Are the recent actions by the Chicago Bears during free agency an indication of a new, offensive identity?
Another day into free agency and the Chicago Bears seem to be losing their fan base, and potentially even some players– like Eddie Jackson and Cordarrelle Patterson.
However, maybe these actions are indicating something new is happening in Chicago. Are the Bears hanging up their cleats on attempting to recreate an ‘85-esque team that highlights a rough-n-tough defense paired with a competent offense focused on the run game? Are the Bears hinting at an offensive future?
Hopefully! I think…
Nowadays, you just really don’t see defensive-heavy teams being the teams that consistently run with the big dogs. There could be an argument made for the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, but we all saw how that ended: the losing side of a 13-3 battle.
Looking through Chicago Bears history, rarely do you see a multi-faceted offense full of high-producing skill players. Historically, the Bears’ offenses have been between far-below average and slightly above average, and when they’re successful, it’s usually the defense doing the heavy lifting.
The Chicago Bears need to stop living in the past
Now, a team can’t strike out on drafting productive offensive rookies forever, right? While people are quick to run to general manager Ryan Pace for prior 1st-round picks not panning out quite right, the Chicago Bears have been adding some solid offensive talent the past couple of years — RB David Montgomery; TE Cole Kmet; WR Darnell Mooney.
As those younger guys have another season to sharpen their skills and build chemistry, the Bears could, and I stress could have a high-scoring offense by August. With talks of Kenny Golladay joining Allen Robinson, who signed his franchise tag for the 2021 season, there’s a chance that Andy Dalton, or whoever suits up as QB1, won’t need to be the perfect quarterback to maintain success with the surrounding players.
In the spider-web of online rumors regarding what the Chicago Bears are doing at quarterback, it’s pretty tough to decipher what is what.
In the world that the Chicago Bears do in fact have a mid-life crisis (at 101 years old) and change their defensive ways, it’s possible that the Chicago Bears make a move at climbing up in the 1st-round to select a quarterback like Ohio State’s Justin Fields, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, or Alabama’s Mac Jones.
While one of those situations could happen, another very real reality is that most of, if not all of those guys get drafted before the Bears ever have a chance to grab them. With the Draft being so far away still, it’s interesting to keep these things in mind, but in reality, a lot of things can happen between now and the Draft.