The Chicago Bears came back to earth with a woeful offensive performance in a Week 2 loss in Houston, allowing seven sacks, totaling 205 yards and committing nine penalties and two turnovers.
While the Bears try to course-correct before Sunday’s game in Indianapolis, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs sifts through the weekly Bears mailbag — starting with the problems on the offensive line.
Did Ryan Poles miscalculate the needs/priorities of the team? He improved at least on paper the skilled positions (wide receiver and running back) but failed to address adequately the offensive line. Bringing in backup linemen from other teams was not the answer. As a result, the Bears will struggle on offense and Caleb Williams’ development will suffer because of an offensive line that is a mess. — Jim A., Plymouth, Minn.
As poorly as the line played the first two weeks, there is an avalanche of criticism and most of it is fair and warranted. Until the Bears prove they can consistently protect Williams against four-man rushes, have answers for basic five-man pressures and be more reliable against standard twists and stunts, it will be easy to wonder what they were thinking during the offseason.
It’s not just pass protection. They’ve failed to run the ball with any consistency, and when top running back D’Andre Swift gets only 18 yards on 14 carries as he did in the 19-13 loss in Houston, that’s also a major problem.
Everyone knew the stability of the line would be in question when the season started, but no one could have anticipated it would be this troublesome this quickly. It’s almost as if whatever could go wrong has gone wrong to this point, when you consider Ryan Bates (shoulder/elbow) and Larry Borom (high right ankle sprain) are on injured reserve and the healthy players have taken turns struggling. If the Bears had one player or maybe two who were glaring problems, they could consider a personnel change and/or do things schematically to help out. But they’ve had issues across the board.
Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was critical of the Bears during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, a day after Williams was sacked seven times and DeMeco Ryans’ Texans defense totaled 11 quarterback hits with nine defenders recording multiple pressures, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
“This is really an issue for Chicago just in terms of their overall team construction, the way they decided to do it,” Belichick said. “You look at a team like Detroit in their division, and Detroit has three really good linemen with (Penei) Sewell, (Frank) Ragnow and (Taylor) Decker and you know those guys generally give (Jared) Goff a lot of protection. The Bears have really put their resources, a lot of money and a lot of draft choices, into receivers, but they’ve had problems on their offensive line and it doesn’t really look like that has gotten much better whether DeMeco brings it or doesn’t bring it. They had trouble with four-man rush, five-man rush, and just single blocks up there have been a problem for them.
“I like the receivers and the quarterback has a chance, but it’s tough and I think it’s going to get tougher. Chicago in November and December, that’s a fun place to have to rely on throwing the ball. The combination of, let’s say, struggling with the running game and having to throw a lot and pass protect a lot … that’s not really a strength of the Bears team. Not really sure how they’re putting that together, but chucking it 50 times (a game) in Chicago on a long-term basis is just, it’s tough.”
Like I said, it’s easy for folks from all corners — analysts, talking heads, mailbag readers — to pile on, and it won’t end until the Bears come up with some solutions to the core problems ailing Shane Waldron’s offense.
As I wrote in 10 thoughts after the game, I think a loose timeline for Bates and Borom to return from IR is after the Week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Bates is dealing with an arthritic condition, and the hope is rest will allow him to contribute without interruption when he returns. His minimum stay on IR is through the Week 5 meeting with the Carolina Panthers, and it might make sense with a bye following the Jaguars game to give him a little extra time.
Borom is out through at least the Week 4 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams, so maybe he can get rolling before the trip to London. But if he’s on the outer range of the typical timeline of four to six weeks for a high ankle sprain, a post-bye return also might be in the cards for him.
So what do the Bears do in the meantime? Buckle down and get to work with what they have. Maybe that’s not the answer folks want to hear, but there aren’t a lot of options. Currently unemployed linemen fall into one of three types: guys with no experience, guys with experience who have health issues and guys who are past their prime with poor recent tape — and players in this last category could have injury issues too.
I’m skeptical the trade market has much in the way of prizes. There are 160 starting offensive linemen in the league but not 160 starters everyone feels good about. In other words, there are plenty of linemen starting elsewhere whom you would not be happy with in the Bears lineup. High-quality backups who are starting-caliber players are generally not available in a trade because their teams don’t want to be caught short-handed when injuries occur.
