Our 2022 NFL Preview takes a trip to the Windy City, where the Bears have hit the proverbial reset button in what could very well be a lengthy renovation. After a dismal 6-11 finish, both (Head Coach) Matt Nagy and (General Manager) Ryan Pace were relieved of their duties, with the former struggling to come anywhere close to maximizing a poorly constructed (but far from cheap) roster courtesy of the latter. Replacing them is the tandem of Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles, who have made no bones about the task that lies ahead of them, with the top priority being the development of (young Quarterback) Justin Fields (much more on him shortly). Will this duo return one of the NFL’s oldest franchises back to prominence, and what can we expect in Year One? Read on, ladies and gentlemen…
Rebuilding 101
After four long years, the Nagy/Pace Era came to a merciful end in Chicago, with ownership eventually settling on the aforementioned Eberflus and Poles to rebuild a team that really spiraled out of control over the past few seasons. To describe the Bears as a mess would be an understatement, and from a roster standpoint, the new brain trust clearly felt that way; Eberflus and Poles have jettisoned over TWENTY-FOUR players in the offseason thus far, including (former Defensive Player of the Year) Khalil Mack, whom they traded to Los Angeles in exchange for multiple draft picks. As former Director of Player Personnel in Kansas City, Poles has stated that he’s committed to a long-term approach in which he will attempt to rebuild the team the old-fashioned way: through drafting and development. In the meantime, there are a litany of holes to be filled at multiple position groups, including the Receiving Corps, Offensive Line, and Defensive Front, which is undergoing a complete overhaul courtesy of Eberflus. The 52-year-old spent the last four seasons coordinating the Colts’ stellar Defense, and he will spend much of this campaign transitioning this side of the football towards his preferred scheme, which is a variation of the famed Seattle Cover-3. Needless to say, that system is in stark contrast to the one that Chicago has ran for the last six years, so it may take some time to develop the players necessary to make it all work. However, this is a franchise that has been nothing if not patient with its executives and coaching staff, so the tandem should enjoy plenty of time to make their vision a reality. With that said, if there is one thing that they simply MUST get right, it is the development of one Justin Fields, whom we’re about to cover in three, two, one…
The Do-Over
If there was one thing that the previous regime completely botched, it was the most important position on the gridiron. Wasting a high-profile draft pick (Mitch Trubisky) and stunting his growth with stop-gap veterans (Nick Foles and Andy Dalton), it rarely ever appeared that there was some semblance of a plan in Chicago over the past five years, and after drafting Fields eleventh overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, they continued to prove that they were inept at developing the young signal-caller. In ten starts, the 23-year-old went a miserable 2-8, completing just 58.9% of his attempts for an average of 155.8 yards on 5.25 net yards per attempt, while tossing a mere seven touchdowns in comparison to ten interceptions, and taking thirty-six sacks to boot (11.8%). His protection was a major issue, which is something that the Bears hope that they have fixed heading into his sophomore campaign. Poles and Eberflus added (veteran Offensive Tackle) Riley Reiff in Free Agency, though they’re no doubt expecting more out of their recent haul of draftees along the Line, particularly Teven Jenkins, who has yet to settle into the role that they envisioned him playing on the left flank; the 2021 Second Round Pick has been relegated to taking reps at Right Tackle with the Second Team throughout Training Camp, while (Rookie Fifth-Rounder) Braxton Jones has emerged as the leading candidate to protect Fields’ blindside. (Offensive Coordinator) Luke Getsy came over from bitter rival, Green Bay, to helm the offense, and must find a way to cobble together a cohesive group in the trenches, for at this stage of his career, Fields needs more time to find his weapons downfield. One of the criticisms of the Ohio State product during the draft evaluation process was that he struggles to anticipate throws, which proved to be correct last season as passing lanes close much quicker in the NFL than they do in the Big Ten. With that said, his mobility is an untapped weapon, and if the coaching staff can find creative ways to utilize that aspect of his game in an attempt to simplify things for him, then that would be considered a serious step forward.
In Support Of
Of course, any improvement on Fields’ behalf will be facilitated by not just better protection in the trenches, but by the emergence of playmakers in the passing game. When targeting Receivers last year, the young Quarterback threw just four touchdowns opposed to ten interceptions, and that was with (former Pro-Bowler) Allen Robinson on the field for twelve games. Well, Robinson couldn’t wait to escape the Windy City this offseason and left in his wake is a largely unproven corps that is easily one of the team’s biggest question marks coming into the season. One thing is for certain, the Bears will have plenty of options to test out, for there are currently THIRTEEN Wideouts listed in Training Camp; Poles signed former Chief, Byron Pringle, in Free Agency, traded for former First Rounder, N’Keal Harry, and drafted (Tennessee product) Velus Jones in the Third Round of 2022 NFL Draft. The buzz out of the Chi is that Jones could be a difference-maker with blazing 4.3 speed, though the biggest contributor is expected to be third-year pass-catcher, Darnell Mooney. One of the few, pleasant surprises from 2021, Mooney developed an excellent rapport with Fields, totaling career-highs in receptions (81), yards (1,055), and touchdowns (4), and is going to be counted upon to improve on those figures this season. However, there is a chance that the Bears do make a move before the start of the regular season if there is a playmaker that becomes available as teams whittle down through cuts; after trading the aforementioned Mack, Chicago reportedly has roughly $21 million in cap space, which is the fourth-most of any team in the league at the moment. Granted, Poles has stated that he will refrain from taking any “shortcuts” in rebuilding this franchise, but if there is an opportunity to help support his Quarterback, don’t be surprised if he does.
Projected Finish: 5-12
The aforementioned tandem of Nagy and Pace left one helluva mess in their wake, and it’s very difficult to envision their successors righting the proverbial ship in their first year on the job. Though the schedule is far from arduous, the Bears don’t have anything close to what could be called “a surplus of talent”, which means that Eberflus & Co are going to have to work for everything they can get in Year One of what appears to be a lengthy rebuilding project.