Bears could be primed for regression in 2019

The Chicago Bears went 12-4 and won the NFC North last season. If Cody Parkey gets a better bounce in the NFC Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Eagles — off either bar — the Bears would have won a playoff game for the first time since the Jay Cutler era.

Now, Chicago has to try to repeat the feat and then some. It won’t be easy.

The Bears are largely returning the same team, although there were a couple of key losses that can’t be overlooked. The secondary lost a pair of contributors in slot corner Bryce Callahan and safety Adrian Amos. While general manager Ryan Pace replaced Amos with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, there’s clearly a downgrade in talent there. As for Callahan, Buster Skrine was signed to replace him. Frankly, that could end in disaster, as Skrine has been a declining player for years with the New York Jets.

On Thursday, Chicago decided to trade away Jordan Howard for a 2020 fifth-round pick. Howard struggled last year and averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry, but losing him means that head coach Matt Nagy will be relying on the combination of Tarik Cohen and Mike Davis. Considering Cohen’s diminutive stature, Davis is about to be getting a fair share of the carries.

In 2018, Chicago was buoyed largely by the game’s best defense. While the strength of the unit remains in tact, there was another massive loss in coordinator Vic Fangio. Fangio left to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos, leaving the Bears to hire Chuck Pagano as his replacement. While Pagano has a terrific history in this role, Fangio leaving casts a shadow on the situation.

Finally, the NFC North should be better. The Detroit Lions aren’t going to contend for anything significant, but they should be improved after signing Trey Flowers and Justin Coleman. Factor in a top-10 pick for Detroit, and the upgrades are evident. In Green Bay, the Packers signed a bevy of players, spending more total money in free agency than any team in the league. Green Bay acquired edge rushers Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith along with stealing Amos away from Chicago.

If the Bears are going to repeat and then go deep into January, the defense must remain an elite unit while quarterback Mitchell Trubisky takes the next step. With Howard being traded away and Chicago not having a first or second-round pick, there’s little chance that the offense sees many additions. Trubisky will be relied upon to do more, something that will help define which way Chicago’s arrow is pointing.