The Chicago Bears got thoroughly embarrassed by the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field last Sunday night — a game that remained in prime time to milk to the Andy Reid-Matt Nagy and Patrick Mahomes-Mitch Trubisky storylines. They extracted everything possible and more.
That game was a massive step backwards for Trubisky. After playing very well for almost a month, he had an inconsistent game in Green Bay, and then put together a disastrous clunker against Kansas City. The gap between him and Mahomes couldn’t have been more evident. Not only that, but the gap between KC’s offensive personnel and Chicago’s (minus Allen Robinson) was glaring, too. It’s clear that Ryan Pace and Nagy have plenty to evaluate and improve in the offseason.
The Bears finish off their disappointing season in Minnesota this Sunday. Last year’s Week 17, the Bears ended the Vikings’ playoff hopes on the U.S. Bank Stadium turf. This year, the game is absolutely meaningless for both teams. Minnesota is locked into the #6 seed and have injuries they should rest. The Bears are just playing for pride. But finishing at 8-8 is a heck of a lot more palatable than 7-9.
With that, I reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Hope everyone had a great holiday, and I appreciate everyone submitting questions. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
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Mailbag
This is an interesting question, because I’d say the “good” that’s happened this year isn’t particularly surprising. It’s mostly been the “bad” that’s been surprising. But I’ll give it a shot:
Nick Kwiatkoski / Kevin Pierre-Louis — These two have been totally unexpected surprises filling in for Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith, respectively. We always knew Kwit could play, but the level to which his coverage has also improved is impressive. And KPL has struggled on special teams (committing two back-breaking penalties this year), but he’s filled in very well, flown around, and shown very good instincts and tackling ability. Both of these guys are out of contract this offseason, so the Bears will need to figure out whom to bring back.
Ha Ha Clinton Dix — When the Bears signed HHCD to a one-year deal to replace Adrian Amos, it was met with a good bit of laughs from Packers’ fans (and Bears’ fans.) But he’s been an excellent addition to the secondary and has shown strong tackling (which is what he was knocked for.) I have questions about whether his pairing with Eddie Jackson is best for Jackson, though, because EJax has had to play a more hybrid safety role this year. But HHCD has rebuilt his value and will get a nice payday. We’ll see if it comes from the Bears.
Buster Skrine — Another signing that replaced a somewhat fan-favorite in Bryce Callahan — Skrine’s signing was also met with a bit of derision by Bears’ fans. But while Callahan didn’t play a snap for the Denver Broncos in 2019, Skrine has played the slot quite well for the Bears. He’s been physical and limited opponents well in the passing game. And he’s been an effective blitzer when Chuck Pagano has let him loose. A solid addition. He may split some time with Duke Shelley next year, but Skrine has earned his contract so far.
Honorable Mentions: Cordarrelle Patterson, Nick Williams, David Montgomery.
I won’t talk about draft prospects yet because I have yet to study many of them (that’s offseason work) and there are too many moving parts when it comes to declarations, the Combine, etc.
There are a couple free agents who would make brilliant additions across from Khalil Mack, but the Bears definitely can’t afford — Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus. Even Shaquil Barrett will likely get a fat contract for his work in Tampa this year. But there should be a few options whom the Bears should pursue: Markus Golden (I wanted him last year), Bud Dupree, Matthew Judon, Jordan Jenkins, and Bruce Irvin are names that come to mind.
It’ll be an interesting offseason at this position — the Bears have to decide if they want to bring Leonard Floyd back for his fifth year, too. But one thing is for sure: The Bears MUST improve the EDGE position to help Mack. It’s imperative.
I don’t think Matt Nagy will turn over play calling, and I don’t think he should. He’s done an excellent job all season scheming receivers open and the quarterback has been miserable at finding or hitting them consistently. It’s a nightmare scenario. There’s no rhythm or flow to the play calls because there is rarely anything to build on. Trubisky has been a total deadweight liability for a large majority of the season and it’s impacting everyone’s view of the play calls. Are there areas for improvement? Sure. But we will never know the true power of Nagy’s offensive scheme until he has a quarterback who can do the basic things correctly. Trubisky can’t.
And please spare me the nonsense of tailoring an offense to Trubisky’s strengths. He doesn’t have any strengths anymore!
The front office has plenty of things to improve: The quarterback being first and foremost. They need a tight end urgently. They need to address the OL. There is an urgent need at EDGE. Decisions need to be made at ILB, CB, S, and even WR. I’d even include a coaching change or two.
Bottom line — there is plenty of work to do and not many resources to work with (right now.) It’ll be a busy, creative, and intriguing offseason.
There aren’t a lot of very good options available in free agency. Austin Hooper is arguably the best option, and he’s… not particularly great. If I’m Ryan Pace, I’d make a phone call to the Buccaneers to check on O.J. Howard, or the Browns to see if David Njoku is available. Both of those guys aren’t particular focal points on offense, and decisions have to be made on them. The Bears have a better chance at success by trading for one of them, rather than exploring free agency.
To me, in the draft, the far and away best option is Brycen Hopkins out of Purdue. A solid blocker, but an excellent pass catcher. He has soft hands, can run routes, and overall does a good job getting open. He’s absolutely a possible target in the second round of the draft. I’d be thrilled to see him on the Bears.
See the answer above to answer your question about tight end. I do think the Bears keep Trey Burton on the roster because it’s more expensive to cut him than it is to keep him (and try to get *some* production out of him.) The Bears COULD try to trade Burton for a low-round draft pick, but it’s unlikely he gets much of a bite.
While I think Matt Nagy will (and should) retain play calling duties, they do need an OC to help prepare the offense day to day, and I think Mark Helfrich has been less than ideal. I would recommend a change here. The Bears would do well to explore a known commodity to the offense, whether it be in an OC role or just as an offensive consultant (the way Gary Kubiak is helping Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota.)
Some names I’d be a big fan of seeing: Jay Gruden, Pat Shurmur (once fired from New York), John DeFilippo, and even Ken Whisenhunt. Not all of these guys share the same philosophy as Matt Nagy, but these are proven offensive minds who can surely help.
Twitter Answers
A few questions and answers shared directly on Twitter…
