Chicago Bears: Closing remarks for disappointing 2019 season

3. Offensive line struggles hurt the team

A lot of the struggles in 2019 had to do with the offensive line. They took a step back from 2018. There were a lot of times this season where they watched either Chase Daniel or Mitchell Trubisky get sacked. They just didn’t do their job for a full 60-minutes.

There will be a lot of changes in the offseason. Part of the problem was, Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy believed their biggest problem was kicking. The rest wasn’t a huge issue. They were wrong. The offensive line might have been a bigger issue than Trubisky.

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Everything starts with the offensive line. For some reason, James Daniels was the starting center for the first seven games. Once Cody Whitehair moved back to center, Trubisky turned his season around. For quarterbacks, the center means a lot. Way more than it should. Either way, the change made no sense.

Injuries to the offense showed their lack of depth. The offensive line can win football games for a team. Many times, Trubisky would throw the ball away or overthrow a target he would have made with another second in the pocket. They can’t fix everything at once but drafting offensive line and finding a veteran or two to add could make the difference.

Kyle Long is great but his history of being hurt could end his time in Chicago. I disagree, I wouldn’t get rid of him. There should be a ‘pitch-count’ on him though. Besides the center position, the Bears need to have guys that can move around. Long is that guy. Instead of him being a key-starter, he needs to change into a utility role.

The offensive line was part of the offense stalling in the red zone. They were decent while running the ball but they still need work. Part of it again comes down to play-calling. The team abandoning the run doesn’t help their line. Offensive line’s need structure and consistency.

In 2020, a lot of things need to change. The Bears need a balanced offense next year. The better they can run the ball, the better the offensive line will get. They still need to add to that line. Play-calling won’t change everything. There are still problems there.