Lately the focus on how Mitch Trubisky will be able to take that critical next step is on the Chicago Bears team itself. Matt Nagy was hired to be the head coach after a strong run as offensive coordinator in Kansas City. He brought in former Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich, offensive line savant Harry Hiestand and longtime specialist Brad Childress to help install a system that can turn Trubisky into an efficient pro.
It didn’t stop there though. GM Ryan Pace turned his attention to the roster next. In a span of mere months Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller, Javon Wims, Bennie Fowler and Marlon Brown were all added to the wide receiving corps. Trey Burton came in as a boost to the tight end position. James Daniels plugged up a gap in their interior offensive line.
Together with Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen in the backfield, the list of weapons available to Trubisky has doubled or even tripled in size. This is why optimism is higher than ever for him to break out. However, there is another reason that may be getting overlooked. That being the depleted state of several of the pass defenses he’s set to face this season.
When examining the upcoming schedule, not only do the Bears face a series of teams that struggled against the pass last year. A number of them actually look like they’ve gotten worse since then.
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Green Bay Packers (23rd)
- Will likely rely on multiple rookie starting corners
- Fired able coordinator Dom Capers
Seattle Seahawks (6th)
- Traded Michael Bennett to Philadelphia
- Lost Sheldon Richardson to free agency
- Cut Richard Sherman
- May lose Kam Chancellor to retirement
- Fired defensive coordinator Kris Richard
Arizona Cardinals (14th)
- Released Tyrann Mathieu
- Made no notable addition in free agency or draft
- Switching from 3-4 scheme to 4-3
Tampa Bay Buccaneer (32nd)
Miami Dolphins (16th)
- Released Ndamukong Suh
- Cameron Wake turned 36
New England Patriots (30th)
- Lost defensive coordinator Matt Patricia
New York Jets (21st)
- Released Muhammad Wilkerson
Buffalo Bills (20th)
- Finished near the league bottom in sacks
- Relying heavily on older players
Detroit Lions (27th)
- Just lost coordinator Teryl Austin
- Made no significant additions this offseason
New York Giants (31st)
- Traded Jason Pierre-Paul
- Eli Apple regressed badly last year
- Janoris Jenkins has serious off-the-field issues
- Switching from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4
San Francisco 49ers (22nd)
- Only notable change is adding 30-year old Richard Sherman to the roster
Now to be fair there’s a chance that some of these defenses will improve but there’s also a good chance they could get even worse based on the facts provided. Throw in the fact that Trubisky saw his arsenal of weapons upgraded across the board. It’s hard not seeing him have a much better season in every conceivable category.
The only teams that are significant defensive threats on paper are the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings were #1 in total defense last year and managed to add both Sheldon Richardson and a first round corner in the draft. The Rams overhauled their defense with big names including Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, and the aforementioned Suh.
Nobody ever said Trubisky could have it all easy. One thing is clear though. Based on the forecasts for those defenses this year and his own anticipated improvement, it could be quite the airshow for the Bears offense in 2018.