The best way to get some potential help might be to raid another team’s practice squad, but this would be throwing a Hail Mary because, again, you’re likely looking at an inexperienced player who wasn’t good enough to crack another team’s top nine or 10. Offensive line might be the hardest position to find legitimate help via the practice squad because, simply put, there is a shortage of large, athletic men on the planet with the skills to play at a high level.
That leaves Poles, coach Matt Eberflus, Waldron and offensive line coach/run game coordinator Chris Morgan with few choices beyond doing things internally. The Bears could consider replacing right guard Nate Davis with Matt Pryor, the only reserve among the four on the 53-man roster who has played an offensive snap in a regular-season game.
Six-time Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz has advocated for a long time for switching left guard Teven Jenkins back to the right side, where he would team up with right tackle Darnell Wright to give the Bears two good run blockers next to each other. Rookie Kiran Amegadjie has yet to be a full participant in practice as he works his way back from quadriceps surgery last October. He’s viewed as a potential left tackle in the future, and I’m not sure moving him inside to practice at guard is the best idea right now. But the Bears have to at least consider just about anything.
Center Coleman Shelton has had a rough start, and Doug Kramer is an option there. But if a personnel move is made in Week 3, my guess is it would involve Davis/Pryor.
Whether the Bears make moves on the line this week or not, they have to get their footing, and Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium sets up as a good opportunity. The Colts run defense was trampled the first two weeks. The Texans’ Joe Mixon ran for 159 yards in Week 1 in Indianapolis, and the Green Bay Packers, operating without quarterback Jordan Love, ran 53 times for 261 yards Sunday at Lambeau Field. Plus the Colts will be without talented defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who suffered an ankle injury in Green Bay and was placed on IR.
The Colts have allowed an astonishing 474 rushing yards and 5.1 per carry, which ranks 28th in the league. The last team to surrender that many yards on the ground through the first two weeks was the 1978 Baltimore Colts, who gave up a whopping 570 in an 0-2 start.
One would think this is something the Bears can exploit with Swift, Khalil Herbert and perhaps others. They either will get stacked boxes, which would leave throwing lanes for Williams, or perhaps get advantageous running situations with 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers) on the field. There would be no excuse for not being able to run the ball with success in Indianapolis, especially with Buckner out.
What’s confounding, though, is the Bears have been unable to run the ball through two games. When all else failed the last two years, they at least were able to do that, although quarterback Justin Fields played a big role in the rushing production.
Why didn’t Poles do more with the offensive line in the offseason? That’s a valid question right now. He traded for Bates and signed Shelton and Pryor in free agency. There wasn’t a great group of free-agent linemen, and you know what? There usually isn’t.
Guard Robert Hunt got a five-year, $100 million contract from the Panthers. Guard Jonah Jackson went to the Rams on a three-year, $51 million contract. Right tackle Jonah Williams signed with the Arizona Cardinals for $30 million over two years. Guards Damien Lewis (Panthers) and Jon Runyan (New York Giants) and center Lloyd Cushenberry (Tennessee Titans) were the only other offensive linemen who switched teams in free agency for deals exceeding a $10 million annual average.
The Panthers prioritized their line with money, and guess what? They’re having major issues on the offensive line. Free agency is a great place to waste money on overrated players, and the Bears have an example of that in Davis, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract a year ago. But say you subtract the addition of wide receiver Keenan Allen via trade and the $23 million he is owed this season and, yes, Poles could have done something with those resources to fortify the line.
Poles also could have drafted an offensive lineman instead of selecting wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9. Two tackles — Joe Alt to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 and JC Latham to the Titans at No. 7 — were off the board before the Odunze pick. Two other tackles went in the top half of Round 1: Olu Fashanu to the New York Jets at No. 11 and Taliese Fuaga to the New Orleans Saints at No. 14. You have to take a long view of draft picks, especially first-rounders, meaning it’s a question of “What will this guy mean for the team for the next four or five seasons?” and not just the season ahead.
I’d add that the top half of the second round can be a sweet spot for finding high-caliber centers. The Bears were without their second-round pick as a result of the trade for defensive end Montez Sweat. Kind of hard to second-guess that move, but the Bears will be armed with two second-rounders in 2025.
The Bears believe Odunze will be a star, and they will remain in a great position at wide receiver after this season even if Allen, a pending free agent, departs. That’s great, but until you invest significantly in the offensive line, you’re probably trying to patch things together. That’s precisely where the Bears find themselves, searching for answers without a ton of options.
