Latest On Bears, Matt Nagy
The Lions fired their head coach after their Thanksgiving Day game last season. Are the Bears prepared to do the same this year? While Matt Nagy denied a report he will be relieved of his duties after Thursday’s Detroit trip, some interesting details have surfaced regarding the coach’s status.
Nagy canceled the Bears’ scheduled meetings for Tuesday afternoon and did not exactly reveal confidence he would be around much longer, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, and some players are miffed by the lack of direction displayed by the organization this week.
The Bears have lost five straight games for a second consecutive year. While they rallied back to make the playoffs after a six-game skid in 2020, helping Nagy save his job, the outlook is bleaker a year later.
Nagy told media Tuesday he had not met with Bears management this week but informed his players later that day he did, in fact, have a productive meeting with ownership, Biggs adds. Nagy is believed to have met with ownership after making those comments. However, the former Coach of the Year did not address his status with the team, which upset some players due to the uncertainty surrounding this situation. A short-week firing would certainly not be ideal, but word of a potential ouster getting out early does not present a stable picture, either.
Despite addressing their quarterback situation by adding Andy Dalton and Justin Fields, the Bears have regressed again on offense. They will enter Week 12 ranking 31st in total offense and 29th in points — down from 2020’s full-season perches. The 2019 Bears finished 29th in points and yards, injecting concern about their direction after a bounce-back 2018. “Fire Nagy” chants broke out at Soldier Field during Sunday’s loss to the Ravens.
The Bears have leaned against in-season firings, allowing their previous embattled coaches to finish their respective seasons. The franchise has never fired a coach during a season. But Nagy might well be the coach to break this tradition. Nagy has been given more time than the team gave Marc Trestman and John Fox, though the ex-Chiefs OC has led the Bears to two playoff berths — compared to his recent predecessors’ zero — since taking over in 2018.
Bears’ Matt Nagy: Rumors Of Firing Are “Not Accurate”
Earlier today, former Chicago Sun-Times journalist Mark Konkol reported that Thanksgiving will mark Matt Nagy‘s final game as head coach (via Patch.com). For his part, Nagy says “that is not accurate,” (Twitter link via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic). 
“My focus is on these players and Detroit, and that’s it,” Nagy said (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert). “That’s my job as a head coach and a leader, is to do that. These players have been amazing. They’ve been great. You have this quick turnaround after a loss like [Sunday’s to the Ravens], and now here you go. The only thing we can do is focus on the now and do everything we can. Thursday is going to be here quickly.”
Still, Nagy says that he has not received any assurances from owner George McCaskey or GM Ryan Pace this week. Left to fend off the rumors by himself, Nagy claims that he won’t be distracted by the speculation.
“We all have our own decisions as to how we do things, and I think this whole entire time, for me and for ownership, we’ve had great communication..[We’re] focused on Detroit. That’s what it is,” said the head coach.
After dropping five straight, the Bears are 3-7 and en route to a lost season. It’s a sharp drop from Nagy’s first 12-4 season at the helm, or even his back-to-back 8-8 campaigns. Assuming no decision has been made yet, a win on Thursday could help cool down the hot seat. On that note, Nagy also confirmed that the Bears will start Andy Dalton while Justin Fields recovers from his rib injury.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/23/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: K Brian Johnson
Denver Broncos
- Activated from COVID-19 list: OLB Pita Taumoepenu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Jon Dietzen
New England Patriots
- Signed: P Corliss Waltman
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Malcolm Perry
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Jace Sternberger
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Austin Mack, RB Rodney Smith, DE Kevin Strong
- Released: WR Chris Rowland, DT Niles Scott
Washington Football Team
- Signed: C Tyler Gauthier
- Released: LB Anthony Hines, WR Damion Willis
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: QB Chris Streveler
Buffalo Bills
- Designated for return: WR Marquez Stevenson
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: DL Margus Hunt
- Placed on IR: DB Duke Shelley
Denver Broncos
- Waived: CB Mac McCain
Houston Texans
- Released: RB Phillip Lindsay (story)
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Dalvin Tomlinson
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Joe Flacco, QB Mike White
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Ray-Ray McCloud
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LS Carson Tinker
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: RB Dontrell Hilliard, DB Buster Skrine, LB John Simon
- Placed on IR: CB Chris Jackson
- Designated for return: FB Khari Blasingame
Injury Notes: Fields, Saints, Seahawks
It sounds like Andy Dalton will be back in the lineup for the Bears on Thursday night. The veteran quarterback is expected to get the start for Chicago later this week, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
Rookie Justin Fields is currently dealing with a rib injury, thrusting Dalton back into the starting lineup. The 34-year-old has barely seen the field since starting Chicago’s first two games. Since then, Dalton has appeared in two contests, completing 12 of his 24 pass attempts for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
Fortunately, it sounds like it’s more of a timing thing for Fields than anything else. The rookie spent the day undergoing more testing on his rib injury, but the turnaround time will ultimately keep Fields out of the lineup. Rapoport adds that the young QB has “been making major strides,” and it sounds like he’ll be back for the Bears before long. Fields has started eight of his 10 games this season, throwing four touchdowns vs. eight interceptions.
