After a slow start in the first three weeks of the Chicago Bears 2024 season, many people have been blamed. However, not many blame the person who built this team — General Manager Ryan Poles.
After three weeks in the 2024 season, the Chicago Bears are 1-2. The offense has not been as high-flying as many expected. The Bears rank 22nd in scoring and 30th in yards. The running game has been horrible, ranking 31st in yards and yards per attempt, and 26th in touchdowns.
Sure, injuries have already taken a toll on the Chicago Bears. Keenan Allen has played just one game. He suffered a heel injury and missed the last two games. He did practice on Tuesday and there is a chance he could play this week so that is a positive.
However, offensive lineman Ryan Bates is on injured reserve and needs to sit out another two weeks at least. Guard Teven Jenkins is also dealing with bumps and bruises already. With his injury history, he needs to be monitored and keep in mind he could go down again.
Speaking of the offensive line, in addition to the injuries, they are dealing with horrible play. Quarterback Caleb Williams has been running for his life in the three games. The Chicago Bears rank 30th in sacks given up with 13.
Additionally, the running game has not been able to get going. It has been difficult for them to find the open holes. More often than not, the running backs have to avoid tacklers behind the line of scrimmage. They have to run hard just to gain one yard.
© Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
In a pivotal play in the first half, the Chicago Bears went for it on fourth and goal inches from the goal line. When the ball snapped, Williams swung it to the left to D’Andre Swift. The Indianapolis Colts had a jailbreak. It seemed like the entire team was on the field waiting for Swift.
When looking at the play, about four of the offensive linemen were found on the ground as the Colts’ defenders were after Swift. The Bears lost yards on the play and failed to score. They lost by five so a touchdown there would have changed the landscape of the game.
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has taken a beating so far this season. Many fans already compare him to the previous coordinator, Luke Getsy. They feel that Waldron’s play-calling is lacking the big plays.
In the first week, they complained about tight end Cole Kmet‘s usage. He only had one catch for 4 yards. Well, against the Colts Kmet was very involved in the game. He had 11 targets and caught 10 of them for 97 yards and a touchdown. That is the Kmet many expected to see.
© Christine Tannous USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
It is frustrating to see the offensive woes due to the offensive line. The criticism of Waldron is misplaced, however. With the struggles of the unit, there are only so many plays he can call. The Colts were crushing the Chicago Bears offensive line in the middle. Trying to use Swift’s speed on the outside was realistic. However, the line was completely overwhelmed. It seemed like everyone was on Swift and he could not escape.
I AM DYING 💀💀
within 1 second the entire DL has blown past the entire OL who is laying face first on the ground
4th & a foot and this is what you do 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/HuN28JQdRt
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 23, 2024
The Chicago Bears replaced Nate Davis with Matt Pryor last week. Head coach Matt Eberflus said it was due to an injury Davis was dealing with. Davis looked like he was dealing with much more than an injury, though. He looked lost when on the field. Missing many practices during the offseason had him confused about the plays. Who would have thought that would happen?
With all of the investment made in the offense, General Manager Ryan Poles only made minimal changes to the offensive line. He brought in Bates in a trade and acquired Coleman Shelton and Matt Pryor via free agency. He also drafted Kiran Amegadjie.
Are Bates, Shelton, and Pryor much of an upgrade over Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, and Larry Borom? Borom is also on injured reserve so he could return later in the season. However, the three new linemen have not been an upgrade from what they had in 2023.
Amazingly, Poles did not have better foresight and bring in better players. He was a former offensive lineman so he, more than most, understands the importance of the unit. How he felt that mid-type players could help protect the shiny new toy in Williams is questionable.
This season is too important for the Chicago Bears to let it go down the toilet so soon. Something has to be done. Amegadjie has been recovering from surgery from last season. However, he was activated so perhaps he can get in. While he is a tackle by trade and Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright are going nowhere right now, he could move over to guard and help out.
We already saw a left tackle who moved over to guard and has played well. Jenkins adjusted nicely and is a force at guard (when he is healthy, of course). Amegadjie is projected to be a stud so he can start at guard for the moment before he looks to battle for the left tackle job.
Why isn’t Poles taking more of the heat for his failure with a unit he is supposed to be so familiar with? He spent a key draft pick on Bates, a player he feels so highly about. He tried to acquire Bates in 2022 but the Buffalo Bills matched the offer. Poles tried again and got him.
© Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Then Bates got injured in his first game.
Some available linemen could have helped. Center Connor Williams signed with the Seattle Seahawks late in the offseason. He is now sitting on the bench. He could have been helping the Chicago Bears’ rookie quarterback and settling the offensive line.
Knowing the type of offensive line he had, Poles went out and signed the speedy Swift to a big contract. The Chicago Bears need a power back who can break tackles. That is not Swift’s game. He moves to avoid tackles or run away from them.
If Swift is consistently hit behind the line of scrimmage he will not gain many yards. That is why he averages 1.8 yards per carry. The Chicago Bears did bring in some linemen for tryouts this week and it looks like they will use Roschon Johnson, who is more of a bruising runner, more often against the Los Angeles Rams. They also held tryouts for some running backs.
Will these players be able to make contributions? Perhaps Poles will scour the league and use some of his draft capital to acquire better talent. However, for now he deserves a lot of criticism for not assembling a better offensive line to protect his new quarterback and running back.
That failure is putting the positivity surrounding the Chicago Bears in jeopardy.
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