Life without sports has been an ugly one. So it’s a good thing the NFL has managed to bring us some semblance of normal during an uncertain time. Free agency and the new league began on time, and the 2020 NFL Draft is set to kick-off, also on-time, this Thursday.
Usually, April is the time of year when NFL players return to their team facilities and began offseason prep for the upcoming season. But with the sports landscape in flux due to the coronavirus pandemic, that’s not possible.
Instead, NFL clubs are attacking this offseason virtually. Like free agency and the upcoming NFL Draft, these April offseason programs will be conducted in a virtual landscape.
The Bears were among 12 teams that began their offseason programs in such a way on Monday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Following a disappointing 8-8 outing in 2019 — the follow-up to a 12-4 season that included a playoff appearance — the Bears have a lot of work to do if they hope to make it back to the postseason in a loaded NFC.
While the defense lost some key players, including Prince Amukamara, Nick Kwiatkoski, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Nick Williams, the concern doesn’t fall on the defense. It’s the offense that remains the issue in Chicago.
The Bears had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season, which was certainly not supposed to be the case for an offensive-minded head coach like Matt Nagy that was brought in to put the offense on the map. Instead, Chicago is facing several concerns, including at quarterback, tight end and offensive line.
General manager Ryan Pace knows his leash is getting shorter, and he’s admitted to some mistakes this offseason. He released former first-round pick Leonard Floyd and tight end Trey Burton, both players that weren’t living up to expectations. Pace also traded for Nick Foles, who will battle Mitchell Trubisky for the starting quarterback spot. Trubisky has been Pace’s biggest miss, and it’s not expected for Chicago to pick up his fifth-year option at this point.
This offseason is slated to be unlike any other before, and there are many that wonder if the NFL season will indeed start on-time. For now, the NFL says the belief is that the season will start in September. But we’ll see what happens in the coming months.