More injury notes from around the NFL:
- Saints tight end Adam Trautman had a career day yesterday, but it came at a cost. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Trautman suffered a sprained MCL that will keep him sidelined for the next four to six weeks. Presumably, the former third-round pick will end up seeing a stint on the injured reserve. Trautman had a standout game on Sunday against the Eagles, finishing with five catches for 58 yards and one touchdown.
- Saints defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson landed on injured reserve a few weeks back, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be sidelined for much more than the three required weeks. Rapoport tweets that Garden-Johnson’s expected recovery time from his foot injury is only three to four weeks. The 23-year-old started each of the Saints first seven games this season.
- Saints quarterback Jameis Winston underwent surgery on his ACL earlier this month, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that the procedure “did not include an MCL repair.” While there was damage to the MCL, doctors believe the ligament was still strong enough to heal on its own.
- Seahawks rookie cornerback Tre Brown is likely done for the season, as Pete Carroll acknowledged that Brown will likely require season-ending knee surgery. “This is just the day after and it looks like surgery is imminent,” Carroll said (h/t Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Yeah, so he would be [done for the year].” The fourth-round pick has gotten into five games (three starts) this season, collecting 10 tackles and one pass defended.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/21
We’ll keep track of today’s stream of minor moves right here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: LB Tanner Vallejo
- Promoted: LS Beau Brinkley, RB Tavien Feaster, LB Joe Walker, LB Tahir Whitehead
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on IR: OLB Pernell McPhee
- Activated from IR: G Ben Cleveland
- Promoted: G/DT Khalil McKenzie, QB Trace McSorley, LB Joe Thomas
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: G John Miller
- Placed on IR: CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: S Deon Bush
- Promoted: WR Isaiah Coulter, OLB Ledarius Mack
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: TE Mason Schreck
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: WR Lawrence Cager, DE Porter Gustin, CB Herb Miller
- Waived: RB John Kelly
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: CB Kyron Brown, CB Deante Burton
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Drew Lock
- Activated from IR: CB Michael Ojemudia, LB Justin Strnad
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: WR Tom Kennedy, OL Tommy Kraemer, K Aldrick Rosas
- Waived: DL Kevin Strong
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: La’Darius Hamilton, WR Juwann Winfree
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: DB Terrence Brooks
- Placed on IR: LB Hardy Nickerson
- Promoted: DL Derek Rivers
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: S Jahleel Addae
- Waived: CB Anthony Chesley
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: WR John Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: TE Daniel Brown
- Promoted: WR Daurice Fountain
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from IR: S Roderic Teamer
- Placed on IR: FB Alec Ingold (story)
- Promoted: FB Sutton Smith
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: DL Andrew Brown, DL Forrest Merrill, CB Kiondre Thomas
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: RB Duke Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: DB Myles Dorn
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: RB Tony Jones Jr.
