Bears on the lookout for solutions as RB D'Andre Swift, OC Shane Waldron battle

LAKE FOREST, In poor health. — Three video games into his tenure with the Chicago Bears, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron met with the staff’s management council after a 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts that raised considerations over the state of the offense.

After the assembly, Waldron praised quarterback Caleb Williams, tight finish Cole Kmet, huge receiver DJ Moore and tight finish Marcedes Lewis — all 4 of whom are captains — for his or her honesty, suggestions and dedication to figuring out the problems inside a unit that’s averaging a league-worst 3.7 yards per play.

Lewis, a 19-year veteran who will set an NFL document for many video games performed by a good finish Sunday in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams (1 p.m. ET, Fox), delivered a robust and direct message to the Bears’ playcaller.

“From the oldest man within the room — being me — to the youngest man [22-year-old Williams], do not feel like you possibly can’t coach us,” Lewis stated. “I wish to be coached. I wish to be nice. … This isn’t for play. That is our job. We perceive that. It is a excessive — irritating, production-based enterprise and we have all bought to be doing the identical issues, or everyone will get fired. Ego is meant to be left on the door. He is very receptive to that.

“Typically because the coach coming in, you could be strolling on eggshells. I simply type of put that to mattress. No person’s delicate in right here. We wish to win video games simply as dangerous as you do. It is a collaborative effort. This isn’t Pop Warner.”

Waldron took accountability over issues particular to the loss to the Colts and all through a 1-2 begin that featured three offensive touchdowns, tied for the league worst with 4 groups.

Nearly instantly, the offensive coordinator addressed Chicago’s ill-fated goal-line sequence in opposition to the Colts that included 4 straight runs contained in the 4-yard line and ended with a turnover on downs.

“I bought to be higher in that state of affairs, and I’ll shifting ahead,” Waldron stated.

The staff took too lengthy to line up within the pistol on the velocity possibility play on fourth-and-goal that resulted in a turnover on downs. Waldron stated that begins with him.

The struggles of the Bears’ run sport proceed to be magnified. Chicago ranks thirty first with 72.7 yards per sport and thirty first in yards per try at 3.03. Solely the Las Vegas Raiders (51 YPG and a pair of.8 YPA) are worse in each classes.

Waldron revealed that Chicago’s plan going into the Colts sport was for operating again Khalil Herbert (5-foot-9, 212 kilos) to be the staff’s short-yardage over Roschon Johnson (6-0, 225).

However the important thing to the operating sport was at all times going to be Professional Bowl participant D’Andre Swift. Inside minutes of the NFL’s negotiating window opening throughout free company in March, the Bears made their largest splash by touchdown Swift, who signed a three-year, $24 million contract.

“We needed a home-run menace, a weapon again there who may do plenty of issues, not solely on first down within the operating sport the place he may hit a house run, but additionally within the passing sport,” coach Matt Eberflus stated forward of Week 1.

Chicago led the league in speeding in 2022 and completed second final season, due in no small half to quarterback Justin Fields, who gained 1,143 in ’22 and 657 final yr. However the Bears traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers to make room for Williams, and the signing of Swift signaled a shift in philosophy for the way the Bears would generate their speeding offense.

Chicago anticipated vital contributions from him within the cross sport, the place he was prime 5 amongst operating backs in catches (62) and receiving yards (452) solely three years in the past in Detroit.

Via three video games, Swift has totaled 68 speeding yards on 37 makes an attempt for 1.8 yards per carry. His 10 targets within the passing sport have yielded six catches for 46 yards.

Swift was dropped for a 12-yard loss on the fourth-and-goal velocity possibility play in Indianapolis. Afterward, he apologized to the protection on behalf of himself and the offense.

“He isn’t completely pleased that he isn’t getting yards, however he isn’t going to pout about it,” Bears operating backs coach Chad Morton stated. “He isn’t going to be offended and let his temper have an effect on everyone else.

“He is a professional. He is nonetheless going to proceed to work and he is nonetheless going to push the envelope on making an attempt to get higher. I am not frightened about him in any respect.”

Eberflus stated Bears coaches met with Swift early within the week to debate how he can enhance. He additionally hinted at Chicago experimenting with totally different personnel within the run sport.

“The scheme’s bought to be proper for that individual runner,” Eberflus stated. “I simply assume it is everyone. It isn’t simply him.”

One repair to the run sport in opposition to the Rams could possibly be extra snaps for Johnson, who completed with a team-high 30 speeding yards in Indianapolis. Johnson made three third-down conversions in opposition to the Colts and a essential fourth-and-1 conversion that arrange the goal-line sequence.

“I feel I convey a bodily model, but additionally a mode that may make one or two miss in a delicate method,” Johnson stated. “Nothing actually too flashy, however one thing that is actual bodily, downhill, somebody that may make the proper choices.”

Towards a Rams protection that ranks thirty second in yards allowed and thirty first in scoring, the chance for Waldron and the Bears to search out the proper utilization of the staff’s operating backs may present a breakthrough for the offense at a essential time.

“There’s been flashes,” Waldron stated. “We have achieved an ideal job in our apply reps, we have achieved an ideal job in our preseason reps, however the actuality is we have not carried out as much as our requirements in sport proper now. For us that goes again to the basics, our methods. We’re reiterating them with these guys.

“The gamers have achieved an ideal job speaking about full possession of their function and accountability on every play. As we go, every week, we bought to maintain getting higher, maintain enhancing, particularly within the run sport.”