Rounding Up the Latest Chicago Bears Offseason Buzz
The Chicago Bears have been hard at work during organized team activities (OTAs) the last several weeks, and the team will be holding its final minicamp June 16-18 before taking some time off prior to the start of training camp later next month.
Over the course of the last several months, Chicago has overhauled its front office, hired new coaches, implemented new schemes on both sides of the football and added many new players to the roster.
Some players have been forced to change positions because of a new scheme on defense, while others have been asked to try a new position on offense because of injuries. Even though the offseason is beginning to quiet down, new storylines and rumors have been emerging on a daily basis.
What is some of the buzz surrounding the team as it heads into its mandatory minicamp this week? We explore that ahead.
Jared Allen Is Embracing His Position Change
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Throughout Jared Allen's 11-year career, he has been one of the league's most dominant 4-3 defense ends, but the 33-year-old is moving to outside linebacker this offseason in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme.
The move has not been easy, but Allen has embraced the challenge this offseason.
“My body feels fresher because I’m not banging every single day and putting my hands on a 300-plus pounder and banging heads,” Allen said, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I like it because it is testing my football IQ. … This is a totally different thought process for me, and it’s really forcing me to study. I’m having fun with it.”
The Bears signed Allen last season to give them a pass-rushing force on the outside, but he mustered just 5.5 sacks in 2014. He struggled with a bout of pneumonia early in the year but started to look like his old self near the end of the season.
The move to outside linebacker will still allow him to rush the quarterback, but he will also have to occasionally drop back in coverage.
"Obviously, I'd rather get my nose dirty going forward," Allen said about having to drop back in coverage, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. "But you're a little out of your element, so sometimes that's fun to be able to make a play on the ball."
Rushing the quarterback will still come naturally to Allen, but he may have a difficult time playing in pass coverage. He is not an overly fluid athlete, but he was able to become a dominant 4-3 pass-rusher because of his strength and technique rather than his athleticism.
Even though he has spent his entire career as a 4-3 defensive end, dropping back in coverage is not a completely new concept for Allen. According to Pro Football Focus, he has dropped back in coverage 55 times over the last four seasons.
His coverage snaps may increase in 2015, but Fangio's scheme will mostly use him as a situational pass-rusher.
Seeing Allen rush the quarterback from a two-point stance will be a strange sight this season, but he has had the right attitude all offseason about his position change. He has a chance to find new life as a 3-4 outside linebacker in 2015.
Kyle Long Could Be the Answer at Right Tackle
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Late last week, Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long got his first opportunity to line up at right tackle during the team's OTA session, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune:
"#Bears used Kyle Long at right tackle today at OTA
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) June 10, 2015"
After practice concluded, head coach John Fox clarified why Long was taking reps at right tackle.
"We had a shortage of tackles right now," Fox said last Wednesday, according to Biggs. "We have a couple of guys in the training room. So we took a look at him there.”
Even though it makes sense to move Long to tackle, Fox was not willing to name the young lineman as a candidate for the position.
“Right now he’s a starting guard, and we’re out here trying to get better as a team, learn a new system," Fox said, according to Biggs.
Long has been one of the NFL's best guards since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2013, but his skill set as a whole lends better to the tackle position. While he has showed off his quickness and athleticism on pulls and in the screen game as a guard, that athleticism would be on full display on the outside at tackle.
He is strong and powerful at the point of attack, but he also has nimble feet and knows how to gain leverage against quick defensive linemen. He would have to learn how to play on an island without any help on the outside, but Fox thinks Long's athleticism makes him a good fit anywhere along the offensive line.
“He’s obviously a very, very capable athlete," Fox said, according to Biggs. "He has great strength, great athleticism. So I think he’s capable of playing anywhere across the line."
2013 fifth-round pick Jordan Mills has been the team's starter at right tackle for the better part of the last two seasons, but he has struggled on the outside and could potentially benefit from a move inside to guard.
Mills struggled in pass protection, and according to Pro Football Focus, he has surrendered nine sacks, 93 quarterback hurries and 19 quarterback hits over the course of the last two seasons.
The only tackle the team added this offseason was sixth-round pick Tayo Fabuluje, but he is still raw and will need some time to develop.
If the Bears are not convinced Mills can improve at right tackle, Long's reps at the position last week could be his first steps toward taking over the position in 2015.
Christian Jones Has Adjusted Well to His New Position
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Linebacker Christian Jones signed with the Bears last offseason as an undrafted free agent, and the former Florida State star appeared in all 16 games and finished the year with 69 tackles and two sacks.
