NFC Notes: Bears, Rams, Redskins

Bears

At 3-2 but in third place in the division, the Bears have this next week off to try and figure out how to right the ship and get back on what many thought could be a path to Super Bowl contention this season. When they return to the field, the hope is that QB Mitchell Trubisky will be back as well. 

“He’s feeling good,” Bears HC Matt Nagy said via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. “I felt like the last couple days he’s been in a good place. He’s been a part of all the meetings, a part of practice mentally. Because that’s just as important, staying involved mentally with your guys and with us. And now we’ll just kind of see here, again the bye comes at a unique time. Here he is, he gets injured, so here’s the bye. Now, he’s able to use this and see if he’s able to come back or not for the next game. I hope he’s back. But I don’t know that. It could be something where it goes longer than that. I don’t know.”

Rams

• Per ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, the Rams expect to have LB Clay Matthews back from his broken jaw by their game November 10 against the Steelers following the bye week.

Redskins

Former Redskins HC Jay Gruden was reportedly not happy with the team’s decision to select QB Dwayne Haskins in the first round, with team owner Dan Snyder and GM Bruce Allen championing the pick of Haskins. While Gruden didn’t reference Haskins specifically, he did say one of the challenges of his tenure in Washington is he had to accept the players he was given by Allen. 

“I have mixed emotions about it,” Gruden said via ESPN’s John Keim. “At the end of the day, if you’re not the G.M., you have to accept the fact that you don’t get everything you want. You accept the players given to you. I had input in some areas, but there are some major issues there. It’s that way with most coaches. You don’t have that total say. It’s something you have to overcome and work with the guys you have.”

• According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, many around the NFL believe the Redskins will seriously consider OC Kevin O’Connell for their head coaching position this offseason. 
• The 34-year-old O’Connell reminds many in the building of Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur, past bright young offensive minds who also worked in Washington. 
• NBC Sports’ JP Finlay reports Oklahoma HC Lincoln Riley would not consider the Redskins head coaching job even if he were looking to make the jump to the NFL.