The Chicago Bears have a clear agenda in front of them once the season ends. First will be finding a head coach (and maybe a GM). That should be concluded by no later than early February. Once done, every single resource will be focused on fixing their weakness in the trenches, especially the offensive line. Caleb Williams has been sacked 60 times this season. That is a horrendous way for a team to develop a rookie quarterback and a glaring indictment of GM Ryan Poles’ work over the past couple of seasons. For all his bluster about great depth and stability, the truth is he failed to invest enough.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune contacted another NFL general manager about the state of the offensive line. While discussing the situation, his assessment was bleak. Though he has high hopes for 3rd round pick Kiran Amegadjie, the cold reality is that the Bears likely need four new offensive linemen to fix this. It’s that bad.
“I liked the Yale kid (Amegadjie) coming out,” said a general manager for another team when I reached him to discuss an unrelated topic. “We liked him. He has some talent but you throw him in there on the road against a Vikings defense that talent-wise is a little above average but I think Brian Flores has done an unbelievable job. That’s rough.
“The right tackle (Wright) has a chance to be a good player. That’s the only one right now.”
Replacing four starters in one off-season is almost impossible. The truth is the Chicago Bears are probably two off-seasons away from producing a true quality unit. Still, that doesn’t mean they can’t make strides next year. The widespread expectation is they will focus their efforts on the interior, replacing both guard spots and center as well. Braxton Jones isn’t an elite player at left tackle, but he’s serviceable enough. He and Amegadjie can compete for the job next summer. Chicago will have upwards of $80 million in cap space and three picks in the top 45 of the NFL draft. There is no reason to believe they can’t find three credible starters. Combine that with a head coach who can craft a better scheme, and it’s reasonable to expect improvement. The better question is whether Poles should be the one leading this rebuilding effort.
