When it comes to the Chicago Bears’ offense, there’s plenty of room for improvement across the board. That’s what happens when your offense was one of the worst in the NFL last season.
The Bears have made fixing the offense a priority this offseason, including bringing in four new offensive coaches and adding players at specific positions of need, including trading for quarterback Nick Foles, who will battle Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job.
Despite the offense’s struggles, there are reasons to be optimistic that this unit can be much better than they were in 2019, including some young talent and proven veterans.
From running backs to receivers to tight ends, our Bears Wire staff shares their bold predictions for the Bears offense in 2020.
Alyssa: Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller will both eclipse 1,000 receiving yards.
I don’t think it’s a bold prediction to assume Allen Robinson will surpass 1,000 receiving yards for a second straight season. But predicting two Bears receivers that surpass 1,000 yards in a season? Now that’s bold. Entering the 2019 season fully healthy, Robinson showed exactly why he’s one of the best receivers in the game. He had a career-best 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns — in one of the NFL’s worst offenses. That success should continue in 2020, especially with better quarterback play.
Robinson’s success serves to benefit Anthony Miller, who believes he’s gearing up for his best season yet. And there’s reason to believe Miller is primed for a breakout season in Year 3. While he’s coming off his second straight offseason shoulder surgery, he has a better grasp of Matt Nagy’s playbook and he figures to fill the void left by the departed Taylor Gabriel. Last season, there was a five-game stretch where Miller tallied 33 receptions for 431 yards and two touchdowns between Weeks 11-15. So he’s shown he’s capable of becoming that No. 2 receiver opposite Robinson. And this could very well be the year he accomplishes that.
Brendan: David Montgomery totals 1,500 yards from scrimmage.
Everyone and their brother saw David Montgomery as the Bears answer to their sudden running back woes when he was their top draft pick in 2019. While he wasn’t a bust by any definition, he didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Some of that was due to questionable playcalling by head coach Matt Nagy where the Bears ran the ball sparingly in multiple games and he was hampered by an ineffective offensive line. Montgomery also had trouble getting going himself, oftentimes not hitting the hole right away and dancing too much in the backfield. Still, he wound up with 899 rushing yards and 185 receiving yards for the year.
With an uncertain quarterback situation, an effective running game is just what this Bears offense needs. What’s more is that the team really doesn’t have a solid backup to spell Montgomery. Tarik Cohen is best utilized as a pass-catcher and won’t take carries away from the former Cyclone.
Nagy has admitted many times that he needs to run the ball more. Now that the offensive coaching staff has turned over considerably, plus with a full NFL offseason under his belt, Montgomery should be able to make the slight tweaks to his game that will take him from a good back to a great back.
Ryan: Cole Kmet will make a strong case to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year.
A tight end has never won AP ROY honors, but Jeremy Shockey won the Pepsi NFL ROTY Award in 2002 and is the only one at the position to do so. Given how much Nick Foles utilized Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert in the Eagles playbook, expect Kmet to be targeted a lot in the upcoming season.
With Jimmy Graham fitting more of a traditional “U” tight end, Kmet will fit well as a “Y” tight end on the roster. However, expect him to post Shockey-esque numbers this year, which would mean approximately 70 catches and 850 yards. He’s that much of a different make for the Bears offense that badly needs playmakers.
