The run game was one of the most criticized aspects of an abysmal Bears offense in 2019. And yet, there are some that believe that Chicago is in a good situation with its run game this offseason.
NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman believes the Bears are in good position at running back heading into 2020. He cited the fact that the entire offense struggled as a whole in 2019, as well as Chicago having two running backs in David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen still on their rookie deals and trending in the right direction.
Chicago’s ground game regressed in 2019, dropping from 11th to 27th after the drafting of David Montgomery and the decision to trade away Jordan Howard. There were other variables at play there, namely the frenzied play of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the inconsistency of the Bears as a whole.
But it’s hard to argue that wholesale changes should be made to the backfield, considering Montgomery and Tarik Cohen are both still on their rookie deals and ascending. Chicago should lean on Montgomery much more in 2020 but the Bears could use someone not named Ryan Nall to complement the youngsters. A cheap veteran pickup in free agency is warranted.
Of course, when you look at it from a monetary standpoint, the Bears are in a decent spot, especially when you consider their current predicament in terms of the salary cap. But there’s a reason that one of the focuses of this offseason has been to fix the ailing run game.
Matt Nagy isn’t necessarily someone known to have an affinity toward the running the football, which is exactly why he brought in some new offensive minds that specialize in just that.
New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and even tight ends coach Clancy Barone will no doubt have their fingerprints on Chicago’s plan to address the run game.
