Biggest Bears Worries for Regular Season

The list of concerns for the Bears heading into the start of the regular season have been long and familiar, and a 3-0 preseason does little to deodorize them.

USA Today

The utter fantasy involved with preseason games has given way to the reality of the regular season and the Bears must now forget they won every exhibition.

There are problems ahead like any rebuilding team faces.

When the Bears are trying to stop George Kittle and Deebo Samuel and trying to keep Nick Bosa at bay in the opener, there will be three major concerns at work against them in the background. They're not issues they really had to contend with during games without consquences but they will most assuredly matter on Sept. 11.

Here are those three big worries coming into the regular season.

1. Offensive Line Unfamiliarity

While assistant GM Ian Cunningham didn't get questioned much while put alongside GM Ryan Poles at Thursday's season-opening press conference for the decision makers, he did have one truthful comment the Bears all know will be an issue.

"I think, as an offensive lineman and former offensive linemen (motioning to Poles), it does matter to be out there and play with your teammates and jell," Cunningham said.

The offensive line the Bears throw out on the field against the 49ers might be one they've never used. It might have Lucas Patrick at center running things and he hasn't been on a field since July due to a broken thumb.

Would they keep Sam Mustipher as starting center if Patrick is healthy, simply because it would keep intact the five they had together in the last two preseason games?

They say they have one goal when they build the offensive line.

"It's, how can we make the best five?" Poles said.

They want their best five on the field, but Patrick would have to rate among the best five.

There are other factors involed in offensive line play.

"I do think the (line) room matters, too, and the depth matters," Cunningham said. "So (does) versatility on the back end–you can never have too many offensive linemen. And then being in that room, bonding together, out on the practice field, we have a great group. All of that matters."

But as Cunningham said, they haven't really played together in games unless they are going with the group that obviously is not their best five because it lacked Patrick.

Whatever group goes on the field to face the 49ers, they might as well be wearing question marks instead of jersey numbers on their backs.

2. Wide Receiver Numbers

Already an issue because of a perceived lack of talent, they now also lack numbers. Even if they do get Byron Pringle back for the opener, he's going to step into a new offense with new teammates after a month off of training camp?

Velus Jones Jr. has been away from the practice field for an extended period with an injury and this is never adequate preparation for a rookie.

Dante Pettis might be playing a key role against his old team because of injuries.

It's Pringle who is one of their better blocking receivers, as well. The other one, N'Keal Harry, won't be seen until possibly October.

This could be an opener when the Bears have practice squad receivers up just to fill out their lineup sheet. If it isn't, they'll be throwing a group of lightly prepared pass catchers out there for Justin Fields.

It might be a good time to lean on tight end or tight end-fullback heavy formations.

3. The Green Secondary

Inexperience is the underriding issue for this entire Bears team. It's now one of the league's youngest groups at an average age of 25.7 years, a season after being the oldest team.

However, it's quite possibly the secondary where it could be most obvious. That's because rookie or inexperience mistakes in pass coverage show up in the wash far more than anywhere else in the form of opposing touchdowns.

If not for old man Eddie Jackson at age 29 and third-year starting cornerback Jaylon Johnson, the Bears would really have problems.

Jaquan Brisker is an impressive rookie safety, but only got one preseason game in with his broken thumb. Kyler Gordon missed a big chunk of the offseason work and one preseason game with an injury.

And then there is Kindle Vildor, who has 13 NFL starts in two seasons for better or worse. He has been toiling all preseason and offseason and the Bears think they have changed some problems he had.

"One of the things that we said when we came in, with all of our guys: clean slate," defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. "Slide it away. Clean slate. We're going to coach you, we're going to teach you from here on out, so I'd like to say that from the day we stepped on campus that Kindle's been working. He's been working hard. He's assimilated himself into the defense.

"We like what he brings to the table. He's fast, he's sticky in coverage."

Vildor had both of those traits before, but as he himself said this week, he just didn't make the play when he was there. He's going to need to show he can do that before anyone can be convinced.

That applies to the entire secondary.

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