Large cardboard boxes filled the locker room at Halas Hall on Monday morning as players gathered belongings and prepared to spread to parts far, wide and, in many cases, warmer.
The makeup of the Chicago Bears will be considerably different in 2025. General manager Ryan Poles will probably touch on a few goals when he speaks to the media, perhaps as soon as Tuesday, but until a new coaching staff is in place, which could be a month or more away, they won’t be able to address personnel goals.
Pressing needs are readily apparent. The Bears (5-12) have to be more talented and deeper on the offensive line. They need some upgrades on the defensive line after struggling against the run and generating an inconsistent pass rush.
Football is a game won and lost in the trenches. You aren’t going to be a perennial contender without a franchise quarterback. You’re also going to struggle mightily if you’re losing the game up front and the Bears’ issues on the lines could be one explanation for how they were the only team in the NFL with a positive turnover margin (plus-8) and a losing record.
Resolve some of the end-of-game meltdowns that made the 10-game losing streak really sting, and the Bears are maybe an eight-win team. Be a little better on the lines and you’re looking at a 10-win team that’s not far off from competing. If only it were that easy.
The Bears took the first step in resolving game management woes when they fired Matt Eberflus and now they’re tasked with choosing the right man to replace him. Poles, his staff and the new coaches can then begin identifying how they will better protect Caleb Williams, open running lanes and attack opposing quarterbacks.
Interim coach Thomas Brown, who will be interviewed for the full-time role, blamed moving parts on the offensive line for some of the issues. A year after using 10 different starting combinations on the offensive line, the team used seven with five unique combinations coming in the final nine games. A total of 10 different linemen had at least one start.
Photos: Chicago Bears clean out their lockers after 5-12 season
All of the turnover challenged what Poles said at the outset of the season was the “best depth” he’d ever had on an offensive line. As is too often the case for the Bears, the best-laid plans went out the window quickly. Right guard Nate Davis seemingly lacked the desire to play. Left guard Teven Jenkins, after another offseason of talk centered around preparing his body to be more durable, couldn’t hold up. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario where the team re-signs Jenkins. He played a career-high 738 snaps but that represented less than 65% of the offensive plays. Jenkins will be an unrestricted free agent.
Trade acquisition Ryan Bates had a debilitating arthritic shoulder condition and when that was resolved he suffered a season-ending concussion. Left tackle Braxton Jones had a knee injury and returned from it to suffer a broken leg. Whatever could go wrong did. Center Coleman Shelton was the only lineman to start all 17 games.
Matt Pryor added depth even if he wound up playing more than the Bears imagined. The rest of it never came together and provided a lesson for Poles and staff as well as a blueprint for what’s ahead. It turned into a worst-case scenario as Williams was sacked 68 times and the running game struggled most of the year as D’Andre Swift had only one 100-yard game.
“It’s kind of hard to assess that basically as we’ve had so many guys in and out of the lineup,” Brown said. “You know, going down one game, coming back for two games later. That’s obviously a position that sometimes gets undervalued until you have an issue and everybody wants to make a big deal about it.
“But I think the offense has to run through that group. We’re talking about running the football effectively, pass-protecting with the quarterback but also him being on the same page as far as (Williams), how he operates, getting the ball out on time.”
It’s impossible to imagine any of the other candidates the Bears meet with about the coaching opening will see the situation differently. Brown was talking about team building in general last week and not specifically discussing the offensive line when he said something that certainly applies.
“Through my experiences, positive and also perceived negative ones throughout my career, foundation is very important,” he said. “It’s no different in building a house. Trying to build a house that may have some fancy pieces and nice-looking roof and great garage. If the foundation sucks, the house is going to ultimately suck in general.”
The offensive line will not be undervalued moving forward. I’m willing to bet Poles promises as much. The foundation for the offense starts there and that’s got the be rebuilt. The Bears are going to need to replace those large boxes that crowded the locker room on Monday with large men.
