New mock draft has Bears trading down, acquiring TE and OT in 2nd round

The Bears have offensive needs they need to address this offseason, and the 2020 NFL Draft would be the perfect place to start.

In The Draft Network‘s newest mock draft, analyst Benjamin Solak has the Bears targeting tight end and offensive line in the second round — and making a trade in the process.

The Bears sent the Jets the No. 43 pick in exchange for their No. 48 overall pick, as well as acquired an additional fifth round selection (No. 140).

Ultimately, the Bears still get their guy in Purdue tight end Brycen Hopkins, who Solak has them selecting with the No. 48 overall selection.

The Bears’ trade down was a good one, as they grab a target from earlier in the round while grabbing a fifth in return. Doesn’t feel like much, but their cupboards are bare this year, and they need more weapons on offense to survive with Mitch Trubisky at QB

Chicago needs to address the hole at the tight end position, and it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to draft a tight end like Hopkins, who fits perfectly in a Matt Nagy offense, and bring in a veteran through free agency.

Like tight end, there’s plenty of work to be done on the offensive line. Solak has the Bears drafting LSU tackle Saahdiq Charles with the 50th pick.

Saahdiq Charles is one of my favorite developmental tackles that. nobody talks about. He’s not ready to step in and start in Year 1, but the Bears can keep Bobby Massie and Charles Leno installed as starters through this year and re-evaluate after Charles bulks up.

Like tight end, the offensive line was a huge area of concern for the Bears in 2019, especially in the run game. Chicago has invested a lot of money in the offensive line, but they certainly didn’t get the production they would’ve liked in 2019. While Charles Leno and Bobby Massie are locked up at tackle for 2020, bringing in a player like CHarles would be building toward the future.

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5 OL prospects Bears should watch at NFL Scouting Combine

One of the glaring needs the Bears will need to address this offseason is the offensive line, where there’s work to be done for the future.

There were no shortage of concerns on the offensive side of the ball for the Bears in 2019. One of the glaring needs the Bears will need to address this offseason is the offensive line.

While they’re pretty much stuck with what they’ve got — with the exception of a vacant right guard position — in 2020, there’s plenty of work to be done in the NFL Draft in regards to building for the future.

With that said, here are five offensive line prospects the Bears should watch at the NFL Scouting Combine next week:

1. Damien Lewis, LSU

The Bears are looking to fill the vacant role at right guard, and LSU guard Damien Lewis could very well be the guy for the job. Lewis started 28 straight games at right guard for the Tigers. He’s a physical force up front and does well under pressure. Lewis had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, and his draft stock will only continue to rise with a strong outing at the NFL Combine.

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6 Bears players that regressed in 2019

There were plenty of players that contributed to the disappointment of the Bears’ 2019 season, but these six stood apart from the rest.

There’s no sugarcoating the fact that the Chicago Bears were a bad football team in 2019. While there was a time where finishing .500 would’ve been considered a win, that’s no longer the case.

Coming off a 12-4 record, a divisional title and a playoff berth, things were looking up for the NFL’s charter franchise. Instead, what ensued was a complete fall from grace, led by Chicago’s inept offense.

There were plenty of players that contributed to the disappointment in 2019, but these six stood apart from the rest.

QB Mitchell Trubisky

There was no bigger disappointment in 2019 than quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, whose regression was a key aspect of the offensive’s decline. While he was far from the only issue on offense, he was the biggest issue. Trubisky continued to struggle with accuracy and reading defenses, and it’s fair at this point to wonder if Trubisky is going to be just another quarterback failure in Chicago.

While Trubisky had a few moments, including impressive back-to-back games against the Lions and Cowboys, ultimately he proved to not be a consistent player for the Bears. This for a player that was supposed to take the next step in Matt Nagy’s offense.

Looking ahead to 2020, Trubisky has the starting job right now. Whether that proves true down the line remains to be seen. The Bears are going to bring in veteran competition for Trubisky, and possibly a young prospect in the NFL Draft. If Trubisky struggles early next season, the Bears shouldn’t hesitate to pull the plug.

