The Chicago Bears are picking first overall, so I do not need to tell you that they have areas that are weak right now. Still, while the first overall pick and some of the top assets can be about bringing in the best player available, they also have to have a plan and fill the right spots.
Which positions are the biggest needs for the Chicago Bears?
5. Chicago Bears need better right tackle options
The Chicago Bears had a lot of plans and options at right tackle, and not a single one came through. First, Teven Jenkins moved to right guard. Then, Larry Borom had a chance. A concussion and knee injury did not help his chances, but it was telling that when he returned healthy from the concussion, the team did not give him his job back.
They went with Riley Reiff, mainly because they thought that Reiff was playing better than Borom. Borom got the first shot, he got hurt, and then the line got better play, so the injury cost Borom his job.
An injury to Reiff had Borom back in, but that is when his knee acted up. That is also when we first saw Alex Leatherwood. Leatherwood came and went with 27 snaps. He allowed four pressures in that limited sample size, and his last snap was an awful sack allowed. The Chicago Bears benched Leatherwood, and then made him inactive as others got healthy.
So, Reiff is older, was signed in August and is a free agent, but he was the best that Chicago had. Borom is obviously depth at best, and Leatherwood is a project at best. They need a right tackle badly.
4. Can Chicago Bears get their future at center?
When you look at the Chicago Bears offensive line, everybody is going to want the star left tackle, but Braxton Jones showed enough promise to keep him where he is. With holes at so many spots around him, it does not seem wise to create one at left tackle, yet.
So, when you break down the Chicago Bears offensive line, you could probably say that just Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins will be starters next season. We already highlighted right tackle, which leaves us with left guard, and center. Not to say that left guard is not valuable, but of the two, center is so much more important to get right.
Lucas Patrick is still signed, but the team could clear some more cap space considering it is hard to trust anything you saw from him. Patrick was a bandaid when the team had no cap space or picks. Now that they have assets, why not spend up on a better option at center?
Maybe Patrick stays, and he fills in at left guard? The one thing about adding a center is that If you draft a rookie, he could spend the first season at left guard, then slide into center. This has been done often in the NFL. So, this makes it more enticing to keep Patrick. If they have Patrick, Jenkins, and Jones, they really need hits at right tackle and center. If they can do that, the line will start to come together, and they may have much better views of Jones and Patrick and how they fit into the long-term plans.
3. Chicago Bears need edge rushers?
When you look at the Chicago Bears edge rushers, Trevis Gipson leads the group with three sacks. Dominique Robinson has 1.5, and Al-Quadin Muhammad has one. Needless to say, that will not get it done.
Trevis Gipson was given the chance of a lifetime. Trading Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn gave the chance for him to get as much playing time as he could handle. Gipson saw his production plummet in a full-time role.
Perhaps as the relief who comes in fresh behind an elite pass rusher, he could still be productive. Still, that is all that Gipson is. Robinson still has an upside, but this season was supposed to be a red-shirt year. He is still so far away being from a real contributor.
Muhammad may be looking for a new team next season. So, essentially the Chicago Bears have two backups, now they need two starters. The draft and free agency may be where the team loads up on defensive line talent, and they may key in on edge rushers.
2. Who will be the Chicago Bears 3T?
The Chicago Bears made their intentions known quickly into free agency what their big priority was. It was about an hour into the free agency session when the team signed Larry Ogunjobi. Of course, the deal fell through, but it was also noticeable that they quickly pivoted, knowing they had to sign their next best choice at defensive tackle.
The Chicago Bears showed us they want a 3-technique, badly. This is what Matt Eberflus had when he saw the Indianapolis Colts trade a first-round pick for DeForest Buckner.
The team signed Justin Jones, and he is back for next season, but it is very hard to say that they felt good about what he did this season. They could save some money by letting him go, then they use that money, plus the space that they have to really upgrade over him. Of course, they could keep Jones, but that would be expensive depth, or it would be playing him out of position as a 1 technique.
That will be the next question because it is not a question of whether or not they will feel the urge to upgrade this position. We just need to know how.
1. Can Chicago Bears hit the right Wide Receiver?
The Chicago Bears have slowly but surely taken this from a depleted room to a room that is just one player away from completing the room. Overall, Velus Jones and Equanimeous St. Brown are fine as depth. Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney are probably best off as the number two or three in your offense, or both are quality number twos.
Still, this shows a team that has 2-5 on the depth chart locked down. They are still missing that number one guy. The top wideout makes everything in the room go. If they add a lower-end player, they are asking too much from everyone in the room, but the ripple effect of adding a top dog would make the entire room look better.
The Chicago Bears can throw assets at the defensive line to find multiple starters, but they have to be selective and make the right move at wide receiver. This will be tougher than you think, especially for Ryan Poles who does not have a track record of scouting wideouts.
He had a few swings, and this time he has to hit the home run. This will be the most interesting position to see how Poles maneuvers this, and makes the room better by adding a big name wideout.