This year was all about Mitch Trubisky. The new Chicago Bears offensive arsenal was painstakingly assembled over the past few months with a mixture of money, draft picks, guile, and luck. Above all, it was sheer hard work and negotiating skills that got it done. The Bears wanted to end up with the best possible situation for their young quarterback by the time the season started.
It’s hard to argue with what they’ve done. Every conceivable position group saw substantial upgrades arrive either via free agency or the draft. The most important addition may be head coach Matt Nagy. His arrival along with a new offensive staff has a chance to usher the Bears offensive scheming into the 21st century.
If he brings the same system that excelled in Kansas City for years, there’s no telling how high this offense can ascend. One thing is for sure, people all over the country are gushing over what the Bears have done purely from a standpoint of their offensive arsenal. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell gave them a ranking for this 2018 season, and it was more than generous.
Chicago Bears offensive arsenal claims top 10 ranking in upset fashion
“Allen Robinson once made Blake Bortles look like a promising quarterback, but he’s coming off of a torn ACL. The player most likely to immediately bounce back from a torn ACL would be a young athlete who suffered the injury early in the previous season, which is exactly the case with Robinson. He is a legitimate No. 1 receiver and likely to serve as one in 2018…
…Taylor Gabriel was a replacement-level wideout who the Bears passed on as a free agent before a breakout half-season for the Falcons in 2016; the 27-year-old was anonymous for Atlanta last season. Trey Burton was Philadelphia’s third tight end and scored an unsustainable five touchdowns on 23 catches last season; now, he’ll be playing the Travis Kelce role for new coach Matt Nagy in Chicago…
…What pushes the Bears up these rankings, instead, is their one-two punch at halfback. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen will combine to post a cap hit of about $1.4 million in 2018 and might very well project to be the best pair of running backs in football, if Ingram and Kamara slip.”
.@ChicagoBears have added as much talent around #MitchTrubusky as any team in the NFL. How soon does it come together? #BaldyBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/820auSdmCB
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) July 14, 2018
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That’s high praise in every sense. It would seem the only thing that is holding people back from buying into the Bears offense entirely is the unknown situation surrounding Mitch Trubisky. He flashed at times as a rookie but his numbers were average-to-below average. They need to wait and see if Nagy can transform him into a credible NFL passer. If he can? There’s no limit to what this group can do.
The crazier part is who the Bears were actually ranked ahead of. The Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, and Los Angeles Raiders all fell in line behind Chicago. These are teams that employ current Pro Bowlers like DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, and Keenan Allen. That should speak to just how optimistic people are about the job Ryan Pace did.