Right now, it looks like a miscalculation. I think it was reasonable to expect modest improvement from this unit entering this season. Through two games, that has not happened, and here we are with literally dozens of questions in the mailbag this week about the O-line.
It was evident to most observers at this time last year that the Bears would be out in force during the college season in search of a quarterback. Not all agreed. I’m guessing more folks will agree on where the Bears will be focusing resources next offseason via both free agency and the draft. In the meantime, we’ll see if they shake up the lineup and if Waldron can do anything schematically to minimize the pressure Williams is under and open some running lanes.
Teven Jenkins insinuated that the line problem may be a coaching issue: “We execute to what we’re getting coached to do.” Coach Chris Morgan is the rushing coordinator and was not brought in by Shane Waldron. Do you think there is a conflict between Waldron and Morgan? — @badasswarthog
A couple of folks wondered about Jenkins’ comments after the loss in Houston. I don’t interpret his words as an indictment of coaching. The last thing a player in a contract year — Jenkins has talked openly about his situation — wants to do is come across as a guy who’s questioning the coaching he’s receiving.
Morgan was retained by the Bears, and I think most figured he was a pretty good fit because schematically there’s not a whole lot of difference in what they’re doing under Waldron from what they did under Luke Getsy. You can trace the coaching trees for these guys and they basically lead back to the same place. So one would imagine they operate under similar principles in terms of offensive football and running the ball.
The biggest thing to this point is the Bears have not executed up front. They’re getting beat on some basic stuff. Not picking up stunts. Falling for inside-out moves. Losing one-on-one battles. At least that’s what I have seen in pass protection.
What’s bothersome is they’ve gone from being a good running team to not being able to produce effectively on the ground, and they really want to avoid having Caleb Williams throw it 30-plus times every week. They have to clean up the execution when running the ball because this isn’t new stuff the linemen are being asked to do. The execution has been poor.
The component in young quarterbacks’ development that probably isn’t talked about enough is the willingness and success in throwing to the middle of the field. As we’ve seen with Caleb Williams and also Jayden Daniels, so far it’s been a lot of short stuff and throws along the sidelines. The intermediate and deep middle is where diagnosing coverages is so difficult. Justin Fields never got comfortable with it. In contrast, C.J. Stroud had a lot of success in the middle with Nico Collins last game. Did you see enough in training camp to think that with more game reps Williams can progress in this area over the course of this year? — Nick V.
I think Williams will grow comfortable going anywhere he needs to on the field, and there’s certainly evidence of him doing so in college. He stepped into the throw deep down the middle to DeAndre Carter that resulted in a 24-yard pass-interference penalty Sunday night. That doesn’t show up in this graphic from NFL Next Gen Stats because the play was wiped out by penalty.
It will help when Keenan Allen is back on the field. Williams also needs to start using the tight end more, and those are often throws to the middle of the field. Until the Bears can get their feet under them in pass protection, it’s going to take some time. We’re only two games into a long season. There will be many chances for growth.
You bring up a good point about quarterback success often being tied to throws in the middle third of the field. That’s because it’s an area where receivers can pile up yards after the catch. It takes protection, good routes, a good read and accurate ball placement. I expect we will see more of it.
Probably too early to name names but would history tell us that an interior lineman may be available via the in-season trade market similar to Montez Sweat/Chase Claypool deals? The Bears have the draft capital. Do they have the cap room? — @therealphedog
Yes, the Bears have the draft capital, and unless they’re looking to add a player with a really big base salary for this season, they have the cap room. I’m not as optimistic as you that a quality young interior offensive lineman would be offered up in trade during the middle of the season. Certainly not a lineman with the skill and upside of someone like Sweat. Meaningful roster moves on the offensive line — I’m talking about players who can become part of the future and are more than stop-gap measures — most likely will arrive in the offseason.
It seems painfully obvious that the Bears are nowhere near the same level offensively as their division rivals. I can’t tell if it’s mediocre talent, inability to execute or inept coaching. Or all three. If you were in charge, what’s the first thing you’d do to begin to right the ship? — Marc B., Nashville, Tenn.
The Bears have enough talent on offense to be successful. They are in a new system with a quarterback who has started two games as a professional. Williams will look different in November and December than he does in the first two months. The Bears need to keep him healthy so he can show that improvement.
Everyone knew entering the season that the NFC North would be tough, and the lone surprise might be the early success the Minnesota Vikings have had with quarterback Sam Darnold. The Bears need to be better across the board — players and coaches — and I’m not sure there is a fancy way to “right the ship” heading into Week 3.
