5 Positions Chicago Bears Must Still Address Before 2015 Season
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace has been one of the league's busiest executives this offseason.
Pace traded wide receiver Brandon Marshall, signed 14 new free agents, re-signed seven players, drafted six rookies and added 15 undrafted free agents since taking over as general manager on January 8.
Despite all the new faces on Chicago's roster, the team still has needs at a handful of positions.
While positions like wide receiver, running back and outside linebacker have been addressed in both free agency and the draft, the Bears still have needs at offensive tackle, along the defensive line and at cornerback.
Even though the first and second wave of free agency has come and gone, teams can still add players through free agency, off waivers and via trade.
Not every position can be addressed in one offseason, but here are five positions the Chicago Bears must still address before the start of the 2015 season.
Defensive Line
1 of 5
With Chicago making the switch from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense this offseason, the team has had to overhaul its defensive line.
Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, Willie Young and David Bass, who were 4-3 defensive ends, are now outside linebackers, and the team signed veteran defensive ends Ray McDonald and Jarvis Jenkins and drafted nose tackle Eddie Goldman in the second round to help stabilize Chicago's new defensive line.
McDonald and Jenkins both have experience playing the 5-technique position in a 3-4, while Goldman lined up at the nose tackle position at Florida State and will likely help anchor the middle of Chicago's defensive line at the 0-technique this season.
In addition to those three linemen, the Bears already had Jeremiah Ratliff, Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton on the roster.
All three will likely slide back and forth between nose tackle and the 5-technique defensive end position this season, but the team still needs more depth along the line.
Many of the big-name free-agent defensive linemen have already signed new deals this offseason, but there are still veterans available in free agency who could have an impact in Chicago in 2015.
Former New York Giants and Washington Redskins nose tackle Barry Cofield won't put up big numbers, but he is strong at the point of attack and does a nice job of plugging up lanes against the run.
If the Bears want to get creative up front, they could be in the market for former Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka.
He was taken in the first round of the 2006 draft and registered 412 tackles, 38.5 sacks and three interceptions in nine seasons with the Giants. He played both defensive end and outside linebacker in New York, and he could be used as a situational pass-rusher in Chicago's new scheme.
At 6'5" and 267 pounds, he lacks the prototypical size of a 5-technique defensive end, but he could create mismatches along the defensive line with his athleticism.
The Bears have done a nice job of overhauling their defense this offseason, but adding someone like Cofield and/or Kiwanuka would help solidify the defensive line for 2015.
Offensive Tackle
2 of 5
The Bears have struggled to find a quality starting right tackle for the last handful of years, and they once again head into this offseason with question marks at the position.
Jordan Mills was taken in the fifth round of the 2013 draft and has started 29 games over the last two seasons, but according to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed nine sacks, 19 quarterback hits and 93 quarterback hurries in 1,861 career snaps.
With a new general manager and coaching staff in place, Mills will likely have to fight for his job this offseason. The Bears drafted tackle Tayo Fabuluje in the sixth round over the weekend and also have tackles Charles Leno, Michael Ola and Jason Weaver on the roster.
None of the five offensive linemen competing for the right tackle job have had sustained NFL success, and the Bears reportedly added another tackle to the mix on Tuesday.
According to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bears claimed former Denver Broncos tackle Paul Cornick off waivers on Tuesday.
Cornick went undrafted in 2012 and was signed by the New York Jets that summer. He spent time on Denver's practice squad in 2013 and appeared in 12 games last season with six starts.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cornick gave up just one sack and six quarterback hurries in 309 snaps in 2014. He struggled as a run-blocker last season, but he showed some flashes as a pass-blocker.
Like Mills, Cornick is a project with upside, but both have struggled at times in their careers.
Fabuluje is an intriguing option at the position, but he is still raw and will likely need to do a better job of controlling his weight in order to be successful in the NFL.
"He’s nimble for a big man,” Pace said about Fabuluje, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “He’s got good feet for a big man. We’ve got to have him at the right weight. He’s got length. He’s good at the second level and he’s powerful.”
The tackle market is thin in free agency, so for the Bears to have success on the right side of the line, either Mills or Cornick will need to step up their game, or the team will have to hope a proven veteran hits the open market after cuts occur during training camp.
Inside Linebacker
3 of 5
The Bears added veteran linebacker Mason Foster earlier this offseason to compete for one of the two starting inside linebacker positions in their new 3-4 defense, but the team lacks proven depth at the position.
Foster is likely penciled in as one of the starters on the inside, but Jon Bostic, Shea McClellin, Christian Jones, Khaseem Greene and Jonathan Brown are all expected to compete for the other open position.
