After a disappointing season in 2019, the Chicago Bears have made some key additions to get back into the playoffs. They bolstered the defense and added more pieces to help the offense. Their biggest addition might just be the hiring of Juan Castillo as the offensive line coach. To make the playoffs the defense needs to at least get back to what it was in 2018. More importantly, the offense has to improve, and that all starts with the offensive line and the quarterback position. If the offense can make a jump then the Bears will be super bowl contenders and have a huge season. Now let’s jump right into my predictions for the Bears team awards.
Make sure to check out all of our other team award predictions here.
MVP: Khalil Mack
The Bears defense runs through Mack. He is either getting sacks and making big plays or getting triple-teamed and allowing other players to make plays. He had a down season last year and still had 8.5 sacks on his way to a pro bowl selection. All offseason the media and fans have just been fueling his fire. He will come out looking to prove people wrong. I expect a huge season out of Mack and he wi
Offensive Player of the Year: Allen Robinson
Robinson is a true number one receiver. He had a good season last year with inconsistent quarterback play. He is a huge part of the Bears offense and will only continue to get better. Robinson and Trubisky have been working together 3-4 times per week. If Trubisky can take the next step then Robinson will as well. The addition of Jimmy Graham will help free Robinson up in the red zone. I wouldn’t be surprised if Robinson was able to score double-digit touchdowns and surpass 1,200 yards. Robinson will make a statement this year and show that he is a top wide receiver in the NFL.
Defensive player of the Year: Eddie Jackson
As I said in my Chicago Bears bold prediction article, I expect Jackson to have a huge season. I predicted Jackson to break or tie the single-season record of four pick-sixes on the year. He will be out of the box safety role and will be back at free safety. That is where he excelled in 2018. With the addition of Quinn that should help out everyone on the Bears defensive line. The more pressure they get, the quicker the ball has to get thrown by the quarterback. That will allow Jackson to ballhawk all season long.
Offensive Rookie: Cole Kmet
The Bears have had a bunch of tight ends over the last couple of seasons. With the addition of Graham and drafting Kmet, the Bears will start to use some two tight end sets. Kmet is going to be huge for the Bears offense in the run and passing attack. He’s a big body at 6’6” and 262 pounds. He is a good blocker and has the speed to be able to make plays over the middle of the field. Kmet is going to make a huge impact early on in his career.
Defensive Rookie: Jaylon Johnson
The Bears defense needed to get younger and faster at cornerback. Prince Amukamara wasn’t terrible but he still got burned in a couple of games last season. Johnson is good at press coverage and with the pass rush of the Bears front seven, Johnson will help this defense get to the next level. If he can stay healthy he could be one of the best cornerbacks from the 2020 NFL Draft.
Biggest Surprise: Mitchell Trubisky
A lot of people are already giving Nick Foles the starting job. Trubisky seems to be locked in and I think he is going to have a big year. He’s been working with teammates a few times per week. All of his teammates say how he’s confident and ready for the season. He’s been working hard and as he said in an interview about the Nick Foles trade, it pissed him off but in a good way. Trubisky will be looking to prove last year was the fluke, and not 2018. Foles being there is going to push him to be better and I expect him to surprise a lot of people.
Biggest Disappointment: Eddy Pineiro
Bears fans desperately want to forget about the 2018 playoff game. I really want Pineiro to succeed but I’m not sure if he’s the guy. When he nailed the game-winning kick against the Broncos everyone thought the Bears kicking woes were finally over. However, later in the season, he struggled at kicking in the 40-49 yard range. He was only 3-7 and might have cost them the game against the LA Rams. He missed a field goal on the opening drive of that game. Then that forced Matt Nagy to go for it on fourth down the next drive and failing. He then missed another field goal on the next drive. Pineiro is going to have to get more consistent or Bears fans will once again be missing Robbie Gould.
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