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It was reported on Wednesday that Everson Griffen had signed a deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Here are photos from his 2019 campaign.
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The Athletic recently ranked all 32 NFL offenses and the Bears, who shockingly weren’t among bottom five in the league, landed at No. 24.
There’s a reason the Chicago Bears have been known for their dominant defenses over their storied 100-year history. When it comes down to it, the Bears historically haven’t been good on offense.
Look no further than last season, where Chicago’s offense appeared poised to take a step forward in Year 2 under Matt Nagy and instead regressed to one of the worst offenses in the entire NFL.
And, in case you were wondering, yes, they were that bad in 2019. They averaged 17.5 points per game (29th in the NFL), 296.8 yards per game (29th) and 4.7 yards per play (31st). It was equal part struggles in the passing game (5.3 net yards per attempt, which was 32nd) and run game (3.7 yards per rush, which was 30th.)
The Athletic recently ranked all 32 NFL offenses and the Bears, who shockingly weren’t among bottom five in the league, landed at No. 24.
24. Chicago Bears
Last year: 25thMatt Nagy made changes to his coaching staff, and the Bears brought in Nick Foles to compete with Mitch Trubisky. Chicago was one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL last season, and there’s little reason to believe that they’ll be significantly better on the ground in 2020. But it’s not crazy to think that Foles and Trubisky could combine to at least give them mediocre QB play. The supporting cast led by Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller is not bad. The ceiling for this offense is low, but the Bears should be better than they were last year.
Fixing the offense has been a focal point for Nagy and the Bears this offseason, which began with a trade for former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles. Mitchell Trubisky’s struggles weren’t the only reason Chicago’s offense struggled in 2019, but it was one of the biggest concerns. Which is exactly why general manager Ryan Pace brought in Foles to challenge Trubisky and potentially replace him.
The Bears completely overhauled their tight ends room, and Jesper Horsted is the only tight end on the roster that was on the roster at this point last year. Chicago spent their top draft pick on tight end Cole Kmet and added veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris to ignite an important component of Nagy’s offense that was noticeably absent in 2019.
One of the biggest concerns with this offense last season was the ineffectiveness of the run game, which made the Bears’ struggling offense even more unimpressive. Nagy brought in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and offensive line coach Juan Castillo to help him figure out how to fix the run game’s struggles as David Montgomery returns as lead back in his second season.
The good news for the Bears is that after an abysmal offensive performance in 2019, they can only get better from here.
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The struggles of Chicago’s run game hasn’t stopped analysts from believing that RB David Montgomery is poised for a breakout season in 2020.
The struggles of the Chicago Bears’ run game last season were well-documented. But that hasn’t stopped many analysts from believing that Bears running back David Montgomery can capitalize off a solid rookie season in 2020.
NFL.com’s Maurice Jones-Drew examined the second-year running backs that appear poised for a Year 2 breakout in 2020, and Montgomery is among those that made his list.
Jones-Drew points out the fallacies of the Bears offense as a whole last season and the importance of head coach Matt Nagy in Montgomery’s potential success.
Like I said in my running back rankings earlier this month, Montgomery’s success depends entirely on head coach Matt Nagy. The Bears relied on quarterback Mitchell Trubisky too often last season, and the result (an 8-8 record) prompted them to trade for Nick Foles in the offseason. No matter who’s under center this fall, though, Montgomery should be at the center of the offense. Trubisky and Foles need to lean on the run game in order to succeed in the passing game, because let’s face it: These two, with this supporting cast, aren’t going to throw all over the yard on NFL defenses. They’re just not. Montgomery has the goods to lead the Bears’ offensive charge with his vision, ability to break tackles and speed in the open field. He should see closer to 280-300 carries, easily gain 1,000-plus rushing yards and log double-digit TDs.
Montgomery had a solid rookie year, where he had 889 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He also added 25 receptions for 185 yards and a score. Montgomery surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards as a rookie.
