The Chicago Bears have a plan for the 2020 offseason. Ryan Pace never gives away his secrets, but at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday, he and Matt Nagy made clear how they plan to improve this spring.
They know it’s not acceptable for an offense with an innovative head coach and a first-round quarterback to finish a season ranked 29th, and the championship window will only be open for so long.
The question is whether their plan will do enough to address the problems or simply put a bandage over the issues that plagued the team in 2019.
It starts with the quarterback position. Pace and Nagy have twice affirmed their support for Mitch Trubisky as the starter next season, but they continue to promote the idea of competition across the roster.
It’s a noted philosophy change from the token backup of the last two seasons. Chase Daniel played more of an assistant coach role than an actual threat to start.
This year, Nagy wants Trubisky to feel that pressure to fight for his job.
“If we all think that that’s what we want from him, [how he played] last year, we’re fooling ourselves,” Nagy said Tuesday in Indianapolis. “He understands that we want him to play better.”
Adding competition at quarterback is designed to both force Trubisky to improve and also give the Bears a legitimate alternative if his development plateaus.
It’s the Tennessee Titans’ model, with a trajectory aiming more toward the likes of Case Keenum, Marcus Mariota or Andy Dalton this offseason, rather than Brady, Rivers or Newton.
Does Matt Nagy want Mitch Trubisky to feel like someone could take his starting job?
‘I want everyone to feel that way,’ he said— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) February 25, 2020
A new backup quarterback won’t fix everything, though.
The coach and general manager aren’t just dodging questions when they insist the problems lie beyond Trubisky. They showed they meant it by firing offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride last month.
Rebuilding the offensive coaching staff wasn’t just change for the sake of making change. Nagy believes quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and the new faces in the room will make a significant impact.
“Sometimes, for all of us, if you hear a new voice, that can help,” Nagy said. “Sometimes you can say ‘We’re going to take the gloves off and we’re going to get at it now.’ And I think Flip has that in his DNA. You’ll see that and you’ll take notice of that.”
Promoting Dave Ragone to passing game coordinator and bringing in Bill Lazor to run the offense isn’t just for Trubisky and his incoming competition. It’s part of the plan to improve the entire offense around the quarterback.
Matt Nagy feels confident in the restructured coaching staff on offense: “We need to figure out offensively what is our identity.”
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) February 25, 2020
Pace is working with limited cap space and draft capital to address his entire roster, and he’s banking on these coaching changes to help the returning players return to form.
Nagy’s old friend and new offensive line coach Juan Castillo has to get more out of Charles Leno, James Daniels and Cody Whitehair, who all struggled in 2019 despite strong performances in their pasts.
“He’s going to push them to the brink,” Nagy said. “But at the same time, they are going to know that he would fall on a sword for them. And I think you feel that. I’ve witnessed it. I’ve witnessed it in practices. I’ve witnessed it in meeting rooms. That’s very important for those guys.”
A lot of the Bears’ offensive improvement has to come from within. Some of it will need to come from outside.
Pace expressed confidence in the young players under contract at running back and wide receiver, but it’s impossible to ignore the massive void at tight end.
Bears GM Ryan Pace believes David Montgomery can be the team’s featured running back and carry a heavier load, if the Bears opt to run more in 2020.
— Jeff Dickerson (@DickersonESPN) February 25, 2020
With their top three options finishing last year on injured reserve, newcomer J.P. Holtz led the position in Chicago with 91 total receiving yards for the season.
“We’re looking at it in free agency and the draft,” Pace said. “That’s an area of focus for us, I don’t think that’s a secret. This offense, a lot of it goes through the tight end, so we’re exploring every avenue.”
The Bears will also need a new starting right guard following the retirement of Kyle Long, and Pace has a few pending free agents to address on a defense already built to carry the offense.
The specific players are to-be-determined, but the plan is in place: build a competitive quarterback room with new perspectives from new coaches and a stronger supporting cast.
It falls somewhere between “wishful thinking” and the best they can do with limited resources, but it acknowledges the team’s recent mistakes and the uncertainty of Trubisky’s long-term future in Chicago.
For more discussion on the Bears plan at quarterback, check out Wednesday’s episode of the Locked on Bears podcast below. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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