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2020 NFL Draft: Who is Bears’ answer to problems at guard?

Bleacher Report believes Clemson guard John Simpson is the perfect answer to the Bears’ offensive line woes.

There is no shortage of problems on the Bears offense. Quarterback, offensive line, run game, tight ends — you name it, the Bears are struggling with it. Even the defense has holes that can be plugged at cornerback, safety and edge rusher.

But heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, which needs are the Bears expected to target? On offense, the line ranks near the top of the list.

The lack of availability at the guard position was evident last season, when right guard Kyle Long was placed on season-ending injured reserve and Rashaad Coward and Ted Larsen relieved him.

While most of the Bears offensive line figures to remain the same in 2020, the one position they need to address is right guard.

Bleacher Report believes that Clemson guard John Simpson is a versatile answer to the Bears’ offensive line woes.

In order to shore up the spot and strengthen the ground attack, which would help quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the Bears could target a prospect with one of their two second-round picks.

Though John Simpson has settled at left guard this season, he’s lined up on both sides of the Clemson line. His versatility would be an added plus in case of injuries.

At 6’4″, 330 pounds, Simpson isn’t going to impress with light feet, though he knows how to use his frame to wall off defenders. He can match power with stout defensive tackles and create openings for ball-carriers to follow his lead.

While there are candidates to take over at right guard, including Alex Bars, Chicago needs dependability and versatility on the offensive line. Simpson could be an answer to that.

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Bears’ top positional needs this offseason

General manager Ryan Pace has a lot of work to do this offseason. But what are his top priorities this offseason?

The Chicago Bears were sent into early hibernation following a disappointing 8-8 season marred by offensive deficiencies and underwhelming execution.

General manager Ryan Pace has a lot of work to do this offseason when it comes to addressing needs on the offensive and defensive sides of the football.

Here are the Bears’ top five positional needs this offseason:

1. Tight end

Arguably the most disappointing position group of the entire season were the tight ends, who were non-existent in the Bears offense this season. Chicago’s top three tight ends — Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker — were all on injured reserve by season’s end. But even before that, they weren’t producing on the field.

The Bears can’t rely on injury-prone Burton and Shaheen to suddenly have breakout seasons in 2020. Pace needs to turn to free agency or the NFL Draft to bring in a production tight end that’s a necessity for Matt Nagy’s offense.

Possible options: Hunter Henry (UFA), Austin Hooper (UFA), Eric Ebron (UFA), Cole Kmet (Draft), Brycen Hopkins (Draft)

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5 candidates to replace Kyle Long at right guard

The Bears will have a new starting right guard in 2020 following Kyle Long’s announcement he’s stepping away the NFL. Who could replace him?

For the last seven years, the Bears have entered the offseason with no question about who their right guard would be come the start of the season.

But following Kyle Long’s announcement that he will be stepping away from the Bears and the NFL, the Bears will need to fill that spot at right guard on an offensive line that will be under new management in Juan Castillo, who was hired to replace Harry Hiestand as offensive line coach.

There are different routes the Bears could turn to replace Long — including in-house, free agency or even the NFL Draft.

Here are five candidates that could take over for Long at right guard in 2020:

1. Alex Bars

Under contract, Chicago Bears

The popular candidate to replace Long at right guard is rookie offensive lineman Alex Bars, who the Bears fought hard to keep in Chicago. The Bears paid Bars more money to remain on their practice squad — rather than him choosing to join the Patriots active roster.

Bars was promoted to the active roster on Oct. 15, although he didn’t get any significant reps in the final half of the season. Still, the Bears clearly have plans for Bars, and you’d have to believe it involves giving him a chance to win the starting right guard job in training camp.

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Report: Juan Castillo joining Bears as offensive line coach

Matt Nagy has appointed NFL veteran assistant Juan Castillo as the Bears’ new offensive line coach, with a speciality in the run game.

