Winners and Losers of the Chicago Bears' Offseason So Far
Since the conclusion of the 2014 season, the Chicago Bears have been one of the league's busiest teams. The team fired its general manager and coaching staff, hired a new general manager and coaching staff and added a bevy of new players via free agency and the draft.
Over the course of the last several weeks, the Bears have held three sessions of organized team activities, and the team will hold its mandatory minicamp June 16-18.
The Bears will have roughly five weeks off before players have to report to training camp on July 29.
Throughout the offseason and during OTAs, many players have stood out because of their performances, while others have taken a step back. Who are some of Chicago's winners and losers this offseason? We explore that ahead.
Winner: Tracy Porter
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A second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2008, cornerback Tracy Porter signed with the Bears last week.
Porter spent four years with the Saints before playing for the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins. He crossed paths with current Bears head coach John Fox in Denver in 2012, and Fox is excited to work with him again.
“He’s been with a couple teams since I last had him, but I like what I’ve seen so far,” Fox said last week, according to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “We haven’t put him in a bunch because he’s still learning the system. But he’ll pick it up fast. We’re hoping he helps us.”
Chicago's starters at cornerback are already set in stone with Kyle Fuller and Tim Jennings, but the nickelback position is wide open, and Fox thinks Porter can compete out of the slot.
“He’s smart enough to do that,” Fox said, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. “He can play in all three spots on the sub-defenses. So we’ll wait and see how it shakes out.”
Porter is not the same player he was when he entered the league back in 2008, but he is a reliable veteran who has the ability to play all over the field. He is not guaranteed to make the roster out of training camp later this summer, but the Bears lack depth at the position.
If the Bears view him as an option on the inside at nickelback, he will be expected to compete with veteran Alan Ball and 2014 nickelback Demontre Hurst. Like Porter, Ball has the flexibility to play both inside and outside, and both veterans could give Hurst a run for his money this offseason.
Loser: Demontre Hurst
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Hurst appeared to be a lock to make the roster in 2015 after the Bears opted not to add a cornerback in this year's draft, but the addition of Porter last week has put his spot on the roster in jeopardy.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hurst played 373 snaps last season and finished with a minus-1.8 overall grade, but he did register a plus-2.4 grade against the run. He registered a total of 39 tackles, one pass deflection and one interception in 2014.
While not flashy, Hurst was consistent out of the slot and appeared to get better on a weekly basis. He was at his best when asked to stop the run, but he struggled with quick receivers out of the slot. When asked to be physical at the line of scrimmage, he played well, but he often struggled in zone coverage.
His skill set lends well to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme, but the addition of Porter last week might mean the Bears are not happy with the progress of their young cornerbacks so far this offseason.
While Hurst still stands a good shot of making the team, he will be battling with Porter, Ball, Sherrick McManis, Bryce Callahan, Qumain Black, Jacoby Glenn, Al Louis-Jean and Terrance Mitchell for one of just a handful of spots on the roster at the position.
Because of their previous experience, Ball and Porter should make the team, leaving Hurst to battle with the others for likely only one open spot.
Winner: Ego Ferguson
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When the Bears selected Ego Ferguson in the second round of last year's draft, the young defensive lineman was expected to eventually become an anchor at nose tackle in the team's 4-3 defense.
The team is shifting to a 3-4 defense in 2015, and Ferguson will now be playing both inside at the 0-technique nose tackle position and outside at the 5-technique defensive end position.
“We project [Ferguson] as really nose and end," general manager Ryan Pace said, according to CSNChicago.com's John Mullin. "He can be both for us. So we don’t have him set at one position right now. He can be a nose or an end. He has position flexibility there, too.”
The team's official website lists him at 309 pounds, but the young defensive lineman says he has lost weight this offseason to be able to play defensive end.
“I feel like this fits me,” Ferguson said, according to Mullin. “I lost about 15 pounds, to 298-299, just trying to get a little more pass rushing and being able to run around a little more. I think 295-300 will be about right."
Ferguson showed an ability to collapse the pocket from the nose tackle position at LSU, but he will need to become more explosive this offseason in order to make an impact in 2015. He did finish last season with two sacks, but he will have to prove he can get past opposing offensive linemen with more than just his strength.
He finished last season with 23 total tackles, and he could see some time at the nose tackle position this season in obvious running situations.
When the team held minicamp prior to the NFL draft, it looked like Ferguson would become a rotational player behind veteran Ray McDonald at defensive end, but McDonald was released late last month. With McDonald now out of the picture, Ferguson has a chance to become a key part of Chicago's defense in 2015.
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Winner: Alshon Jeffery
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Over the course of the last three seasons, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has been playing in Brandon Marshall's shadow, but he has a chance to become a superstar with Marshall no longer on the team.
Pace traded Marshall to the New York Jets earlier this offseason for a fifth-round pick, leaving Jeffery as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. Fox has only had limited opportunities to watch Jeffery in minicamps and OTAs this offseason, but he has been impressed by the young receiver.
“I’m not big on comparisons, other than, [Jeffery] is talented, he’s proved that he is worthy of making plays in this league,” Fox said, according to Finley. “What I’ve seen so far in this offseason, is that.”
Jeffery struggled with injuries in his rookie season back in 2012, but he has hauled in 198 passes for 2,921 yards and 20 touchdowns in 42 career games and was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2013 season.
