One of the most persistent criticisms of head coach Matt Nagy over the past two years was simple. What exactly does he want his Chicago Bears offense to be? Every time it seems like he might be offering an idea to that, something changes. The lack of identity on that side of the ball was a contributing factor to the constant struggles. It too often felt like the coaching staff was throwing stuff against the wall to see what stuck.
Something about the 2021 offseason suggests that Nagy finally recognized the problem. He needed to pick a lane and fully commit to it. There is no denying success in the NFL goes through the quarterback position. That is why the Bears invested a lot of money and their highest draft pick to secure Andy Dalton and Justin Fields. Yet when looking closer to the overall work they’ve done the past three months? The real plans become much clearer.
- Signed Damien Williams
- Drafted Khalil Herbert
- Drafted Teven Jenkins (strong run blocker)
- Pursuing Morgan Moses (strong run blocker)
- Signed Marquise Goodwin (deep threat)
- Signed Damiere Byrd (deep threat)
It isn’t hard to read between the lines here.
The Bears seem intent on becoming a run-oriented offense with their biggest plays in the passing game likely to come off play action. Williams and Herbert help fortify the running back position alongside David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen. Jenkins was a powerhouse in the run game at Oklahoma State. Moses, whom the Bears meet Wednesday, June 2nd has been a consistently good run blocker his entire career in Washington.
Goodwin and Byrd along with the already present Darnell Mooney give them a bevy of speed options who can take the top off a defense. Everybody understands that such players are at their most dangerous when play action is involved. Byrd had a career-high 604 yards last season. His former team, the New England Patriots, ranked 7th in play action percentage in 2020. It is clear what the Bears intend to do.
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Chicago Bears started to discover their identity last season
The irony is it was more out of necessity than choice. Once it became clear to Nagy that the team would have to go back to Mitch Trubisky at quarterback, the decision was made. They were going to commit to running the football more consistently. Through his first nine games, Montgomery averaged just 14.55 carries per week. After the bye week during which the changes were made? That number jumped to 19.33. Montgomery scored seven of his eight rushing touchdowns during that stretch. Chicago won three of their final four games to make the playoffs.
That might’ve been the tipping point for Nagy. While he is a quarterback at heart and wants to throw the football, the fact is Patrick Mahomes isn’t walking through that door. Until he has one that is undeniably an above-average player at the position, the smart course of action is to make life as easy for Dalton and/or Fields as possible. That means a steady dose of running the football. Hence the deeper backfield and beefier offensive line.
It’s surprising it took this long to reach such a realization.
Back in 2018, Nagy’s first season, the Chicago Bears ranked 6th in rushing attempts for the year. They were 12-4 and won the division. They went away from that the next year largely because the team hoped to make Trubisky the focal point of their offense. It didn’t work. Now it seems they’re ready to re-embrace that old style again. Especially given their new QBs.
Dalton was particularly good last season off play action. He finished with a 72.1 completion percentage with five touchdowns and just one interception. Fields? He was unreal at Ohio State in 2020 off play action, going 57 of 77 for 907 yards and nine touchdowns with one interception. The Bears seem to know exactly what they’re doing.