Chicago Bears: Quarterback issues or lack of pass catchers?

The Chicago Bears receiving core needs to show up.

The Chicago Bears are one team not to have a quarterback surpass the 4000-yard mark in a single season. It makes you wonder, is that a quarterback issue or a pass-catcher issue? The Chicago Bears are ranked to have the 22nd best ranked pass-catching core out of the 32 NFL teams.

Now I have stated that, in my opinion, Ryan Pace is an excellent general manager. A lot of what I am going to say might counter that, but mind you, I am still big on throwing the ball less and running the ball more while playing defense to win championships. Pace has turned Phil Emery’s lack of defensive team into a perennial top 10 defensive unit.

The Chicago Bears drafted a quarterback second-overall, signed another in free agency to a starters wage, and traded for another one. Maybe the quarterback isn’t the issue. What would happen if other NFL writers felt that the Chicago Bears weapons were a top 10 unit? I would bet that if the quarterback stayed healthy, they would surpass the 4000-yard passing mark.

The tight end play was atrocious last year, leaving the top tight end on the roster with 91 receiving yards. That tight end is essentially a fullback in JP Holtz. The next leading tight end was rookie converted receiver Jesper Horsted with 87 yards.

That isn’t a successful situation to be in when it comes to the Chicago Bears quarterbacks. Newly acquired Indianapolis Colt’s tight end Trey Burton led in targets with 24. If the Chicago Bears want to gain some ground into the teens, they are going to need Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham, and another young tight end to step up their game.