Bostic and Jones appear to be the front-runners to take over the job, but Bostic struggled last season in pass coverage, while Jones may be a better fit on the outside as a situational pass-rusher.
The Bears did not address the position in the draft, but if they wanted to add more competition to the position, they could look at someone like Brandon Spikes in free agency.
Spikes is strictly a two-down linebacker, but he has been one of the best run-stuffers since entering the league in 2010 with the New England Patriots.
He spent four seasons with the Patriots before joining the Buffalo Bills last offseason, and he has registered 340 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and forced six fumbles in 67 career games.
According to Pro Football Focus, he finished last season as the 12th-best inside linebacker with a plus-10.6 overall grade, and he was ninth-best against the run with a plus-7.4.
During Marc Trestman's two-year run as Chicago's head coach between 2013 and 2014, the Bears allowed an average of 137 rushing yards per game, including a league-worst 161.4 yards per game in 2013.
While Bostic and Jones may have more upside, Spikes would give Chicago a reliable presence in the middle of the field against the run and a leader in the locker room.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Cornerback
4 of 5
In a surprising move, the Bears did not address the cornerback position in this year's draft. They are expected to head into the regular season with Tim Jennings and Kyle Fuller as starters, but there are question marks surrounding the depth behind them.
Veteran Alan Ball was brought in on a one-year deal this offseason and will likely serve as the team's third cornerback, but guys like Demontre Hurst, Al Louis-Jean, Sherrick McManis, Terrance Mitchell and undrafted free agents Qumain Black, Bryce Callahan and Jacoby Glenn will have to fight for a spot on the roster.
Hurst, Louis-Jean and McManis were all thrust into the lineup at one point last season, and while all three showed flashes of their potential, they are all best suited to play special teams in the NFL.
Out of the three undrafted free-agent cornerbacks the team brought in, Glenn may be the most intriguing. He was projected by NFLDraftScout.com to be a fifth-round pick, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com projected him to go in either the fifth or sixth round.
He measured in at 6'0" and 179 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine and will need to add more weight, but he is a playmaking cornerback who possesses solid hands and good awareness. If any undrafted free agent sticks with the team out of training camp, Glenn likely stands the best chance.
While guys like Hurst, Louis-Jean, McManis and Glenn would offer reliable special teams with some upside, the Bears may be in the market for another veteran this offseason to help solidify the position.
An interesting name for the Bears to consider is former San Francisco 49er and Oakland Raider Tarell Brown.
A fifth-round pick of the 49ers in 2007, he played in San Francisco for seven seasons before joining the Raiders last year. In his career, he has registered 295 tackles, 59 pass deflections and 11 interceptions.
He played for Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in San Francisco, and that connection could help bring him to Chicago. He is not an overly aggressive or flashy player, but he plays with good technique and has been a consistent contributor throughout his career.
The cornerback position for the Bears is strong at the top, but with so many question marks surrounding those on the depth chart behind Jennings and Fuller, the team would be wise to add another veteran to the roster this offseason.
Safety
5 of 5
The Bears have been trying to solidify the safety position for the better part of the last decade, and even though they added veteran Antrel Rolle and drafted Penn State's Adrian Amos in the fifth round of the draft, the team still has a lot of question marks at the position.
Rolle is a shoo-in to be a starter in 2015 barring any sort of injury, but the other safety position is wide-open.
Veteran Ryan Mundy will likely get the first crack at the strong safety spot, but he could see competition from both Amos and 2014 fourth-round pick Brock Vereen.
Mundy is good up in the box against the run, but he struggles in pass coverage. Amos is a rangy, athletic safety who can cover the back half of the field, while Vereen has the ability to line up in the slot at nickelback, play up in the box as a nickel safety or cover deep as a free safety.
Amos and Vereen are still raw, but they possess plenty of upside.
Despite their upside, there are still question marks surrounding their feel for the game and anticipation. They will likely benefit from increased playing time in training camp and the preseason, but the Bears could add another veteran to help push them this offseason.
Like most positions, the safety market has thinned out over the course of the last few months, but there is one intriguing option still available.
Quinton Carter, a former fourth-round pick of Denver, started 10 games for the Broncos in 2011 but has struggled with injuries ever since. When healthy, he is aggressive against the run and shows good fluidity and range in coverage.
There is no guarantee he can get back to the level he was at during his rookie season, but because of his familiarity with head coach John Fox from their time together in Denver, he could get a chance to prove himself in Chicago.
If Carter does not intrigue the Bears, they could wait and see who becomes available after the first wave of cuts this offseason.
Statistical information and combine measurables courtesy of NFL.com.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
