Bears rank 17th in team continuity heading into 2020

The Bears don’t have a ton of continuity on their team with losses in free agency, as well as the additions of new coaches.

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.

[vertical-gallery id=447919]

[lawrence-related id=448620,448598,448605,448590,448566,448563,448481]

Chicago Bears’ 8 biggest offseason additions in 2020

Bears GM Ryan Pace has been busy this offseason adding players to this roster that he believes will help Chicago in 2020 and beyond.

The Chicago Bears are looking to rebound following a disappointing season in 2019. But they’ll have to do it without several players from last year, who departed in free agency or were released by the team.

General manager Ryan Pace has been busy this offseason adding players to this roster that he believes will help the Bears in 2020 and beyond. Whether it was free agency or the 2020 NFL Draft, Chicago is banking on these additions to help them get back to the postseason.

Here are the Bears’ eight biggest additions this offseason.

1. EDGE Robert Quinn

Ultimately, pass rushers are judged by how they get after the quarterback. And the Bears couldn’t justify paying Leonard Floyd $13.2 million for his production. Chicago was able to lock up former All-Pro Robert Quinn, which serves to do wonders for their pass rush. With both Khalil Mack and Quinn coming off the edge, teams are going to have to pick their poison.

[lawrence-related id=448397,448344]

Pages: 12345678

Matt Nagy preaches more collaborative effort among offensive coaching staff

Matt Nagy will remain the Bears’ play-caller in 2020, but he’ll have experienced offensive minds to help keep the offense together.

When your offense was one of the worst in the NFL last season, obviously changes need to be made. Which is exactly what Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy has done this offseason.

That started with the newest members of his offensive coaching staff, which include offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone, who bring a combined 40 years of experience with them.

And, no, it’s not a coincidence that those new coaches specialize in the areas where the Bears struggled most last season as an offense.

While Nagy runs the offense, first and foremost he’s the head coach, which means that his responsibilities run deeper than just offense. Nagy will remain the play-caller in 2020, but he’ll have experienced offensive minds to help keep the offense together.

“I need to be an excellent head coach,” Nagy said, via SI.com. “In order to do that, the more manpower you have on that side of the ball—that can help get it going and can keep it together, and keep it detailed and overcommunicate clarity and still have beautiful ideas—the more of that we have, if done the right way, it can just take off. So what we’ve done with those three guys, we’ve explained their roles—who’s responsible for this, who’s responsible for that.”

“They’re all in. They all get it.”

According to Albert Breer, it’s similar to how the Philadelphia Eagles run things, where the head coach is responsible for calling plays, the offensive coordinator runs unit and staff meetings and specific coaches are responsible for individual parts of the offense (red zone, run game, etc.). He hopes that, ultimately, it’ll benefit the quarterbacks room.

“The way they had things in Philadelphia, with Frank Reich, (Doug) Pederson and Flip in 2017, that’s a pretty good deal there,” Nagy said. “And I think the quarterbacks in those rooms feel that. Now, the quarterbacks know too the structure of these things. So when you do that, and when you all speak the same language, which is what we’re doing right now, with us and the quarterbacks, that’s what we think can really help us improve in that room.”

[vertical-gallery id=444804]

[lawrence-related id=445673,445745,445735,445319]

What’s the key to fixing Bears offense? It’s all in the details for Matt Nagy

The Bears will be looking to redeem themselves following an abysmal outing on offense last season, and Matt Nagy brought in reinforcements.

The Chicago Bears’ offense will look a little different in 2020. Not only have the Bears brought in Nick Foles to compete with Mitchell Trubisky, but they’ve added some new offensive minds in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone to help Matt Nagy get this offense back on track.

But before Chicago brought in Foles, the focus this offseason was scheme evaluation. The Bears had one of the worst offenses in the NFL in 2019 — and there were a number of issues other than just quarterback play.

While the Bears were far from a great offense in 2018, they were good enough with this Chicago defense. So what happened with the offense’s massive regression in 2019? For Nagy, it’s all in the details. Something that has been the focus for this Bears offensive coaching staff this offseason.

During these scheme evaluation meetings, Nagy got some fresh perspective from these new offensive coaches about what went right and what went wrong. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Nagy was frustrated in the flaws of the 2019 scheme, which these coaches pointed out. More than anything, he was frustrated with himself.

“I’d get pissed off and say, ‘No, put on 2018 and show them how that same play worked,’” Nagy said. “Then those coaches see that same play and say, ‘Well, 2018, that play looked pretty good.’ So that’s been our challenge: Why? Why from 2018 to 2019 did that happen? There’s a lot of things that go into that. And I will always start with myself in all of this, you have to be able to do that.

“For me, right now, forget the X’s and O’s, forget the play call and all that, I look at the word details. I think the greatest teams in all of sports are extremely detailed, and it comes naturally to them, because they do it over and over. It’s a repeated habit.”

