The Chicago Bears have started the season off poorly following the league worst 3-14 record and the question that everyone is asking: when will the Bears get through this run in the cellar that they are currently in?
Chicago Bears Offensive Struggles
One of the most impressive stories of the season is how much better the Bears Offense has played under backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. The team has won 2 of their last 5 (a less than impressive record but for not bad for the past two Bears seasons). The reality is that the offense has looked stagnant under the direction of starting quarterback Justin Fields.
Justin Fields’ High Expectations
While Justin Fields has posted respectable numbers with a quarterback rating of 93.3 (just behind former MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes), he has made half the attempts and has far fewer points. The biggest struggle has been remembering that they doubled down on their investment on Fields when they traded away the first overall pick in last years NFL Draft.
Bears Offensive Statistics
With the injury issue to Justin Fields, the Bears offense has fallen to 19th in the NFL in offensive yardage and 17th in the NFL in points per game. The trouble with the Bears is that these numbers look far better than they should for the Bears given that they have gotten behind in games and have played played from behind in most of their games.
Chicago Bears Defensive Struggles
The Bears made an interesting choice when they traded a second round pick for underperforming defensive end Montez Sweat. Statistically, in just a few seasons, they essentially traded away the second round pick that they received for All Pro linebacker Khalil Mack. It is important to note that while Sweat is younger than Mack and theoretically has more room to improve than Mack, Mack has 11 sacks this season while Sweat only has 7.5.
The biggest part of this trade though is that the Bears are trading away draft picks when based on their decision to trade away the 1st overall pick last April, they are clearly in the “sell” mentality. For a team planning on accumulating draft picks, trading a relatively high pick for an underperforming player may have been a questionable decision at best.
Chicago Bears Defensive Scoring Struggles
The Bears defense may have planned on brining Sweat in to try to improve a below average defense. The Bears currently rank number 28th in the NFL in scoring defense and they are struggling with an aging defense. They brought in former Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to try to replace All Pro linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith was contentiously traded away to the Baltimore Ravens last season after the Bears couldn’t agree to a contract extension. Smith has continued his All Pro stretch helping the Ravens to a top level defense.
Chicago Bears Bright Future
While the Bears look to finish amongst the worst teams in the league again this season, their trade with the Carolina Panthers before the 2023 NFL draft looks like it will end up a great decision. First overall pick Bryce Young has struggled with the Panthers and Bears first round pick offensive tackle Darnell Wright has played well at the left tackle position. Wide Receiver D.J. Moore has also played well within the Bears offense.
Due to the Panthers and the Bears both having poor seasons, the Bears will most likely end up with two picks inside of the top 5 in the 2024 NFL Draft. This will allow the Bears to add much needed talent at the wide receiver position in Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State. The other pick could be Fields’ replacement as quarterback Caleb Williams has been heralded as a generational talent at quarterback or an elite pass rusher with Dallas Turner from Alabama.
With the influx of elite talent at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears will be looking to make a quick turnaround in their fortunes similar to the way the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins have maximized young players.