In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it is easy for every fanbase to find things to be grateful for. However, when you are sitting at 3-8, it is probably because there are a couple of turkeys on the roster. Who are those players that are just sitting there and not doing all that much?
4. Yannick Ngakoue has been a letdown for the Chicago Bears
When the Chicago Bears signed Yannick Ngakoue, he was supposed to be the team's top pass rusher. Needless to say, the addition of Ngakoue gave the Bears more urgency to trade for Montez Sweat. Maybe the signing was good after all.
Ngakoue has never had a season with under eight sacks. You definitely heard that before. Through 11 games, he has three sacks, so he is on pace for about five right now, or maybe 4.5. That is well below his career-average.
Worse than that, it is not like he is getting unlucky; he is flat-out bad. Among pass rushers with at least 50% of their snaps played, Ngakoue ranks 48th out of 95 in total pressures. His stats are always a bit inflated, and even in a down year, that is true. He ranks 92nd out of 95 in pass rush win rate and ranks 82 in pass rush productivity. So, even when he is getting pressure, it is not high-impact, and it is not a high number for how many snaps he plays.
Ngakoue has always been a poor run defender, and we have seen missed tackles this year as well. After the season, we will Ngakoue be a free agent deep into the summer, just like this year. A new team will sign him and think they found something, and he will be a free agent and on a new team in 2025 as well. That is the life for Ngakoue. The Bears experienced it, and now they will be moving on soon.
3. The Chicago Bears center position has provided nothing
Easily, the most disappointing position on the roster is center. It is easy to get mad at Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick, who are the turkeys of the season. However, this had to be expected. Maybe Ryan Poles did not know because he did not watch Cody Whitehair like Bears fans did, but it was pretty clear that 2022 was the cliff season for Whitehair, and anyone could see him falling off in 2023.
Anyone but the Bears General Manager, who is now eating about $10M in cap space to watch Whitehair ride out the bench. Whitehair played through injury so much during his career that his body gave out. Respect him, but this was not his year.
Lucas Patrick is worse because the team should not have had any commitment to him. He was just a good friend of Luke Getsy from their Packers days. For two years, he has been below average or injured.
The Bears have four positions on the offensive line that looks good. Then, they have the center position. That has been the most annoying part of the Chicago Bears' path towards progress.
2. The Chicago Bears finally gave up on Velus Jones
Velus Jones has given the Chicago Bears next to nothing, and it looks like his career with the team is coming to a close. Jones was always considered a reach when the Bears drafted him in the third round. He hardly produced in college, and some of his best plays were jet sweeps and kick returns.
From the first time he tried to return punts, he had issues. Kick returns slowly became less relevant in the NFL, and all of a sudden the special teams impact that Jones brought as a floor was gone. Without a floor, he had better provide a ceiling. Instead, he showed he cannot play NFL wide receiver.
The Bears hardly asked him to run routes, and when they did, he dropped passes. With a drop for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys last year and the Chargers this year, there has been enough evidence that he simply cannot do it.
Tyler Scott, who is about four years younger and was drafted two rounds after Jones in the following draft, is already a much more polished wideout, and it is not like he is setting the world on fire.
Jones has been inactive for three straight weeks, and it is hard to find any reason for him to get back on the field this year.
1. Matt Eberflus is the Chicago Bears' biggest turkey
Okay, he is not on the roster, but he is on the payroll, and it is obvious who the biggest turkey on the Chicago Bears is. Matt Eberflus has to get fired this season because this year is more pivotal than any other in Bears’ history. The team actually has some building blocks in place, they have plenty of cap space, and they have an amazing heap of draft assets. Any coach would love to come into this situation. They cannot waste that on Eberflus.
Eberflus is shorthanded due to his staff falling apart, but he put the staff together. He signed the big name free agent Tremaine Edmunds to fill his MIKE role. As the former linebackers coach, that unit is the worst on the roster, with the most resources poured into it.
The Bears have seen their penalties and missed tackles go up under Eberflus. They cannot win in the division; they cannot win close games. Matt Eberflus is arguably the worst coach in the NFL, and there are plenty of bad ones. The loss to the Detroit Lions encapsulated all of the issues he brings. Will the Bears make the right move this offseason?