Fact or Fiction for Chicago Bears' Biggest Offseason Question Marks
It is hard to believe, but a big part of the NFL offseason has already passed by. And the Chicago Bears will open up training camp late next month.
The Bears have gone through many changes this offseason. A new front office and coaching staff were put in place at the beginning of the year, and the team has added more than 40 new faces to its roster since the conclusion of the 2014 season.
General manager Ryan Pace has done a nice job of addressing needs on both sides of the football this offseason, but there are still some questions surrounding Chicago's roster.
Do the Bears lack depth at outside linebacker? Is the backup running back position already set in stone? Those are just two of the many questions surrounding the Bears this offseason.
What is fact, and what is fiction? We take a look at that just ahead.
Fiction: Defense Lacks Depth at Outside Linebacker
1 of 5
Even though the Bears added outside linebacker Pernell McPhee in free agency to help put pressure on opposing quarterbacks in the team's new 3-4 defense, the Bears looked like a team that needed to add more youth at the position during the draft.
All seven rounds of the draft came and went without the Bears taking an outside linebacker, and the team appears to feel comfortable with the players it currently has on the roster at the position.
Jared Allen, Willie Young, David Bass and Lamarr Houston are all converting from 4-3 defensive ends to 3-4 outside linebackers in the team's new defensive scheme, and two of the team's newest outside linebackers have impressed this offseason, according to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs:
"#Bears OLBs David Bass and Jared Allen both made plays on the field today. Multiple takeaways for Bass.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) June 16, 2015"
“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 about the transition, according to Adam Jahns 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.”
Allen is not expected to revert back to the pass-rusher who was fighting for the league's single-season sack record back in 2011, but he should be an integral part of Chicago's rotation at the position.
Bass showed flashes of his potential over the course of the last two seasons, but he looked out of sorts as a 4-3 defensive end. He is a fluid athlete who moves well laterally, and head coach John Fox likes what he has seen from the young linebacker this offseason.
"I think he’s worked very hard," Fox said, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "[Outside linebackers coach] Clint Hurtt and [defensive coordinator] Vic [Fangio] have done a good job working with those guys and teaching them. I think sometimes new is better, and he’s taken to it pretty well.”
Neither Young nor Houston has had an opportunity to do much on the practice field so far this offseason, as they are still recovering from season-ending injuries they suffered last year, and Fox has said very little about their progress, according to Jahns:
"#Bears coach John Fox said OLBs Lamarr Houston and Willie Young continue to go through their rehabs. Called them week-to-week.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) June 3, 2015"
Assuming Young and Houston can return in time to participate in training camp and the preseason, the Bears will enter the 2015 season with a handful of outside linebackers who can not only get after the quarterback, but who can help stop the run on the outside.
Depth appeared to be an issue at the position before OTAs and minicamps began, but if Allen and Bass continue to impress on the field, Chicago's biggest issue this season could be finding enough reps for its outside linebackers.
Fact: Bears Need a Young Receiver to Step Up This Offseason
2 of 5
The Bears have one of the best young wide receivers in the game in Alshon Jeffery, and they added veteran slot receiver Eddie Royal in free agency and took West Virginia's Kevin White with the seventh overall pick. But the team lacks depth behind them.
Most teams in the NFL would love to have a receiving trio with the same potential Chicago's trio has, but if one of those three receivers gets hurt this season, the Bears do not have another proven contributor on the roster.
Of the eight receivers currently on the roster not named Jeffery, Royal or White, only two have ever caught a pass in the NFL. Third-year man Marquess Wilson has 19 career receptions, while Marc Mariani has hauled in five passes in three NFL seasons.
Wilson has upside and the potential to develop into a serviceable role player in the NFL, but he has struggled with injuries and inconsistency in his young career. Last week he received praise from Fox.
“Like most of the guys, he’s worked very hard, made some grabs and caught the coaches’ eyes in these offseason workouts,” he said, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Even though he has looked good in the team's limited practices this offseason, he needs a strong showing in training camp and the preseason to be viewed as a reliable option off the bench. He stands the best shot of any of the team's backup receivers to make the roster in 2015, but he will need to prove he can create separation off the line of scrimmage and that he can be reliable target.
After Wilson and Mariani, the depth chart lacks NFL experience. Mariani, as well as undrafted rookie Levi Norwood, has a chance to make the roster as a return man and special teams contributor, but neither has much upside as a receiver.
Former undrafted free agents Joshua Bellamy, Ify Umodu, Rashad Lawrence, Cameron Meredith and John Chiles fill out the rest of the roster. All five have some upside and potential, but they are all raw.
Unfortunately for the Bears, the wide receiver free-agent market is very thin, so they'll have to hope one of their young receivers can develop this summer.
Bellamy, 26, appeared in four games last season primarily on special teams, but he has the ability to stretch the field with his speed. The Bears signed Umodu earlier this month. The team's website lists him at 6'3" and 215 pounds, but he will need an impressive training camp to stick on the roster.
Lawrence, 23, spent time on Chicago's practice squad last season and will need to find a niche on special teams to make the roster. Chiles has spent time with the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints and also had stints in the Arena Football League and the Canadian Football League. Meredith is a former collegiate quarterback who is raw but has potential because of his football IQ and quickness.
The Bears have plenty of options at wide receiver, but one of their young receivers will need to stand out over the course of the next several weeks to help solidify the position moving forward.
Fiction: Antrel Rolle's Addition Fixes All of Chicago's Woes in the Secondary
3 of 5
After years of below-average play at the safety position, the Bears added a proven veteran safety in free agency this offseason when they inked Antrel Rolle to a three-year deal in early March.
