Chicago Bears: Eberflus talks about new offensive approach in 2023

With all the changes this offseason, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus talks about expecting a lot of changes in the offensive approach.

Before the NFL new year began, there were a lot of people expecting the Chicago Bears to have one of the most impactful offseasons in franchise history.

Well, a couple of weeks into the new year, it has certainly been a very active one. The team that takes the field in 2023 will be drastically different from the one that walked off of it in 2022.

General manager Ryan Poles has been very busy so far. He signed linebackers T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Dylan Cole, running backs D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer, offensive lineman Nate Davis, quarterback P.J. Walker, defensive linemen Andrew Billings and DeMarcus Walker, and tight end Robert Tonyan. In addition, he traded the number one overall pick for picks in this year and next year’s drafts and wide receiver D.J. Moore.

Don’t be surprised if Poles makes more trades in the upcoming draft as well.

It is interesting to see the offensive players that Poles added. There was speculation that he might trade quarterback Justin Fields and draft another quarterback. Instead, Poles signaled how much he and the coaching staff are all in on the young quarterback.

Expect a different Chicago Bears offense in 2023

Poles went in the opposite direction than what many expected and made moves to solidify the offense around Fields. He gave him additional weapons and some protection. He will likely add some more in the draft.

The Chicago Bears are looking to overhaul the offense. Last season, without the weapons to target or the protection to sit in the pocket and find open targets, the offense was limited. It ranked 23rd in points scored, 28th in yards, and 27th in turnovers.

The offense especially struggled in the passing game. The Bears ranked last in passing attempts, passing yards, and average yards per pass attempt.

The offense did a spectacular job in the running game, however. The Bears had the best rushing attack in the league. They led the league in rushing yards and yards per rush, second in rushing attempts, and seventh in rushing touchdowns.

The rushing attack was led by Fields. He became only the third quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards. He finished second in most rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,143 yards.

Fields was electric with his legs. He broke off some huge runs and had amazing scores. He had 160 carries for the season.

Poles and the coaching staff want to change that in 2023. Yes, they still want him to make some big plays with his legs. However, they want him to pick and choose when to run. They don’t want him to take as many hits as he did in 2022. With the poor protection and him running so much, he took a beating. As a result, he missed two games.

With better targets and more protection, Fields should be healthier in 2023 and ready to make big plays consistently.

Eberflus recently spoke about this. He talked about doing more pass drills when the players meet this offseason.

There were a lot of plays that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called that fans found questionable. He was handcuffed by the personnel, though. The receivers had a tough time getting open. In addition, Fields didn’t have the time to wait for them to get open.

Things could change in 2023. It looks as if Poles is trying to strengthen the interior of the line. That helps Fields’ protection. If the middle is solid then he will have a stronger pocket.

Fields was an electric player in 2022. He made some incredible plays. While his passing numbers still need improvement, he showed flashes of what he could do. Still, he took too many hits.

Now, with better players around him, he will be healthier and should be able to show how good he can really be. Eberflus and the rest of the coaching staff are ready to help him do just that.