (5.3 net yards per attempt, which was 32nd) and run game (3.7 yards per rush, which was 30th.)
The Athletic recently ranked all 32 NFL offenses and the Bears, who shockingly weren’t among bottom five in the league, landed at No. 24.
24. Chicago Bears
Last year: 25thMatt Nagy made changes to his coaching staff, and the Bears brought in Nick Foles to compete with Mitch Trubisky. Chicago was one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL last season, and there’s little reason to believe that they’ll be significantly better on the ground in 2020. But it’s not crazy to think that Foles and Trubisky could combine to at least give them mediocre QB play. The supporting cast led by Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller is not bad. The ceiling for this offense is low, but the Bears should be better than they were last year.
Fixing the offense has been a focal point for Nagy and the Bears this offseason, which began with a trade for former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles. Mitchell Trubisky’s struggles weren’t the only reason Chicago’s offense struggled in 2019, but it was one of the biggest concerns. Which is exactly why general manager Ryan Pace brought in Foles to challenge Trubisky and potentially replace him.
The Bears completely overhauled their tight ends room, and Jesper Horsted is the only tight end on the roster that was on the roster at this point last year. Chicago spent their top draft pick on tight end Cole Kmet and added veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris to ignite an important component of Nagy’s offense that was noticeably absent in 2019.
One of the biggest concerns with this offense last season was the ineffectiveness of the run game, which made the Bears’ struggling offense even more unimpressive. Nagy brought in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and offensive line coach Juan Castillo to help him figure out how to fix the run game’s struggles as David Montgomery returns as lead back in his second season.
The good news for the Bears is that after an abysmal offensive performance in 2019, they can only get better from here.
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