While investing in the passing game was an obvious goal for the Chicago Bears this off-season, their core identity remains on the ground. Justin Fields proved himself to be one of the two or three most dangerous running quarterbacks in the NFL last season. That masked how good their traditional backfield was, led by Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery. One of the key traits that people overlooked was how good that trio was at getting extra yards after contact. The Bears were #1 in the NFL with 1,121 yards after contact and averaged two full yards per carry after the first hit.
Few things in football scare defenses more than runners that aren’t easy to bring down. It’s why guys like Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Jerome Bettis, and Derrick Henry instilled fear in opponents. Apparently, the Bears have leaned into this identity even more this off-season. Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron laid it out.
Having only one guy that is difficult to tackle is bad enough. How much harder does it get when that number is four? It’s even worse if the offensive line is capable of opening lanes to the second level. Guys like Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, and Nate Davis proved they could do that.
This is only one half of the Chicago Bears offense.
That is what opponents will have to worry about whenever Fields looks like he will hand the ball off. Either it will be him keeping it or handing it off. Neither option seems appetizing. This is before even getting into the new options in the passing game. Last year teams didn’t have to worry much about guys like Dante Pettis, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Byron Pringle. Now it’s D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool, and Robert Tonyan paired with incumbents Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney. This might be the most balanced offense in terms of talent the Bears have had in ten years.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Having a running game that can wear you out with its relentlessness will force defenses to crowd the box, trying to stop it. That will open up opportunities for play action shots down the field. It is a tried and true form of successful offensive execution in the game. That is where the Chicago Bears should improve the most. They had the best rushing attack in the NFL last season, but only the 25th-best play action passing game. Those new weapons should make everything click as it should.
