Chicago Bears don’t have to swing big for quarterback

The Chicago Bears are continually linked to swinging at the fences for a new quarterback. However, a few tweaks of the offense and that isn’t necessary.

Chicago Bears fans are anxiously waiting for the team to make improvements to a team that finished 8-8 the last two seasons. The offense continues to have its struggles and that is wearing people’s patience thin.

The NFL’s new year doesn’t begin until March 17 so we might not know until then what moves the team makes. They are, however, linked to several possible trades for quarterbacks. Many people expect the Bears to make a big move to replace Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky is expected to hit free agency and not many expect him to return to Chicago.

The Bears don’t need to swing for the fences for a quarterback, though. If they go big, they’ll end up mortgaging the future by trading away many draft picks. They could also give up key players. The Bears may end up having a big-time quarterback but it doesn’t guarantee a quick fix.

What is the point of having a great quarterback if the team still continually finishes with 8-8 records? Here are ways to improve the offense without investing big at quarterback.

The Chicago Bears need to tweak, not overhaul, the offensive line

Instead of making one big move, the Bears could make several smaller moves to upgrade the entire offense. That way, they can acquire a lower-talented quarterback but one who is good enough to win with an improved Chicago Bears offense.

First, look at the offensive line. Yes, the line was atrocious at times in 2020. Later on in the season, however, the coaches found a good combination of linemen that solidified the line. Having Cody Whitehair move to left guard, inserting Sam Mustipher at center and using Alex Bars at right guard really made the interior part of the line solid.

That leaves moves at tackle. Bobby Massie did a good job when he was there but he missed half the season in 2021. Charles Leno, on the other hand, struggled again. I don’t see the Bears replacing both tackles at once but, if they cut Leno, they save $9 million in much-needed cap space.

The Bears can make a move to acquire Baltimore Ravens tackle Orlando Brown. Brown was the Ravens’ right tackle but moved to the left side when All-Pro tackle Ronnie Stanley got injured and had his season cut short. Stanley is back and, with a huge multi-year contract in hand, the Ravens will re-insert him at left tackle. Brown wants to stay at left tackle after making the Pro Bowl playing out of position.

Brown would be a perfect replacement for Leno. He is still on his rookie contract for another year so it’ll be cheap. Once it’s time to negotiate a new contract, the Bears will have a better salary cap situation to deal with. The league’s salary cap will certainly increase so they’ll have more money to work with next season.

Adding Brown on the line solidifies the line. The interior will be solid and Brown protects the quarterback’s blind spot.

This improved line also helps David Montgomery run. That, in turn, helps take some pressure off the quarterback. If the defense needs to be aware of Montgomery breaking runs, the quarterback has more space to operate.

Improve the Chicago Bears wide receiver corps

A quarterback’s success has a lot to do with how good his receivers are. Yes, some quarterbacks can succeed no matter who is catching the ball, like Deshaun Watson leading the league in passing without having very good targets. For the most part, though, having a good wide receivers corps helps the quarterback immensely.

There are a few moves the Bears can make to improve their receivers corps. The most important one is to retain Allen Robinson’s services. Robinson is the true number one receiver that a quarterback needs to depend on. Despite dealing with quarterback trouble, Robinson recorded back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. Whoever was throwing the ball, Robinson was the go-to guy.

The Bears need to do whatever it takes to keep Robinson. If that means they have to use the franchise tag, then so be it. Robinson may not like it but it’s a necessary evil to use. They can tag him then work on a longer deal.

Behind Robinson is Darnell Mooney. Mooney had a terrific rookie season. He earned snaps and targets and eventually received more of them than Anthony Miller. With a good season under his belt, he should be the Bears’ number two receiver starting the season. He runs great routes and his blazing speed will hurt opposing defenses.

After that, the Bears are thin. Miller and Javon Wims had incidents in which they got ejected from games and hurt the team. Miller’s was more egregious since it happened in a playoff game where the team was already short because Mooney was injured.

The Bears could sign a Tier 2 or even Tier 3 free agent wide receivers in free agency. It won’t cost as much and they’ll have a solid veteran receiver. They should also look to draft one as well. The Bears drafted Mooney in the fifth round so good players can be had in the middle to late rounds. General manager Ryan Pace might have his struggles, but he does a great job of finding good players later in the draft.

Additionally, the Bears can finally give Riley Ridley a realistic shot at showing what he can do. For whatever reason, he hasn’t found his way on the field consistently even though the coaches keep talking highly of him. Perhaps now he gets his shot.

Hopefully, the return of Tarik Cohen and bringing back Cordarrelle Patterson helps Montgomery. They also have Artavis Pierce. This helps Montgomery save some snaps and stay at full strength throughout the season.

With these moves on the offense, the Chicago Bears won’t need to give up multiple first rounds or multiple players to acquire a quarterback. They won’t have to look for the next Tom Brady or Joe Montana to help them win more games. They can target some who may not be the best but who are very good and work in this offense.