Tag: 2019 season

Should the Bears attend Colin Kaepernick’s private workout on Saturday?

Given the Bears will be exploring all options at QB in 2020, should they send scouts to Colin Kaepernick’s private workout Saturday?

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The Chicago Bears are no strangers to quarterback struggles from the time that Colin Kaepernick was left in NFL limbo following the 2016 season to the present, where former No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky’s struggles have him facing an uncertain future in Chicago.

Kaepernick will be participating in a private workout Saturday in Atlanta, where all NFL teams are invited to come out and watch his on-field work and interview him.

Given the Bears will likely be exploring all options at quarterback in 2020 — including sticking with Trubisky, bringing in competition, drafting a quarterback or bringing in a new starter — should Chicago give Kaepernick a look?

While there’s no denying that Kaepernick would do well in a system like Matt Nagy’s, the simple fact of the matter is that he hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016. Who’s to say he’s ready to return to the physical demands of the professional game?

But, then again, that’s exactly what his private workout will serve to do. Well, at least as well as it can aside from live game action.

Regardless, the Bears should do their due diligence and send someone to Kaepernick’s workout Saturday in case he’s a very real option for the Bears in 2020.

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Harry Hiestand clarifies why Bears switched Cody Whitehair and James Daniels

The Bears decided to switch Cody Whitehair back to center and James Daniels back to left guard to provide balance on the offensive line.

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Following Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy didn’t provide any clarification as to why they decided to switch Cody Whitehair back to center and push James Daniels back to left guard.

But when offensive line coach Harry Hiestand met with the media Monday, he provided as much context as we’re likely to get publicly.

While Nagy nor Hiestand would blame Daniels for the offensive line’s struggles this season, they did point to his inexperience as a reason why they made the switch. Although you have to wonder what took so long to make the decision with the line struggling as long as it has been all season.

Hiestand said having Whitehair at center “balances us out and gives us a steadying factor in there.”

While communication calls seemed to be more effective with Whitehair at center, he wasn’t without his faults. He struggled with snapping the football, something he hadn’t done since the Pro Bowl back in January. Mitchell Trubisky saved some of those poor snaps, but Whitehair vowed that it’ll get better as he gets back into the swing of things.

As for whether Daniels could eventually wind up back at center, it sounds like the Bears are comfortable with him at left guard for now.

“Right now he’s where [he] is best for us,” Hiestand said. “But you never know with that.”

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Rams rule out WR Brandin Cooks, RT Rob Havenstein vs. Bears

The Rams have already ruled out two offensive starters for a Week 11 game against the Bears in WR Brandin Cooks and RT Rob Havenstein.

The Los Angeles Rams are banged up heading into a pivotal Week 11 matchup against the Chicago Bears.

After losing center Brian Allen for the season with an MCL injury, the Rams will also be without receiver Brandin Cooks (concussion) and right tackle Rob Havenstein (meniscus) come Sunday’s primetime game against the Bears.

The Rams’ offensive line is a mess due to an influx of injuries, which doesn’t bode well for quarterback Jared Goff, who will face a Bears defense that mauled him last season.

Cooks’ absence will heighten the pressure on receiver Cooper Kupp, who failed to catch a pass for the first time in his NFL career last Sunday in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with Cooks out.

The Bears defense might be catching the Rams offense at the right time. Although the Bears offense will have to face a dominant Rams defense led by All-Pro Aaron Donald.

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POLL: Who wins Week 11 contest between Bears and Rams?

The Bears and Rams will meet in a rematch of last year’s defensive battle on Sunday Night Football. Will the Bears emerge victorious again?

The Chicago Bears (4-5) will hit the road to take on the Los Angeles Rams (5-4) on the primetime stage.

The Bears are coming off a 20-13 win over the Detroit Lions, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had his best game of the season against Detroit, and he and the Bears offense will be looking to build on that success.

The Rams are coming off a 17-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Los Angeles’ offense struggled mightily and their defense wasn’t able to come up with a critical stop on fourth-and-1. But the Rams defense certainly impressed, and they’ll be looking to do the same against Chicago.

Chicago and Los Angeles met last year on Sunday Night Football in what was a defensive battle. The Bears emerged victorious with a 15-6 victory over the Rams, after making quarterback Jared Goff’s night a long one.

