The 2022 Chicago Bears have made some underwhelming deals in the offseason, and that is putting it lightly. This has led many around the NFL community to set low expectations for the Bears in 2021. But truly, is this team that bad? Here’s why the Bears could surprise everyone this season:
New Offensive Coaching/Schemes
The thing that very few people seem to be taking into account is the head coaching and offensive coordinator change. Now that he is fired, I don’t have to hold back in saying the “offensive guru” Matt Nagy was a horrendous offensive play caller and head coach. He failed to put his players in the position to succeed year in and year out, see none other than Allen Robinson who ran only 12 yard curl routes the entirety of the 2021 season. With all that being said about the former Bears head coach, new Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus has the opportunity to build a team from the ground up.
From everything we are hearing, Eberflus and new Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator, Luke Getsy, have the full intention of doing something aforementioned that Nagy never did – run an offense that works for the player’s strengths. Getsy is the former Quarterback Coach for the Green Bay Packers, and he is said to run a Shannahan/Lafluer style offense which is notorious for working for player strengths. As a fan, this gets me excited. If Fields and the offense have a system that is designed for THEM, not Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, we could be looking at a team that is surprising the national media this year.
Underrated Moves by the Front Office
New Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles had a plan when he started building this roster, and that started with giving promising young players “prove-it deals” to see if they could produce on a new team. For example, former Kansas City Chiefs Receiver Byron Pringle was buried on a weapon heavy Chiefs roster that included Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Demarcus Robinson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Jerrick McKinnon. With all those talented players, Pringle still recorded 42 catches for 568 yards and 5 touchdowns which was seemingly enough for Ryan Poles to give him a contract here in Chicago. Players like this will help to show us what the outcome of the 2022 Chicago Bears season will be. Another player on a “prove it deal” is former Patriots Wideout N’Keal Harry, who was acquired from New England for a seventh-round pick
It is moves like this that gave me a lot of hope for this front office, as they put their faith into undervalued players without giving up too much for them. This is the difference between this front office and the former, as it seemed like we were always giving up large amounts of capital and overusing cap space for players, such as Nick Foles.Revisiting the current front office’s moves, the Bears draft was not what Bears fans expected, but may be exactly what the Bears needed. Poles drafted players that he and the scouting department viewed as the best available player on the draft board. Although Ryan Poles and the Bears didn’t spend $30 million on an elite free agent, the front office had a great offseason on the terms of team building, and we will just have to see if that translates to good on-field play.
Generally Complete Roster
One thing that has really gotten on my nerves about the national media is the statement that this team has only a few guys that would start on other rosters. That is absolute chicanery. This team has the prove-it pieces to have a decent roster.
The Bears improved at the quarterback, running back, tight end, linebacker, cornerback, and safety position. Much of this improvement is through player development, such as Justin Fields or Cole Kmet, however it is also through new players such as Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker.
While the Bears improved in many positions, they also lost many key players at many key positions. The departures of Allen Robinson, Akiem Hicks, Bilal Nichols, and Khalil Mack, means they are Bears receiving corps. Defensive line, and edge rushers, all declined, respectively.
With that it can be said that the Bears have a better roster and coaching staff than last season, meaning there is potential to outperform 2021’s record.
With all of these factors in mind, these Chicago Bears could surprise a lot of people in the NFL world and media who can’t help but to count them out.
