The Chicago Bears overcame their early struggles against the Tennessee Titans and won the game on Sunday; that is all that matters. Still, any fan watching the game knows that the team needs to find ways to improve if it wants to keep its win streak going, especially against the Houston Texans
5. The Chicago Bears should play Cole Kmet over Gerald Everett
One of the strangest things that this team has been doing since the preseason is playing Gerald Everett ahead of Cole Kmet. Some of it makes sense. Everett comes from an offense that Shane Waldron already coached, and his usage is different than Kmet's.
For instance, Everett played 34 snaps, but only 15 were in line as a tight end. He was out wide, in the slot, and at full-back. Meanwhile, Kmet played 21 of his 27 snaps in line as a tight end.
The Bears want to run a spread offense, and Everett suits that more. If the team wanted to lean into the run, they would play Kmet more. Still, what Waldron needs to realize is that while Kmet may not run in a straight line as fast as Everett, he is not only the better blocking tight end but would also be more impactful out wide or in the slot than Everett.
At some point, the team has to play their best players, and Kmet is straight-up better than Everett. Everett is playing too much, and not producing, and now Kmet is not playing enough which is causing him to not produce. It is time to get production from Kmet in the passing game.
4. The Chicago Bears need to establish a ground game earlier
This can play into the last point as well. If Kmet is playing more, they may want to lean into the run game, and that is not a bad idea at all. No rookie quarterback should be tasked with carrying the offense. Excluding Caleb Williams’ scrambles, the Bears had 17 rushing attempts. Meanwhile, Williams had 29 rushing attempts. That is not how you set the rookie up to win.
To be fair, when DeAndre Swift has 10 carries for 30 yards it is hard to lean on the run game. Still, at some point they cannot just quit after 10 carries. They also should try to get Khalil Herbert involved more. He had just two carries, the same amount as Velus Jones Jr. He should have twice as many attempts as Jones in any game, just based on the fact that they have the same explosiveness, but Herbert is actually a running back.
He may even be a better option than Swift as a runner. At the very least they can complement each other. Guys like Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, and Nate Davis were brought into play in a run-first offense. Use them and take pressure off of the rookie by establishing a ground attack.
3. The Chicago Bears should be using DeAndre Swift in the passing game
When the Chicago Bears hardly played DeAndre Swift in the preseason the thought was that they had big plans for him and could not risk him being injured. He played just a few snaps with Caleb Williams in the summer and ripped off a 43-yard reception on one of those plays. He looked electric. This had to be what the Bears were ready to unleash, right? Wrong, Swift had zero catches in week one.
He was the clear-cut starting running back, so part of the theory explaining why they saved him in the preseason adds up. Still, no impact in the passing game is surprising, especially in the first start of a rookie quarterback career.
Screens, check downs, and quick angle routes to the running back are like free throws in the NBA. They are quick plays that get a shooter to see the ball go through the net. They build confidence and you can work the downfield passing game off of this. That appeared to be what Swift was brought in for.
Some of this on Williams, who has a knack for pushing the ball down the field rather than taking a simple four-yard completion. Still, a lot of this is on the play-calling, which can simply dial a pass-up for a quick Swift completion. This is something that has to happen soon.
2. The Chicago Bears do not need to play Velus Jones Jr.
This was mentioned with the running game aspect but there is no reason for Khalil Herbert and Velus Jones Jr. to have the same number of carries. Jones was a fun story in the preseason as he transitioned to running back, but Herbert is clearly the better runner. Herbert has the same speed too, and can make big plays happen at a better rate.
This goes beyond using Jones as a running back, though. He should be off of kickoff duties. He has never shown the ability that the coaching staff and media seem to tell fans he has. He fumbled another kick this week, which gave the Titans three points in a tight game. After he was pulled, DeAndre Carter had a return that gave the Bears such good field position that they scored. It should be a no-brainer who has that role.
Jones does not need to run as much unless the Bears are committing to a ground attack, and he should not return kicks. His roles are getting thin.
1. Can the Chicago Bears get DeMarcus Walker lined up inside more?
One key reason the Chicago Bears signed DeMarcus Walker is that he is a much better pass rusher from the inside. Last year, the Bears were unable to rush him inside because they had no better options from the edge. This year, it appears they have someone in Darrell Taylor.
It is just one week, but Taylor is adjusting well, recording two sacks and a strip sack. The Bears should trust him enough to give him a slightly bigger role. That should open things up for Walker along the inside.
The Bears have a potential ‘NASCAR’ package of Montez Sweat with Taylor on the edges and Walker with Gervon Dexter along the interior. It brings the most speed along the defensive line to the field. We should start to see that more as Taylor continues to earn the trust of the coaching staff.