The Chicago Bears have undergone a massive overhaul to begin the 2022 season. The change started when the team tabbed former Chiefs executive Ryan Poles for General Manager. Then, after a long and exhaustive search, the Bears finally found their 17th coach in franchise history. The search committee eventually settled on Colts Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus. This will be his first time as the Head Coach at any level. More importantly, for our purposes, Poles and Eberflus settled on former Green Bay Passing Game Coordinator and QB Coach Luke Getsy as the new Offensive Coordinator in Chicago. These hires will result in changes to offensive philosophy and consequently to the fortunes of your Chicago dynasty assets. Without further ado, let us examine the updated Bears dynasty assets.
Offensive Philosophy
The hiring of Getsy signals a philosophical change for the Chicago Bears. He comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. Specific markers make this scheme unique and distinguishable from Matt Nagy’s predecessor, who employs the Andy Reid West Coast System. Getsy will use a lot more two-back formations; think San Francisco FB Kyle Juszczyk. The FB position is a part of both the running and passing game. The RB is typically the primary foundation of the offense and not simply an avenue to set up certain passing schemes the way Nagy inconsistently employed David Montgomery. This run-heavy zone scheme sets up play-action, an avenue for chunk plays in the passing game. Both schemes rely heavily on the TE in the passing game and lean heavily on the X receiver.
QB: Justin Fields
Fields was the primary concern behind the OC hire for the Chicago Bears. Getsy reportedly had a fantastic relationship with Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Fame QB went as far as to endorse Getsy as a future Head Coach in the NFL. The new Bears OC helped Rodgers put up consecutive MVP-caliber seasons. He even found ways to work new wrinkles into the scheme, which he will expand on with his new pupil. In particular, the Run-Pass option game will feature heavily in the new scheme. Fields is the type of athlete who can punish defenses with this type of play. His ability to pull the ball back and run it himself makes for a complicated system to defend as there are essentially three options on any given play. You can see an example of Fields using a similar concept at Ohio State below.
Les Buckeyes n’ont pas gambergé longtemps… TD au sol de QB Justin Fields sur une RPO parfaitement exécutée. OSU reprend 10 points d’avance.
— TBP College Football (@thebluepennant) October 26, 2019
Mais attention le QB des Buckeyes s’est blessé sur l’action.
Ohio State 17, Wisconsin 7pic.twitter.com/FrAbzETLjs
With a quality set of weapons and a coach committed to building his scheme around Fields’ talents, there is no telling how well Fields might do. He possesses one of the highest ceilings in the entire NFL. It will be refreshing to see a system tailored to him, unlike the system QB that Nagy tried to turn him into. There was little difference between the Bear’s offense whether Fields, Dalton, or Foles was in the game. This seemed like a criminal misuse of a unique QB. Despite this obtuse refusal to tailor game plans to his players, Justin Fields did show signs of development as a player enjoying some of the better games of his rookie season, including his best QBR in his final game of the year.
Fields has the arm strength to make every throw on the chart. With the upgrade in offensive coaches from Bill Lazor and Matt Nagy to Getsy and an improving set of weapons, there is little doubt that Fields is equipped with the tools he needs to take his game to the next level. He is an excellent buy in Super-Flex leagues, where he offers high-end QB1 upside.
RB: David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, Tarik Cohen
If there was one position that stands out amongst all the rest in a Shanahan schemed system, it is the RB. Across multiple decades, players, and teams, the running back is typically the star and driving force of this type of offense. The Chicago Bears just so happen to have an excellent crop of RBs. Montgomery is the star of the group. The fourth-year RB out of Iowa State has accumulated over 1,000 total yards in every season of his career. He is an adept pass-catcher, as you can see from his numbers below.
Montgomery has shown the ability to carry the load as a three-down RB that can ground out the game and make numerous plays in the passing game. He is also a capable pass blocker who is willing to stick his nose in and pick up the blitz. In particular, Montgomery is capable of breaking tackles. He is the record holder for broken tackles in a season in college football. When he left Iowa State, Montgomery had the top two seasons all-time with 109 & 102 forced tackles, respectively. That skill set has translated to the NFL, as you can see below.
Last night’s #Bears loss wasn’t fun, but this run by David Montgomery sure was.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) September 13, 2021
The decisiveness. The agility. The explosiveness. That’s an elite run by Monty, who only continues to get better. pic.twitter.com/Fw6d1KpYXF
Montgomery will be paired with explosive second-year RB Khalil Herbert. The former Virginia Tech product burst onto the scene in 2021 with Montgomery, Damien Williams, and Cohen all injured ahead of him on the depth chart. He put up four straight quality starts and established himself as a quality player moving forward. His play was good enough to have some fans vocally questioning whether or not it was a priority to resign Montgomery, a free agent, after the 2022 season. While not an accomplished pass-catcher or protector, Herbert brings an explosive element to the team. The pair will make a dynamic 1-2 punch that Getsy can utilize in several different ways. Plays like the one below all but assure Herbert will have some role on the offense moving forward.
Khalil Herbert goes untouched into the end zone! #DaBears
— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2021
📺: #CHIvsSEA on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/xp41gSkjFi
The wildcard in the Chicago RB room will be former Pro Bowl RB Cohen. A few short years ago, the former North Carolina A&T star was considered one of the best third-down RBs in the league. He is a dynamic scatback with the ball in his hands and an accomplished receiver securing over 50 catches in every season he has been healthy. In his final two years before his 2020 ACL tear, he caught 71 & 79 passes, respectively. His hands are legendary, going back to college, as you can see below.
