Bears’ Disappointments: Three key contributors sideline during practice ahead of….See Details
The Chicago Bears held their first practice ahead of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and two key contributors were limited on the injury report.
According to the team, tight end Cole Kmet was limited due to a knee issue, while defensive lineman Montez Sweat is dealing with an ankle injury.
Kmet had three catches for 34 yards Sunday, and has registered 18 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown in four games so far this season.
Sweat has registered sacks in back-to-back games for the Bears, and also forced a fumble in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bears also had four players who missed practice Wednesday, including guard Teven Jenkins, who suffered a rib injury in Sunday’s win. He was replaced at guard by Matt Pryor, with Nate Davis coming into the game and playing right guard.
Wide receiver DeAndre Carter, who is averaging 34 yards per kickoff return so far this season and 9.4 yards on punt returns, also missed practice due to a rib injury.
Defensive lineman Zacch Pickens was still out with a groin injury, while Terrell Smith remains sidelined after suffering a hip injury against the Indianapolis Colts.
With the Chicago Bears 2-2, there have obviously been just as many highs as there have been lows so far this season. As the team hits the quarterpole of the season, what have been some of the most surprising disappointments?
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5 biggest Chicago Bears’ disappointments through Week 4
5. The Chicago Bears’ offensive line has been a letdown
The Bears used the draft, free agency, and trades to hope that the offensive line would not be a problem. However, through four games, it remains a problem. Some of the issues are injuries, and others are their fault.
The right guard starter went from Davis to Bates, back to Davis and now it is Matt Pryor starting. When you add that Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright have not taken the steps forward that some were envisioning, the unit is a disappointment all around.
We could look back in a few weeks and see that this group started to figure it out, and the depth has proven to be valuable. Still, this is not what anyone wanted.
4. Shane Waldron has been rocky for the Chicago Bears
When the Bears moved on from Luke Getsy to Shane Waldron, the thought was that they were getting a real offense. At the very least, they thought they would get the Shannahan-McVay style of offense.
A lot of the players he brought in due to familiarity, such as Gerald Everett and Coleman Shelton, have been duds. He has made awkward personnel and game situation decisions. It has been hard to track the progress of Caleb Williams due to the clunkiness of the offense, and the whole reason they hired Waldron was to get a look at Williams in a real NFL offense. This needs to change.
3. Caleb Williams is struggling to connect with his wide receivers
Fans thought that Caleb Williams would start off hot as a rookie because he had a good supporting cast with the Bears. However, while his wide receivers look great on paper, the connection has not been there yet, and it is frustrating.
Keenan Allen has missed a lot of time, but his yards per route run is at 1.00 this season. For his career, it is at 2.08, last year it was at 2.36, and his career low is 1.58. Rome Odunze is the least productive of the rookie first-round receivers with 67 fewer yards than the next least productive.
Williams was supposed to have a much stronger connection with these playmakers. You can blame the play calling and offensive line, but at some point, you have to look at the people directly involved as well.
2. The NFC North is loaded this season
This is not even something that the team can control, but it is going to make life tough. The Chicago Bears are probably a better team than they were last year and if they faced the same schedule as last year, they would probably win more games. However, this year may be even tougher.
If you objectively look at all four teams, it is easy to say that the Bears have played the worst so far, and it is easy to assume that this may continue.
1. Jayden Daniels has changed expectations for Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams’s struggles are not a huge issue and could be expected. Williams could still finish the season strong, and even if he doesn’t, plenty of rookies struggle and then find themselves in year two. However, the narrative has shifted in the past three weeks, thanks to Jayden Daniels.
It is hard to see Daniels being anything but a hit in the NFL after the way that he started his career. This has ramped up the volume on Williams, who still has yet to have the moment where everyone sees him belonging, and being able to win games on his own. If Daniels and the Commanders were 1-3 and Daniels had a few ugly turnovers, or heck, just a few incompletions, the discussion would be different. It is not, and that is unfortunate for WIlliams.
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