Chicago Bears need to use the draw play to spark offense

The Chicago Bears should resurrect the draw play from the NFL graveyard.

The draw play is dying in the modern NFL but the Chicago Bears are one of the few teams who would benefit from using it in today’s game. The team has had astounding issues running the ball and even troubles being able to pass given how little time the quarterback has to throw. Nick Foles has even admitted as much — so why aren’t the Bears adjusting?

It’s no secret that the Bears have endured issues on the ground this season. In fact, Chicago is last in attempts, yards and touchdowns, while 26th in yards per attempt. They’re last in rushing attempts per game this season, yet David Montgomery is actually 11th in attempts this year.

One part of the problem is that they just don’t have the playmakers able to run the ball effectively. Another large issue is the offensive line, which has been one of the worst units in the NFL so far this season.

Given how much often the Bears throw the ball, it would benefit the team to run more draw plays in an attempt to lower the pressure getting to both the running backs and quarterback throughout the game.

How running more draws could benefit the Chicago Bears.

Since the draw play mimics a passing situation, it gives one reason to believe that the team could benefit from tricking the opposing defense. Interestingly enough, the draw play is actually more successful than the standard running play, something the Bears haven’t been able to do competently at all this year.

Now, this isn’t to say the Bears aren’t trying to get creative. The team runs sweeps and quick screens in an attempt to stop overly eager defenders from making plays. The only problem is those plays are actually quite predictable given how much the offensive line in Chicago has struggled.

The biggest playmakers on the Bears offense are all pass-catchers. But in order to have those players succeed, the team needs to be able to run the ball effectively. Chicago likes using play-action to set up the pass but it doesn’t work when there is no running game for the defense to respect. So why not do the opposite and use the draw play to set up the run?

With Mitchell Trubisky in and Foles out for the foreseeable future, the Bears need to be more creative if they wish to excel on offense during this time. Running the draw may be one of the few ways to make themselves unpredictable while giving their offense a chance to be successful in the weeks to come.