Adjustments Chicago Bears Must Make Post-Bye Week
The Chicago Bears hit the bye week as one of the NFL's most surprising teams—yet one can't help but think about how much better the team could play on a weekly basis.
A 3-5 record is much better than most might have predicted for the Bears by the off week this year based on last year's results and the extreme roster turnover after the front office rebuilt several key areas.
Granted, the infusion of talent and a dash of steady play from a rookie quarterback like Mitchell Trubisky has the Bears exceeding these expectations. While a nice surprise, a few oddities here and there from coaches or players might have fans wondering what the record might look like with some adjustments.
The 20-12 loss on the road against the New Orleans Saints in Week 8 shows this well enough. One odd call from the referees and a few other minor things altered the course of a winnable game and turned it into a loss.
Below, let's look at some adjustments the Bears need to make so they can come out ahead in those types of winnable contests.
Adapt in the Offensive Trenches
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What was a strength a year ago is now a problem for the Bears.
Even after losing Kyle Long, breakout rookie Cody Whitehair held the interior of the offensive line together well with an assist from new addition Josh Sitton last year.
Against those Saints in Week 8, Sitton had to move to center after both Whitehair and Long suffered injuries.
Long has had problems staying on the field this year, and Whitehair has experienced a serious sophomore slump while moving around to compensate for injuries. The Bears don't have quality backup Eric Kush to help either after he was lost for the year.
Over the bye, the Bears need to get healthy and shift roles inside. The team can't keep having Whitehair move around or Sitton at center, so bringing on some help or shifting a backup tackle inside as a means to create consistency is a must.
Prioritize Tarik Cohen
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One might point out rookie back Tarik Cohen leads the Bears in targets this year.
A fair assessment, though one could also argue the Bears haven't gone to Cohen enough creatively this season when they need him most.
Loop back to that loss against the Saints: Cohen received four carries for two yards and a touchdown while receiving three targets, ranked fifth on the team. He had a nice kick return, but Cohen wasn't put to great use in the passing game despite Trubisky struggling to a 14-of-32 mark.
Some defenses will be able to limit the damage Cohen can do. But he's still a threat to score every time he has the ball in his hands, so there's little reason to avoid going back to him in more creative ways after having a bye to draw up some approaches.
Given the sour state of the wideout depth chart and injuries across the board, Cohen needs an uptick in usage, not a decrease.
Feature Adam Shaheen
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With Zach Miller lost for the season, now is the time to showcase rookie tight end Adam Shaheen.
Despite being a second-round pick, Shaheen has watched as rookies like Cohen, Trubisky and even Eddie Jackson have had big impacts for the Bears. That said, we knew Shaheen might have a harder time simply because of the depth at the position.
Now? Shaheen sounds ready to step up.
"Zach's our guy," Shaheen said, according to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. "But he's not gonna be there to tell everybody what they're doing and do all that stuff. So somebody's going to have to step up. I know myself and the other tight ends are ready to help out."
The Bears need it in a bad way. Miller had ranked second on the team in targets and led all receivers in touchdowns. Meanwhile, Shaheen has two total targets all season.
Given his natural ability and skill set that lets him create mismatches, the Bears need to trust him in Miller's role and let him grow alongside Trubisky.
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Stretch the Field
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This idea wasn't something available to the Bears while they started Mike Glennon under center.
Trubisky is a different story.
The rookie showed this well enough against the Saints, completing a 45-yard pass to Tre McBride. Doesn't sound like much, but it was easily one of the biggest plays of the season so far, and fans didn't exactly see much of that last year, either.
But it's different with Trubisky under center. His arm talent beyond 15 yards is great, and it's something opposing defenses have to respect, meaning taking shots downfield will open up short passes and the running game.
A willingness to let the rookie learn on the fly while taking shots can not only help his development, it can help the offense as a whole as it slogs through a half season with guys fighting to stick around on the roster next year.
Mix Up Play-Calling While Working In New Faces
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It's time to really feature the new faces and stop being so predictable.
Rookie under center or not, the intent of a given Bears play hasn't been hard to figure out, and defenses will catch up and shutter Trubisky sooner rather than later.
The good news, though, is the Bears might have found something with McBride, who totaled 92 yards on three catches against the Saints. Joining him is new face Dontrelle Inman, a guy the Bears traded for before the deadline. Pair those guys with Kendall Wright in the slot and the team might have something on its hands at wideout.
With two emerging wideouts and a high-upside tight end, the Bears have a chance to change the complexion of the offense as the weapons and approach itself continues to adapt around Trubisky's skill set.
The adjustment here is simple—run a more modern offense unafraid to prioritize wideouts at all levels of the field.
All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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