2022 32 Teams/32 Days: Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

32 Teams/32 Days Hub

Division: NFC North

Record: 6-11 (2-4 in Division) (3rd in Division)

Introduction:

The Chicago Bears finished the 2021 season to an expected 6-11 record. I’ll quickly recap the 2021 season before looking to the future and recapping an eventful offseason so far for the Chicago Bears, which includes a new GM for the first time in 7 years in Ryan Poles along with new head coach Matt Eberflus.

2021 Season Summary

Week 1:

Chicago Bears @ Los Angeles Rams

Loss 14 – 34

The Chicago Bears opened the season at the Rams, with all eyes on Justin Fields and how Matt Nagy would handle the quarterback position. The rookie QB rushed in a touchdown on a designed play for his first career touchdown. To the surprise of no one, the McVay and Aaron Donald dissected Nagy’s offense to force a fumble and an interception.

Week 2:

Chicago Bears vs Cincinnati Bengals

Win 20 – 17

Andy Dalton injured his knee early in the 2nd quarter, resulting in Bears fans getting their first real taste of Justin Fields. The rookie played the entire 2nd half to finish with 6/13 for 60 yards and an interception. Bears defense completely took over this game, as they picked off Burrow on three straight throws and forced four takeaways.

Week 3:

Chicago Bears @ Cleveland Browns

Loss 6 – 26

The Chicago Bears put up one of the most inept offensive performances of the year in Field’s first start. The team finished with 1 net yard of offense as the Browns defensive line had a field day with 9 total sacks.

Week 4:

Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions

Win 24 – 14

A classic Matt Nagy redemption game vs the Lions after a complete dumpster fire of a performance the week before. Justin Fields played one of his best games of the season, completing 11 of 17 attempts for 209 yards and 1 interception. The rookie QB was dropping beautiful deep balls all over the field.

Week 5:

Chicago Bears @ Las Vegas Raiders

Win 20 – 9

Important to note this is the first week the Raiders were dealing with the Jon Gruden fiasco and the Bears capitalized. The D came up with an interception and some key defensive stops. Fields threw his first career TD and had some clutch throws to keep the game sealing drive alive.

Week 7:

Chicago Bears @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Loss 3 – 38

I still don’t know if the Browns or Bucs game was worse. The ferocious Bucs D forced 5 turnovers and had four sacks. Tom Brady and Mike Evans connected for 3 touchdowns as the Bucs completely embarrassed the Bears.

Week 8:

Chicago Bears vs San Francisco 49ers

Loss 22 – 33

Justin Fields completed 19 of 27 attempts for 175 yards and 1 TD/1 INT along with [this] insane 4th down rushing touchdown. Fields also finished with 103 rushing yards. Ultimately, Deebo Samuel and the 49ers run game was too much for the Bears.

Week 9:

Chicago Bears @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Loss 29 – 27

Worst reffed game of the season, but no reason to spend to much time on it. Justin Fields had one of his best game of the season, completing 17 of his 29 attempts for 291 yards and one TD/Int. He led a go-ahead drive to put the Bears up late before the Steelers game winning FG.

Week 10:

BYE

Week 11:

Chicago Bears vs Baltimore Ravens

Loss 13 – 16

The Chicago Bears took on the hospital Ravens without Lamar Jackson at home. Justin Fields got injured this game after taking multiple hits. Andy Dalton replaced him, throwing for 201 yards and leading to Bears to a go ahead TD drive. However, the Chicago Bears defense couldn’t stop Huntley and Sammy Watkins as the Raven’s won off a 72 yard TD drive.

Week 12:

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions

Win 16 - 14

Right on cue, the Chicago Bears take on the Lions after an embarrassing and inexcusable loss the week before. Andy Dalton went 24/39 for 317 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. The Bears came back from 13 – 14 with a drive led by Andy Dalton and finished by a Cairo Santos field goal.

Week 13:

Chicago Bears vs Arizona Cardinals

Loss 33 – 22

Andy Dalton had his second straight start with Justin Fields sidelined due to broken ribs. Dalton matched his career high in interceptions as the Cardinals defense had a field day forcing turnovers.

Week 14:

Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers

Loss 30 – 45

The Chicago Bears headed to Lambo as Justin Fields returned under center. Bears went up 10 – 0 early following a Jakeem Grant Jr TD run off a shuffle pass. The tides quickly turned after the Packers scored the following drive and a Fields pick six. Fields answered with a 54 yard touchdown pass to Damiere Byrd. The Packers battled back and their special teams kept us in the game, highlighted by a TD return by Jakeem Grant. Turnovers and wasted offensive possessions put away the Bears, as the Packers took over the game in the 2nd half.

