3. Shane Waldron has adjusted every week
One of the biggest disappointments each week seems to be Shane Waldron. However, one of the pleasant surprises each week seems to be Shane Waldron. He has started slowly during his tenure with the Bears, but to be fair, there are a lot of moving pieces. A rookie quarterback, a shuffling offensive line, and three receivers who have never played together do not scream continuity. While you would like to see Waldron hit the ground running, it is notable that he has improved.
First, he went from playing Gerald Everett far too much to the team featuring Cole Kmet as one of their better-skill players. His usage of the running backs has been questioned, but against the Rams, it looked like he found a one-two punch with D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson.
He has leaned on Johnson to convert more power rushing plays and has used Swift more in the passing game. Some of these concepts should be obvious, and the fact that Waldron did not do them immediately is concerning. At the same time, he did not stick to his guns, he saw the mistake and changed. Hopefully, we will look back at the midseason point and see real growth as well.