Category: 2020 season

Should the Bears pick up QB Mitchell Trubisky’s fifth-year option?

One NFL analyst believes that QB Mitchell Trubisky has done enough that the Bears should exercise his fifth-year option.

The Chicago Bears will have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, especially on the offensive side of the ball. But the one question that’s most important centers on the quarterback:

Is Mitchell Trubisky the quarterback of the future in Chicago?

Many critics, analysts and fans already have their minds made up. Whether it’s an overwhelming “Mitch isn’t the guy,” or “Give him time, he’ll be fine.”

But the simple fact of the matter is that we really don’t know. Considering everything that’s happened over the course of these last three years, I’d lean more towards the former.

Rest assured Trubisky will be back in 2020 in his fourth season with the Bears. But will they pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option? NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt certainly believes so.

After a disastrous first half of the season, Trubisky has shown enough promise lately to remain Chicago’s starting quarterback entering the 2020 season. For that reason, it’s worth locking him in for 2021. But given the prices quarterbacks demand, I’d wait to take the plunge on a commitment that lasts any longer until Trubisky can show more consistency.

If the Bears pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option, they’d be committing roughly $25 million to a quarterback that hasn’t proven he can be a consistent player in this league.

The Bears are likely going to exercise Trubisky’s fifth-year option, as there’s only really a guarantee for injury. They would have until the start of the league year in his fifth season to cut him if he doesn’t pan out. Although teams rarely release a player before the full guarantee takes effect.

Teams can start exercising the fifth-year options beginning December 30 and have until May 30, 2020 to make their decision.

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Are there changes coming to Bears’ offensive coaching staff in 2020?

Considering the struggles of the offense, Bears OC Mark Helfrich wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a coaching staff shakeup in the offseason.

When an NFL team goes from a 12-win season to .500 or worse the following year, that’s usually an indication that big changes are coming.

That’s what’s expected with the Chicago Bears, whose fall from grace was well-documented this season. General manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy should be safe, but the same can’t be said for some members of the coaching staff.

When offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich was asked if he was concerned that there would be a coaching shakeup on offense this offseason, he acknowledged that it was a possibility.

“When you’re in this business, stuff happens,” he said. “And that’s a possibility.”

The Bears’ failures in 2019 can be traced back to the offense, whose regression has been the single-most impactful element in Chicago’s decline this season. So if there are changes coming, it makes sense for them to happen on the offensive side of the ball.

Chicago’s offense has been one of the worst in the league this season — they rank 29th in yards per game (294.1) and 30th in points per game (17.3), ahead of only the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals.

That wasn’t supposed to happen. Not in Year 2 of Matt Nagy’s offense. Not with a young quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky that was supposed to take a step forward. Not with a group that just had to be “good enough” for their championship-caliber defense.

As Nagy has vowed to do whatever it takes to fix this ailing offense, that could lead to staffing turnover.

“That’s a part of my job as a head coach, is to make sure that I look at all silos,” Nagy said. “Whatever that is, I need to make sure that I do that. And it’s hard right now when you’re in the middle of everything, to be able to come to emotional decisions either way — players, coaches, etc. But that’s something that we handle when the time comes.”

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Allen Robinson planning offseason training workouts with Bears WRs

Bears WR Allen Robinson is orchestrating offseason workouts where Bears receivers would go to live with him and train for next season.

While the Chicago Bears still have one game left in what’s been a miserable 2019 season, talks have already turned toward the offseason. There will be plenty of issues that need to be addressed, but ranking towards the bottom of that list is wide receiver.

Still, receiver Allen Robinson, who has been the lone bright spot on Chicago’s offense this season, is planning ahead to an offseason where he’s focused on getting Bears receivers primed for 2020.

Speaking with the media on Thursday, Bear offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said that he overheard Robinson orchestrating offseason workouts where Bears receivers would go to live with him and train for next season.

This wouldn’t be the first time Robinson has taken to offseason preparation. He did the same last March when he flew to Huntington Beach, California, to work with Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, as well as fellow receivers Taylor Gabriel, Javon Wims and Marvin Hall to fine-tune and perfect passing routes.

Bears receivers that figure to be in attendance include Anthony Miller, Javon Wims, Riley Ridley, Cordarrelle Patterson and Taylor Gabriel, who could be a potential cap casualty this offseason.

You’d assume that Trubisky will also be in attendance. While Trubisky’s future in Chicago is in question, he will still be the Bears starting quarterback heading into this offseason.