The run game wasn’t pretty last year. Montgomery struggled behind an ineffective offensive line — averaging 3.7 yards per carry — and he wasn’t helped by Nagy’s aversion to running the football. Montgomery had more than 20 rushing attempts in just four games, and there were seven games where he had less than 15 carries.
That should change drastically in 2020, as running the football has become a focal point for Nagy’s offense. Which is why he brought in new coaches with experience in the run game, including offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and offensive line coach Juan Castillo.
Montgomery is confident that he will have a breakout season that many have pegged him for.
“It’s going to be better this year,” he told reporters earlier this offseason. “I’m going to be better this year for this team and this organization. I’m going to come as prepared as ever to lead that running back room the way I need to — and be who I need to be for this offense and this team.”
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Miles Sanders among running backs set for a breakout season in 2020
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Josh Jacobs was the big name rookie running back in the NFL last season and he didn’t disappoint, as the Las Vegas Raiders star finished his rookie season with 1,150 rushing yards and was second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Jacobs did most of his damage early on, while a star was born in Philadelphia, as Miles Sanders came on after Jordan Howard’s injury and paired with Carson Wentz to help carry the Eagles offense into the playoffs.
Sanders is preparing for an MVP season and one former NFL running back believes the Eagles star will have a breakout campaign. Maurice Jones-Drew is an analyst for NFL.com and recently broke down three second-year running backs set for breakout seasons.
Sanders made the list, joined by the Bills Devin Singletary and the Bears David Montgomery.
Miles Sanders
Philadelphia Eagles · RB
Year 1: 16 games | 179 att | 818 rush yds | 4.6 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 50 rec | 509 rec yds | 3 rec TDsSanders played well behind an Eagles’ offensive line that was among the best in the league in run-blocking in 2019. With 38-year-old veteran Jason Peters swinging inside to take over for injured guard Brandon Brooks, the second-year running back will have to do more and create more lanes on his own. The Eagles have shuffled through running backs over the last five seasons, so the pressure is on Sanders to solidify himself as a mainstay in the backfield. If he doesn’t, the Eagles will have no issue moving on, like they’ve done in the past. That should be a big motivator for Sanders. I think he’ll rise to the challenge, even with the Eagles adding to the passing game this offseason in an effort to get Carson Wentz back to the MVP form he displayed in 2017 before his season-ending knee injury. That said, I predict Sanders will earn 1,500 scrimmage yards, including 1,000 rushing yards (which would make him Philly’s first 1,000-yard rusher since LeSean McCoy in 2014) and 10 total TDs.
Sanders could be the running back that finally allows the Eagles to do away with their running back by committee approach. Sanders has the potential to be a top-10 running back in 2020 and if he can avoid nagging injuries, could push for 1,000+ yards rushing and receiving.
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We surveyed every unit on the Bears offense to decide if they project to be better or worse in 2020, or if we can expect more of the same.
The Chicago Bears have kicked off training camp, where both returning and new faces to the roster have arrived at Halas Hall to begin preparation for the 2020 season. Obviously, the 2019 season didn’t go as planned for the Bears. But the hope is that, with some of the changes made this offseason, that Chicago can prove that last season was more of an anomaly than a trend.
Starting with the offense, there have been some big changes made to this roster, particularly at quarterback and tight end. Following an atrocious outing on offense in 2019, they were changes that needed to be made. Whether those changes ultimately result in a complete turnaround on offense remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine it could get worse than last season.
We surveyed every unit on the Bears offense to decide if they project to be better or worse in 2020, or if we can expect more of the same.
Gained:
Lost:
Heading into 2019, the belief was that Mitchell Trubisky was poised to take the next step in his young career and establish himself as the Bears franchise quarterback. That obviously didn’t happen. Following a disappointing outing by Trubisky, Chicago traded for former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles, who will battle Trubisky for the starting job in training camp.
The main difference is that, this year, the Bears have two quarterbacks on their roster that, for all intents and purposes, are starting quarterbacks. No offense to Chase Daniel, who was an adamant backup for the Bears. But whoever Chicago’s back-up quarterback winds up being, he could be expected to step in and not miss a beat. Despite whoever wins the starting job, you can’t say the Bears didn’t upgrade at quarterback.
The verdict: Upgrade
The Bears enter training camp with a decent salary cap situation following news of one prominent defensive player opting out of the season.
The Chicago Bears enter training camp with a decent salary cap situation, especially following news of one prominent defensive player opting out of the 2020 season.
The biggest storyline from the start of camp last week was nose tackle Eddie Goldman choosing to opt out of the 2020 season due to health and safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While Goldman’s loss is a brutal blow to Chicago’s defense, it also impacts the team’s salary cap situation in 2020.
With Goldman off the books for the 2020 season, that freed up roughly $3.2 million giving the Bears roughly $18.8 million in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap.
Which should help given Chicago’s current situation at nose tackle. John Jenkins, who was the in-house favorite to take over for Goldman this season, was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, which puts his status up in the air and leaves the Bears without a true nose tackle on the roster.
With roughly $18 million in cap space, general manager Ryan Pace could turn to free agency to sign someone like Damon Harrison or Mike Daniels to a one-year deal for insurance on the defensive line.
The Bears also have questions at running back, as they don’t have a proven backup to David Montgomery. Right now Ryan Nall is the presumptive third running back on the 53-man roster, but the Bears have some money if they’d like to bring in a proven veteran, such as Devonta Freeman or Lamar Miller, to join Montgomery and Tarik Cohen.
Although the Bears need to be careful with their cap space given the potential impact in 2021. The salary cap in 2021 could be reduced as much as $23 million due to potential revenue losses from minimal attendance at games with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, the Bears are in a good position with roughly $18 million in cap space. Although wide receiver Allen Robinson is due a worthy extension as he enters the final year of his three-year contract with the Bears.
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We’re just days away from the start of Bears training camp, and there are several position battles to keep an eye on.
We’re just days away from the start of Chicago Bears training camp, and there are several position battles to keep an eye on.
While there are several starting jobs up for grabs at quarterback and in the secondary, there are also valuable roster spots up for grabs at running back and wide receiver. And with the absence of preseason games, every training camp rep is going to be even more important.
Some position battles are sure to draw more attention than others, naturally. Our Bears Wire staff shares their thoughts on which position battle they’re looking forward to in training camp.
Yes, it’s the obvious answer. But with the success of this team hinging on quarterback play this season, there’s no denying that the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles is the most important position battle at training camp. The Bears invested a lot to bring Foles to Chicago — a fourth-round pick and $21 million — but that’s still not a guarantee that he wins the job. Matt Nagy has made it clear that this will be an open and fair competition.
While Foles has experience operating in a system similar to Nagy’s, the shortened offseason figures to benefit Trubisky, who already has experience operating this offense and working with Chicago’s skill position players. Especially given that he’s been organizing offseason workouts during the virtual offseason. But regardless of who wins the starting job, it’s certainly no guarantee that they’ll be the starter come season’s end.
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Bill Barnwell examined every NFL team’s collective group of offensive weapons, and he ranked the Bears at No. 28 in the league.
There’s not a lot of confidence in the Chicago Bears’ offense, and rightfully so. They’re coming off an abysmal 2019 season where they were one of the worst units in the NFL, for several reasons.
One of the biggest concerns was quarterback, and incumbent starter Mitchell Trubisky will find himself battling Nick Foles for the starting job come training camp.
But a quarterback is nothing without his skill position players. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell examined every NFL team’s collective group of offensive weapons, and he ranked Chicago among the worst at No. 28 in the league.
While Barnwell is quick to praise receiver Allen Robinson for what he’s accomplished, as well as give some credit to third-year wideout Anthony Miller, who’s poised for a breakout year in 2020. But it’s the remainder of Chicago’s skill position players that have Barnwell concerned.
The other weapons on this roster all failed to live up to expectations, although much of that was due to injuries. (Tarik Cohen’s seven drops on 103 targets are the exception.) Players like Cohen, Ted Ginn Jr. and Cordarrelle Patterson could be intriguing supplemental pieces in the right scheme, but it’s difficult to count on coach Matt Nagy making the most of their ability.
Free-agent signee Jimmy Graham’s contract was universally panned, but even leaving the money aside, he was anonymous last season in a Packers offense desperate for a second receiving option and turns 34 in November. David Montgomery is the big hope for the Bears to climb up these rankings, but as a rookie, he was below-average by every running measure I could find.
As far as receivers go, Robinson remains far and away Chicago’s best offensive weapon. Third-year receiver Anthony Miller flashed his potential last season, and he’s expected to be a big part of this offense following the departure of Taylor Gabriel. But there’s a lot of unproven talent at receiver with Riley Ridley and Javon Wims. Although Chicago added some much-needed speed to their receivers room with the addition of Ted Ginn Jr. and rookie Darnell Mooney.
The Bears had an ineffective run game last season, but the blame doesn’t fall solely on David Montgomery. He wasn’t done any favors by a struggling offensive line or an offensive playcaller that doesn’t like to run the football. Then there’s Tarik Cohen, who had a disappointing season, and it seemed like Matt Nagy didn’t know how to utilize him in this offense last season.
It’s no secret that the Bears had arguably the worst tight end performance last season, where they combined for 36 receptions, 416 receiving yards and just two touchdowns. General manager Ryan Pace overhauled the tight ends room with the acquisitions of rookie Cole Kmet and veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris, while parting ways with Trey Burton. So there’s nowhere to go but up for this group in 2020.
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Heading into training camp, there aren’t many that have confidence that the Bears will be a team that will be competitive in 2020.
Heading into training camp, there aren’t many that have confidence that the Chicago Bears will be a team that will be competitive in 2020. And that’s probably for the best, considering Chicago folded under the high expectations last season. And it’s hard to have confidence in a team coming off a 8-8 season with major questions on offense, particularly at the quarterback position.
There are plenty of reasons for concern heading into the 2020 season. Obviously there’s the quarterback situation with Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles, as well as concerns regarding the offensive line and depth at a few positions.
Here are five reasons for pessimism as the Bears prepare for training camp.
Anytime you have a competition at quarterback it’s a good indication that you’re not in the best place. And there’s a big question mark involving the Bears’ quarterback situation heading into 2020. Following Mitchell Trubisky’s worst year as a pro, the Bears traded for former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles to compete with him for the starting job.
But with the shortened offseason and at minimum a two-game preseason, the quarterback competition will essentially play out over the course of a month in training camp. Not exactly a large sample size for Matt Nagy to make the best decision. That should benefit Trubisky, who’s played with most of Chicago’s skill position players for two years and has even been working with some of the newcomers with offseason workouts in the Chicago area.
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We’re taking a look at Bears running backs, where the biggest question is who will backup lead back David Montgomery.
Chicago Bears training camp is less than three weeks away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.
Next up are the running backs, which you could argue is one of the team’s biggest weaknesses at this point. Outside of lead back David Montgomery, who’s entering his second season, and the versatile Tarik Cohen, there are a lot of unknowns.
Perhaps the most important is who will serve as Montgomery’s primary backup, as Cohen isn’t your traditional three-down back. The Bears have three unproven guys that are currently vying for that third running back spot in Ryan Nall, Artavis Pierce and Napoleon Maxwell.
Could they bring in a veteran to compete? Unknown at this point. But given the importance of securing a dependable backup to Montgomery, it shouldn’t be out of the question.
Let’s take a look at the running backs heading into training camp.
Montgomery is entering training camp as Chicago’s lead back, and he’s determined to take the next step following a decent rookie campaign. Heading into his second season in Matt Nagy’s offense, expectations are high for the Bears’ top draft pick a year ago.
Last season, behind a struggling offensive line and questionable play-calling, Montgomery had 889 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He also added 25 receptions for 185 yards and a score. Montgomery surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards as a rookie. He ranked second among NFL rookie rushers in both yards (889) and touchdowns (6) last season, trailing only the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs.
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