Chicago Bears Veterans Who Have Been Put on Notice This Offseason
The Chicago Bears have added many new faces to their roster via free agency and the draft in the last few months, and that means many of the team's veterans have been put on notice this offseason.
Being "put on notice" often means a player is now on the roster bubble, but it can also mean a player is on the verge of losing his starting job because competition was added to his position this offseason.
On the surface, being a player on notice in the NFL is not a good thing, but it could help push some players to perform better in offseason workouts, minicamps and training camp.
Here are five Bears veterans who have been put on notice this offseason.
LB Shea McClellin
1 of 5
No player on the defensive side of the football has been as polarizing as Shea McClellin over the last three seasons in Chicago.
The 19th overall pick in the 2012 draft, McClellin failed to live up to lofty expectations during his rookie season. In 14 games, he registered just 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks playing out of position at defensive end in Chicago's 4-3 defense.
McClellin was initially projected to be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, but then-general manager Phil Emery thought McClellin was versatile enough to play out of a three-point stance as a defensive end.
“He showed some natural things that the other [defensive ends] did not show us to as high a level: his ability to bend, his pad level, [his ability] to get from blocker to ball and close the gap as quick as possible through a combination of instincts and quickness,” Emery said after the draft, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.
The Bears continued to use him at defensive end in 2013, and he finished the year with 30 tackles and four sacks, but he was inconsistent for much of the year. The team opted to move him to strong-side linebacker last season, and he finished the year with 36 tackles and one sack, and he struggled in pass coverage.
In 2015, McClellin is set to play his third position in as many years. The team said it will use him at inside linebacker this season, and new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio thinks highly of him.
“He has good size (6'3", 260 lbs),” Fangio said, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. “He has good athletic ability. He has been hindered, I think, by being moved around—to no fault of anybody’s. That’s just the way it goes. He has a chance to be a good inside linebacker.”
Despite Fangio's comments, there simply might not be any room for McClellin on the roster this season. The team added Mason Foster in free agency, and the Bears also have Christian Jones, Jon Bostic, DeDe Lattimore and Jonathan Brown competing for two starting inside linebacker spots this offseason.
Even if McClellin makes the roster this season, there is no guarantee he will get extensive playing time. The previous regime did its best to get him on the field as often as possible, but Chicago's new regime has no ties to him, meaning he may just stick on the roster as depth at the position.
WR Marquess Wilson
2 of 5
The Bears jumped at the chance to take West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White with their first pick in the draft, meaning third-year receiver Marquess Wilson has now been put on notice this offseason.
Once a highly touted receiver prospect out of Washington State, Wilson left the football team in November 2012, and his draft stock plummeted following his departure.
The Bears grabbed him in the seventh round in 2013, and Emery discussed his decision to take a chance on Wilson after the draft concluded.
"We felt at that point in the draft that a person of this kind of talent deserved a second chance," Emery said at the time, according to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "His biggest sin is he walked out. We felt very comfortable that this was a good person who made an immature decision. He's owned up to that decision."
Wilson appeared in 10 games his rookie season but hauled in just two catches for 13 yards. There were high expectations for him going into last season after spending his offseason working out with Brandon Marshall, but he broke his clavicle in training camp and missed the team's first nine games of the season.
He finished last season with 17 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown.
After the Bears traded Marshall to the New York Jets this offseason, it looked like Wilson would get another chance to prove himself, but the team signed veteran Eddie Royal in free agency and later added White to the mix.
Wilson's roster spot is likely safe for the time being, but if he wants to make an impact on the field in 2015, he is going to need to have a stellar training camp and preseason in order to push Royal for playing time behind Alshon Jeffery and White.
TE Dante Rosario
3 of 5
Tight end Martellus Bennett had a career year for the Bears last season—hauling in 90 catches for 916 yards and six touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance—and barring any moves this offseason, he will remain as the team's starting tight end in 2015.
Bennett's spot atop the depth chart appears to be secure, but the depth behind him is a question mark.
The team re-signed veterans Dante Rosario and Zach Miller, added Bear Pascoe in free agency and signed undrafted free agent Brian Vogler this offseason. In addition to those four, the Bears also have Blake Annen and Jacob Maxwell on the roster to compete for one or two open spots behind Bennett.
The No. 2 tight end spot on the depth chart looked to be Rosario's earlier this offseason, but the additions of Miller and Pascoe may make him expendable this season.
Rosario caught 16 passes for 116 yards last season and played for Bears head coach John Fox in both Carolina and Denver, but he struggled as a blocker last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Rosario finished last season with a minus-2.1 pass-block grade and a minus-0.2 run-block grade. He is serviceable, but Miller and Pascoe may be better options.
