The Arrow is Pointing Up for the Bears Offense and Other Bullets

The Chicago Bears already have a wide receiver, running back, tight end, and punter with passing touchdowns under their belt, so I’ll go out on a limb and say NFL Draft prospect Courtland Sutton would fit right in with this bunch:

  • GM Ryan Pace’s free agent spending spree doesn’t guarantee anything, but ESPN’s Mike Sando writes that Mitch Trubisky was one of the winners of this wave of free agency because of the effort and investment made to plug a major hole. Giving Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton to a quarterback whose top receivers last year were Kendall Wright (whose overtime snag helped lead the Bears to an upset win at Baltimore) and Joshua Bellamy (who did have that one really sweet grab) should do wonders for the Bears’ second-year quarterback.
  • The Bears’ offseason additions have made them fantasy relevant for the first time in a few years. ESPN’s Mike Clay provides a fantasy slant on the biggest offseason moves, which includes the addition of Robinson, who he projects to have a 75-catch, 1,053-yard, seven-touchdown season. Clay thinks Burton will be targeted often by Trubisky, with an early 16-game projection of 55 catches, 579 yards, and four touchdowns. Those are modest numbers, but that stat line would have made Burton the Bears’ second leading receiver last year.
  • Kyle Long is definitely digging the new-look roster:
  • Now, who’s to say Pace and the front office is done? Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune analyzes how Pace has addressed the receiver position over the years, and frankly, there is a lot left to be desired when looking at the big picture here. But because of the Bears’ free agent investments, there isn’t much of a need to draft a receiver in the first couple of rounds. Still, the Bears would be wise to continue adding to the group so they won’t have to dive into the deep end of the spending pool every offseason when they need help at the position.
  • And it’s not just the wave of pass-catchers who are projected to help Trubisky accomplish big things in 2018. Backup quarterback Chase Daniel is ready to do his part as QB2 to get QB1 up to speed. Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune writes Daniel is accepting the mentor role that comes with being a second-string quarterback. Daniel is living a charmed life as a career backup, having worked with Drew Brees and Sean Payton in New Orleans, as well as Alex Smith and Andy Reid in Kansas City. In his one year with the Philadelphia Eagles, Daniel was the backup behind rookie Carson Wentz, so he is no stranger to dealing with a developing signal caller.
  • All this talk about getting the passing game going makes me think big things are on the horizon for running back Jordan Howard:
  • Other than Trubisky, is there anyone who stands to benefit more from this offseason of movement than Howard? Think about it for a moment. Howard has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons facing stacked boxes loaded with defenders knowing who was getting the ball … and probably where he was going. The Bears’ offense was surprisingly efficient scoring touchdowns in the red zone, but didn’t make enough trips to make it count. Howard has spoken out about the predictability of the old offense, while sharing excitement for what’s to come.
  • Beyond that, credit Howard for calling his shot well before the Bears were opening up their wallets for a wide receiver spending spree. Speaking of which:
  • Let the record show the offseason movement isn’t limited to offensive players. The Bears did bring back cornerback Prince Amukamara and outside linebacker Sam Acho on multi-year deals. Outside of that, the one-year contract signed by Aaron Lynch is one that caught our eye. Lynch tells Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com he has come to Chicago hoping to rejuvenate his career under the watchful eye of Vic Fangio. “He was a huge part of my rookie year,” Lynch said of Fangio. “He was a great mentor to me. He was a great figure in my life. He was huge for me. Vic knows what he’s doing on defense, so he puts you in the right positions at the right time.”
  • This might be my favorite analogy for the Bears’ offseason:
  • written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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