Last offseason, the Chicago Bears were returning all but two starters on their team and gained defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. For the most part, their core remained in place.
Fast forward to the 2020 offseason, and the Bears have had to deal with several free-agent departures and some new faces that will occupy starting jobs this season, as well as some new additions to the offensive coaching staff.
Compared with last year, the Bears don’t have a ton of continuity on their team. According to ESPN, the Bears rank 17th in terms of team continuity compared to the rest of the league.
Change was inevitable after the most unfulfilling Bears season in recent memory. Chicago lost (or could lose) three starters on each side of the ball depending on what happens in the highly anticipated quarterback derby between Mitchell Trubisky (incumbent) and Nick Foles (challenger). The coaching staff also took a hit — primarily on offense — as Nagy brought in trusted confidants (Juan Castillo, John DeFilippo and Bill Lazor) with ties to Philadelphia. Until the quarterback situation is settled, it’s impossible to predict whether the changes will have any impact.
When looking at the defense, the Bears only lost three defensive starters in cornerback Prince Amukamara, safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd. Although you could argue that they’ve upgraded with at least one and perhaps all of those positions with the addition of outside linebacker Robert Quinn, rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Tashaun Gipson.
Most of the changes this offseason have come on the offensive side of the ball, which makes sense considering Chicago had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. Matt Nagy started by overhauling the offensive staff with the additions of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone.
Although, considering the changes on the offensive coaching staff came at areas that struggled immensely in 2019, you could argue that these are upgrades.
The Bears upgraded at several positions on offense, including tight end with the additions of veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris and rookie Cole Kmet. They also traded for quarterback Nick Foles, who will battle Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job. Still, regardless of who wins the starting job, the Bears have upgraded at backup quarterback.
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