Bears' plan with Dalton appears to be Lazor-focused on improving offense

OK, scratch the Kenny Golladay plan.

Snagging Golladay would have created multiple options to improve the offense while also freeing some draft assets to work on the defense too.

But Golladay is a Giant now, the Bears have swapped out Mitch Trubisky for Andy Dalton, and the only way to fit Dalton under the cap after franchising Allen Robinson was to significantly weaken the defense by parting ways with Kyle Fuller.

Does the Dalton-for-Trubisky swap improve the offense, talent-wise?

Let's clear up a few things; the first, I know my buddy Olin Kreutz will appreciate me for.

Dalton has never been voted to the Pro Bowl. His first and third appearances were as an alternate for Tom Brady, and the second was in place of Aaron Rodgers.

In 2011, when he first replaced Brady, Dalton completed 58.1% of his passes, averaged 6.6 yards a throw and threw 20 TDs vs. 13 picks for an 80.4 QB rating. Not bad for a rookie.

When Dalton subbed for Rodgers in 2014 it was worse: a slightly better rating of 83.5, but he threw just 19 TDs vs. 17 interceptions in his fourth season as a starter.

At least his second stand-in for Brady was better: 64.7%, 4,206 yards, 18 TDs, 8 picks and a 91.8 rating - not special, but nice. That was also his first season with Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor as his quarterbacks coach.

The problem is none of those numbers are in the same area code of an actual Pro Bowl season. That first year with Lazor, Dalton actually went backward after his only special season, 2015, when he averaged 8.4 yards a throw, completed 66.1%, threw 25 TDs vs. just 7 interceptions and compiled a 106.2 rating. Worst of all, none of his three Pro Bowl years were as good as Trubisky's numbers in 2018 and 2020, when the Bears were 17-7 with him as the starter.

Now forget Trubisky. He's gone and resurrecting that debate is not the point here.

The point is we're being asked to believe the offense is going to be better - good enough to actually contend when the talent is clearly not improved and may be worse.

The bet has to be on Lazor.

When asked why he chose to come here Dalton said, "The past relationship with Bill Lazor, which was one (reason), and just seeing - at this point in my career, you want to join a team that is competitive, that is doing things the right way, is turning in the right direction."

You have to wonder what film Andy has been watching?

So the Bears are betting on Lazor and so is Dalton. But how has he earned everyone's trust?

Following the 2016 campaign as Dalton's position coach, Lazor became the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati in 2017 and Dalton returned to mediocre completing 59.9% for a 6.7 yard average, 25 TDs, 12 picks and a 86.6 rating, and in an injury shortened 2018, Dalton started 11 games and put up similar numbers.

Following the season Lazor was fired.

In Lazor's two years as the offensive coordinator, the Bengals ranked 32nd and 26th in total offense and 26th both seasons in points scored.

Lazor was also the offensive coordinator of the Dolphins in 2014 and 2015. Miami was 14th in both total offense and points scored in 2014 before falling to 26th in total offense and 27th in scoring in 2015.

At the end of the day I am not an anti-Lazor guy. He did a nice job when finally handed the reins to the offense coming out of the bye last season.

But we were also told last year Nick Foles was going to be the answer to the Bears offensive woes, in large part because of Lazor's past work with him yet he had to switch back to Trubisky to make the offense work.

Believe it or not, I really am trying to find the silver lining in what appears to be the mess the Bears have been making the last week or two, but if the bet is on better coaching rather than better talent, I'm just not seeing it.

• Twitter: @Hub_Arkush