More than Mitch: What Matt Nagy said about the Bears’ ‘strong nucleus’

INDIANAPOLIS — Mitch Trubisky. Mitch Trubisky. Mitch Trubisky. And more Mitch Trubisky.

Understandably, the Bears quarterback was a hot topic for new coach Matt Nagy during his first news conference at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday. And he’ll remain one

But with seven weeks on the job, Nagy had time to closely examine other players who are considered important for his offense. And Nagy liked what he saw, knowing that free agency and the draft can help, too.

“You see that there’s a strong nucleus there,” he said. Now it’s a matter of finding some pieces and going with our plan.”

Beyond Trubisky, here’s a look at players who are considered a part of that nucleus for the Bears for 2018 and beyond:

Capitalizing on Cohen’s talent

Nagy agreed with the comparisons that have been made between bears running back Tarik Cohen and Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill, one of the most explosive players in the NFL.

It starts with their size, speed and playmaking abilities. But he also pointed out some of the differences between the two players.

“They’re similar in the fact that you can move them around and do different things,” Nagy said. “As you see on tape, the one thing if you go back and look at simple numbers, you’re going see that Cohen can run the ball a little bit more from the backfield. Not that Tyreek can’t [but] they’re different.

“I don’t think it’s fair to compare them, but I do understand why people compare them, and for me, I’m very excited to be able to coach both of them, and look forward to working with Cohen.”

Maximizing Shaheen’s potential

With the Chiefs, Nagy helped turn Travis Kelce into one of the league’s top tight ends. Can he do the same with Adam Shaheen?

Nagy described Shaheen, the 45th overall pick last year, as “a little bit raw.” The Bears focused on Shaheen’s development as a blocker coming of out Division-II Ashland. But Shaheen’s coveted pass-catching skills only turned into 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns last season. All of his catches came as an in-line tight end.

“I don’t like to use the word ‘potential,’ but he has talent, so for us it’s going to be really neat to try to fit him into our scheme and see where he fits,” Nagy said. “[Tight ends] coach Kevin Gilbride will do a good job of teaching him the offense when those guys get in here, and having him understand what we like to do within the offense. So we’re excited about him.”

Coaching up White

The Bears aren’t ready to give up on receiver Kevin White, their first-round pick from 2015. In fact, Nagy sounded determined to develop White into a productive player. White has appeared in only five games over three seasons because of serious season-ending injuries.

“Kevin is a guy you see who hasn’t had a lot of games these past few years,” Nagy said. “We understand that. But for me, that’s the challenge as a head coach. You love to see those kinds of situations.

“You don’t make any promises that anything’s going to happen. But you see a kid like that, you know his road and where he’s at, and I look at that as a personal challenge to get him to a place where we want to get him.”

Keeping Howard going

Running back Jordan Howard is the Bears’ most proven offensive threat. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2016 as a rookie. But Howard also is different than Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, who led the NFL with 1,327 rushing yards last year as a rookie.

Hunt is a better receiver than Howard. He had 53 catches for 455 yards and three touchdowns last season. But Howard’s blend of power and vision does stand out to Nagy.

“You watch him on tape and you see his style of play and it’s unique, but it’s a good unique,” Nagy said. “He’s a tough runner and has a style where he’s able to be elusive for his size, but yet he can still make that first-down run on fourth-and-1 or short yardage.

“It’s intriguing for us as a staff when we watch tape to see him to be able to see how we can fit his style of play into our offense. It feels right.”