During Breer’s discussion with Nagy, the one word that continued to come up was “details,” which is something that’s been a focus this offseason. It’s something that Nagy’s new coaching staff will help enforce.

But Nagy has the added advantage of knowing most of these players heading into Year 3 of this offense. He knows what they do well and what they don’t. Certainly having some new offensive minds — guys that haven’t been here from the start — has allowed for a fresh perspective when it comes to evaluating what concepts to keep and what to get rid of. It’s been a collaborative process for Nagy and his new coaching staff, one that he thinks will be beneficial.

“For the coaches that have been here, now going into our third year, we’ve now had the luxury of understanding our current players, what they do well, and what they don’t do well,” Nagy said. “So as a staff, we’ve seen concepts that we like, that we think are worth keeping. And concepts that, you know what, whether they were good or not in Kansas City, they’re not very good here in Chicago. So we’re gonna bag it, let’s get rid of it.

“That’s where we’re at right now, and we’re real excited about some of the newer ideas and thoughts we have, that these other coaches have brought.”

[vertical-gallery id=444804]

[lawrence-related id=445735,445319,445670,445667]

NFL.com believes Bears are well-off at running back in 2020

The Bears’ run game struggled in 2019. Yet, there are some that believe that Chicago is in a good situation with its run game.

The run game was one of the most criticized aspects of an abysmal Bears offense in 2019. And yet, there are some that believe that Chicago is in a good situation with its run game this offseason.

NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman believes the Bears are in good position at running back heading into 2020. He cited the fact that the entire offense struggled as a whole in 2019, as well as Chicago having two running backs in David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen still on their rookie deals and trending in the right direction.

Chicago’s ground game regressed in 2019, dropping from 11th to 27th after the drafting of David Montgomery and the decision to trade away Jordan Howard. There were other variables at play there, namely the frenzied play of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the inconsistency of the Bears as a whole.

But it’s hard to argue that wholesale changes should be made to the backfield, considering Montgomery and Tarik Cohen are both still on their rookie deals and ascending. Chicago should lean on Montgomery much more in 2020 but the Bears could use someone not named Ryan Nall to complement the youngsters. A cheap veteran pickup in free agency is warranted.

Of course, when you look at it from a monetary standpoint, the Bears are in a decent spot, especially when you consider their current predicament in terms of the salary cap. But there’s a reason that one of the focuses of this offseason has been to fix the ailing run game.

Matt Nagy isn’t necessarily someone known to have an affinity toward the running the football, which is exactly why he brought in some new offensive minds that specialize in just that.

New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and even tight ends coach Clancy Barone will no doubt have their fingerprints on Chicago’s plan to address the run game.

[lawrence-related id=439365,439321,439084,439152]

5 questions for Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy ahead of NFL Scouting Combine

Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy will meet with the media ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, and there are sure to be no shortage of questions.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy will meet with the media on Tuesday ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, and there are sure to be no shortage of questions directed at them.

Pace will meet with reporters at 9:00 a.m. CT and Nagy is scheduled to talk to the media at 11:15 a.m. CT.

While reporters will come out firing with questions, it’s unlikely that Pace or Nagy will give away any information that could tip off any teams. Still, there are important questions that will be asked — and then those questions will be answered without answering at all.

Still, here are five questions we have for Pace and Nagy heading into the NFL Scouting Combine:

1. How are the Bears going to continue to clear salary cap space?

The Bears have already freed up $13.5 million in salary cap space with the release of cornerback Prince Amukamara and receiver Taylor Gabriel. But those are just the first cap-casualties of this offseason, and Pace is expected to make some more roster cuts to free up more cap space.

Pace needs to make a decision on outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who is due to make $13.2 million this season. The Bears have until the start of the new league year to release Floyd and save an additional $13.2 million guaranteed by his fifth-year option.

Other players that Pace will need to make some decisions about include at the tight end position with Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker. While Braunecker is a valuable special teamer, Shaheen is at the greatest risk of being cut this offseason.

[lawrence-related id=438461,438388,438526,438270]

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Kyle Long says Bears’ offensive struggles boiled down to 2 things

The Bears offense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2019, and Kyle Long said it had to do with health and lack of a running game.

The Bears offense was far from explosive in 2018. But they were good enough that — with a dominant defense — the Bears were able to make a postseason appearance.

It was understandable. They were learning a new system — one that they were told was complex and would take a couple of years to master. But there was comfort in the fact that, after a full season and another offseason, the players would grow to master Matt Nagy’s offense in Year 2.

Only, that didn’t happen.

In fact, they regressed beyond their wildest imaginations. Chicago’s offense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2019, ranking near the bottom of most statistical categories.

There are many factors that went into the Bears’ offense struggles, starting with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and trickling down through play calling, offensive line play, lack of production from tight ends and the complete absence of a run game.

Retired Bear Kyle Long said that the offense’s struggles came down to two factors.

“Health and the running game,” Long said, via WGN. “Those are the two things that separated the seasons.”

