Matt Nagy’s offense hasn’t drawn much praise from fans three years into being a head coach. And I can’t print some of the things some have said about the Bears’ offensive line in recent years.
But what if I told you those two reasons could be why Russell Wilson is reportedly intrigued by the possibility of joining Chicago’s football team?
“A source told me that Russell Wilson likes that they have an emerging offensive line, a good, solid offensive-minded coach in Matt Nagy, and they have an intriguing market in Chicago,” said ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler in a television hit today.
An emerging offensive line? That’s certainly one way to describe it. And I don’t think many fans would jump to that conclusion. But to be fair, the Bears’ line deserves credit for the work it put in down the stretch. At minimum, we should be happy they unearthed some quality depth.
The re-worked group featuring Sam Mustipher at center, Alex Bars at right guard, and Germain Ifedi at right tackle was a better looking bunch than when Rashaad Coward, Jason Spriggs, and Arlington Hambright were in the starting lineup. And to think, that group could be even better with James Daniels’ return. If they took it a step further by adding a free agent and/or a potential prospect in a loaded offensive line class, then we’d be looking at this unit as a legitimate strength.
And praise for Matt Nagy, too? My goodness! Nagy’s offenses have mostly underwhelmed the last three years. They’ve had splashy gimmick players here and there, and I guess that late-season surge opened eyes as to what the unit could be down the line. Maybe Jimmy Graham has gotten into Wilson’s ear? Perhaps suggesting that the offense could work with a different quarterback. Possibly even suggesting Wilson could be that quarterback. I mean, if that happens, then we might have to throw a party in Graham’s honor.
Shortly after this revelation, though, Fowler hedges. He tacks on that nothing is in the works with a Wilson deal, and that Wilson himself doesn’t expect to be traded right now. But we now have multiple instances sharing Wilson’s thinking when it comes to what makes Chicago interesting, and it’s worth sharing another. Moreover, if Wilson is thinking about it to this point where sources are pushing this information so publicly, then maybe he is thinking about this more than he is leading on. At a minimum, we know that Wilson has the Chicago Bears on the short list of teams to which he’d accept a trade.
Fowler also dishes on Allen Robinson’s future with the Bears and some of his options, and briefly discusses how a breakup between Mitchell Trubisky and the team might be best for both parties. It’s a 1-minute, 47-second clip, but one that’s loaded with goodies.
Hit on the Bears’ outlook on @SportsCenter: Why Russell Wilson likes Chicago, how Seattle is handling this, fallback options, Mitch Trubisky’s chances of a return and Allen Robinson. pic.twitter.com/aXv3Fzc03Y
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 4, 2021