The Chicago Bears likely will end their 2019 season with a losing record. A massive disappointment after going 12-4 the year before and coming into this season with Super Bowl aspiration. A huge reason for that is a significant regression across much of the roster. A lot of that falls at the feet of head coach Matt Nagy. His job as reigning Coach of the Year was to ensure this team took the next step. He’s done anything but that through the first 11 games.
His offense is ranked 28th in scoring and 29th in total yards. They’re 30th in passing, 29th in rushing, are on pace to give up 48 sacks and lead the league in dropped passes. All of these issues stem from problems both with the system and player discipline. Those are the responsibilities of the coaching staff. Given where the team is headed, it feels like changes are inevitable this coming offseason. The big question is how deep will they go?
Some think Nagy himself should get canned for these failures. That is unlikely. After what he accomplished in 2018 and the state of his contract, the Bears are almost certain to give him another year. So if it won’t go that high, this means it will be the staff itself that gets a makeover. Here’s a rundown of names who will likely be discussed.
Matt Nagy has a few coaches he must evaluate
Chris Tabor (Special teams coordinator)
Nagy was seen having a long discussion with Tabor after a monumental special teams gaffe against the Giants that saw them turn a 33-yard extra point into a 48-yard extra point. Mistakes have been a running theme under Tabor’s watch. To say nothing of his inability to fix the kicker position in the past two years with Cody Parkey and now Eddy Pineiro. There have been some bright spots like the return games and Pat O’Donnell. Still, special teams success is determined by consistency. The Bears don’t have it.
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Mark Helfrich (Offensive coordinator)
This will be a big one for Nagy. He brought Helfrich on primarily because he had a reputation in the college ranks for being a creative mind who could craft all sorts of different plays. However, he’d never coached at the NFL level before and it feels like his heavy college influence is showing up a little too often. There’s no sense of flow or rhythm to this system. It feels like they’re trying to hit it big on every play. That may have worked great at Oregon, but it’s not in Chicago. He may not call the plays, but it feels like the Bears need somebody with a little more credibility in Nagy’s ear.
Dave Ragone (Quarterbacks)
The primary reason the Bears kept Ragone as one of the few holdovers from the Fox regime was he had a good relationship with Mitch Trubisky. However, as the young QB has fallen off in the past few months it might be time to ask if that position is getting the necessary coaching it needs. Nagy has spoken highly of Ragone in the past but given how poorly that position is performing, it’s fair to wonder if he might be a fall guy.
Kevin M. Gilbride (Tight ends)
It’s without question the most underperforming position on the entire roster this season. Gilbride can’t control the health issues that both Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen have dealt with this year, but whenever they’ve actually been on the field the results were not encouraging (244 yards and 1 TD). Given how vital that position is to the Nagy type of offense, this is not something they can allow to linger into 2020. Not only with they reshuffle the roster itself, but the Bears could also look to add a fresh face as a coach too.