He spent the majority of last season playing strong-side linebacker, but the Bears have moved him to inside linebacker this offseason in the new 3-4 defense.
He was expected to start the offseason as a backup to Jon Bostic at inside linebacker, but Bostic has missed time this offseason due to injury. As a result, Jones has gained more reps in his absence, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com.
Jones played both inside and outside linebacker at Florida State, and he feels like he has adjusted well to his new position this offseason.
"So far, I think I've been doing a good job picking it up," Jones said, according to Fishbain. "I feel like I'm adjusting to the NFL game a lot better now. It's not perfect, but every day I'm working on getting better, and it's showing."
Jones is a unique option for the Bears at inside linebacker because he has the ability to rush the quarterback, drop back in coverage and step up against the run. He is still a bit raw, but he has already impressed Fangio this offseason.
"He's got good size," Fangio said, according to Fishbain. "He’s got good athletic ability. He’s a young, eager guy, and football’s important to him. I think he’s got a bright future if he can develop."
While he proved last season he can play well against the run, Jones will need to improve on his awareness and instincts in the passing game this offseason.
According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 32 receptions on 37 targets in pass coverage for 307 yards and two touchdowns. His 6.2 coverage snaps per reception was the second-worst among all 4-3 outside linebackers who played in 25 percent or more of his team's snaps on defense.
Even though he has received additional reps this offseason because of Bostic's injury, he is going to need to improve in pass coverage in order to beat out Bostic for one of the two starting inside linebacker spots in 2015.
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Antrel Rolle Feels Good About the Defense's Progress
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The Bears signed veteran Antrel Rolle in free agency in March to help solidify the safety position, and the former All-Pro likes the progress the defense is making this offseason.
“Everything is coming together, for sure,” Rolle said, according to Dickerson. “There's still a lot of work left to be done, which is expected, but things are coming together. The feeling is good and the tempo is great. We're just getting to know each other, and that definitely takes time. We're just waiting for it to all click.”
Chicago's defense, particularly the secondary, failed to produce under former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, but Rolle should help add some stability in Fangio's 3-4 scheme.
Rolle has the ability to line up at either safety position, but he will likely spend the season as the free safety. According to Pro Football Focus, he struggled against the run last season and registered a minus-10.5 run grade, but he finished with a plus-0.5 against the pass.
The Bears were abysmal last season against both the run and the pass, and while they are not expected to instantly transform into one of the league's best units in Fangio's first year with the team, Rolle and the rest of the defense have the right attitude.
“We're hungry, but it's because first and foremost we want to win," Rolle said, according to Dickerson. "That's the competitive nature in us, that's our attitude and that's going to be our motto. We want to win games."
The defense appears to have the right attitude and approach to this upcoming season, but the group still has a long ways to go if it wants to be better than the unit that gave up an average of 27.6 points per game in 2014.
A Pair of Rookies Feel Comfortable in the Team's Offense
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One of the biggest adjustments for rookies in the NFL is learning a new system, but running back Jeremy Langford feels comfortable in Chicago's offense.
"Playing at Michigan State, I'm coming from a pro-style offense that has the same concepts, and it's making it easier for me to learn,'' Langford said, according to Mike Griffith of MLive.com. "It's really just changing the verbiage of the plays and blitz pickups, but the same things we do at Michigan State are the same things we're doing in the league.''
Langford is not the only rookie who already feels comfortable in Chicago's offense.
"I'm a lot more comfortable now," said first-round pick Kevin White, according to Dickerson. "Day 1, everything was happening a lot faster. It's slowing down just a bit now."
Both rookies may feel comfortable now in the offense, but life will get more difficult for them once training camp and the preseason start.
White knows it is important not to try to do too much all at once.
"No, you don't really want to rush it too much," he said, according to Dickerson. "There's a lot on me right now. It'll happen, slowly but surely. It'll all come together."
While Langford will be fighting for playing time behind starting running back Matt Forte, White is the front-runner for the No. 2 wide receiver spot behind Alshon Jeffery.
Even though White's spot near the top of the depth chart is set in stone, he will need to continue to show progress this offseason and form a connection with quarterback Jay Cutler. The veteran quarterback is already comfortable with Jeffery, but he will need to form a bond with White in order for the offense to have success this season.
Langford's familiarity with the offense is definitely a plus, but he will have to prove throughout the rest of this summer he is a better option than Ka'Deem Carey or Jacquizz Rodgers at running back.
Offensive coordinator Adam Gase has likely only set the groundwork and basics for the offense so far this offseason, and it will be interesting to see if both Langford and White feel as comfortable once Gase begins to add more wrinkles to the offense in the coming weeks and months.
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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