Week 15:

Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings

Loss 9 - 17

Justin Fields threw for 285 yards and added 35 on the ground but couldn't overcome the Vikings defense in the red zone. With a depleted secondary, Thomas Graham came up huge off the practice squad. In his debut, he forced three incompletions and only allowed two catches for 10 yards.

Week 16:

Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks

Win 25 - 24

Snow game with no Andy Dalton or Justin Fields. Big Dick Nick led the Bears to a comeback victory over the Seahawks highlighted by a late score and 2-point conversion to put the Bears up 1 in the final minutes of the 4th.

Week 17:

Chicago Bears vs New York Giants

Win 29 - 3

Robert Quinn broke the Bears single season sack record. The Bears secondary held the Giants to one completion for 12 yards the entire game as the Bears defense manhandled the Giants. The secondary also picked up two interceptions against former Bear Mike Glennon.

Week 18:

Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings

Loss 17 - 31

Justin Fields was supposed to start the final game of the season before getting shut down with Covid, though that may have been a blessing in disguise. The Vikings had one of their best offensive performances of the year with Kirk Cousins going 14/22 for 250 yards. Thankfully this game marked the end of the Nagy era.

Personal Season Summary:

The Chicago Bears had one of the toughest non-division schedules in the NFL this past season, having to face off against the NFC West and AFC North. This team took some wins from eventual playoff teams, but also went on a 1-8 skid during Weeks 6 – 15. Overall, I would say the record accurately depicts this team. This is a Bears team that has elite talent at a few positions but also league worst in some other skill positions such as WR and CB. There really isn’t a whole lot to take away from this season other than Matt Nagy stinks considering the major turnover this roster will undergo this offseason. The Bears are only retaining around 25 players from 2021’s roster. This season was always about Justin Fields development and sadly it felt like our coaching staff did nothing to put him in a position to win. Along with the injuries he had during the season, there are still plenty of question marks around what Fields can actually do with a solid o-line, coaching staff, and competent WR room.

Justin Fields:

To avoid this entire post and discussion being about Fields I’ll include a section here for him. Overall, I am very happy with our rookie QB. Does he have his flaws? Yes. Does the kid also show elite arm talent, especially with the deep ball, and elite running ability? Yes. It’s also incredibly hard to accurately assess the rookie when he was thrown in the most inept offense in the entire NFL designed by guru Matt Nagy.

Justin had a horrendous start to his career. The Browns and Bucs took full advantage of the rookie in him as he struggled to identify some of the blitzing schemes they threw at him. This was slowly developed over the season, as the QB started to diagnose defenses and ID the mike. His ability to read defenses should improve with more coaching and playing time, not a ton of worries there.

According to Johnny Kinsley’s Deep Ball Project, “Fields’ 58.62% deep accuracy percentage would rank fourth in the 2020-21 Deep Ball Project, while his tight window accuracy would rank first. Even crazier is that Fields was accurate on all of his first five deep pass attempts in the NFL. I’ve charted deep passing for seven years and running and I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like that before.”

The following stats are all taken from PFF’s 2022 Annual QB Review:

Fields also showed off exceptional accuracy outside the numbers. He ranked 4th in the NFL in accuracy on throws 10-19 yards outside left numbers and 8th in 20+ outside left numbers. He ranked 7th in accuracy outside right numbers between 10-19 yards and 32th in 20+ yards. Fields had some of the worst accuracy in the NFL for throws between 0-9 yards.

He had the 2nd highest big time throw % in the NFL when in a clean pocket, but was 32nd in accuracy overall. However, he did post the 3rd highest positive grade rate in the NFL. He also finished with the 13th highest grade among NFL QB’s when in a clean pocket. Fields finished in the bottom half in the league in turnover worthy play % and 3rd down grade.

Fields had one of the longest times to throw and depth of target in the NFL. While the time to throw may be of concern to some, his 2.91 seconds to throw is up there with other scramble QB’s such as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, who take 2.9 and 2.84 seconds to throw, respectively.

Let’s talk QB pressures. I see a lot of people diagnose the Bears sack and pressure issue to Fields, citing his long time to throw. However, this can pretty easily be debunked. Fields was responsible for only 15 of the total 128 pressures he faced this year according to PFF. The Bears need major O-line upgrades this offseason to protect their franchise QB.

Fields biggest issue this season to me at least was ball security. He finished 4th in the NFL in fumbles with 12 on the season. He needs to do a much better job next season.

Overall, Fields is the franchise QB for the Chicago Bears until proven otherwise.