- Waived: CB Ken Crawley, WR Kevin White
- Promoted: T Caleb Benenoch, DT Josiah Bronson, OL Will Clapp, CB KeiVarae Russell
- Placed on IR: DT Malcolm Roach
New York Jets
- Promoted: FB Nick Bawden, DE Ronald Blair
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: OL Jack Anderson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: DL Daniel Archibong, LB Delontae Scott
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: CB Gavin Heslop
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: TE Tommy Hudson
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/21
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: LB Cassius Marsh (story)
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: K Brett Maher
- Waived: K Brian Johnson
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Logan Ryan
Bears’ Khalil Mack Done For Year
Khalil Mack‘s season is over. The Bears’ All-Pro pass rusher is set for foot surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the year, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport 
(Twitter link).
[RELATED: Bears’ Trevathan Done For Year]
Mack missed the two Bears two games previous to their Week 10 bye. The Bears were optimistic that the former Defensive Player of the Year would be able to play this weekend, but the specialists have said otherwise.
Mack, 30, got off to a strong start this year with six sacks across the first six weeks of the season. Up until the foot injury, he had only missed two games during his three-plus-seasons in Chicago.
Acquired via a 2018 blockbuster trade with the Raiders, Mack has been the centerpiece of the past four Bears defenses. The former DPOY has delivered on the Bears’ investment, even though the gaudy Oakland sack totals have not followed him to Chicago. And, even though Mack’s double-digit sack streak ended after 2018, but was well on pace to post his fifth 10-plus-sack slate this year. Pro Football Focus graded Mack as its No. 1 edge defender in 2020, despite his lower sack (9) and QB-hit (13) totals.
Mack, who will be absent from the Pro Bowl list for the first time in a long time, remains under club control through the 2024 season. For right now, the Bears find themselves at 3-6, down both Mack and longtime defensive leader Danny Trevathan.
Bears’ Danny Trevathan Done For Year
The Bears have placed Danny Trevathan injured reserve, per a club announcement. This marks the veteran linebacker’s second trip to IR, which will officially shut him down for the rest of the season. In related moves, the Bears have officially signed linebacker Bruce Irvin while promoting fellow LB Cassius Marsh to the 53-man roster. 
[RELATED: Bears Sign Bruce Irvin]
Trevathan, 31, has been with the Bears since 2016. A training camp knee injury camp sidelined him to start the year, but the 10th-year linebacker returned after missing the first four games. His presence alongside Roquan Smith figured to strengthen Chicago’s defense, but he wasn’t able to stick around for long. Appearing mostly as a reserve, Trevathan registered just 19 tackles across five games and appeared in roughly one-quarter of Chicago’s snaps. That’s a big drop from last year when Trevathan turned in a full slate, registered 113 stops, and lifted the Bears to the playoffs.
Even with Trevathan in the lineup, the Bears have sunk to 3-6 on the year. Now, they’re out to stop their four-game skid against the Ravens without one of their key defenders.
Trevathan is no stranger to injuries, having missed a ton of time since 2016. Still, he’s been a starter for most of his Bears tenure and remains under contract through 2022, thanks to the three-year pact he inked in 2020.
Bruce Irvin Signs With Bears
Bruce Irvin has found his next gig. The veteran linebacker has signed with the Bears, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Irvin confirmed the signing himself on Twitter.
Irvin made a name for himself back in Seattle, collecting 22 sacks between the 2012 and 2015 seasons. He later spent two-plus seasons with the Raiders (adding another 18 sacks), and after finishing the 2018 campaign with the Falcons, Irvin compiled another 8.5 sacks with the Panthers in 2019.
Irvin returned to Seattle prior to the 2020 season, and he started each of the team’s first two games. However, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear, and he’s remained unsigned throughout the entire 2021 campaign.
Now 34, Irvin will have a tough time replicating the pass-rushing prowess he displayed earlier in his career. However, he will add some reinforcement to a banged up Bears edge. Khalil Mack missed the Bears two games prior to their Week 10 bye, and his foot injury has lingered into this week. However, the team is optimistic that the former Defensive Player of the Year will be able to play this weekend.