Chicago Bears: 5 Players returning from injuries who need to stay healthy
These Chicago Bears suffered injuries last year but must stay healthy in 2020.
The Chicago Bears want to forget all about the 2019 season. Things were so bad that head coach Matt Nagy, who famously kept showing his players video of the “double doink” so they remember the pain of losing that playoff game, hasn’t done any of that this year. The entire team wants to forget 2019 and just move on.
One of the reasons for the poor showing had to do with injuries. The team suffered injuries to key players. Those injuries put more pressure on those who were healthy, keeping them from performing to their fullest capabilities.
Injuries aren’t things a team could plan for. They just happen and the team can only hope there is enough depth on the roster to overcome them.
In 2019, the Bears went through a bevy of injuries. Just about every position group suffered some kind of injury. Groups like the linebackers, the offensive line, the tight ends, and the defensive line all suffered key injuries.
The defense was able to play well despite the injuries. The unit ranked fourth in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed. They did take a steep drop in turnovers, however. They led the NFL in turnovers in 2018 with 47, but only had 24 in 2019, ranking 22nd. Their pressure suffered as well, going from 50 sacks in 2018 to 32 in 2019.
The offense was a different story, however. It ranked 29th in points scored and yards gained. Additionally, the Bears ranked dead last in yards per pass attempt and 29th in yards per carry. The right side of the offensive line went down (even the backups got injured). It was so bad that the starter at right guard was Rashaad Coward, a second-year player converted from the defensive line.
In order for the Bears to have some sort of success in 2020, these five key players need to stay healthy. These players had their seasons cut short in 2019. If they cannot stay healthy, the Chicago Bears will have another season to forget.