The Chicago Bears are just days away from their season opener but a bit of news revealed on Wednesday has brought an underlying issue back to the forefront. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman was listed on the first injury report with knee and ankle injuries. subsequent roster moves were made. Signing two defensive linemen in Damion Square and Margus Hunt was a signal there was some level of concern.
Square’s addition, in particular, stood out. With Mario Edwards suspended for the first two weeks, they needed the depth that Hunt will provide.
Nose Tackle Eddie Goldman’s Injury Just the Latest Issue, Not the Biggest
The Off-ense
Injuries have been an issue all summer with this team, particularly on the offensive line. They had to sign 39-year-old Jason Peters away from a fishing trip after losing rookie Teven Jenkins “indefinitely” following back surgery. They also played much of the preseason without James Daniels, Germain Ifedi, and others.
Not to be contained, injuries are impacting the skill guys as well. Second-year man Darnell Mooney also popped up with a back injury.
While everyone was wringing their hands over Justin Fields not getting time with the ones, neither Mooney nor Allen Robinson got any run in the preseason with Week 1 starter Andy Dalton either.
They are reportedly putting more weight on practices than preseason games. But with so little time together ahead of time, there will undoubtedly be some struggles in the opener.
For Matt Nagy, the question will be how much of the disjointedness is a product of the starters getting acclimated at game speed and how much is just bad football. It’s really the question everyone on the outside has had for years but this is a big year for the head coach heading into his fourth season at the helm.
While his seat is likely cooler than many fans would like — he’s one of just eight coaches in team history with a winning record — never underestimate the power of bad football. We probably shouldn’t expect it to be that bad, but it certainly cannot be ruled out either.
Truth be told, this is where sitting Fields does buy some time thanks to the “hope factor”. Starting him is the “break glass in case of emergency” option at this point, however.
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Back to Reality
It’s fun to think of Fields as giving the Bears the best chance to win. That statement is obviously a referendum on the quarterback depth chart. It really applies to the defense. Once among the most feared in the league, it’s been reduced to a speed bump more than a roadblock in recent years.
Much of that was thanks to an offense that couldn’t stay on the field, sure.
There was also a touch of falling short though. Players like Khalil Mack and Eddie Jackson have come out and spoken about their disappointment in their individual performances last season.
The Bears were one of the healthiest teams back in 2018 when they went 12-4 on the strength of this defense. That hasn’t been the case over the last two seasons. Now, the front is the only formidable unit. Even that has been mostly limited to stopping the run.
That has given way too as games have worn on thanks to not being able to get to the passer and shut down air attacks.
Moving on from Kyle Fuller “for cap reasons” looks worse today than it did when he was cut thanks to free-agent signee Desmond Trufant being waived after missing most of Bears camp dealing with a family issue. Will he make a difference for New Orleans after signing there just days later?
More pressing is the health of 2020 big-money free agent, Robert Quinn. That might be hard to believe. There is a dearth of physical bodies let alone talent at cornerback. But he had just two sacks last season after signing a five-year $70 million dollar deal.
The Bears can get out of his deal after this season with “only” $9.3 million in dead money. They can get out of Mack’s contract after 2022 with “only” $24 million left on the books.
In other words, the Bears haven’t done themselves any favors financially.
Blame for Bears Injury Issues
Again, in 2018, the Bears were healthy and have struggled with that ever since. We can all try to point the finger at Ryan Pace for not stocking the cupboard enough. But he was the toast of the town following that short but sweet run for restocking that same cupboard. That factors beyond his control have sabotaged that look bad on him to those of us on the outside.
It isn’t hard to fathom Pace using that very argument to defend his position in front of the ultimate decision-makers though. Those same decision-makers have made their affinity for both Pace and Nagy quite clear by the way.
Quinn is getting Pernell McPhee comparisons. Or the misses in the draft like taking Mitchell Trubisky. Pace and Nagy have always had the freedom to make their mistakes.
All of this is a long way of saying that much of the conversation around this team is very much focused on the immediate.
Fans want Fields to start now to give them the best chance to win now.
But the makeup of this roster screams that it is a team in transition. Its best players are either getting long in the tooth, heading for free agency, or both. The young talent still has much to prove too. And Andy Dalton is a stop-gap solution for a few games per season in the best of situations.
There is a very real chance he will be food against the Rams ferocious front led by Aaron Donald.
“Best chance to win now” is such a lot of weight to put on a rookie, no matter their level of talent, if the pieces around them are as shaky as the Bears look at the moment. Could they change opinions this season? Sure. But holding your breath probably isn’t a good idea.
Goldman’s Injury Latest Example of Bears Biggest Issue
So no, Dalton’s performance won’t be what fans should be paying the most attention to. It’s quite literally everyone else. The supporting cast may prove to be close to what the Bears envisioned. They can at least be better than projected. But they seem perfectly content to let Dalton go out there and be the crash test dummy. If he fails, they can point to the shuffling line and other injuries and say “no Fields”. If Dalton succeeds, no need to put in Fields. It’s a no-lose situation inside those walls.
Ultimately, losing Goldman — even if briefly — was just another reminder. It’s more likely that with this roster and schedule fans will need to have even more patience at this time next year. More to the point, don’t be surprised if it is indeed this same brain trust back in front of the mics in 2022.
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