Moves Chicago Bears Will Regret Not Making This Offseason

Even though the Chicago Bears have added a lot of talented players to their roster in free agency so far this offseason, they may eventually regret some of the moves they did not make. 

Since taking the job in early January, general manager Ryan Pace has been one of the league's busiest GMs. He has signed a total of 11 new players in free agency. Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com likes what Pace did in the first wave of free agency and gave him a B-minus grade for his moves.

"The move to get [Pernell] McPhee was a good one, since he fits as a pass rusher as they move to the 3-4," Prisco wrote. "Antrel Rolle is 32, but he's clearly an upgrade at safety. Trading Brandon Marshall is OK in my book, and signing Eddie Royal will help ease the loss."

Pace has been lauded for some of the moves he has made since coming to Chicago, but we took a look at the five moves Pace and the Bears will regret not making this offseason.

Not Pursuing Another Starting-Caliber Cornerback

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The Bears may end up regretting not pursuing a starting-caliber cornerback like Perrish Cox.

Even though the Bears have two starting-caliber cornerbacks on the roster in Tim Jennings and Kyle Fuller, they will regret not adding another one this offseason.

The team did sign Alan Ball to a one-year deal late last month, but he has struggled with injuries in his career and has made only 44 starts in 93 career games.

Ball adds depth to Chicago's secondary, but the Bears missed an opportunity to bring in someone like Walter Thurmond III or Perrish Cox on a team-friendly deal.

Thurmond was an integral part of Seattle's Super Bowl run in 2013 and signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants last offseason. After tearing his pectoral muscle in Week 2 last year, he was placed on injured reserve and missed the remainder of the season. He signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason for $3.25 million. 

Even though there are concerns about his ability to stay healthy, Thurmond would have given Chicago a physical cornerback who could play on the outside in the team's nickel package with Jennings sliding inside to cover the slot.

Cox, a starter in 2014 in San Francisco under new Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, signed a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans worth $15 million earlier this offseason.

He flourished in Fangio's system as a full-time starter last season, registering 53 tackles, 16 pass deflections and a career-high five interceptions.

"Cox primarily plays off-coverage technique," CBSChicago.com's Dan Durkin wrote in his scouting report about Cox. "He shows great instincts and patience in coverage to read a receiver’s hips and not bite too early on moves. He has fluid footwork and doesn’t lose speed or spacing when transitioning on a route at the top of the stem."

Both Cox and Thurmond would have given the Bears much-needed depth and experience at the cornerback position for a relatively low price, but the team will have to settle with Ball and likely a draft pick or two behind Jennings and Fuller this season.

Not Extending Alshon Jeffery

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Fourth-year wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has a chance to develop into one of the league's best receivers following the trade of Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets. If the Bears do not extend him this offseason, they may end up regretting it. 

General manager Ryan Pace has not stated his desire to extend Jeffery this offseason, but he did note it is something they will talk about. 

‘‘We’ll talk about it throughout the offseason,’’ Pace said, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘There comes a point in the season where we’re going to stay away from those things and not let it be a distraction. But right now, it’s just a case-by-case analysis of each player.’’

In three seasons with the Bears, Jeffery has hauled in 198 catches for 2,921 yards with 20 touchdowns in 42 career games.

He will not turn 26 until next February and is entering the prime of his career. The Bears could wait and sign him next offseason when his rookie deal expires, but if he has another season with more than 1,000 yards in 2015, the Bears may end up having to overspend in order to keep him in Chicago.

Receivers like Dallas' Dez Bryant and Denver's Demaryius Thomas could hit the market next offseason after they both received the franchise tag this offseason, meaning the going rate for No. 1 receivers will likely go up.

While it is still possible for the Bears to ink Jeffery to an extension before the season, he could end up costing the team a lot of money in the future if he has another stellar season in 2015.

Not Signing Stefen Wisniewski

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Late last week, the Bears released veteran center Roberto Garza and signed Will Montgomery to a one-year deal, according to Jahns:

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The #Bears moves at center are official now. Roberto Garza released. Will Montgomery is in.

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) April 2, 2015"

Garza spent the last 10 seasons with the Bears and made 109 starts between guard and center. 

To replace Garza, Pace brought in Montgomery, who started eight games for head coach John Fox in Denver last season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Montgomery graded out with a plus-6.6 overall grade, but he will likely serve as a stopgap at the position until the team can find a long-term solution.

