5 reasons pessimism surrounding Chicago Bears is warranted
There is a lot of national negativity and pessimism surrounding the 2020 Chicago Bears. Some of it may be a bit over the top, but there are legitimate questions as well.
The Chicago Bears will not have to look far to find motivation. There are a lot of names in the media sphere who have the Chicago Bears regressing once again in 2020. A lot of the talk is unfounded, typical national media talk. You do not get people interested in what you have to say if you think if every team will be 8-8.
Still, similar to the idea that there is truth in every joke, there also may be some truth for these comical, over the top takes. Serious questions emerge entering the 2020 season, and there is a lot on the line. Things could certainly come together, but to avoid the letdown of 2019, there should be some preparation for the downside.
These five reasons should at least give the Chicago Bears concern.
5. Injuries
Many fans will point optimistically at the Chicago Bears roster and say that Akiem Hicks will be back next season, and that should ease concern. No doubt, adding a healthy Hicks would be tremendous.
Hicks coming back healthy is not the peak of their concerns, though. Danny Trevathan has missed 19 starts over four years and has missed at least four games in three of his four years in Chicago. The odds are that Trevathan will struggle to get through a season at age 30, considering he has started 16 games twice in his eight-year career, and 15 games another time. He is not durable.
Worse than Trevathan, Nick Foles has never played a full 16 game season in his career. Of course, he lost years being a backup, but is 0-3 getting to the end of a season that he started in week one.
Bobby Massie missed six games last season as well. He is over the age of 30, and signed what may have been his final big contract before having what could be argued was his worst season in 2019. Is he on the downside, or can he climb back? It is not certain either way.
Speaking of a player who just signed a big contract, Robert Quinn missed nine starts in 2015 and eight starts in 2016 due to various injuries. In the past three seasons, he has 14, 16, and 14 games, but it is also worth noting that all three seasons were contract years where he was not guaranteed a job beyond that year. This is the first year he plays with future security since 2016. Will that impact his play?
At quarterback, linebacker, and tackle the Bears are relying on these injury riddle athletes to be impact players in 2020.
Jimmy Graham, Allen Robinson, and Kyle Fuller have all had a severe procedure on their resume, and when looking at Graham, only 12 players have had over 20 targets at tight end at age 34. Heck, even rumors swirled that rookie Jaylon Johnson fell due to shoulder injuries.
The Bears had lousy injury luck last season, but they ranked number 13 in the NFL in adjusted games lost. They suffered the average amount of injuries compared to their opponents. Could they be one of the healthiest teams in 2020? Sure, and that would mean that things wouldn’t fall apart. Still, if they suffer the average or even more number of injuries, and they come to the most likely candidates to suffer them, this team is going to fall apart.