One year after hosting a playoff game, the Chicago Bears will be watching the postseason from their couches following a disappointing 8-8 season that left the Bears with more questions than answers looking forward to 2020.
There are plenty of areas the Bears need to address this offseason — including fixing the offense and extending players in-house.
With no shortage of work to be done for general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy, here are seven things that should be the Bears’ biggest priorities this offseason:
1. Extend WR Allen Robinson
While the Bears will turn to free agency with many needs in place, general manager Ryan Pace needs to take care of business in-house first. He did just that in extending safety Eddie Jackson for four years and $58.4 million. And there’s another player due for a big contract extension: Receiver Allen Robinson.
Robinson was the lone consistent bright spot for a Bears offense that was one of the worst in the league. Robinson had a career-best 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns. He became the first Bears receiver to eclipse 1,000 yards since 2014.
Considering the circumstances under which Robinson had his success — questionable quarterback play, no run game, questionable play calling and defenses knowing the ball would be going his way — it’s even more impressive. Robinson has proven to be a clear-cut No. 1 receiver for the Bears, and Pace needs to lock him up long-term.
2. Bring in competition for QB Mitchell Trubisky
While Ryan Pace remains committed to Mitchell Trubisky as the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2020, a lot can change from the start of the offseason to the beginning of the regular season. It’s still most likely that Trubisky is the starter come Week 1, but in the case he struggles like he did this season, the Bears need to have an option to turn elsewhere.
Odds are the Bears quarterbacks room is going to look a lot different in 2020 — as Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray are both free agents. Both were brought in specifically to work with Trubisky in Matt Nagy’s offense. But the Bears need a reliable backup in place that they can plug in and win with, like the Tennessee Titans did with Ryan Tannehill.
Look for the Bears to add a quarterback through free agency, like a Marcus Mariota or Case Keenum, and possibly add one in the NFL Draft.
3. Address the tight end position
There were a lot of disappointing aspects on the Bears offense this season, but the one that probably hurt them the worst was the complete absence of their tight ends. Given the important of the tight end in Matt Nagy’s offense, the absence of Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen was brutal.
Burton had surgery on his hip, and the goal is for him to be ready for training camp. His hip is believed to be the cause of his health struggles, including the groin injury that has plagued him. But the Bears can’t put all of their belief in Burton being healthy for 2020.
Before Shaheen was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, he was essentially benched for his poor performance. Shaheen’s injury struggles have limited him on the football field. And while he’ll likely be on the roster heading into training camp, there’s no guarantee he’ll make the 53-man roster.
The Bears need to address the tight end position either through free agency or the NFL draft — perhaps both. There will be some enticing names on the free agent market this offseason, including Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper and Eric Ebron, as well as in the NFL Draft. The Bears can’t make the same mistake they did in 2019 at the tight end position, especially when Burton and Shaheen’s health aren’t guaranteed.
4. Fix the offensive line
The one glaring concern for which there won’t be much turnover is the offensive line, where the Bears are essentially stuck paying left tackle Charles Leno Jr., center Cody Whitehair and right tackle Bobby Massie big money.
Chances are, the Bears offensive line will remain exactly the same, with the exception of right guard, as Kyle Long’s tenure with the Bears is likely to come to an end. A candidate to fill that role is rookie offensive lineman Alex Bars, who the Bears paid more money to remain with the team, indicating they have plans for him.
But the Bears need to figure out how to get the most out of what they have on their offensive line. They didn’t wait long as the Bears fired offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and brought in Juan Castillo to fill his position, who is an NFL veteran with experience as an o-line coach and run game coordinator.
5. Extend LBs Nick Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis
The Bears have some decisions to make at inside linebacker this offseason, as Danny Trevathan, Nick Kwiatkosi and Kevin Pierre-Louis are all set to become free agents this offseason.
Kwiatkoski had a breakout season in 2019 since taking over for Trevathan, who suffered a gruesome elbow injury in Week 10. You could even say Kwiatkoski had played his way into a contract extension with the Bears. He’s a younger, healthier and cheaper option than Trevathan, and he deserves to be rewarded with an extension.
The Bears would also do well to re-sign Pierre-Louis this offseason, as well. Pierre-Louis relieved an injured Roquan Smith, and he finished the final four games with 28 tackles and an interception. His instincts and speed were elements of his game that make his potential enticing.
6. Fix the pass rush
While the Bears defense wasn’t a disappointment, they definitely regressed in several areas, including their pass rush. Star pass rusher Khalil Mack’s impact was limited after the first four games of the season. After starting the first quarter of the season with 4.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles, Mack finished the season with 8.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles.
Certainly the absence of defensive tackle Akiem Hicks hurt Mack’s production — as they didn’t have to worry about Hicks and focused all of their efforts on Mack. But it was Leonard Floyd who couldn’t take advantage.
Floyd tied a career high for quarterback hits with 12, but he struggled converting those into sacks. After starting the season with two sacks against the Packers, Floyd managed just one sack in the final 15 games.
The Bears had 32 sacks, which was 18 less than last season. They need to find a pass rusher to pair with Mack and consistently get after the quarterback.
7. Find a solution for the run game
There were a lot of reasons why the Bears offense struggled this season — poor quarterback play, questionable play calling, offensive line struggles, no tight ends — but it all comes back to the absence of any sort of run game.
This was an issue that was blatantly obvious from the start of the season — one that Matt Nagy vowed to correct throughout the season but could never manage to actually fix.
One of the main focuses in fixing the offense this offseason is finding an answer for the run game.vThe Bears have already taken early steps in the hiring of offensive line coach Juan Castillo, who has experience as a run game coordinator. Obviously there are a lot of factors in the success of the run game — offensive line play, running backs and play calling. And they’re all factors that will need to be addressed.
