What’s REALLY wrong with the Bears’ offense? Here’s what Bill Belichick thinks

When a future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach tells you what’s wrong with the Chicago Bears’ offense, it’s worth taking a few notes.

That’s what former Patriots coach Bill Belichick did during a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. He essentially said that GM Ryan Poles has built the Bears the wrong way.

“We talked about this at the beginning of the year, there’s issues on the offensive line, now they got a couple guys hurt, now they score three points,” Belichick said. “There’s issues on the offensive line, that’s the way the team is built. They weren’t built like the Chargers were built, they have a different model, a different format. Same thing with Detroit, Detroit went out and did what? Got two good tackles and a center, it’s not a bad place to start. Then you start filling in around it with quarterback, running back, and the receivers. It’s just a different model.”

A different model is one way of putting it. The wrong way is another.

Building through the trenches is a time-tested model that the Bears consistently ignore. Sure, they invested a 2023 first-round pick in Darnell Wright, but aside from that, there hasn’t been much draft capital spent on starting-quality offensive linemen. Poles backed into a starting left tackle with Braxton Jones in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, while the oft-injured Teven Jenkins was a second-round pick of the Ryan Pace regime.

I expect things to change in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bears will likely be picking in the top 15, and there’s a good chance they’ll land an offensive tackle with that selection. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Chicago used their first two picks (they have the Panthers’ second-round pick) on offensive linemen.

Let’s face it: the Bears have to protect Caleb Williams. And they can’t let an offseason pass without making a hefty investment upfront.