Are the Chicago Bears ready to win?
The last few seasons have been a roller-coaster for the Chicago Bears. Three consecutive years with a losing record, and finishing fourth in the NFC North. The Chicago Bears draft picks have been labeled as “future picks”. The off-season acquisitions give the fans a win-now mentality. Which is the case? With the end of the off-season in sight, let’s take a look at the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears had two bright spots through the abysmal 2016 season. The defense was above average, and Jordan Howard was a pro bowl running back.
The defense established itself as the 15th rated defense according to espn.com’s Total Defense Statistics. The pass rush was effective totaling 37 sacks on the year.
After winning the starting job, Jordan Howard rushed for 1313 yards, which was second-most in the NFL.
The bulk of fans thought they knew the direction the Chicago Bears were headed before the draft. They thought the Bears found the future quarterback in Mike Glennon, and would build a team around him to win this year.
The trade up for Mitchell Trubisky shocked fans and analysts. It threw a wrench into the win-now mentality we thought Ryan Pace and John Fox have established with the team.
Instead of bulking up the defensive front, or helping the secondary they grabbed the future quarterback for the team.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the Chicago Bears are in rebuild mode, they have pieces in place that are ready to compete now.
Signing Prince Amukamara, Marcus Cooper, Dan Skuta, Jaye Howard for depth and starting roles will improve the defense.
On offense, they went out and signed a handful of new weapons including Markus Wheaton, Rueben Randle, and Kendall Wright.
The defense and run game are much better than the 3-13 record of 2016.
The Chicago Bears will go as far as Mike Glennon can take them this year.