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Former Bears offensive linemen Kyle Long appeared on The Rap Sheet and Friends podcast hosted by NFL insider Ian Rapoport and he didn't shy away from questions about Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Long, while stating that he understood the questioning and criticism that Trubisky faces, still believes in him. Indeed Mitch was the starter for 14 games of the Bears 12-4 season before this year's 8-8 disappointment.

Daniels posted the Bears' third-highest season grade on offense from Pro Football Focus (70.3) and was the team's highest-graded starting offensive lineman. The Bears moved Daniels to center to start 2019, switching his spot on the line with Cody Whitehair, after he had played left guard the entirety of his first season. Daniels earned a 63.2 overall grade at center, which would have been good for 22nd out of 37 qualifiers at the position.

Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith was supposed to ascend into superstar status in 2019, and while he certainly had some flashes of elite play, his year will best be remembered for a strange deactivation in Week 4 and a torn pec muscle that ended his season in Week 14. We still don't know the exact reason why Smith didn't play against the Vikings. The team called it a personal issue and refused to expand on why one of their most important defensive pieces didn't suit up.

Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy made several changes to his staff Thursday, hiring Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach. Dave Ragone (pass game coordinator), Brian Ginn (assistant special teams), Chris Jackson (assistant wide receivers) and Shane Toub (defensive quality control) received promotions. Lazor, DeFilippo and Ragone will be tasked with helping Nagy get the most out of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who seemed to regress this season in his third year after he was selected by Chicago with the No.

The Bears announced their coaching changes Thursday, including the hirings of Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach. Coach Matt Nagy also confirmed the promotion of Dave Ragone from quarterbacks coach to passing game coordinator. The Bears already announced earlier this month they hired Juan Castillo as offensive line coach and Clancy Barone as tight ends coach.

It's been quite a first two years in Chicago for Bears coach Matt Nagy. After winning an NFC North title in a 12-win, first season on the job in 2018, Nagy's Bears regressed to a .500 club that couldn't get out of its own way on offense, which is his supposed specialty. With 32 games on his resume and a 20-12 overall record as a head coach, Chicago could do a lot worse.

Back in October, Bears coach Dave Ragone had this to say about quarterback Mitch Trubisky: "With any quarterback that I've been around as a player or I've coached, you want to play to that person's strengths or what the defense is essentially giving you per play." On its face, it's not exactly the most enlightening quote – it's hard to see that being slapped on a poster for your middle school's library any time soon. But considering Ragone's role – and more importantly, his latest promotion to passing game coordinator – it's worth revisiting that quote in the wake of the Bears' latest coaching hires.

The 2020 NFL Draft will provide the Bears with an opportunity to upgrade several positions on both sides of the ball, but it's no secret that GM Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy will pay close attention to the offense and adding more weapons (and protection) for whoever ends up being the starting quarterback. In this new seven-round mock draft, the Bears add a high-end pass-catching tight end and a pair of offensive linemen who all have a chance to make an early impact in their careers. There's also a late-round quarterback who has some exciting upside, if developed properly.