Chicago Bears’ Offensive Positional Grades Post-Free Agency

Quarterback

After a disappointing 2019 season, the Chicago Bears went after Nick Foles giving up a fourth-round pick to bolster their quarterback room. In all honesty, the Bears should be very comfortable at quarterback in a sort of win-win situation. If Mitchell Trubisky steps up, great for the Bears. If not, Nick Foles, the 2018-2019 Super Bowl MVP is ready to step in and take over. They also have Tyler Bray who has familiarity with the system. Don’t be surprised if they target a quarterback in the draft as well.

I truly think that one of these quarterbacks should hit well in the system. If a quarterback who won a Super Bowl MVP in this same system and a young athletic quarterback both fail in Nagy’s system, the problems may boil down to scheme itself or just playcalling.

Grade: B+

Running Back

Trading up last year to get David Montgomery, the Bears didn’t do much in their run game. The Bears only currently have three running backs on their roster with Montgomery, Tarik Cohen, and Ryan Nall. Cohen was a great chess piece for Matt Nagy in 2018 but didn’t find his footing in 2019 seeing a major drop in almost every major statistical category. Nall hasn’t seen the field much so far in his NFL career, but he is a fan favorite that works hard. Montgomery is expected to be the workhorse this upcoming season and he should see a big step forward if the line improves. Expect them to add another running back or two before camp as well.

Grade: B-

Wide Reciever

Wide receiver might be one of the deepest positions for the Chicago Bears right now. The Bears have a true borderline elite wide receiver in Allen Robinson, they have an up-and-coming number two in Anthony Miller. Behind those two, they have two young, promising wide receivers in Riley Ridley and Javon Wims. Even after that, they have Cordarrelle Patterson to give some spark to that group. All this group is missing is a true speed wide receiver. The past two seasons they’ve had Taylor Gabriel, but he was released after the 2019 season. If they get a speed wide receiver, this group may be one of the best in the NFL. It doesn’t help they are all young too (outside of Patterson).

Grade: A-

Tight End

The Bears needed major help at tight end this upcoming season. The Bears failed to have a single tight end reach 100 receiving yards on the season. Right now, the Bears have 10 (yes, TEN) tight ends on the roster. Obviously that is going to change, but for now, they have 10. The Bears invested a second-round pick in 2017 in Adam Shaheen, but that has seemed to be a bust at this point. The Bears added 33-year-old tight end, Jimmy Graham, in a move many questioned. Personally, I am a big fan of the addition. They also already have a successful tight end, Trey Burton, on the roster as well, but he was hurt all of last season. After that, it is basically a mob of tight ends around the same skillset. Honestly, no clue who will be cut and who won’t be.

Grade: C+

Offensive Tackle

The two offensive tackles faced a lot of scrutinies last season. Charles Leno and Bobby Massie both took a major step back after a solid 2018 season. I truly believe both of them can take a step forward after an abysmal 2019 season. That is a big question mark though heading into the 2020 season and currently, all they have is Germain Ifedi, who may just be an offensive guard, to back them up and battle with them. The Bears definitely need to add more competition via the draft. They also have Rashaad Coward who is in the same boat as Ifedi. The Bears also have Corey Levin who has one career start.

Grade: D+

Interior Offensive Line

The Bears struggled on the interior part of their offensive line. They created a lot of shakeups throughout the season. Cody Whitehair and James Daniels ended up switching positions before the season started and then re-switched positions in November. That was just at left guard. At right guard, the Bears had a huge hole there. Kyle Long attempted to play through injuries, but ended up on the injured reserve and then retired. Then Ted Larsen couldn’t stay healthy to play there. Finally, the Bears settled on former defensive tackle, then offensive tackle, then new offensive guard Rashaad Coward. The line was a mess, to say the least. The Bears really haven’t addressed right guard unless Ifedi is the replacement or the Bears trust in undrafted Alex Bars.

Grade: C-

Overall

It’s not hard to improve the tight end position from last season. Jimmy Graham bumps the position up greatly from last year, but not enough to earn a B. The line still needs to be addressed, but there is still some free agency to go and the NFL Draft.

Grade: B

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