5 Players the Chicago Bears Should Add in 2015 Offseason

With a few key moves this offseason, the Chicago Bears might sneak back into playoff contention in 2015.

Scoff at that you might, because, yes, the Bears players did underperform last season, but their shoulders cannot solely take the blame. The fact that the coaching staff received walking papers shows just how little faith team chairman George McCaskey had in the previous regime’s ability to right the ship—and rightly so.

New general manager Ryan Pace is taking over a team that still features a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Say what you want about Jay Cutler, but he’s still a top-15 quarterback in the league. Running back Matt Forte is one of the NFL’s most versatile players. Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett form one of the best pass-catching trios in the league.

Defensive end Willie Young, who led the Bears in sacks last season, defensive tackles Jeremiah Ratliff and Stephen Paea and cornerback Kyle Fuller, who was an early-season candidate to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, now lead the defense.

Sprinkle in a few new faces, be it in the draft or free agency, and the Bears could be right back in the mix.

Here are five players who could change the Bears’ fortunes next season.

DE/OLB Alvin “Bud” Dupree

USA TODAY Sports

Whether the Bears run a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense, they will need help at the defensive end and linebacker positions. That’s why Alvin “Bud” Dupree from the University of Kentucky is someone general manager Ryan Pace should look to add with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

When the 2015 offseason program begins, two Chicago defensive ends will be rehabbing serious injuries. Lamarr Houston tore his ACL in the Week 8 loss to New England, and Willie Young tore his Achilles in the Week 16 loss to Detroit. The linebacker situation is just as messy, with Lance Briggs set to enter free agency and Shea McClellin a candidate to be cut.

Chicago needs to use its first-round pick on a player who brings a great amount of versatility to the table. Dupree, who stands at 6’5”, 267 pounds, split time between defensive end in a 4-3 scheme and as a stand-up outside linebacker.

Dupree’s game is based on speed, agility and athleticism. He has one of the quickest first steps off the line of scrimmage of anyone at his position. He reads run schemes well but needs to improve his open-field tackling.

The Kentucky defender finished the 2014 season with 74 total tackles, 7.5 sacks and one interception. If he’s available for the Bears at No. 7 overall, they should snatch him up.

FS Devin McCourty

Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

The Bears soon will have a hole to fill at free safety, and Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots should be the guy to fill it.

After the past few seasons with Chris Conte unsuccessfully anchoring down the spot, McCourty would provide the Bears some stability at the back end.

He is a two-time All-Pro who graded out as the eighth-best free safety, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He finished the 2014 regular season with 68 tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble.

What’s more impressive is that McCourty only has allowed 16 completions (fifth-fewest of safeties who played 75 percent of their team’s snaps) for 193 yards and two touchdowns but three interceptions this season, including the playoffs.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seems to love everything about McCourty, via Bleacher Report’s Erik Frenz:

"

To be able to cover that much ground and have that kind of range as a post safety is remarkable," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said last season. “... You really have to look Devin off. He's really smart—he sees combinations, and sometimes you try to look him off and he knows you’re trying to look him off so he doesn't take it. There are other times he gets great jumps on the ball. The longer he's been at safety, the better he's done.

"

If McCourty is good enough for Brady, he’s good enough for the Bears.

He is likely to command a four-to-five year contract in the range of $7-9 million per season, similar to what Dashon Goldson received from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013.

CB Jalen Collins

USA TODAY Sports

The Bears need to add a cornerback to start opposite 2014 first-round pick Kyle Fuller now that Charles “Peanut” Tillman’s career in Chicago is over.

Adding LSU’s Jalen Collins would be a great start to shoring up the back end of the Bears defense. The Tigers cornerback had nine pass breakups, 38 tackles, three tackles for loss and one interception in 10 games in 2014. Standing at 6'2", 200 pounds, he has the physical makeup to battle some of the NFL’s bigger wideouts.

Bleacher Report’s Ross Read is a big fan of what Collins brings to the table and thinks he fits what the Bears could be looking for in the draft:

"

It's hard to not fall in love with the length, size and fluidity Collins plays with. The NFC North has some physical receivers and Fuller can't do it all by himself. Tim Jennings could be seeing his days in a Bears uniform numbered. He struggled in 2014 and now is facing some off-field issues which could force the team to go in a different direction, per ESPN.com. Fuller and Collins would be a ton of fun and allow the Bears to be set at their starting corner spots for years to come.

"

Collins likely will be a second-day draft pick, probably in the third round, which would allow the Bears to net some value with this selection.

DT Stephen Paea

USA TODAY Sports

Chicago used its second-round pick in 2011 on Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea. In his first three seasons in the league, he missed nine games. Last season, he started all 16 games and had the best campaign of his career.

The Bears waited patiently for Paea to step up and put up numbers worthy of a second-round selection. He recorded 33 total tackles and six sacks while playing 65 percent of the snaps in 2014 and graded out as the 11th-best defensive tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

For all of Paea’s success in 2014, he didn't make the Pro Bowl roster—a decision that did not please him at all.

“It's funny how a NT with 6 sacks (that gets double-teamed every other play) don't make it to Pro Bowl. Not even Alternates,” he tweeted.

Paea’s misfortune could end up being a great thing for the Bears. If there ever was a time for Paea to play with a chip on his shoulder, it would be the 2015 season.

The Bears should pay him and then watch him take his frustrations out on the league. Paea's 2014 salary counted $1.17 million against the salary cap. Any potential deal should be modeled after the four-year, $18 million contract Sen'Derrick Marks just received from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

WR Torrey Smith

USA TODAY Sports

Chicago’s offense was one-dimensional during the 2014 season, opting to move the ball via short screen passes that rarely amounted to anything. Despite the presence of wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, the Bears didn’t have anyone who could stretch the field to open things up for the short-to-intermediate passing game.

Baltimore Ravens receiver Torrey Smith brings everything to the table the Bears passing offense needs. He has the speed and moves to shake off the NFL’s best cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage.

Smith caught 49 passes last season, 27 of which came 10-plus yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus. His 15.7 yards-per-catch average was good for ninth in the league. Equally as important, Smith found the end zone 11 times on his aforementioned 49 receptions, equaling one touchdown for every 4.45 receptions.

Smith likely will command a contract somewhere in the range of what Victor Cruz received from the New York Giants, a five-year deal worth $43 million with $15.7 million guaranteed.

Adding a downfield threat like Smith to the Bears offense would instantly give Chicago one of the most dangerous passing attacks in the NFC (in theory).