Following an embarrassing output on offense, there’s much work to be done for this unit to make significant strides in 2020.

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Latest look at Raiders’ Las Vegas stadium, which Saints will visit in 2020

The New Orleans Saints will play the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in 2020. A viral video showed how construction is progressing.

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The New Orleans Saints will hit the road in 2020, and help ring in the then-Las Vegas Raiders’ inaugural season at Allegiant Stadium. That venue is still under construction, but is progressing well towards its Aug. 2020 opening date, and The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the NFL is considering it to host the 2020 season’s first Sunday night game.

That means there’s a scenario where the Saints and the Raiders headline the NFL’s Week 1 schedule next year. While the reigning Super Bowl champions traditionally host the first game of the next year (and the Saints are very much contending for that championship), the NFL has shown a willingness to go in other directions when it benefits them. For example, they scheduled a game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers to open up the league’s 100th season in 2019, putting the Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Next season, there’s the added factor of Los Angeles opening the new SoFi Stadium, which will house both the Rams and Chargers. The Review-Journal report adds that a Rams home game is being considered for Thursday night in Week 1, which would boot the Super Bowl champions (whoever they are, and hopefully the Saints) into another time slot.

So the Saints and Raiders could kick off on Sunday night in early Sept. 2020, even in the event that the Saints win Super Bowl LIV in Miami. While it would be disappointing for the Saints to lose that prestigious opening-night game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for Week 1, it’s tough to complain about the idea of opening the 2020 season in Las Vegas at a shining-new venue against a fringe playoff team. With NFL superstars like Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and Alvin Kamara and one of the league’s best-traveling fanbases involved, this would be a tantalizing draw for the NFL.

As for Allegiant Stadium itself: it’s a $1.8 billion project that will host 65,000 seats and host both the Raiders and the UNLV Rebels. A recent viral video shared a street-side view of the under-progress stadium, along with its glossy black exterior. Yeah, it’s easy to picture the Saints playing here (and leaving with a win):

 

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New 2020 NFL mock draft has Bears addressing OL, CB in 2nd round

In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, they have the Bears going offensive tackle and cornerback with their two selections in Round 2.

There’s just one game left for the Bears in what’s been a disappointing 2019 season, which means an early start to an offseason that will be pivotal for Chicago’s success in 2020.

General manager Ryan Pace has a lot of work to do, particularly on the offensive side of the football, and he’ll need to lean heavily on his six draft selections to find some future stars at a cheap price. Two of those picks come in the second round, where Pace needs to make them worth his while.

The Bears currently hold the 49th and 50th picks in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, as they got Oakland’s second-round pick (No. 50) in the Khalil Mack trade.

In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, they have the Bears addressing two needs on offense and defense: Offensive line and cornerback.

With the 49th overall selection, they have the Bears targeting USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson. Jackson has started the past two seasons at left tackle for the Trojans. There are some mock drafts that have Jackson going in the first round, and his quickness and agility at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds is impressive.

Then with the 50th pick, they have Chicago addressing the secondary with Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Johnson has been praised for his physicality and athletic build that allows him to stack up against bigger, physical receivers. He’s developed into a shutdown cornerback in his junior season with the Utes.

The Bears will once again be thin with draft selections this year, as they currently have just six following trades for Khalil Mack and David Montgomery in the past couple of seasons. Chicago has two picks in the second round, one in the fifth round, two in the sixth round and one in the seventh round.

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Christmas Wishes: 6 things we’d like to see for the Bears in 2020

We’d like to think that we’ve been good boys and girls this year, so we’re asking Santa to help our Chicago Bears out in 2020.

With the holidays upon it, the NFL’s regular season is about to wrap up as 12 teams prepare for the postseason. The Chicago Bears are not one of those teams.

After a disappointing 2019 season, one that was once ripe with expectations, they’ll be headed into an early hibernation with many questions to be answered.

So in the holiday spirit, here are six things we’re asking Santa for the Bears as they head into 2020:

1. Efficient offensive play calling

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The responsibility of the offense starts with head coach/play caller Matt Nagy, who wasn’t able to take his offense to the next step in the second year of his offense. While a large part of the offense’s struggles were execution, it trickled down to the play caller who didn’t seem to put them in a position to execute.

Whether Nagy has to step down as offensive play caller or he takes this offseason to do some self reflecting about his role in the offense’s woes, the Bears need a competent play caller to make this offense run in 2020.

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While Bears offense needs plenty of fixing, same can’t be said of defense

In their first season under DC Chuck Pagano, the Bears defense has found success. They’ll be looking to build off that in 2020.

