The Bears cut running back Mike Davis and benched tight end Adam Shaheen last week. But switching guard Cody Whitehair and center James Daniels back to their 2018 positions spoke the loudest about what is ailing the Bears’ offense.
Mitch Trubisky’s regression notwithstanding, the offensive line’s failure to reach even last year’s fairly modest standard is the most mystifying aspect of the Bears’ offensive malaise. And the Whitehair-Daniels reboot is emblematic of just how much the Bears are scrambling to find solutions this season.
Of all the Bears’ offseason narratives, switching Daniels to center and Whitehair to guard seemed like the biggest slam dunk. It put each player in his college position after playing out of position on 2018. And in the hands of veteran line coach Harry Hiestand, there was zero trepidation.
“They’re back in their natural positions. We wouldn’t have switched them if they [weren’t],” Hiestand said in training camp.
But even the sure thing has became problematic. Hiestand pointed to injured right guard Kyle Long’s absence as the culprit — it put converted defensive tackle Rashaad Coward at right guard next to the 22-year-old Daniels.
“You [had] Kyle, a veteran, steadying guy next to James between him and Bobby [Massie],” Hiestand said. “Now you have a guy that was a defensive lineman playing that spot, and with Cody there [now] it’s a steadying factor.
“This we felt gave us the best opportunity to balance things out and help build the communication between [players]. We had our two most inexperienced players playing next to each other once we lost Kyle, so that was a big consideration.”
The Bears could have solved that issue by putting veteran Ted Larsen at right guard in place of Long — as they did in 2016 when Whitehair was a rookie center and Long suffered a season-ending injury. If anything, it’s a vote of confidence in Coward as a long-term solution at right guard. It’s not often that a team that sees itself as a playoff contender chooses development (Coward) over experience (Larsen) — especially in a critical area that has underachieved this season.
Either way, the offensive line jumble is indicative of just how much the Bears have been grasping to find solutions to their offensive problems. Even if the right pieces are in place, the Bears have three interior lineman starting Game 10 with a grand total of six starts this season at their current positions. It’s going to have to come together in a hurry.
2. Though Daniels struggled at center this season, the 2018 second-round draft pick (39th overall) still is part of the foundation on the Bears’ line. He just turned 22. And he has a chance to re-establish himself at left guard.
“I just like him, period,” Hiestand said. “I just like him as a football player and a person. He gives us everything he has every day. He’s got a lot of ability and over time as he gets stronger and becomes more confident playing in this league and grows and matures, he’s gonna be fun to watch.”
3. Mitch Trubisky’s 131.0 passer rating against the Lions was his eighth 100-plus rating in 22 complete games under Matt Nagy. But only one of those eight has come against a defense ranked in the top half of the NFL in opponent’s passer rating — a 102.7 rating in a 24-10 victory over the Jets (14th) last season (16-of-29, 220 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions).
Trubisky’s other 100-plus ratings: 154.6 vs. the Buccaneers (32nd); 122.5 vs. the Dolphins (18th); 148.6 vs. the Lions (30th); 120.4 vs. the Packers (28th); 113.5 vs. the 49ers (31st); 116.5 vs. the Redskins (26th) this season; and 131.0 vs. the Lions (23rd).
4. On the flip side, Trubisky has faced six teams that ranked in the top 10 in opponent’s passer rating, with a high of 86.3 against the 10th-ranked Saints in Week 7 — a rating inflated by two garbage-time touchdown passes.
His other games against top-10 pass defenses: in 2018, the No. 3 Bills (he had a 70.0 rating); the No. 4 Vikings (61.9 and 85.9); the No. 7 Patriots (69.8); and in 2019, the No. 7 Broncos (70.0) and the No. 9 Packers (62.1).
5. The Bears gained 226 yards against a Lions defense that came in allowing 424 yards per game. It was the Lions’ season low in yards allowed — by a whopping 144 yards. Their previous low was 370 yards allowed against the Giants in Week 8. The Packers (254 yards) and Raiders (236) also have had their season-best performances in yards allowed against the Bears.
The Bears are averaging 262 yards against defenses that are allowing 349 yards this season. They have exceeded an opponent’s average in just one game this season — 388 yards against the Chargers, who are averaging 318 yards allowed per game this season.
6. More woe: The Bears were 2-of-12 (17 percent) on third-down conversions against a Lions defense that ranked 32nd and last in the NFL in third-down defense (50-of-104, 48.1 percent).
7. Linebacker Danny Trevathan is the third Bears’ defensive player to suffer a serious elbow injury — an apparent dislocation — in the last 12 games. Akiem Hicks suffered a similar injury against the Raiders in Week, 5. Aaron Lynch had the same injury in Week 15 against the Packers last year.
“We have a group of guys defensively that play with absolutely no regard for their body,” outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino said. “So they’ll throw themselves into some situations where there’s heavy contact. I didn’t see Danny’s on tape, but I saw Akiem’s and I saw Aaron Lynch’s from last year. I know how that happens — I’m at the end of the down; I’m extended; I got my hands on the ball carrier and another defender hits me in the back of the elbow. That’s pretty standard stuff.”
Not much you can do about it. Despite the unusual rash of elbow incidents for the Bears, it’s an occupational hazard.
“You could put them all in braces like the offensive linemen do with their knee braces,” Monachino said. “But I don’t think a lot of our guys would be comfortable wearing that great, big elbow brace all the time.”
8. Marcus Mariota Watch: With Ryan Tannehill solidifying the Titans’ starting quarterback job by going 3-1 with a 107.5 rating (eight touchdowns, three interceptions) in four starts, it’s more and more likely Mariota will be available in the offseason.
He’s a logical candidate to be the veteran quarterback the Bears sign to compete with Trubisky next season. He played for offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich at Oregon. He’s had some success in the NFL. He’ll be cap-efficient. He’ll be as healthy as he’s been after sitting out most of the season. And his mediocre numbers can be rationalized as a result of playing for three head coaches and four offensive coordinators in five seasons.
9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week Award: After Jets reserve Tom Compton replaced injured starter Brian Winters at right guard in the third quarter against the Giants, the Jets outscored the Giants 13-0 to turn a 27-21 deficit into a 34-27 victory. The Jets, who were averaging 3.2 yards per play when Winters was injured, averaged 6.5 yards per play with Compton in the game.
10. Bear-ometer: 6-10 — at Rams (L); vs. Giants (W); at Lions (W); vs. Cowboys (L); at Packers (L); vs. Chiefs (L); at Vikings (L).