Will the Bears repeat their defensive dominance against the Rams on Sunday? Will Chicago extend their winning streak to two games? Or will the Bears fall victim to the issues that affected them during their four-game losing streak?

Who wins on Sunday?

VOTE!

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Who has bigger quarterback issues, Bears or Rams?

Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky’s struggles are no secret to Chicago. But what about his friend Rams QB Jared Goff, who’s also struggling?

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The Chicago Bears’ quarterback struggles are no secret this season in the NFL. Mitchell Trubisky has been scrutinized on a weekly basis — everything from his play to his weekly press conferences. That’s what happens when you’re struggling on a bad team that was supposed to be a Super Bowl contender.

Some Bears fans are already clamoring for the offseason, where they hope Trubisky’s replacement awaits. But Chicago still has another seven games left to evaluate the former No. 2 overall pick to see if he’s worth sticking with.

Trubisky’s off to a good start to the second half of the season after a three-touchdown effort and a 131.0 passer rating in a 20-13 win over the Detroit Lions last Sunday.

Another team that knows something about a struggling young quarterback is the Bears’ Week 11 opponent, the Los Angeles Rams.

Jared Goff, who struggled in his first season under defensive-minded Jeff Fisher, thrived in the next two seasons with offensive guru Sean McVay. He quarterbacked a Rams team that went to the Super Bowl last season — and he was paid handsomely for it, nabbing a four-year deal worth $134 million with $110 million guaranteed.

But lately, Goff has been struggling worse than his friend Trubisky. Goff, the former No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, has had five straight games with a completion rate below 60 percent, according to NBC Sports Chicago. Trubisky has managed a passer rating above 60 percent in four of his last five games.

While Trubisky has an 85.2 passer rating this season, Goff’s is lower at 82.7. Trubisky has thrown eight touchdowns and three interceptions this season to Goff’s 11 touchdowns versus nine interceptions.

Goff has a slightly higher QBR of 39.4 (which ranks 28th) while Trubisky has a QBR of 35.9 (which ranks 31st).

You could say that the Bears are better off than the Rams, who have already paid Goff a massive extension. At least the Bears haven’t paid Trubisky yet.

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Matt Nagy offers no official update on Danny Trevathan’s injury, but IR likely option

Matt Nagy didn’t have an update on Bears LB Danny Trevathan’s elbow injury, but injured reserve is likely a forgone conclusion.

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When Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan exited Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter, it was safe to assume that he wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.

Not after suffering a gruesome elbow injury, where Trevathan’s arm was bent awkwardly as he brought down Lions quarterback Jeff Driskel.

While Trevathan had an MRI done Monday, Bears coach Matt Nagy offered no official update of Trevathan’s injury during his Monday press conference. But he didn’t sound optimistic.

“Yeah. It’ not real pretty,” Nagy said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “But it’s a part of this game. You hate to see that, so we’ll see how that goes moving forward.”

Nagy wouldn’t rule out placing Trevathan on injured reserve. Though, to be fair, Nagy said during his post game press conference that they wouldn’t know anything for a “few days.” But injured reserve feels like a foregone conclusion at this point given the gruesome look at Trevathan’s elbow injury.

“It could be,” Nagy admitted. “Again, we’ll know more here in the next couple of days, but we’ll see where it goes as far as weeks are concerned.”

With the impending loss of Trevathan, that leaves the Bears down two defensive leaders. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, who sustained a dislocated elbow in Week 5, was placed on injured reserve shortly after and is eligible to return in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers.

“They’re two of the more vocal guys on that side of the ball,” Nagy said. “When you lose a guy like Danny in the middle, that leadership part, you lose a little bit…

“It’s hard, just because there is so much between the two. Just their personalities in general – they’re both a little bit different, with how they handle their personalities. But they’re very similar on the field, leadership-wise. As we move forward here, we’ll have guys that are always ready and prepared and the coaches will have them the same way.”

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What are the Bears’ odds of making the playoffs after Week 10 win?

The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 20-13 to advance to 4-5 on the season. What are their current playoff odds?