Offense:

There is a lot of potential for growth, especially on offense. This is mainly because Matt Nagy won’t be calling plays anymore and we can actually see what this team can do. The Bears finished 26th in the league in DVOA for the 2021 season. Cole Kmet took a big step in his development this year, especially in the blocking department. His route running improved and towards the end of the season he stopped getting cute in the open field and started attacking DB’s. His hands need improvement this offseason. Darnell Mooney got a chance at WR1 this year in the 5 games Allen Robinson missed. The jury is still out on Mooney’s potential as a WR1 moving forward though, he really struggled to get any separation this year. The RB room proved to be resilient and effective, with rookie Khalil Herbert filling in a major hole in David Montgomery. He had one of the highest PFF grades of the year for rookie RB’s.

It’s looking like the offensive line will be reshaped this offseason, with new GM Ryan Poles stating “We gotta get lighter. We gotta get quicker”. He also expressed his frustration with the o-lines attitude this past season, specifically in the way they defended their quarterback. He stated last month, “If I see my guy on the ground, I’m running over there, getting him up… I don’t know if I saw that enough on tape… If you see something cheap.. you need to set the tone that that’s not gonna happen.”. Looking at you Ifedi. 2021 2nd round pick Teven Jenkin’s underwent back surgery early in the offseason and did not return until late in the season. While he struggled at first, he had some bright spots in the last couple games of the season.

Defense:

The Bears finished 13th in defensive DVOA in 2021. Robert Quinn broke the Chicago Bears single season sack record and Roquan Smith continued his elite LB play. The defense had major personnel flaws in the secondary however, with a poor CB room outside of Jaylon Johnson. Thomas Graham Jr is a bright spot, who had a huge game against the Vikings in his debut. Eddie Jackson had an up and down season, though his tackling improved from nonexistent as the season went on. Khalil Mack had season ending surgery and did not play after Week 7. Overall, the defense had an okay year considering the personnel and schedule. The Bears had one of the worst CB rooms in the league last year and it showed. Teams consistently attacked us downfield and outside the numbers and we could not make them pay.

Look for the Bears to grab an ILB this offseason, as we switch from a 3-4 to Eberflus’ 4-3 and need a new ILB to fill the new role.

Front Office and Coaching Hires:

GM: Ryan Poles

The Chicago Bears moved on from Ryan Pace this offseason and hired 36 year old Ryan Poles out of the Kansas City Chiefs organization. The former offensive lineman is known in the league for the seriousness he brings to his work and his ability as a scout in the KC organization. He was most recently the executive director of player personnel for the Chiefs. From 2010-2016, he worked in the college scouting department before moving to the player personnel department.

Assistant GM: Ian Cunningham

Ian Cunningham comes from the Philadelphia Eagles organization and so far seems to be one of the biggest hires the Bears have made. According to The Atlantic, “He [Ian Cunningham] may be the most popular member of the new staff. League sources raved about what he can mean for Poles and the personnel department”.

Head Coach: Matt Eberflus

The former Colts defensive coordinator was hired by Ryan Poles as the new head coach this offseason. Matt specialized as a LB coach before becoming the defensive coordinator, and it shows in the development of guys like Darius Leonard who thrived in his 4-3 system. Eberflus’ hiring marks the end of the Bears 3-4 defensive scheme that Vic Fangio brought with him. Eberflus brings with him his HITS system, which stands for “hustle, intensity, taking the ball away, and smarts”. The system places an emphasis on maximum effort every single snap, both mentally and physically. He even went on to say him and the coordinators review the effort of every single player on every single play when watching the game. It’s a system seemingly not everyone can buy in to though, and it’ll be interesting to see what Bears can and cannot handle the new system.

Eberflus will not be the offensive or defensive playcaller for the Bears this upcoming season, delegating those responsibilities to new OC Luke Getsy and new DC Alan Williams. I personally really love this, it was a problem Justin Fields discussed last year with how chaotic it was on the headset with Nagy needing to do everything. He enjoyed when Lazor called plays because Lazor was calm and collected up in the box.

Offensive Coordinator: Luke Getsy

My personal favorite hire of the offseason. Luke Getsy is the former QB coach for the Green Bay Packers. He was responsible for the 3rd down play design in Green Bay last season, in which they ranked 9th in the NFL with a 43.46% conversion rate. Getsy’s favorite buzzwords when describing how he wants his offense to play are “aggressive”, “downfield”, and “attacking”. I personally think Justin Fields and Getsy are a match made in heaven with Fields ability to run and throw downfield.