In Rolle's first 10 years in the league he was named to three Pro Bowls and was twice named an All-Pro. In 148 career games he has registered 799 tackles, four sacks and 26 interceptions, but his game has slowly regressed as he has gotten older.
The 32-year-old is still an upgrade at the position for the Bears, but it is not fair to assume his addition this offseason has completely fixed the position.
Earlier this month, Fox discussed what he wanted from his safeties.
“I think at safety you're just looking for guys who have good eyes, can execute where they're supposed to be and be there at the right time,” he said, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com.
Rolle fits that mold and should be able to thrive in Fangio's 3-4 defense, but the other safety position is currently wide open.
Second-year man Brock Vereen and veteran Ryan Mundy are currently the front-runners for the other starting safety position, but the team added veteran Sherrod Martin at the end of last week. The Carolina Panthers drafted Martin in the second round of the 2009 draft, and he has appeared in 72 games in his career.
He started 31 games for the Panthers between 2010 and 2011 and has registered 215 tackles, 22 pass deflections and eight interceptions in his five-year career. He spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played in 13 games with two starts and recorded 16 tackles and one interception.
Martin is a poor tackler, but he has above-average coverage skills and is a playmaker. He tends to take risks, but he is a former starter who could push for playing time in training camp.
Vereen is an athletic safety who possesses good range and above-average coverage ability, but he does not play very physically. He struggled at free safety last season, but he could potentially find new life at strong safety in Fangio's scheme.
Mundy appears to be the front-runner for the starting strong safety position, but he struggles at times in pass coverage and can play a bit heavy-footed. One advantage Mundy does have is he has played with Rolle in the past.
“Antrel and I have a history together,” Mundy said, according to Dickerson. “We had a really good chemistry and connection in New York when we played for the Giants. I’m looking forward to bringing that to Chicago and making a lot of plays because we had a lot of success two years ago.”
Rolle's addition this offseason has already made the secondary much better, but he is going to need some help from his partner at strong safety in order for Chicago's secondary to show vast improvement over last year's disappointing season.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Fact: The Backup Running Back Position Is Wide Open
4 of 5
The Bears have one of the best running backs in the league in Matt Forte. But he is nearing the age of 30, and the team would be wise to reduce some of his carries in order to keep him fresh near the end of games.
Chicago entered the offseason with Ka'Deem Carey and Senorise Perry as the only other running backs on the roster, but it eventually added Jacquizz Rodgers in free agency and drafted Jeremy Langford in the fourth round of this year's draft to compete for the No. 2 job.
Near the end of mandatory minicamp last week, the Bears signed veteran running back Daniel Thomas to a one-year deal:
"#Bears have signed S Sherrod Martin and RB Daniel Thomas to 1-year deals & waived K Jeremiah Detmer, QB Pat Devlin & TE Jacob Maxwell.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 18, 2015"
Thomas was a second-round pick of Miami back in 2011 and recorded 1,480 rushing yards on 409 carries with 10 touchdowns over four seasons with the Dolphins. He is a between-the-tackles runner who has good hands out of the backfield.
Prior to Thomas' signing, it looked like Carey, Rodgers and Langford would be squaring off for the No. 2 job this offseason, but the addition of the former Kansas State Wildcat muddles Chicago's already jumbled backfield.
Rodgers is a proven commodity and should make the team because of his ability to be a reliable third-down back. Langford should also make the team because he was a fourth-round pick this offseason, but Carey's and Perry's future are now up in the air with Thomas' addition.
Perry looks like the odd man out because he was only a contributor on special teams last season, but Carey was a disappointment in 2014. The Bears took the former Arizona Wildcat in the fourth round of last year's draft, but Carey carried the football just 36 times last season.
Thomas is not a lock to make the roster in 2015, but his addition last week proves Chicago's depth chart at the running back position is a big unknown behind Forte heading into training camp later next month.
Fact: Chicago's Defense Will Be Creative in 2015
5 of 5
The Bears hired Fangio this offseason to revamp the defense, and even though the veteran coach is rooted in 3-4 principles, the defense will feature many different looks this season.
“He is very creative,” McPhee said about Fangio, according to Jahns. “It might not look like it sometimes because of the schemes, but [it’s] really aggressive. So every time, when I think about it, even when I watch the practice film, I’ll be like, ‘Damn, This guy is really creative.’ ”
Even though Fangio is labeled as a 3-4 coach, he used a lot of 4-3 looks while with the San Francisco 49ers. Chicago has a couple of players like McPhee who could play as both a stand-up linebacker or as a defensive lineman with a hand on the ground.
McPhee, Houston, Allen, Bass and Young could all conceivably move back and forth between linebacker and the defensive line in Fangio's scheme, and McPhee thinks that versatility is what makes this defense so difficult to match up against.
“That’s the good part of the defense," he said, according to Finley. "You can’t really scheme this defense, because you don’t know what side is coming.”
Fangio could load up one side of the formation with two or three pass-rushers and force a team to add more blockers to one side, freeing up a pass-rusher on the other side to go after the quarterback.
McPhee was successful in Baltimore because he was given the ability to freelance as a pass-rusher, and defensive end Jarvis Jenkins commented about having freedom in Fangio's scheme last week, according to Fishbain:
"Bears DL Jarvis Jenkins says he likes having "a little more freedom" in Vic Fangio's 3-4 defense pic.twitter.com/F775vtAPvf
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) June 17, 2015"
The addition of Fangio this offseason automatically made the defense better, but if he can continue to teach different concepts throughout training camp and the preseason, Chicago's defense has a chance to be one of the league's most creative in 2015.
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.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
