To the relief of many fans, the Chicago Bears decided to clean house following the 2021 season, relieving Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace of their jobs. There is plenty of reason for optimism heading into the 2022 offseason. The Chicago Bears defense needs some retooling, but was far from a weakness. It has some elite pieces to compete with. The offense was mostly the issue, centering around some questionable play-calling and rookie struggles from Justin Fields. The offensive line was also near the bottom of the league. Nagy is gone, which will hopefully solve the first problem.
New Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles will look to replicate some of the success he saw in Kansas City. His first order of business was to hire former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as head coach. Some were worried about the hiring of a defensive coach for the young developing offense. Eberflus has been adamant however that he will be a delegating coach, opting not to call plays on either side of the ball. He also said what every Bears fan wants to hear: “We are going to build the offense around Justin Fields”.
That starts with the hiring of Luke Getsy as the offensive coordinator. Getsy most recently coached under Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. At first glance, this west coast timing-based offense feels like a poor fit for Fields. But Getsy has plenty of other influences, including time spent as a play-caller in the college ranks from 2017-2018. There, Getsy ran a lot of designed quarterback runs and RPO’s. This is exactly where Fields succeeds.
Although new OC Luke Getsy has never called plays in the NFL, in his time calling plays at the college level he called 14% RPO & 73% of his QB’s runs were deliberate. Compare that to Field’s 4% RPO & 22% deliberate QB runs, we can expect to see Field’s athleticism showcased more
— DBNB (@DaBadNewsBears) February 2, 2022
Justin Fields needs to take a step forward in 2022, but showed some flashes as a rookie that make me believe he can do that. This leaves a lot of focus for the new regime on fixing the offensive line woes and giving Fields the weapons to succeed.
Free Agency Preview
Projected Cap Space (w/ Rank): $30,204,286 (9th)
Notable impending free agents
While quarterback Andy Dalton will hit free agency this year, Justin Fields and Nick Foles will be under contract. Damien Williams and Ryan Nall will be free agent depth pieces behind David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, and Tarik Cohen. The Chicago Bears will face an exodus at wide receiver losing Allen Robinson, Marquise Goodwin, Damiere Byrd, and Jakeem Grant to free agency. Veteran free agent Jimmy Graham will leave Cole Kmet alone on the depth chart.
Needs and player fits
The Chicago Bears have plenty of needs to fill. As discussed earlier, Bears fantasy managers should be looking for the team to add some offensive lineman in free agency. They will also need to add some weapons alongside Darnell Mooney. A possession receiver with some size would compliment Mooney well. Chris Godwin, Juju Smith-Schuster, Michael Gallup, Allen Lazard, AJ Green, and Zach Pascal would all make sense for the Chicago Bears depending on price.
It’s also worth watching if the Bears make any moves at the tight end position. If they leave it alone, it will result in a big bump for Cole Kmet. Bringing in a veteran like Zach Ertz, Eric Ebron, Gerald Everett, or returning Jimmy Graham would be a bit disappointing.
Draft Preview
I would expect the Chicago Bears to focus mostly on the offensive line; and some defensive needs. However, wide receiver is also very likely to be addressed at some point in the draft. In the early portions of the draft, Fields would likely love to reconnect with college teammates Garrett Wilson or Chris Olave.
Reconnecting with college quarterbacks fared well for players like Ja’Marr Chase, Devonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle last year. Drake London, David Bell, and George Pickens would also be great fits for this Bears team and would complement Darnell Mooney well.
Given the lack of bodies at receiver, there are quite a few different players in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft that would fit well in Chicago. Some names to watch include Christian Watson, Jalen Tolbert, Romeo Doubs, Kyle Philips, and Dontario Drummond.
2022 Preview
With the complete overhaul of leadership, as well as receivers, the Chicago Bears may be a difficult team to project for 2022. What we do know is that it all starts with Justin Fields. If Fields can take a step towards his potential, the entire offense is going to benefit. Fields himself could be a great fantasy option thanks to his ability to pick up rushing yardage as well.
David Montgomery continues to produce as an RB1 every year despite being underrated in drafts. I expect that to continue this year. If Fields improves and Chicago Bears improve the offensive line, the ceiling is very high for David Montgomery as a workhorse back. Khalil Herbert also looked very competent and should be viewed as a high-end handcuff heading into 2022. Nobody is quite sure when or if Tarik Cohen will be back to football; given his age and situation, I am not factoring him too heavily into the rotation at this point.
Darnell Mooney is the only receiver we can speculate on at the moment. He seems primed for that third-year breakout in 2022. He already broke 1,000 yards in 2021 and earned 140 targets on the year. While increased competition could eat slightly into his target share, improved efficiency from Fields should more than offset that.
I am comfortable treating Mooney as a legit back-end WR2 with upside for 2022. The opportunity in the passing game should also be good for Cole Kmet who is one of my favorite 2022 breakout tight ends. Finally, I expect the Chicago Bears to be a landing spot for a fantasy-relevant rookie or free agent yet to be named.
I’m excited about the potential for this offense under new leadership. I am also aware, however, that potential is all it is right now. If prices start to bake in 2022 breakouts, I will likely err on the side of caution as far as paying up for Bears players. I am hoping, however, I can get them at discounted prices with upward mobility.