One long-term solution who is still available on the free-agent market is former Oakland Raider Stefen Wisniewski. He started 61 games in four seasons with the Raiders and has only allowed three sacks in his career, according to Pro Football Focus.

Earlier this offseason, the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs reported the Bears had interest in Wisniewski:

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#Bears have expressed interest in #Raiders free agent center Stefen Wisniewski. http://t.co/6psJ1zZcw3

— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 9, 2015"

One reason why the Bears may have opted to go with Montgomery over Wisniewski is because Wisniewski had offseason surgery, according to Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union:

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Wisniewski played part of last year with torn labrum that required off-season surgery. #Jaguars

— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) April 1, 2015"

Even though Wisniewski had surgery this offseason, he is still just 26 years old and has the ability to anchor an offensive line for years to come.

When the Bears are left looking for a replacement for Montgomery in the near future, they may regret not signing Wisniewski to a long-term deal this offseason.

Not Pursuing a Trade for Dashon Goldson

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Even though the Bears added veteran safety Antrel Rolle in free agency this offseason, they may regret not pursuing a trade for Dashon Goldson.

After two disappointing seasons in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers traded Goldson to the Washington Redskins late last week for a sixth-round pick, via Conor Orr of NFL.com.

Goldson originally signed a five-year, $41.25 million contract with the Buccaneers in 2013. In order to make Goldson's deal more attractive to Washington, Tampa Bay had to convert part of his base salary into a bonus, according to CBSSports.com's Joel Corry:

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NFL rules won't allow Bucs to pay part of Goldson's salary in the trade. Salary needed to be converted to signing bonus pre-trade to do it.

— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) April 3, 2015"

According to Spotrac, the Redskins will only pay Goldson $4 million in 2015.

According to Pro Football Focus, Goldson finished last season with a minus-20.0 overall grade after posting a minus-14.4 overall grade in 2013, but his best seasons in the NFL came playing for Fangio in San Francisco.

Goldson was a Pro Bowler in 2011 and 2012 under Fangio, and his former defensive coordinator once compared him to Ed Reed.

"Ed's got tremendous instincts and a great feel for the ball, tremendous ball skills," Fangio said in 2012, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. "And Ed's one of the best safeties in this era the last 10, 15 years for sure. But Dashon, I think, is right up there with him."

He has the ability to step up in the box and stop the run, but he also proved in San Francisco he can be a playmaker. In 30 games playing for Fangio, Goldson registered 136 tackles, 20 pass deflections and nine interceptions. 

Goldson struggled in Lovie Smith's 4-3 defense in Tampa Bay, and he likely would have benefited from a reunion with Fangio in Chicago.

He would not have been expected to anchor the defense for the next five years, but he would have been an immediate upgrade over Ryan Mundy at strong safety in 2015. 

Not Improving the Right Tackle Position

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In 2013, Jordan Mills started all 16 games at right tackle but gave up three sacks and a league-leading 62 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. 

He missed two games last season due to injury, but he still gave up six sacks and 31 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. Despite Mills' struggles over the last two seasons, the Bears have not addressed the position in free agency so far this offseason.

Rotoworld.com's Evan Silva broke down all of Chicago's needs in this year's draft and listed the offensive line, particularly the right tackle position, as an area that needs to be improved, writing:

"

Under new coach John Fox, the Bears have openly spoken of mitigating Jay Cutler's impact on games by implementing a run-based offense that removes responsibility from their erratic quarterback's plate and prevents Cutler from going "rogue" within the offensive structure. They need better run blocking up front, particularly at right tackle. RG Kyle Long is Chicago's only plus starter on the offensive line. Jermon Bushrod is no better than a league-average left tackle, while LG Matt Slauson is returning from a torn pectoral. 32-year-old C Will Montgomery is a short-term stopgap on a one-year deal. RT Jordan Mills must be replaced.

"

The tackle market thinned out quickly with Green Bay's Bryan Bulaga, Dallas' Doug Free, Houston's Derek Newton and San Diego's King Dunlap all re-signing with their respective teams, but guys like Joe Barksdale, Byron Bell and Anthony Collins are all still available on the free-agent market. 

Barksdale struggled at times in pass protection in 2014, but he finished last season with a plus-5.6 run-block grade, according to Pro Football Focus. He was a third-round pick in 2011 and is still just 26 years old. He would not drastically alter Chicago's offensive line for years to come, but he would help provide more stability on the right side of the line.

If Pace does not address the right tackle position this offseason in free agency or in the draft, he will end up regretting it once the season begins.

Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise noted.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich