Chicago Bears: Analyzing 2019 offseason moves
Changes on offense
The changes on offense could be the most important ones to allow the Bears to improve upon last season’s success. Yes, the kicking game is important as well, but if the offense gets more yards, and with that score more points, then it mitigates some of the kicking woes.
The biggest and worst-kept secret at Halas Hall was that running back Jordan Howard was not a good fit in head coach Matt Nagy’s system. That narrative began almost as soon as Nagy arrived in Chicago. Howard is a strong runner but was a one-trick pony. He had trouble running between the tackles, and he couldn’t run to the outside. Additionally, he was not a threat in the passing game.
As a result, the Bears cut bait with Howard and traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Pace made some moves to strengthen the unit. He did it by changing what we are used to seeing from the Bears. Instead of having one running back carry the load the Bears now have a strong rotation of backs. He signed Mike Davis through free agency and drafted David Montgomery, He also signed Cordarrelle Patterson, who can also play out of the backfield.
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Add Tarik Cohen to the mix and the Bears now have a stronger unit at running back. Also, Pace drafted Kerrith Whyte, another running back who could end up fighting Taquan Mizzell for the fifth running back spot.
All the new additions add elusiveness and good hands, which makes opposing defenses pay attention to them. When that happens, the field opens up for the wide receivers. That makes it easier for quarterback Mitch Trubisky to make completions, especially deep.
The wide receiver corps could be amazing
The running game wasn’t the only area that the Bears tinkered with. As I mentioned, they signed Patterson, football’s version of a Swiss Army knife. They also drafted Riley Ridley and picked up undrafted rookie Emanuel Hall. With Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller, the Chicago Bears have themselves one of the speediest and most athletic receiving corps in the league.
Having receivers go deep, intermediate, and short, along with having running backs in the mix, makes life easier for Trubisky. Someone will get open, and it’ll be Trubisky’s job to find him and hit him.
In order for Trubisky to do his job, he needs to stay upright
The Bears also made moves to the offensive line. The first thing they did was reward Bobby Massie with a new contract. They also resigned Ted Larsen and signed Cornelius Lucas for added depth. If Kyle Long can stay healthy this season, the starting line is a tough one. Having better depth makes the line even tougher. This line can do a good job of both protecting Trubisky and opening holes for the running backs.
These moves can go a long way to helping the Chicago Bears repeat their successes of last season.