Chicago Bears: 5 Offseason moves that must be made to improve in 2021
Chicago Bears offseason move No. 4: Offensive line still needs some work
As I mentioned earlier, the Chicago Bears’ offensive line improved greatly down the stretch of the season. The linemen opened holes for the running game. David Montgomery amassed 598 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. He had 472 yards and only one touchdown on the ground in his previous nine games.
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky came off the bench and started the last six games of the regular season after Nick Foles got injured. Behind an improved line, he played better. He threw for 1,495 yards and completed 70 percent of his passes in the final six games. He threw 10 touchdowns and had just 5 interceptions.
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Despite Trubisky struggling in the regular-season finale against the Green Bay Packers and the playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, the offensive line did a good job. Trubisky had a clean pocket for the most part.
Despite that, the line still needs tweaking. Charles Leno Jr. still struggled, especially with penalties. His number went down from 12 in 2019 to seven this season but that’s still too much.
Bobby Massie had a good season when he was playing. The problem was that he wasn’t in there a lot. He missed half the season due to a leg injury. No matter how good you play, you won’t be able to play your best if you’re on the bench because of injuries.
The Bears, who are having salary cap difficulties, can save some money by cutting Leno and Massie. If they do that, they save about $17 million.
The question is who the Bears get to replace them. Germain Ifedi did a good job at the right tackle spot in Massie’s absence. He signed a one-year deal, so perhaps he gets a new deal to stay in Chicago.
Now they need someone to block the quarterback’s blind spot. They need to sign a veteran who’s ready to step in right away. There is no time to have someone learn on the job. The Bears could draft someone early to eventually take over. That adds depth to the line.
Without a strong line, the offense just won’t succeed. We’ve seen how the offense moves when the line is playing well for a bit. Let’s see what happens when the line performs well for an entire season.