The Bears’ offensive line has been the focus of the offense’s disappointing — disconcerting, actually — start to the 2024 season. It has been shaky enough to undercut the notion that Caleb Williams was entering the league in the best situation ever for a No. 1 overall pick.
In reality, the Bears’ offensive line was a considered factor in that optimism. The line certainly was an unknown coming into the season. But while far from the best O-line in the NFL, it still was good enough to help the Bears finish second in rushing last season despite a lineup that changed virtually every week.
In right tackle Darnell Wright, left guard Teven Jenkins and left tackle Braxton Jones, they had three players trending upward with room for growth. Nate Davis figured to be better in Year 2 than he was in a disjointed Year 1. And there was trust that general manager Ryan Poles — a former offensive lineman who helped find two-time Pro Bowl center Creed Humphrey for the Chiefs — knew what he was doing when he signed Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates to fill the hole at center.
The presumption was that with continuity and growth — especially from Wright, who made every all-rookie team — the line eventually would be effective enough to provide a running game that would take the heat off Williams and enough protection to keep him from getting battered and beaten down.
It hasn’t worked out that way. But the disconcerting part is that the line is actually worse under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron than it was under Luke Getsy last season. Bears running backs averaged 4.4 yards per carry (45-199) in the first three games last year. Under Waldron, running backs are averaging 2.3 yards per carry (56-130).
D’Andre Swift has rushed for 68 yards on 37 carries — 1.8 yards per carry. In his first three starts with the Eagles last year, Swift was averaging 6.2 yards per carry (58-361).
The Eagles, though, had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. The Bears right now have one of the worst. By the eye test and independent grading numbers, Wright (who is playing through a back injury), Jenkins and Jones are worse this year under Waldron than they were last year under Getsy.
“We gotta coach better; we gotta play better,” offensive line coach Chris Morgan said. “We gotta get in sync in . . . the run game.”
Morgan was one of two offensive coaches the Bears retained last year when Getsy was fired. The big difference is Waldron. Has the implementation of his scheme become a drag on the offensive line?
“I don’t think it’s been a big transition,” Morgan said. “We’re not asking them to do a bunch of stuff they haven’t done before. So I don’t see that as a reason or an excuse at all.”
For his part, Jones said the transition to Waldron has not been problematic.
“There are obviously differences in terms of the play calls and stuff like that, but for me, we’ve run quite a bit of similar stuff,” Jones said. “Everybody in the league runs some type of something. It’s kind of all the same. So it doesn’t really affect me as much as people might think.”
Asked about that this week, Waldron said they’re working on it.
“They’re working each week to improve,” Waldron said. “As far as comparisons from one year to the next, I think it’s more about us as a group on offense — all 11 in the run game. That takes all 11, and I think we have great unity, great clarity about what we want to be. Now it’s about executing and performing when we’re out there.”
It’s early, of course. But the challenge for Waldron is that the run game doesn’t even seem close right now. Even in September, it’s going to have to take a giant leap in a short period of time to keep his seat from getting any hotter than it already is.