The offensive start is disappointing. A 1-1 start for the team is probably realistic. The Bears have a favorable schedule over the next month or so. Let’s take a deep breath and see what unfolds, but I wasn’t expecting a Super Bowl contender this season and it’s possible some expectations were a little out of whack.
That being said, the offensive line has performed well below reasonable expectations, and based on the considerable feedback in the mailbag this week, that’s where the majority of the frustration is right now. That is justified.
You stated it is difficult to fix the offensive line issues at this point and I don’t doubt that’s true, but what if someone had a good backup center and a serious need at DB or WR? Could the Bears acquire a replacement for Coleman Shelton? He appears to be the major weak point with no real help for relief this season. The Bears could possibly offer players like Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Terell Smith or even Kyler Gordon without doing major damage to the starting lineups. Now I am not suggesting trading some of these guys for an unproven backup, but the team may be facing salary-cap issues and know they have a solid replacement who will most likely be starting next year, kind of like the Allen situation. I am sure you can find fault in trading any of these players but consider the reward/risk. — Charles C.
Allen just missed a game with a heel injury, the same injury that cost him the final four games of last season. He has an $18.1 million base salary, which would make it impossible for most teams to fit him in under the cap. He’s not going to be traded. Trading the No. 9 pick in the draft, Odunze, makes no sense.
Trading Gordon, who’s emerging as one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the league, doesn’t make sense unless you’re getting one of the better centers in the league. You see another team trading one of the better centers in the league? I like Smith and believe he has real value moving forward, but he has limited game tape from last season and the Bears would get a player with limited upside in return for him.
I just don’t see an in-season trade for a stabilizing offensive lineman coming together. Who knows, though? Ryan Poles has pulled off some moves no one saw coming. Maybe he can make an outside-the-box move.
It’s been a hell of a rebuild and it’s not over. Next year the Bears have one first-round and two second-round picks. Obviously, it’s too soon to see how players perform and grade out this college season. But it seems to me that those picks should be used on linemen. Probably two offensive and one defensive. But which side of the ball and which specific positions will need to play out. — Frank R., Chicago
Not sure what the question is here, but I doubt many people will fault your logic. Keep in mind, though, that the Bears have to draft good players — not just guys who fit needs. In other words, what does the board look like on the offensive and defensive lines? Is there a player who fits well at the top of Round 2, where the Bears likely will be with the pick from the Panthers?
If it’s a deep draft on one or both sides of the ball, the answer is probably yes. If the Day 2 talent among linemen looks an awful lot like the Day 3 talent, do you really want to prioritize need over a better player with a significantly better grade who is likely going to have a better career at a different position? We all know where the Bears will be focused — in the trenches — but the draft grades have to stand up.
I wonder why DeAndre Carter was a focal point of the a lot of targets on Sunday night. Wouldn’t you rather run your pass game through DJ Moore? How come the Bears can’t dial up deep shots to Tyler Scott or use Collin Johnson as a mismatch 50-50 guy. — @d_swiftmuse
I wouldn’t say Carter was a “focal point.” He had four targets (five if you count the play on which a pass-interference call benefited the Bears) and made three catches for 32 yards. Moore had a team-high 10 targets and six catches. Carter was the next man up with Keenan Allen sidelined, and he played 50 of the 70 offensive snaps. Scott played three and Johnson was on the field for one.
Carter had pretty good production for wide receivers coach Chris Beatty when they were with the Chargers in 2022. As a depth guy he finished with 46 catches for 538 yards, so I have a feeling the Bears felt he’d be good with the offense down a guy. Scott is clearly below Carter on the depth chart right now, and Carter has similar speed for deep shots. As far as Johnson, the Bears are probably better off throwing 50-50 balls to Moore or Rome Odunze.
How instrumental is Khari Blasingame to the run game? What’s his window looking like for returning? — @ericholmer
I’m not sure when Blasingame will be back after suffering what the team listed as hand and knee injuries. There has been no indication this could be a long-term situation. Blasingame is a big part of what the Bears want to do when they have two running backs on the field. Thing is, that’s only a small part of the offense as a whole. It’s hard to see him topping 15 snaps very often, and some weeks he might not reach that total. He played seven offensive snaps in the Week 1 victory over the Titans. The Bears need everything they can get to run the ball right now, so with any luck he’ll be back in the fold this week.