He was one of many playmakers in former head coach Marc Trestman's offense, but he has a chance to put up even better numbers in offensive coordinator Adam Gase's scheme.
“I love the way the offense is,” Jeffery said, according to Finley. “I think the sky’s the limit for it.”
After Marshall was traded, the Bears lacked depth at the position, but Pace added Eddie Royal in free agency and West Virginia's Kevin White in the first round of this year's draft to help draw double coverage away from Jeffery at times this season.
Teams could try to double up on Jeffery on the outside, but since both Royal and White can make plays down the field, the former South Carolina star should see plenty of single coverage
The Bears have only held a handful of practices this offseason, but Fox has been nothing but impressed with Jeffery.
“He’s very gifted, no doubt,” Fox said, according to Finley. “He’s got a great catch radius. He’s got a good knack for the game. I think the thing that probably I didn’t know before getting here was how hard he works at it. He’s done everything we’ve asked. He’s had a tremendous offseason thus far.”
If Jeffery continues to put the work in this offseason, he has a chance to have another great season in 2015.
Loser: Marquess Wilson
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After the Bears jettisoned Marshall earlier this offseason, it looked like third-year man Marquess Wilson would head into the 2015 offseason with a chance to claim one of the team's starting wide receiver jobs, but Chicago's offseason additions have pushed the young receiver down the depth chart.
Wilson has registered 19 catches for 153 yards with one touchdown in two seasons, but he missed nine games last year with a clavicle injury.
Earlier this month, I wrote about how Wilson could find a new role in Chicago's offense, but he will likely be the team's No. 4 wide receiver. He has the potential to be used out of the slot or on the outside, and he has the ability to stretch the field with his speed.
Despite his versatility and speed, he has done very little over the course of the last two seasons to suggest he can become an impact player in the NFL.
He struggled last season when he was pressed at the line of scrimmage, and he will need to get stronger in order to become a reliable target for Jay Cutler in the passing game.
The reason why he has dropped down the depth chart this offseason has less to do with his ability and more to do with the players the team added this offseason.
Royal is a savvy, proven veteran who has played with Cutler before and is reliable out of the slot, while White gives the team a down-the-field playmaker.
“He’s a great player,” Jeffery said about White, according to Finley. “He’s an explosive player. We can’t wait for the season. What he’s going to do on the field is going to be great.”
While Wilson could still find a role on offense in 2015, he has seen his stock drop dramatically this offseason with the additions of Royal and White.
Winner: Kyle Fuller
6 of 7Kyle Fuller's NFL career started off with a bang last season. In his first three games, he registered three interceptions and looked to be an early candidate for Rookie of the Year before his game regressed a bit in the following weeks.
Despite Fuller's regression near the end of last season, Fox believes the young cornerback can be a key part of Chicago's defense moving forward.
"Defense, I'd say Fuller is a guy—my evaluation is more from what he did in college, where we had him in the draft process than it is completely on Bear tape—but I'd say a young guy like that, a core guy, he was a first-round pick," Fox said, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "I think he has the right kind of tools to be a guy that can lean into that leader spot as he goes."
Fuller showed flashes of his potential last season in former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker's scheme, but he was often asked to play five to eight yards off the line of scrimmage in zone coverage, limiting his ability to play physical.
Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen thinks Fuller has a chance to excel in Fangio's 3-4 defense, writing:
"With Vic Fangio now running the defense in Chicago, we should see the Bears utilize Kyle Fuller's versatility more in the secondary. Fuller has the skill set to line up outside the numbers, play over the slot or even match up to a tight end based on the game plan. The idea here is to put him in a position to challenge receivers, make plays on the ball and show up in the blitz front, rushing off the edge.
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In the video above, Bowen mentions defensive backs coach Ed Donatell, and the veteran coach likes what he has seen from the former Virginia Tech star.
"We did draft work, he was a top-rated guy," Donatell said about Fuller, according to Fishbain. "So far, I've really liked his makeup as a person. He's a hard worker, very serious, and he has a nice skill set."
Fuller has all the tools to become the team's top cornerback, and he should be able to thrive in Fangio's scheme this season because the veteran coordinator knows how to properly utilize his best players.
If Fuller can buy into Fangio's system, he has a chance to become one of the league's best young cornerbacks in 2015.
Loser: Brock Vereen
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After a rocky start to his rookie season in 2014, safety Brock Vereen showed some life near the end of last season.
The former Minnesota Golden Gopher finished last year with 39 tackles, one forced fumble and one interception and looked poised to be in the running for one of the team's starting safety jobs before veteran Antrel Rolle was signed in free agency.
Rolle will be the team's starter at free safety, leaving Vereen to battle with veteran Ryan Mundy and 2015 fifth-round pick Adrian Amos for the starting strong safety spot.
Mundy appears to be the front-runner at strong safety because of his experience and ability to play up in the box against the run, while Amos has the ability to drop back and cover the back half of the field.
Vereen will still make the roster out of training camp because of the lack of depth at the position, but his chances of taking over a starting job this offseason have dropped significantly with the additions of Rolle and Amos.
If the new coaching staff views Vereen more as a nickelback than safety, he will also have a difficult time earning that job out of training camp because of the additions of Ball and Porter this offseason.
Vereen still has a lot of upside and potential, but he lacked physicality at times last season and will need to improve his instincts if he wants to begin the 2015 season as anything more than just a reserve defensive back and special teams contributor.
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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