Key Steps for Bears to Take Toward Next Season
Priorities drastically change when the NFL season becomes nothing more than a charade, as it is now in the final six games for the Bears.
They'll fight the good fight and say what needs to be said at this point since there are games to be played and tickets to sell. Nevertheless, the season is completely lost now and only mathematical confirmation remains.
When situations like this happen, the focus needs to turn to the future. If not then they are wasting opportunities in the present to analyze and improve for next season.
There are five basic moves the Bears need to consider before the season ends in order to be prepared for the offseason.
5. Address kicking problem, now.
They need to bring in a kicker or two for some tryouts, and if they're not ready to dump Eddy Pineiro then they at least make sure he knows the current stretch of 3-for-8 since he started 9-for-10 will not be tolerated.
It didn't sound after the loss like Pineiro's job was in jeopardy because Nagy was asked about it and just said: "Eddy knows he's got to make those."
Perhaps they could bring back Elliott Fry and another kicker for a day's tryout just to provide a spur. Kaare Vedvik is out there now and wouldn't cost anything, after he went from Baltimore, to the Vikings, to the Jets and out of the league.
If the prospect of losing his job isn't enough to get Pineiro to focus on proper technique, then maybe actually knowing they have studied alternatives will heighten his sense of urgency.
4. Promote Jesper Horsted
The tight end spot is a disaster area right now.
Bradley Sowell is doing nothing for the team at all. J.P. Holtz been in Chicago eight games and has three receptions. Ben Braunecker has four catches in 10 games. There's nothing there for them at a crucial position in the offense.
"It makes it a little bit more challenging, but that's where we're at," Nagy said. "We understand that, so we appreciate the guys and like J.P. Holtz, for him to step in the way he has, it's very ... he doesn't get recognized a lot but he's done a lot of things for us at that position."
They've got two young undrafted free agent tight ends who have good hands on the practice squad, in Jesper Horsted and Dax Raymond, and with Trey Burton on injured reserve they need a tight end with speed and hands to get open because the position is too vital to the passing attack Matt Nagy runs to entrust it to slower, unathletic players.
They might actually have something in Horsted, who coaches have said is probably a little more advanced right now than Raymond. They have nothing else at the spot. So they need to play one or both of these two.
3. More Deon Bush reps with starters
After this season the only safety under contract is Eddie Jackson. They've seen Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at his best, a potential play maker who isn't going to be real physical.
Bush might be able to be the more physical safety complement to Jackson in this secondary, but needs several games to prove it.
They need to take a look at this if not now then within the next six weeks sometime to find whether they should re-sign Clinton-Dix or Bush.
2. Switch James Daniels back to center
Moving Daniels back to left guard and Cody Whitehair to center was done more as a desperation move to get the running game going.
In two games, it hasn't really changed fortunes.
The future for these players obviously is Daniels at center and Whitehair at guard. They need to put them back at these spots and let this develop over the final six games now that winning takes on less significance.
When they made the move, they said it would help right guard Rashaad Coward because it would put an experienced player next to him. Daniels didn't have the experience needed at center to help.
"Instead of he and Rashaad learning on the job next to each other, now you've got a guy that's been in their situation and considerably more, and that's a help for Rashaad and his development," line coach Harry Hiestand said.
Now, with winning not as important as development, it would only make sense to get Daniel back where he belongs at center.
No one needs to worry about Coward's development at right guard because he was only a stopgap measure there anyway. Alex Bars will probably get the chance to play there next year, or a draft pick. Coward was intended to be a swing tackle.
1. Play Tyler Bray
They know about Chase Daniel already, and Trubisky is hurting. He has the hip injury now and who knows how much he's bothered by the left shoulder injury from earlier this season. It seems he likes keeping these injuries a secret.
Matt Nagy might think he knows all about practice squad quarterback Tyler Bray, but no one else does. He has thrown one NFL pass in a career that began in 2014.
They should see if he has anything to offer. If not, then why is he even Chicago?
They'd be better off actually signing Colin Kaepernick or even some other passer off the waiver wire scrap heap.
Who knows, playing Bray might even work out the way it has for Carolina and several other teams this year with third-string quarterbacks filling in nicely.
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