The One Player the Chicago Bears Must Sign in 2016
Ryan Pace is about to commence another busy offseason. In his first year as Chicago Bears General Manager, Pace churned roughly half the roster as he began to put his stamp on the Bears organization. This season you can expect Pace to be just as busy. The Bears have more draft picks this year than they’ve had since 2009. The Bears will also have plenty of money to spend in free agency. The team is projected to have roughly $60 million in available funds.
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Last year, Pace’s acquisitions were very good. Several of his draft picks appear to be solid NFL players and he found several contributors via free agency as well. And all Bears fans fell in love with free agent pick-up Pernell McPhee who became an immediate leader and made a significant impact on the field.
McPhee was Pace’s number one target. When free agency opened he didn’t spread his resources, he focused on one player and he wanted McPhee to know that he wouldn’t rest until he was a Chicago Bear. With more money to spend this year, the Bears might be larger players in free agency, but don’t expect Pace to go out and spend big dollars on aging free agents.
Pace will look for value in his signings. He proved that with McPhee. He wants younger players, perhaps previously part-time players, that he feels can exceed the value of the contract. He isn’t going to sign veterans that he can expect to perform well at the beginning of the contract, but underperform at the end, forcing the Bears to keep a bad contract or cut the player and get stuck with dead money. Pace is handling his cap carefully, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t spend when the right player comes along.
One of those players is available in 2016. He knows John Fox. He likes John Fox. He has the type of skill sets that Vic Fangio could really use on his defense. He would fill a massive void on the defensive side of the ball and I don’t think there is a better free agent fit.
That player is Danny Trevathan.
Trevathan is one of the key players on the Denver Broncos formidable defense. For those of you who aren’t familiar with him, Trevathan is a four year veteran who is a fantastic tackler at the inside linebacker position. He fits exactly what this team needs- a major upgrade at ILB and someone that can read an offense, wrap up and tackle.
Let’s be honest, as many strides as McPhee, Eddie Goldman, Adrian Amos, and the rest of the defense made in 2015, the interior linebacker positions were a major problem. The Bears can talk about how Shea McClellin is on the right track as much as they want, but until they can put together a legitimate linebacking corps, this defense will not reach the level it needs to be at to dominate oppositions.
John Elway has stated that he wants Trevathan to return, but with several free agents, including Von Miller, there’s going to be only so much money to go around in the Mile High City. Trevathan should be able to be cheaper than some of their other free agents, but with teams like the Bears most likely interested in his services, he may get priced out of the Broncos pay range.
The Bears have plenty of holes to fill, but their issues start at linebacker. Last year, Pace knew that the first key to a viable defense was being able to pressure the quarterback, hence McPhee. This year, the Bears need to start building up the rest of the linebackers and it needs to start with Trevathan.