2020 Chicago Bears Preview: Welcome

By Kevin Schroeder
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: September 10, 2020

(Photo: @SoldierField on Twitter)

Welcome, friends. Another season is upon us. This one is going to look a little different than what we’re used to; the state of the world being what it is, the Bears have announced that there won’t be fans at Soldier Field to begin the season. But it’s still football and even though we can’t be at the stadium, it’s still a much-needed respite from the general dreariness the world is putting forth this year.

The hope in the Windy City is that the 2020 season goes better than the previous one. While the Bears entered the 2019 season with a ton of hope and optimism that they would build on a 2018 that was excellent except for the way it ended, by week 17, the end of the season almost felt merciful. While we’ve certainly seen worse seasons than last year’s 8-8, it was that hope and optimism being set on fire before our eyes that made last year painful. (This space predicted a Super Bowl and had good reason to do so.) Though the defense took a step back (they were always going to, given that the 2018 version was not just #1 in the league, but historically great), the unit was still great, and that was while being hampered by injuries. But that was thrown away by an offense led by a quarterback who not only didn’t build upon a Pro Bowl 2018, but noticeably regressed. And that was hardly the only problem on that side of the ball. The Bears got nothing from the tight end position, having to resort to a mishmosh of JAGs (just-a-guys, for the unitiated) cut from, or pulled off the practice squads of, various teams if they were ever even drafted in the first place. The dysfunction there led to problems running the ball, as not only was the blocking less-than-ideal, but defenses were able to key on Tarik Cohen and limit his effectiveness. Up front, the blocking left something to be desired in both the run as pass games. The improvements we hoped to see spurred by the hire of supposed offensive line guru Harry Hiestand prior to the 2018 season never materialized.

The Bears aggressively attacked those problems during the off-season. The team hired Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach to aid Mitchell Trubisky in his development. In addition, Nick Foles was brought in from Jacksonville to push Trubisky and provide insurance in the event that he simply can’t hack it. Jimmy Graham was brought in as a free agent after two seasons in Green Bay where Aaron Rodgers treated him like a family member. Additionally, the team drafted Cole Kmet in the second round. Lastly, Hiestand was shown the door and the team brought in Juan Castillo.

Will that be enough? How will this year’s team fare? Join me as we take an in-depth look at every position – the good, the bad, the ugly, the changes, the reasons for optimism, the places where improvement remains necessary. Let’s dive in.

Twitter: @KSchroeder_312