Former Penn State head coach, Jim Moorhead, who Getsy was the OC for in 2018, described Getsy’s system as “RPO-based run game that takes advantage of a quarterback’s running skill set, combining that with a West Coast system that takes a ton of shots down the field”. Sign me up.

Defensive Coordinator: Alan Williams

Alan Williams is the new DC for the Chicago Bears. He spent the past four years as the defensive backs coach for the Colts, developing stars like Kenny Moore. Alan is HITS system guy with an emphasis on hustle and takeaways. There isn’t a whole lot of info out there right now on what Alan’s defensive scheme will look and play like, though he says he has a vision for it and will know more once he meets the personnel.

Special Teams Coordinator: Richard Hightower

Richard Hightower joins the Bears after spending the last few seasons for the 49ers. Richard Hightower’s special teams played a key part in the Niners victory over the Packers this past playoffs and that’s all I need to know.

Other Bears hires this offseason:

Assistant STC: Carlos Polk

Coaching Assistant: Kevin Koch

QB Coach: Andrew Janocko

RB Coach: David Walker

TE Coach: Jim Dray

OL Coach: Jim Morgan

DL Coach: Travis Smith

LB Coach: Dave Borgonzi

DB Coach: James Rowe

Safeties Coach: Andre Curtis

Bears Free Agents

Name	Position	Status
Allen Robinson	WR	UFA
Akiem Hicks	DT	UFA
Andy Dalton	QB	UFA
Jimmy Graham	TE	UFA
Bilal Nichols	DT	UFA
Germain Ifedi	OL	UFA
Tashaun Gipson	S	UFA
Jakeem Grant	WR	UFA
Jason Peters	OL	UFA
Pat O’Donnell	P	UFA
James Daniels	OL	UFA
Jesse James	TE	UFA
Damien Williams	RB	UFA
Deon Bush	S	UFA
Marquise Goodwin	WR	UFA
Christian Jones	LB	UFA
Damiere Byrd	WR	UFA
Patrick Scales	LS	UFA
Elijah Wilkinson	OL	UFA
DeAndre Houston-Carson	S	UFA
Alec Ogletree	ILB	UFA
Artie Burns	CB	UFA
J.P. Holtz	TE	RFA
Alex Bars	OL	RFA
Ryan Nall	RB	RFA
Jalen Tabor	CB	RFA
Joel Iyiegbuniwe	ILB	UFA
Adam Redmond	OL	UFA

Cuts:

Eddie Goldman

Tarik Cohen

Danny Trevethan

Biggest Offseason Needs

1A) WR

• The Bears currently have one WR on the roster and it’s Darnell Mooney. Not only that but last year this was one of the worst WR rooms in the entire NFL. Allen Robinson expressed his displeasure with the offensive scheme by mailing it in last year. This receiving room had one of the lowest open rates in the NFL at 0.59. I expect the Bears to address this in free agency and draft a WR with our second round pick.

1B) O-Line

• Justin Fields got hit a lot last year. Whether Larry Borom and Teven Jenkin’s can be sustainable building pieces for the Bears remains to be seen. Either way, the Bears need to bring in at least two more pieces in the interior at center and guard. James Daniels leaving for the Steelers only ups this need.

2) CB

• The only CB on the Bears roster that has any long-term potential is Jaylon Johnson. While Thomas Graham was a bright spot coming off of the practice squad, the Bears don’t know if he can be a consistent option.

3) Actual NFL Players

• The Bears have around 30 roster spots to fill before August to round out the 53 man roster. With only $30 million in cap space to work with this offseason and only 5 draft picks, expect the Bears to go after lots of vet minimums and find ways to cut corners.

Overall:

This Bears season sucked when Justin Fields wasn’t playing. However, it was a necessary one to rip the band-aid off. While I’d like to have more to say, there isn’t a whole lot to take away from this season with how many guys are not returning and a completely overhauled front office/coaching staff. With Nagy and Pace gone, the Bears will enter the 2022 offseason looking to rebuild and retool for the 2023 offseason where we have north of $120 million in cap space and a first round pick. Poles and Eberflus get to take a good look at the current roster and decide who is worth keeping around and who is not. So far in free agency, it doesn’t look like they thought highly of the majority of this roster. Thankfully, the Chicago Bears have the QB position sorted out (at least for this next season) in a QB depleted draft. With Nagy’s offense in the rear-view mirror, in which the offense literally cannot be worse then last year, Bears fans have at least something to look forward to next year. The Bears are at least 2 years away from being a competitive playoff team in my opinion and a lot of that depends on how Fields progresses. Bear down.