While Nagy and Trubisky have garnered most of the blame for the offense’s regression, Long said that it was more than just them.

“People want to place the blame on Matt (Nagy), or they want to place the blame on Mitch (Trubisky), and that’s unfair because there’s so many people on the field that dictate how the game ends up,” Long said.

Changes are coming to the Bears offense. Some have already happened, with the hirings of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone.

Long offered up his opinion on how the Bears can fix their offensive struggles.

“I think if you draft early and invest in early picks on the offensive and defensive line, you’ll never go wrong,” he said. “Everybody else does well when the offensive line does well. And you look around the playoffs and you look at Super Bowl Sunday and what do these two groups have in common? Great o-lines.”

[lawrence-related id=437004,437082,437084,437068,437042]

John DeFilippo says Bears offensive staff reminds him of 2017 Eagles

John DeFilippo said the biggest draw of joining the Bears’ coaching staff was how it reminded him of his time with the Eagles in 2017.

Some of the biggest moves Matt Nagy has made this offseason has come as part of his offensive coaching staff. Following an abysmal offensive outing in 2019, Nagy brought in four new coaches that have a combined # years of coaching experience.

One of those new coaches is quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, who is highly regarded for his work molding young quarterbacks. He’ll be tasked with turning around fourth-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who regressed in 2019. Considering DeFilippo initially interviewed for the Bears’ heading coaching job in 2018, he’s quite familiar with Trubisky and the Bears.

After offensive coordinator stints with the Vikings and Jaguars, DeFilippo joined Nagy’s coaching staff as the new quarterbacks coach, which is exactly his specialty.

DeFilippo said one of the biggest allure of joining the Bears’ coaching staff was how it reminded him of his time with the Eagles in 2017. That Eagles staff consisted of head coach Doug Pederson, offensive coordinator Frank Reich, quarterbacks coach DeFilippo, offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, running backs coach Duce Staley, wide receivers coach Mike Groh and tight ends coach Justin Peelle.

“We had a lot of very experienced guys that had no ego,” DeFilippo said on Bears All-Access. “And that’s what attracted me to this job most was the experience on this staff that Coach was putting together, with no ego, and our only goal is to win.”

Aside from DeFilippo, Nagy brought in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone. All of which will be tasked with fixing an element of the Bears offense, ranging from quarterback to run game to tight ends to offensive line.

“When you have no ego, a lot of experience, a lot of guys that have called plays before and a lot of guys that have coached in a Super Bowls and been around good teams,” DeFilippo said, “I think that can do nothing but help your team.”

Obviously we’re months away from seeing the finished product and how the hiring of these new offensive minds will ultimately shape the Bears offense. But bringing in coaches with an affinity for different aspects of offense can’t hurt an offense that was one of the worst in the NFL last season.

[lawrence-related id=436994,436980,436966,436907,436923]

5 takeaways from Bears’ new offensive coaching staff

There’s plenty to unpack here, given the direction of Matt Nagy’s new offensive coaching staff, including the value of experience.

The Chicago Bears officially announced the new additions to Matt Nagy’s coaching staff, which includes a continued overhaul on offense.

Nagy confirmed the hirings of Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach, as well as the promotion of Dave Ragone to pass game coordinator. They joined previously-announced coaches Juan Castillo (offensive line) and Clancy Barone (tight ends).

There’s plenty to unpack here, given the direction of Nagy’s hirings. Here are my five takeaways from the new additions to the Bears’ offensive coaching staff:

1. Fixing the offense a major priority this offseason

Ask anyone about what doomed the Bears in 2019, and the answer will be an overwhelming chorus focused on the offense. While the Bears offense didn’t need to be a top-10 offense to live up to expectations, they needed to show progress in Year 2 of Matt Nagy’s system. Instead, they ranked near the bottom of nearly every statistical category.

Naturally, someone had to take the fall. And it wasn’t going to be Nagy. So it’s easy to assume that the firings of offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride were an attempt to pawn off the blame for the offense’s struggles. But it feels like it’s more about accountability at this point.

The offense needs to be significantly better this season than it was in 2019. It’s as simple as that. If not, Nagy’s seat will grow even hotter.

[lawrence-related id=435926,435877,435940,435888]

Pages: 12345

Bears announce coaching staff additions

The Bears have announced their coaching staff additions, which includes some previously announced hirings and some new promotions.

The Chicago Bears have announced their coaching staff additions, which includes some previously announced hirings and some new promotions.

Chicago has hired Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach. They also announced Dave Ragone’s promotion from quarterbacks coach to pass game coordinator.

[lawrence-related id=435888,435707]

The Bears had previously announced the hirings of Juan Castillo as offensive line coach and Clancy Barone as tight ends coach.

Aside from those hirings, the Bears also announced some more staff promotions, including Brian Ginn to assistant special teams coach, Chris Jackson to assistant wide receivers and Shane Toub to defensive quality control.

[lawrence-related id=435926,435877,435986,435940,435888,435873]