The Chicago Bears bye week being this late in the season means that pretty much every player is feeling that they are due for a week off. Still, it can hit other players differently, and in the weeks before the bye, you can always see a few players looking forward to it the most.
Which players on the Bears roster needed this week to relax and get back on track the most?
5. The Chicago Bears rookie has hit the wall
The Chicago Bears look like they have found something with the ninth overall pick in Darnell Wright. He has faced some fierce competition and has competed hard every week. Early in the season, he showed a lot of signs of potential and progress, but it looks like he hit a wall around weeks six and seven.
In week six, he battled against Danielle Hunter, and while he held his own, he appeared on the injury report after the game. The timing was bad because he played against Maxx Crosby and the Raiders the following week. Wright has not missed any time, but his play dropped from that game.
According to PFF, his overall grade was 69.6 in the first six games and 52 in the most recent six games. The turning point was the double-up against Hunter and Crosby.
You did not see the Wright we saw in earlier weeks, even against Carolina, who featured Marquis Haynes, DJ Johnson, and Amare Barno. Rookies usually end their season around this time, and they certainly had a bye week by now. So, this is the perfect chance for Wright to rest up and prepare for a solid five-game push. We will see just how much the injuries and lack of rest impacted him next week.
4. The Chicago Bears need to get Tremaine Edmunds on track
Tremaine Edmunds has yet to start his career with the Chicago Bears on the right foot. One of the issues is that Edmunds has struggled to get into a groove with the defense. He missed almost all of training camp and the preseason with undisclosed injuries. So, when he looked rusty and looked like he was playing with his teammates for the first time, it made sense.
Beyond that, the pieces around him were shuffling. He had so many issues in the secondary around him, and the pass rush was not good. Just as the defense was starting to get healthy, another injury sidelined him for two weeks. He has played in the last two games, and the defense looks like a complete unit.
The pass rush is improved with Montez Sweat, and the big-name secondary members are all healthy. Edmunds got two games of healthy play to get back into the swing of things. Now, he gets a week to ensure he is fully healthy and also catch up to the rest of the group.
Excuses about time to get integrated and the players around him go away after this weekend. We need to see more from Edmunds.
3. The Chicago Bears running backs could all use time off
The Chicago Bears will have an interesting question to answer when it comes to which player will lead the way at running back moving forward. All three have a case, but all three could use this week off to get back into the swing of things.
Khalil Herbert had been the top rusher for the first five weeks of the season. However, he injured his ankle in week five and missed five games. In the two games since he has been back, he has just 59 yards rushing on 22 carries. He needs an extra week to get readjusted and finish the year healthy and on the same page as his line.
Roschon Johnson has started to gain momentum. He had a concussion that sidelined him for two games, and being a rookie, the Bears have eased him in as it is. Still, week 12 was his highest snap rate and the most carries he had all year. Now, the Bears have a late bye week to give their rookie some rest and get him a more significant role to close the year. The Bears have to have an incentive to get him more involved.
Lastly, there is D’onta Foreman. Foreman may have been the best runner of the three on a down-in, down-out basis. However, he is the oldest and has the least commitment to him. Beyond that, he is coming off an ankle injury. The bye week is huge because he was limited in practice last week. There is a real chance he is healthy enough to play after the bye. All three could use this rest, and all three could come out of it at their best.
2. The Chicago Bears rookie cornerback has been tested a lot
Tyrique Stevenson missed week 12 with an ankle injury. He had been in and out at times due to minor injuries during the year but had not missed any serious time before this. That is impressive in its own right, considering he is a rookie jumping in right off of the bat.
Beyond that, even with Stevenson missing a game, the Bears' cornerback ranks fifth in targets against. When Jaylon Johnson is on the field, he is targeted 59 times to 35 for Johnson. Since Johnson returned from an injury in week six, that number is 50 for Stevenson and 27 for Johnson.
Teams are coming after him like there is no tomorrow. At times, he has struggled, but he also had his best game against Detroit before the injury. So, the bye came at the right time. He can get an extra week to get healthy and can look in the mirror and realize he survived. Now, he can try to finish strong after a rocky rookie season.
1. The Chicago Bears play-caller must improve after the bye
If you recall, the Chicago Bears played some of their best football on offense last year after Luke Getsy had extra time to prepare. A mini-bye leading into Monday Night Football ignited the offense, and another bye also led to success.
After one Thursday game this year, the Chicago Bears lost Justin Fields due to an injury. After their second Thursday game, he returned from an injury, and it was the best the offense has ever looked. So, what does the play-caller have in store after the bye week? He gets that same Detroit defense, and his offense should be rested and better than the first time these two teams met.
Getsy is coaching to win over the fan base and the front office, who are up in the air on this entire coaching staff. Coming out of the bye with a strong response would be impressive.