Chicago Bears: Latest Combine News and Rumors
The Chicago Bears and new general manager Ryan Pace will get their first chance to get up close and personal with the 2015 draft class as the NFL Scouting Combine begins on February 17.
Workouts for various position groups at the combine are set to begin on February 20 and will continue through February 23. During that time, all NFL teams will have an opportunity to not only watch and critique players as they go through various drills, but they will also have the opportunity to sit down and speak with any prospects who they think could be a good fit for their team.
As the combine creeps closer, news and rumors will start to swirl about what the Bears are going to do in this year's draft.
For the first time since John Fox was hired as head coach last month, both Fox and Pace will meet the media this week at the combine, via Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com:
"John Fox will address the media at the Combine next Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. central time, Ryan Pace will be at 11:30.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) February 10, 2015"
Neither Pace nor Fox are expected to go into detail about who they want to target in the draft, but they will likely give some clues about what direction they want to go.
Here is the latest news and rumors surrounding the Bears heading into the NFL Scouting Combine.
Ryan Pace Will Focus on Football Players, Not Just Athletes
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Pace has not spoken much since he was introduced as the team's sixth general manager back on January 9, but he made it clear in his introductory press conference he is going to use the draft to build the team.
"We'll be a team who looks at every single avenue in improving our roster,” Pace said, via John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. “We'll be aggressive in our approach, but I understand the Bears, for the Bears to have sustained success, we must build through the draft.”
Part of Chicago's downfall in recent years was due to the lack of success via the draft under former general managers Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery.
While Angelo had an eye for finding talent in the middle of drafts, he struggled mightily in the first two rounds and was eventually fired because of his inability to add youthful, talented players.
Emery, on the other hand, was more focused on finding athletes with high upside instead of those with a proven background. His poor drafting was not the only reason he was fired after three seasons, but it likely played a large part.
Pace made it clear when he got the job that he would not take the same approach as his predecessor.
"We are not just collecting athletes," he said, via the Chicago Tribune. "We are acquiring football players that fit the Chicago Bears. There will be a major emphasis on character, toughness, instincts and intelligence."
Pace will have an opportunity this week to find guys who exude character, toughness, instincts and intelligence through the interview process with players, as well as with scouts and coaches.
Needless to say, this week in Indianapolis will be a big one for Chicago's first-time general manager if he wants to build a winning organization from the ground up.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Believes Danny Shelton Could Be the Pick at No. 7
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Following two disappointing seasons on defense under Mel Tucker, the Bears hired former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio on January 20.
Fangio's defenses finished second, second and third in points allowed between 2011 and 2013 before finishing the 2014 season ranked 10th.
The Bears have not commented on whether or not they will make the complete jump to a 3-4 defense under Fangio in 2015, but it appears likely they will at least play a variation of it until they can find more pieces who fit the scheme.
One key to any 3-4 defense is the nose tackle. The Bears got solid production out of soon-to-be free agent Stephen Paea last season, but he may not be a fit for what Fangio wants up front, meaning the team could look to improve the position via the draft.
ESPN's Mel Kiper believes the position is a big need for the Bears, and he has the team taking Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton with the seventh overall pick in his latest mock draft, writing:
"Chicago really can’t go wrong in targeting the top overall defensive player available at this spot. But while they drafted with the interior of the defensive line in mind last year in grabbing Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton with consecutive picks, they still need to continue to add talent up front and work their way into the secondary. John Fox is a coach who has always looked to build a great defensive line, and Shelton — an occupying but disruptive force on the defensive interior — is another player who has the potential to make any team better, because he can make those around him better and has shown he can handle a heavy workload. Teams that are deep up front on defense have such an advantage, and adding Shelton isn’t duplicating anything Chicago has on its roster.
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Even if the Bears decide to run multiple looks up front under Fangio, Shelton has the ability to play in a one-gap scheme which is more typical of a 4-3 front but can also play a two-gap technique in a 3-4.
His scheme versatility alone should be enough to intrigue the Bears, and it will be interesting to see whether or not Pace and Fox pursue him this week at the combine.
Quarterback Could Be an Option in the First Round
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When Pace took over the general manager position last month, he was noncommittal about Jay Cutler and the quarterback position moving forward, but he did mention how pivotal the position is for the organization.
“The quarterback obviously is a critical, critical position to achieve sustained success," he said, via the Chicago Tribune. "But it’s not the only position. For us to have a lot of success, all 53 guys are going to be accounted for."
He did not want to rush to any judgment on Cutler before getting a chance to know him.
"I want to get to know Jay [Cutler]," he said. "I want to get to know him further before I come to these conclusions.”
After nine seasons in the league, it is pretty apparent who Cutler is at this point. He's proven he has the ability to make big plays, but he is far better when he is not asked to throw the football 40-plus times a game. The team can still win with him, but it is unknown just how far he can take the team in the playoffs. He will likely return in 2015 as the starting quarterback, but that does not mean the team won't take a look at a quarterback at No. 7 if one falls to them.
Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota are the consensus top two quarterbacks in this year's draft, and it appears Winston is the favorite to land in Tampa Bay with the first overall pick after the team released Josh McCown late last week.
If Mariota drops past quarterback-starved teams like the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, he very well could be an option for Chicago at No. 7.
In Adam Hoge of WGNPlus.com's latest mock draft, he has the Bears taking Mariota with their first pick, writing:
"There will be much debate about whether or not the Bears should use the seventh overall pick on either Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston if one or both are still available. The Bears’ defensive needs are exorbitant, but then again, they have a quarterback problem and that’s the most important position on the team. Top 10 picks are rare, and when you have one with a good quarterback available to you, I believe you have to take a swing.
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When Fox spoke last month about what traits he likes his quarterback to have, one outweighed the others.
“One that wins,” Fox said, via John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. “I’ve had different ones. They’re just like any other position, from the standpoint of what you’re looking for: decision-making, executing their job, what to do, how to do it and execute it under pressure.”
If Fox puts a major emphasis on winning, Mariota seems like a good fit considering he was able to notch 36 victories at Oregon while passing for 10,796 yards with 105 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions in three seasons as a starter.
The prior regime was fully committed to Cutler with Emery signing him to a long-term deal last offseason, but Pace and Fox have no real connection to the soon-to-be 32-year-old quarterback.
It is all speculation at this point, but the Bears could be in the running for a guy like Mariota at No. 7 if the new regime feels like he is the best prospect on the board when their selection comes up in late April.
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Bears Could Target Offense with No. 7 Pick
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Even though the Bears have major needs on the defensive side of the football, there is still a possibility they could look to improve their offense with the seventh overall pick.
Pace's plan for the draft is still a big unknown, but when Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was asked whether or not the Bears would look at Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff with their first pick, he would not rule it out, writing:
"I think the Bears would be best served to go into the draft with an open mind and as goal to add an impact player in the first round. Could that be Scherff? I don’t see any reason why we would rule that out right now. If the Bears deem him to be a starter for years to come (into a second contract), that would make sense. But if the Bears can come up with an impact defensive player at No. 7, that might make more sense. A lot of people would probably tell you that No. 7 is a little rich for a right tackle. Scherff projects as one of the top tackles for the draft but if he’s going to be a right tackle long term, No. 7 might be a little rich for him.
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It is hard to argue with Biggs' logic. In an ideal world, the Bears will have a bevy of talented pass-rushers to choose from, but if guys like Missouri's Shane Ray, Nebraska's Randy Gregory and Florida's Dante Fowler are already off the board, someone like Scherff or LSU tackle La'el Collins could very well be considered.
Taking an offensive lineman with the seventh overall pick likely would not sit well with Bears fans, but if they have a lineman graded higher than one of the available pass-rushers, fans will have to trust Pace's decision.
It is too early to speculate what Chicago's game plan is going to be in the draft without knowing whom they sign in free agency, but it would not come as that much of a shock if the Bears decide to address a glaring need on the offensive line with their first pick.
Bears Could Target a Receiver with Brandon Marshall's Future in Question
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Despite being one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL since he entered the league in 2006, a rocky 2014 may have ended Brandon Marshall's time in Chicago.
According to Don Banks of Sports Illustrated, Marshall has worn out his welcome in Chicago, writing:
"It appears to be at that point in the proceedings where Marshall has worn out his welcome in Chicago, much as he did in Denver and Miami before arriving in Chicago in 2012. While it’s not known yet whether the Bears will follow suit and decide less is more when it comes to Marshall and his spotlight-seeking ways, there are rumblings that the new management tandem of head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace may see the gifted receiver as more a part of the problem in Chicago than the solution.
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While the team has not made any announcement about Marshall's future, the nine-year veteran knows the NFL is a business.
“I definitely love Chicago, but I definitely understand it’s a business on both ends,” Marshall said, via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. “For me, I want to win. The organization wants to win. (Owner) Mrs. (Virginia) McCaskey wants to win, so, definitely aligned there. But there’s a business side on both ends, and I get that.”
According to Campbell, the Bears would save $7.7 million in cash and $3.95 million in salary cap space if they decide to release him before March 12. Marshall initially signed a three-year contract extension last May worth $30 million.
According to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times, Marshall met with Pace and Fox back on January 21, but he was not assured of his standing with the organization.
Marshall struggled with injuries in 2014 and had one of his most unproductive seasons since his rookie year, but the team may be more concerned about his off-field transgressions than his production on the field.
"Last season, Marshall angered some in the organization with his post-game outbursts against teammates, his weekly trip to New York for the taping of Showtime’s “Inside the NFL," his occasional dust-ups on Twitter, and his propensity to display a me-first attitude," Banks wrote. "In other words, he was a lot closer to the diva receiver stereotype than he had been in his first two seasons as a Bear."
If the team does decide to move on from Marshall in 2015, they could explore the wide receiver position in the draft. Luckily for the Bears, this year's draft is once again filled with high-ceiling prospects at the position, and they will likely take a good look at the position while at the combine.
Statistical information courtesy Sports-Reference.com.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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