4 Chicago Bears observations entering Week 5 vs. Carolina Panthers

After squeaking by the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday, the Chicago Bears will face the Carolina Panthers, a team that is forever linked with the Chicago Bears in the aftermath of a massive trade that took place last March during the NFL Draft Combine and completely changed the trajectory of both franchises. Still, they are a much different team since Andy Dalton, another former Bear, took over as the starting quarterback. It should be another interesting game where the Bears must win to keep building the momentum.

1. Shane Waldron called a good game especially in the second half. But the jury is still out on him.

Much maligned offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was outed by veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis as he and other captains had a leadership meeting. He said Waldron needs to speak up and coach them harder and their frustration with the offense and his play calling.

Early on, the meeting turned out to be a total waste as the offense was hampered by false starts that put them in an unfavorable position. D'Andre Swift remained the starting running back and he finally showed why the Bears paid him $8 million per season especially in the second half against the Rams with 165 total yards and a touchdown. He must continue calling consistently by committing to the run with both Swift and Roschon Johnson.

Also, wide receiver DJ Moore scored his first touchdown as well. But his usage remains a bit of a mystery. He has yet to have the 100-yard game and is averaging less than 10 yards per catch through 4 games so far. And yet he gets blamed for his body language and sulking on the sidelines by the fans? For Waldron to not get more production out of Moore is simply unacceptable.

And why is it seems like Waldron is always late getting tight end Cole Kmet involved in the offense? Even though he called a decent game against the Rams, the jury is still out on Waldron as the play caller.