Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy has continually stressed how vital the tight end position is to his offense. This past season, Chicago’s offense was one of the league worse and received little to no production from the tight end spot. With one of the league’s best tight ends hitting free agency in a few weeks, Nagy may find himself in a similar position former head coach Lovie Smith was in almost a decade ago.
Like Nagy, Smith was a coach who strongly believed he could win with his system and was unwilling to change. Chicago’s Cover 2 defense had led the team to back to back division titles and a Super Bowl appearance in 2006. Following 2006, Chicago’s defense failed to have the same success that it had the years prior. Smith was nearly fired after the 2009 season in which Chicago sadly finished with a 7-9 record.
One of the main reasons for the decline of Smith’s defense was the lack of pressure generated by the defensive line. For the Cover 2 to be successful, the front four needs to generate pressure to allow linebackers to drop in coverage. With an injury-plagued Tommie Harris at defensive tackle and declining defensive end in Adewale Ogunleye, Chicago couldn’t generate a pass rush with their defensive line.
Without a first or second-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Bears turned to free agency to fix their pass-rushing needs. Chicago signed All-Pro defensive end Julius Peppers to a six-year deal worth 91.5 million dollars. Peppers, the best free agent available in 2010, revitalized the Bears defense as he recorded 29.5 sacks while playing for Smith. Chicago would have double-digit win seasons in two of those three seasons and make it to the NFC Championship game in 2010.
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Fast forward to 2020, where Pro-Bowl tight end Austin Hooper will be one of the most coveted free agents this offseason. Hooper has been named to the Pro-Bowl the last two seasons and has averaged over 10 yards per catch in three of his four seasons in the league. The 25-year-old tight end has also proven to be durable missing only three games in the last three seasons.
Nagy’s offense needs a tight end that can stretch the field and be a reliable target in zone coverage. Hooper can be that target as his catch totals have increased every year while in the league, along with his yards per game. When Nagy was hired back in 2018, he believed that tight end was Trey Burton, but Burton has been a disappointment since the second half of the 2018 season.
The success of the rest of the offense is predicated by the success of the tight end. In Nagy’s offense, running backs need the tight end to draw the linebacker’s coverage while receivers needs the tight end to keep the safeties from sliding over. The offense showed glimpses of this in the first part of 2018 as Burton caught 30 passes and four touchdowns. In 2019, Chicago’s four tight ends combined for just 45 receptions and two touchdowns.
If Nagy is committed to being successful with his offense, he needs to fix the position that is most important to his passing game. Back in 2010, Smith understood this as the Bears got the best player available to help improve their defense. Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace need to realize that they are in the same situation now and must act if they wish to turn their team’s fortune around.
