Chicago Bears: What Do Bears Look Like Now?
The Chicago Bears have made a number of moves in Free Agency, but what does the team look like at this point? Where are the holes? Where can improvements be made as the Bears look forward to the 2018 Draft?
The Chicago Bears struck quickly and often in the opening rounds of free agency. Like a heavyweight boxer from the 1980s and 90s, the Bears threw haymaeker after haymaker at the rest of the league and came away with some solid connections. But where does that leave us? What holes are left? Where should we focus our attention in the remainder of Free Agency upcoming 2018 Draft? That is the question that we are going to be looking at today.
On Offense:
Offensively, the Chicago Bears improved greatly already. As long as no one gets injured (I wrote on that here) we appear to have a ton of firepower with which to enter the season. A look at the Depth Chart:
Offensive Line:
Charles Leno Jr. | Eric Kush | Cody Whitehair | Kyle Long | Bobby Massie
Bradley Sowell | Jordan Morgan | Hroniss Grasu | Jordan Morgan | Bradley Sowell
The Bears re-signed Sowell as the swing tackle to replace Tom Compton. Kush currently will start at guard, but is a player who the team will seek an upgrade for. The Bears, unfortunately have too many holes on their defensive roster to address everything. This appears to be a spot where they can let things slide. I expect the team to draft a guard and a tackle this year in the mid rounds. The tackle may end up drafted higher than the guard due to the lack of depth at the position.
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Wide Receivers:
X Z Slot
Allen Robinson | Cam Meredith | Taylor Gabriel
Kevin White | Kevin White | Josh Bellamy
While receiver is the feel good story of the off-season, it is also one of the scariest spots on the roster. All three outside receivers finished last season in Injured Reserve, and two of them with very serious knee injuries. The hope is that the new training staff can prevent further injuries at the position. There is no doubt, however, that the talent level at the position is astronomically better than it was last year. The receiving corps went from one of the least talented positions on the roster to arguably one of the top three. They still could use one more young and healthy option for depth on the outside. The team must draft such a player, possibly in round two, or three with a trade down.
Chicago Bears
Running Back:
Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen, and Taquon Mizzell
This is the most stable of all of the positions on the team. Unless Saquon Barkely falls to number eight overall, the expectation is that all of these players will return. Ryan Pace is always looking for talent, so it would not shock me if he drafts a running back in the late rounds. He will most likely target a young pass catching third down type back to replace Benny Cunningham.
Tight End:
Y = Adam Shaheen | U = Trey Burton | Blocker = Dion Sims
Cutting Dion Sims should happen today unless Pace can find a taker willing to part with a late round (6th or 7th) pick in order to ensure that they get him. That will leave the Bears with Dan Brown to take the third spot in this group if the Bears resign him. It is possible that Pace spends a late round pick on a player with significant upside in the draft. I would suspect, however, that any additions to this position will come in Undrafted Free Agency.
Quarterback:
Mitchell Trubisky, Chase Daniel, Tyler Bray
This year there is no doubt that this is Mitchell Trubisky’s team. The only reason that Daniel should see the field is in Pre-Season action or if the game has become garbage time. Adding two veterans means that this position will not likely be addressed in the draft.
On Defense:
Defensive Line:
Jonathan Bullard | Eddie Goldman | Akiem Hicks
Roy Robertson-Harris | Unknown | Rashaad Coward
The Bears must be very high on Bullard to let Mitch Unrein walk in free agency. That said, they will be in a position to draft a defensive end high in the draft as well. I would not expect them to do so as Bullard is a Pace pick and he will be given a chance to prove that he can play. On top of that the far more desperate need is at Outside Linebacker. I think that this depth chart is fairly likely to carry on to the Pre-Season unless a good veteran option shakes look as a cap casualty.
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Outside Linebacker:
This is another position that we should see targeted early in the draft. I would imagine that we will target a pass rusher in round one or two. Likely targets will include Tremaine Edmunds, Marcus Davenport, and Arden Key. While Edmunds will definitely go in the first round, it is entirely possible that one or both of Davenport and Key will be available when the Bears pick in the second round.
Inside Linebacker:
Danny Trevathan | Nick Kwiatkoski
By allowing the departure of fan favorite and unlikely starter Christian Jones to a division rival in the Detroit Lions, the Bears picked Kwiatkoski as their starter next year. While Kwiatkoski is solid, the fact is that the Bears faith is truly place in Trevathan and his ability to lead. This position, similar to the Offensive Line, is most likely a position that can be left alone. Furthermore, this will allow the Bears to address other more crucial roster holes.
Cornerback:
Kyle Fuller | Prince Amukamara | Bryce Callahan
Unknown | Cre’von LeBlanc
By bring back Fuller, Amukamara, and Callahan, the Chicago Bears have signaled that they believe that they have the talent to compete at the position. They also have signaled that they feel that they need to spend earlier picks on other positions of need. As much as I would love to see Denzel Ward in a Chicago Bears uniform next season, the Bears have signaled otherwise.
Safety:
I will be very surprised if we see any moves on the safety front. As much as I think Vic Fangio wants to be reunited with Eric Reid, I think that the team views Jackson and Amos as a quality paring for the future. Amos’ extension will undoubtedly be cheaper than signing Reid to replace him. This is especially relevant as the Bears will need to start resigning Pace’s players to extensions.
Special Teams:
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Bears went out and got a Pro Bowl caliber kicker. After the poor performances at the position over the last few years, it was time for some stability. Resigning O’Donnell was clearly not the Bears top choice. They were linked to a Pro Bowl level punter who resigned with his team before signing him. He also cannot be found on their website anymore. They also only signed him to a one year contract.
Despite clearly wanting to move on from O’Donnell, I can’t see the Bears drafting a punter, so I would expect that these are the players that you will see in the upcoming season.
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Overall:
Even after the heavy lifting done by Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy this off-season, a lot of work remains. The Chicago Bears are woefully deficient at Outside Linebacker. They need some health at Wide Receiver. Also, they need an upgrade at Left Guard and Right Tackle (though the team remains confusingly in the corner of Massie). They could use some depth at the Defensive End, Inside Linebacker, and Cornerback as well.
There are lots of options for Pace in the draft. However, with this many needs, it would be best for him to trade down and grab up as many picks as he can. To that end, let’s hope that he can get something in return for Dion Sims and use the eighth overall spot as a bargaining chip to bring in more young players on cost controlled contracts.
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