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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Matt Nagy confident about K Eddy Pineiro heading into 2020

Bears K Eddy Pineiro has had his ups and downs this season, but the Bears seem intent on sticking with him heading into 2020.

There were plenty of reasons why the Chicago Bears lost to the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday. But kicker Eddy Pineiro wasn’t one of them. Not that the same could be said several other times this season.

Pineiro has had his ups and downs this season — including booting a 53-yard game-winning field goal against the Denver Broncos and missing what would’ve been a game-winning 41-yard field goal against the Los Angeles Chargers.

While it doesn’t change much in the grand scheme of things, Pineiro’s 46-yard field goal in the third quarter against the Chiefs was his first 40-plus successful kick since he missed two against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11.

Since then, Pineiro has been near-perfect on his kicks, connecting on seven consecutive field goals and 10 for 11 on extra points.

“I was really happy that he made that,” coach Matt Nagy said of Pineiro’s kick against the Chiefs. “I think we’re in a good place with him right now. I think if there’s one storyline that we take out of this [it’s that] kickers are going to have some tough times, not only kicking at Soldier Field, but just the kicking world in general.”

Pineiro had a great start to his rookie season, where he connected on 9-of-10 field goals. But as the weather started to turn in Chicago, Pineiro found himself facing his first real adversity of the season.

Following a rough stretch, where he had some costly misses, Pineiro has found his footing, and Nagy feels confident about him heading into 2020. Pineiro has connected on 19 of 24 field goals this season, which ranks 26th in the NFL at 79.2%.

“I like what he has done all year long,” Nagy said. “Moving forward here, going into [2020], I think we know who he is and what we have.”

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Chicago Bears’ 2020 opponents set

While there are still two weeks left in the 2019 season, the Bears’ 2020 opponents have been set.

While there’s still two weeks remaining in the Chicago Bears’ 2019 season, their opponents for 2020 have been set.

The Bears will face the AFC South and NFC South next season, which includes home games against the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, as well as away games against the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans.

With the Bears finishing third in the NFC North, they’ll play a third-place schedule, which should be easier than the first-place schedule they faced this season.

Some of the marquee matchups feature Deshaun Watson and the Texans coming to Soldier Field to face Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears, as well as rematches against the Saints and Los Angeles Rams, as well as NFC North rivalries.

Here’s a look at the Bears’ 2020 opponents:

Home Away
Houston Texans Atlanta Falcons
Indianapolis Colts Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants Los Angeles Rams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans
Detroit Lions Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings

The Bears, who were eliminated from playoff contention last week, conclude the 2019 season with games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings.

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Bears CB Kevin Toliver auditioning for starting role in 2020

With Bears CB Prince Amukamara’s future in question, second-year CB Kevin Toliver is playing for chance at a starting job in 2020.

With the Chicago Bears eliminated from playoff contention, these final two games will serve as a stepping stone for the 2020 season. This means some meaningful playing time for some of the younger players that are perhaps playing for some starting jobs next season.

One of those players is second-year cornerback Kevin Toliver, who has relieved an injured Prince Amukamara, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury suffered against the Detroit Lions in Week 13.

With Amukamara questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs — and his future with Chicago also questionable, considering he’d be a $10 million cap hit next season and only cost $1 million in dead money — Toliver recognizes the opportunity in front of him in these final two games.

‘‘I feel like every day is an audition,’’ Toliver said. ‘‘It’s a day-to-day business, so you’ve got to come to work every day with the same mindset — the dog mindset. That’s all I come in here with, just to get 2 percent better every day.’’

Toliver has seen that progress from himself this season. After getting his second career start against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, Toliver split snaps with Amukamara last week against the Green Bay Packers. Toliver played 31 snaps compared to Amukamara’s 28. The on-field experience has definitely helped the former LSU product.

‘‘I just have more confidence on the field now,’’ Toliver said. ‘‘Last year I was a little timid. I wasn’t sure if they were going to do that or the other team was going to do this. The game’s starting to slow down for me. I can see the whole field now. I just feel way more comfortable out there.’’

Bears coach Matt Nagy sees the benefit of Toliver getting additional reps, but he prefers to worry about next season, well, next season.

‘‘It’s good for both [players],’’ Nagy said. ‘‘For a guy like Kevin Toliver, getting some reps is good for him. It’s a great opportunity for him. So we’ll just balance that with where Prince is at, where Kevin’s at and then just see where it’s at for all of us.’’

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