Miller had a productive preseason last year, but he injured his foot early in the preseason and was lost for the season. The team signed him to a one-year deal earlier this offseason.
He has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but when healthy, he gives the Bears another big target in the middle of the field and a solid run-blocker.
Pascoe was taken in the sixth round of the 2009 draft by the New York Giants and spent four seasons in New York before signing with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason. In his career, Pascoe has registered 40 catches for 336 yards with two touchdowns. He is not much of a receiver, but he is an effective run-blocker and could develop into a lead blocker for running back Matt Forte this season.
Pascoe may have the best chance of becoming Chicago's new No. 2 tight end, meaning Rosario will have to compete with Miller this offseason to stay on the roster. If Miller can stay healthy, Rosario may end up getting cut later this offseason.
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LB Jon Bostic
4 of 5
A second-round pick out of Florida in 2013, Jon Bostic appeared in all 16 games his rookie season and registered 57 tackles, two sacks and one interception.
He struggled at times against the run, and according to Pro Football Focus, he finished the 2013 season with a minus-14.7 overall grade and a minus-14.0 grade against the run.
He moved from middle linebacker to outside linebacker last season and registered 84 tackles in 13 games. He showed some improvement against the run, but he struggled against the pass. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished last season with a minus-6.5 pass-coverage grade.
While Bostic has a chance to be one of the team's starters at inside linebacker this season, he was put on notice this offseason when the team signed Mason Foster.
Foster spent the last four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and registered 343 tackles, six sacks and five interceptions in 57 games. He is good against the run, can move sideline to sideline and has experience dropping back in pass coverage.
He will likely be one of Chicago's starters at inside linebacker, but Bostic will be left to compete with guys like McClellin and Jones for the other open spot.
As discussed earlier, Fangio appears to like McClellin, and he could see some playing time at inside linebacker this season, but Jones could be a wild card.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State last year, Jones appeared in all 16 games last season and finished with 69 tackles and two sacks. He was once projected to go somewhere between the second and third rounds of the 2014 draft, but he fell off most teams' radars after failing a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine.
He was impressive at times last season, and Fangio likes what he has seen from Jones this offseason.
“He’s got good size. He’s got good athletic ability," Fangio said about Jones, according to Arthur Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com. "He’s a young, eager guy and football’s important to him. I think he’s got a bright future if he can develop.”
With a good offseason and preseason, Jones could push Bostic out of the starting lineup. Bostic still has upside and is just 24 years old, but the addition of Foster and the emergence of Jones could force him to the bench this season unless he shows improvement against the run.
QB Jay Cutler
5 of 5
Most players are on this list because they could potentially lose their spot on the roster this offseason, but quarterback Jay Cutler has been put on notice for next season.
General manager Ryan Pace was noncommittal about Cutler's future with the team when he was hired, but he later came out and said the team had decided to move forward with the much-maligned quarterback as the team's starter in 2015.
"We went through the process of thoroughly evaluating the roster, and we're moving forward with Jay as our starting quarterback," Pace told the media, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
Despite Pace's proclamation that Cutler was going to be the team's starter, Fox noted it was going to be a competition.
“It’s all an open competition,” Fox said at the NFL owners meeting in March, according to John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. “Obviously you’ve got to start somewhere and my experience in football, really in anything, it’s not where you start a competition; it’s where you finish it."
The Bears reportedly tried to trade Cutler just before the draft to the Tennessee Titans for the No. 2 pick to take Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, but a deal never materialized.
Offensive coordinator Adam Gase spoke to the media this past week for the first time since he was hired earlier this offseason. Gase and Cutler's paths crossed in 2009 in Denver when Cutler was still with the Broncos and Gase was the team's wide receivers coach.
Gase has seen a change in Cutler, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
"He’s lost weight," Gase said. "He looks good. He’s so mature now compared to what he probably was then. When you get married and you got two kids right now, you change over time and between the good and bad things that happen over your career. I think this is his 10th year. I mean, a lot of ups and downs."
Gase is Cutler's fifth offensive coordinator in Chicago, and Cutler will have to do a lot this season in order to remain the best option for the team moving forward.
It is unlikely he loses his job to backup Jimmy Clausen this offseason, but a poor showing in 2015 could push him out the door next offseason. The new coaching staff does not sound as positive about Cutler's future in Chicago like past regimes, meaning Cutler will need a strong showing in 2015 in order to be under center for the Bears in 2016.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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