Backflip double-catch (Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T running back)
— Gonzalo Vázquez (@GVazquezNY) December 21, 2015
Dificultad 10/10 pic.twitter.com/uABSUgmNxi
If, and it’s a big if, but if Cohen can return to form, Getsy will have one of the most diverse and talented RB rooms in the league at his disposal. All three of the RBs under contract have shown explosive traits in the NFL. Each of these RBs can also work with FIelds in the RPO game and punish defenders as both a runner and reviver. I expect Montgomery to be a quality RB2, with Herbert acting as a high-end handcuff for your dynasty squads. For his part, Cohen would be an excellent flex play if he can get healthy and return to his role as a third-down RB and receiving specialist.
WR: Darnell Mooney and the Unknown
The Chicago Bears WR room will likely undergo a massive overhaul ahead of the 2022 season. Former number one Allen Robinson will most likely be gone via free agency after suffering through the worst season of his career. Other short-term options such as Marquise Goodwin, Damiere Byrd, and All-Pro Return Specialist Jakeem Grant will also find their way to the open market. The Bears will bring back last year’s sixth-round pick Dazz Newsome, but the stage is set for a substantial influx of talent.
The major beneficiary of the Eberflus/Getsy transition will be Darnell Mooney. The former Tulane star has been one of the most dynamic weapons on the Chicago offense since being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft. The 5’10” 176 lb. speedster has a game reminiscent of current Buffalo WR Emmanuel Sanders in my option. He can win outside or in the slot where his speed and quickness make him extremely difficult to cover. As you can see from his numbers below, Mooney enjoyed a true breakout in 2021.
It is a safe bet that Mooney will continue to see a healthy target share. One of the main hallmarks of the Kyle Shanahan scheme is a penchant for giving the WR1 lots of looks. For example, last season, the Packers made Davante Adams as the X-WR in this very same scheme was the third most targeted player in the entire NFL. Previous players of this role in the system, such as Julio Jones, Pierre Garcon, and Andre Johnson, have all dominated their team’s target share. With Mooney’s ability to beat the press and off coverage with his speed and technique, he will be a natural fit for this role. You can see from this clip below that he has no trouble at att creating separation even when being covered by the best corners in the NFL.
Darnell Mooney was selected in the 5th round.
— Dave (@runbackdave) October 28, 2020
Absolute steal. pic.twitter.com/5FJ1KQjFDH
I have zero trouble seeing Mooney as a high-end WR2 with upside for more depending on what Chicago does to fill their other WR positions. He should easily repeat as the Bears’ number one target and, barring injury, should be in line for his second consecutive 1,000 yards season. Scoop him up now before the price goes up. With the ability to make plays like the one you see below, Getsy will scheme up many ways to get Mooney the ball.
don’t matter Darnell Mooney better pic.twitter.com/iEkvZ20rIr
— Abdul 🌎™️ (@ChiBearsAbdul) January 26, 2022
TE: Cole Kmet
Cole Kmet stands to gain as much as any offensive player on the team heading into 2022. Not only does Getsy bring with him the Shanahan scheme that has made stars out of players from Shannon Sharpe to George Kittle, but he also benefits from the departure of Jimmy Graham. Despite Nagy’s system making excellent use of the TE position, he seemed determined to justify the massive salary bestowed upon the future Hall-of-Famer, who was clearly past his prime. As a result, Kmet made excellent progress from his rookie to his sophomore seasons, yet he failed to score a single TD. This seems to have depressed his dynasty value. You can see his progression in his numbers below.
Despite the lack of red zone usage, Kmet finished in the top 12 in receiving yards among NFL TEs. He had the third-most snaps in the NFL at the TE position and established a healthy report with Justin Fields, which will undoubtedly continue to grow as he cements himself atop the Bears depth chart. Luke Getsy will undoubtedly use the former second-round pick in many ways. Once his TD numbers go up, he will see a significant bump in his overall fantasy/dynasty production. With the ability to make difficult contested catches like the one you see below, Kmet will undoubtedly remain a favorite of his young QB.
With no Allen Robinson tomorrow, I expect to see a heavier-than-usual dose of Cole Kmet. Kmet has shown the ability to catch contested catches across the middle of the field, which is ARob’s strength.pic.twitter.com/SbT8jd5BhW
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) November 21, 2021
Final Thoughts
The Chicago Bears have been searching for a steady, consistent winner of a Head Coach ever since they unjustly canned former HC Lovie Smith. During Smith’s nine seasons at the helm, the Bears only suffered three losing seasons. Since then, there have been several disappointing coaches and years.
The franchise has attempted to right the ship by hiring Poles and Eberflus. In conjunction with Getsy, they promise to bring a new era of prosperity and relevance to one of the original franchises in the NFL. Getsy, in particular, is a fresh offensive mind who will attempt to mold his new dynamic QB and offensive pieces into a quality offensive unit. They will put up points for the Bears and your dynasty teams alike. Hopefully, the Chicago Bears will shed the label of the only franchise in the NFL not to have a single 4,000 yard passing season from a QB. Only time will tell if the franchise got it right this time around, but all signs point in that direction at this early stage.
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