2023 Offense Analysis: Chicago Bears

By Lucas Coronado

The Chicago Bears currently sit at 6-9 and are very unlikely to make the playoffs. Their record is relatively deceiving though, because they could easily be sitting with at least seven wins if they were just able to hold onto a lead. I’ll be diving into how their offense has performed so far this season and how it has contributed to the rough 6-9 record.

Justin Fields - The Playmaker

Fields has improved in each of his first three seasons in the league. This season, he’s had a 75 PFF grade, which is relatively average. The receivers have created the least amount of separation compared to the rest of the league, but I would still like Fields to show more in terms of processing.

He is one of the fastest quarterbacks in the league and has an 80 rushing grade, which is quite good. He also has accumulated 488 yards on the ground, which is a lot less than what he did a year ago (1,143) in 5 less games, but I like what I’ve seen from him progressing as a passer.

He has looked a lot better overall as a quarterback, but still has a lot of work to do. I’m not the biggest fan of the offensive playcaller in Luke Getsy, and would like to see the Bears bring in someone else to try and help Fields in the passing game. Unfortunately, I don’t see the Bears doing this because it would force Fields to learn yet another system, further stunting his possible growth and it may just be sinking too many assets into one player.

Offensive Line - The Protectors

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The Bears offensive line looks vastly improved over last year where they were an absolutely pitiful unit. Tenth overall pick Darnell Wright looked solid as a rookie at right tackle with a PFF grade above 60, and should stay there for the foreseeable future. Braxton Jones has looked pretty good on the left side at tackle and is another young piece of this offensive line.

The interior of the line is where they end up running into some problems. Teven Jenkins is finally playing up to his potential, earning a 75 PFF grade, after battling injuries since being drafted in the second round. The other two interior line spots have been manned by Nate Davis at guard and Lucas Patrick at center, who have played at an average level at best.

The offensive line looks good and could use one starter on the interior after this season. They have really good, young pieces along the line and could end up being a top unit if upgraded just a little. An even better line would do wonders for a 24 year old Fields in the pass game and the running back in the run game.

Running Backs - The Three Headed Monster

The Bears have done a great job of spreading the wealth of the ground game really evenly. Roschon Johnson, D’Onta Foreman, and Khalil Herbert have all received meaningful carries throughout the season. Rookie Roschon Johnson has been pretty good as a rookie, and he is being used with more versatility than the other two main backs. He has been used the most on passing snaps and will even line up as a receiver in the slot or out wide. Hopefully he can keep being the swiss army knife that they need him to be and keep growing with experience.

The other two main running backs have also been pretty solid, and are used more as traditional running backs. None of the backs in this group truly stand out (which is why they are all splitting reps fairly evenly), but Khalil Herbert has been the most efficient as a true running back gaining about four and a half yards per carry. He has also been the highest graded by PFF with a 79 grade, which ranks 11th.

Justin Fields also adds a lot in the run game with his mobility. He makes the defense account for his speed, slowing the flow of the entire defense, even if he just handed the ball off. I like the group of running backs, although it lacks a true gamebreaking guy. It would be ideal to find one of those top ten backs, but all they really need is consistent efficiency and Fields will raise the floor of the whole team with his speed.

Pass Catchers - Ball Winners

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The Chicago Bears receivers are much improved compared to last season, but could still use some work. They create the least amount of separation in the league, but have some talent. Newly acquired DJ Moore has been everything the Bears thought they would get when they decided to trade for him. He has been hyperproductive and has provided a big boost for Fields and the passing game, but he’s the only meaningful receiver they really have.

Darnell Mooney and Tyler Scott have logged the second and third most snaps at receiver and neither have graded well at all. Mooney has just over 400 yards and Scott has less than 200. They are both quite young with room to develop, but the Bears would be smart to address this need in the offseason to add talent and depth.

Cole Kmet has been the second best receiver on the team at tight end, which is really nice production from the position, but I would like to see a receiver get added to the mix. A new receiver would hopefully be able to create separation and boost the rest of the receivers that would consequently be going against worse defenders.

Big Picture

After a relatively disappointing season, the Bears are still in an absolutely fantastic position to add talent in the offseason. They should end up with the top pick in the draft so they will have a plethora of options. They could replace Fields with a great quarterback prospect in Caleb Williams or add a top receiver in the class like Marvin Harrison Jr. No matter what they end up doing in the offseason, the team should be very improved heading into next season.

Feature Image: Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times

Lucas Coronado

NFL Analyst

An extremely passionate football fan, Lucas loves getting into th schematics of the game, and has covered the NFL since 2020. Follow him on Twitter @LucasCoronado10.

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