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The Chicago Bears had legitimate Super Bowl aspirations heading into the 2019 season, but those expectations became more of a long-shot after a four-game losing streak sent them spiraling near the bottom of a competitive NFC.

After notching a 20-13 win over NFC North rivals the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Bears got their first win in over a month and improved their playoff odds — just a tad.

Chicago, who sits at 4-5 heading into Week 11, increased their playoff odds from 2.7 percent to 4.4 percent.

And they can increase them more if they upset the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday, as well as the remainder of what’s shaping up to be a tough schedule to close out the season.

The Bears currently sit behind the Seattle Seahawks (8-2), Minnesota Vikings (7-3), Rams (5-4), Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) and Carolina Panthers (5-4) in the NFC Wild Card race.

Here’s a look at the remainder of the Bears’ 2019 schedule as they enter Week 11:

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Bears sign TE Bradley Sowell, again, waive LB James Vaughters

In a shocking turn of events that will surprise no one, the Bears signed TE Bradley Sowell to the active roster and waived James Vaughters.

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It’s about that time when the Chicago Bears re-sign tight end Bradley Sowell to the active roster.

The Bears waived linebacker James Vaughters on Monday and promoted Sowell from the practice squad. A move that you hope would indicate that linebacker Isaiah Irving will be good to go for Sunday, although it’s far from a guarantee.

Vaughters should clear waivers and be re-signed to the practice squad.

The question is: Will Sowell be on the 53-man roster for a rematch of last year’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, where Sowell caught his first and only touchdown pass in the 15-6 victory.

Given the Bears’ struggles at the tight end position, with Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen, it might not be as far fetched as one might think.

We’ll have to wait and see when the Bears head to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sunday Night Football.

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Can Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky build off 3-TD performance?

Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky had his best performance of the season against a lowly Lions defense. Can he build on that performance?

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The Chicago Bears notched their first win in over a month with a 20-13 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

It wasn’t a perfect win by any means, but it came when the Bears needed it most, as they advanced to 4-5 on the season and helped them cling to slim playoff hopes.

But also encouraging was oft-maligned quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s performance, where he seemed to awaken from a season-long slumber to deliver his best game of the season against a lowly Lions defense.

Trubisky’s stats weren’t otherworldly, but that didn’t matter as he came up clutch as Chicago’s offense battled back from a rough first half. If anything, he’d like to have those five sacks back.

But Trubisky completed 16-of-23 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 131.0.

“When you go through tough things, I think you’ve just got to remember why you play this game,” Trubisky said following Sunday’s game. “You just love to play this game, and you love the guys you play with. That’ll get you through anything, and just continue to stick together, feed off your teammates, and believe that you’re going to have a breakthrough, and whether you describe today as a breakthrough or not, we got the win.”

But the fact of the matter is that Trubisky played well against a Lions defense that ranked 31st in the NFL. It’s only the second game that Trubisky has played well, the other coming against another bad defense in the Washington Redskins, where he tossed three second-quarter touchdowns.

The real test will be these final seven games, where Trubisky will face some tough defenses, including the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.

Can Trubisky build off his strong performance against the Lions? Or will he come back down to earth quickly heading into the final stretch of the season?

We’ll see Sunday when the Bears face the Rams on Sunday Night Football.

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Former Bears RB Mike Davis claimed off waivers by Panthers

The Panthers claimed former Bears RB Mike Davis off waivers on Monday.

It didn’t take former Chicago Bears running back Mike Davis long to find a new home.

After the Bears waived Davis on Saturday, in order to better secure Chicago a chance at a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2020, he was claimed by the Carolina Panthers, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

The Bears signed Davis to a two-year deal worth $6 million this offseason and had high hopes for what he could bring to their offense. Instead, he was placed on the back-burner in favor of rookie running back David Montgomery, who has gotten a bulk of the carries this season.

Davis’ season high of five carries for 19 yards and six receptions for 17 yards came in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers. He had zero offensive snaps in two of his last three games.

In seven games, Davis had just 11 carries for 25 yards and seven catches for 22 yards.

Davis joins a Panthers team led by MVP candidate running back Christian McCaffrey. Rapoport said, “as the season goes on, Carolina may want to make sure Christian McCaffrey is fresh. The addition of Mike Davis helps with that.”

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