The Chicago Bears didn’t wait long before addressing an offensive coaching vacancy. Following the firing of four coaches, including offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, on Tuesday, Matt Nagy has already made a new addition to his coaching staff.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Juan Castillo will be joining the Bears as their new offensive line coach.

Veteran assistant Juan Castillo will be joining the #Bears as their offensive line coach, source said. A big move for Matt Nagy’s staff.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 1, 2020

Castillo will be replacing Harry Hiestand, who served as Chicago’s offensive line coach from 2018-19 and also previously from 2005-09. Castillo is a veteran NFL assistant who also has experience as a running game coordinator, something that Nagy clearly valued as that’s a key area where the Bears need to get better on offense.

Castillo most recently served two years as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, where he was let go following a disappointing season from his offensive line. But some insisted it was more about the personnel than the coach.

Before his time in Buffalo, Castillo spent four years as an assistant to John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent one season as run game coordinator before changing over to offensive line coach.

Castillo does have some ties to Matt Nagy, as he worked with Nagy under Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, Castillo was with the Eagles from 1995 to 2012, where he served different roles. He worked as an offensive assistant, tight ends coach, offensive line coach and defensive coordinator.

It’s clear that this hiring is reliant on Castillo’s reputation as a running game coordinator, which remains one of the Bears’ biggest offensive concerns.

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Who’s to blame for Bears’ offensive struggles this season? Everyone.

There hasn’t been just one thing that’s doomed the Bears’ offense. It’s been a plethora of factors that have contributed to their struggles.

For all of the struggles that have plagued the Bears offense this season, there hasn’t been just one guilty party. It would’ve been easier if it was. Instead, it’s been a plethora of factors that have contributed to the Bears’ offensive deficiencies.

Whether it was the play calling or the poor execution by players, everyone on offense deserves a portion of the blame for the unit’s inability to sustain a rhythm this season.

Let’s take a look at the different factors that have contributed to the offense’s struggles this season:

Play caller Matt Nagy

Ultimately an offense is only as good as its play-caller, and Matt Nagy hasn’t done his unit any favors this season. There have been many times this season where Nagy has been criticized for his aversion to the running game, which has doomed any sort of balance the offense was looking for this season.

He’s also recently come under attack for his inability to cater to his struggling young quarterback’s strengths, among them rolling him out to help both Mitchell Trubisky and the offensive line. The simple fact of the matter is that the responsibility of Matt Nagy’s offense falls on, well, Matt Nagy. And he simply hasn’t put his offense in a position to execute.

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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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New Bears center Cody Whitehair promises to ‘get better as we go’

As the Bears switched Cody Whitehair back to center against the Lions, he had some ups and downs in his return to center.

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The Chicago Bears made some adjustments on offense prior to Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. Whether that was benching tight end Adam Shaheen or a switch on the offensive line, Matt Nagy was determined to shake things up.

After switching Cody Whitehair to left guard and James Daniels to center during the offseason, the team decided to switch them back after Daniels struggled at his new position over the first eight games this season.

When Whitehair snapped for the first time Sunday against the Lions, it was his first snap to quarterback Mitchell Trubisky since the pair played in the Pro Bowl back in January.

Whitehair struggled with his snaps, including one that could’ve been a disaster as a fumble that Trubisky managed to turn into a 3-yard gain. There were a few others that were high or wide that Trubisky had to adjust to.

“It went OK for me, but I wish I could have a couple [plays] back …” Whitehair said, via the Sun-Times. “It’ll get better as we go.”

Neither Whitehair or Daniels had played their former positions prior to switching during practice last week.

“It’s not easy switching positions within seven days,” Daniels said, “but [offensive line] coach Harry [Hiestand] believed in me.”

The switch comes after some struggles on the offensive line, where Nagy wouldn’t blame Daniels, just like he wouldn’t focus on Whitehair’s snapping issues.

“I think sometimes when, whatever sport it is — if it’s golf and a golfer has the yips or you get into people, pitchers or whatever — the less you talk about it, the better it gets,” he said.

We’ll see if that’s the case when the Bears travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday Night Football, where defensive star Aaron Donald awaits.

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