5 Moves Chicago Bears Should Have Made This Offseason
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace has been one of the league's busiest GM's this offseason. Of the 90 players currently on Chicago's roster, over 40 of them were added this offseason via free agency or the draft.
Pace addressed needs on the defensive side of the football by signing outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, safety Antrel Rolle and inside linebacker Mason Foster in free agency, and he addressed needs on the offensive side of the football by selecting wide receiver Kevin White, center Hroniss Grasu and running back Jeremy Langford in this year's draft.
Many of Chicago's new additions should be big contributors this season, but there are some things Pace should have done over the last few months that would have made the Bears even stronger up to this point in the offseason.
Just ahead, we explore five moves the Chicago Bears should have made this offseason.
Drafted a Young Pass-Rusher
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After the Bears hired John Fox as their new head coach earlier this offseason, he brought in veteran coordinator Vic Fangio to run the team's defense in 2015.
The Bears are making the switch from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense under Fangio this offseason, and they appeared to be a top candidate to draft a pass-rushing outside linebacker in this year's draft. They held six picks in this year's draft, but none of them were used on a pass-rusher.
Instead of drafting a pass-rusher, the team is relying on former 4-3 defensive ends Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, Willie Young and David Bass to carry the load at the 3-4 outside linebacker position alongside McPhee.
"It's not as hard as everybody thinks," Fangio said about the transition from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. "It's a slow-growing process. A lot of the things that look hard to them now will eventually be easy, but we have to work through that."
The Bears could have taken pass-rusher Vic Beasley with the seventh overall pick, but they opted to draft White to help give quarterback Jay Cutler another weapon in the passing game.
In the second round, they opted to select Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman even though accomplished pass-rushers like Hau'oli Kikaha and Randy Gregory were still on the board.
The next four rounds came and went, but the Bears stayed true to their board and selected players who they thought were the best available at the time.
“It was really best player available all the way through," Pace said after the draft, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. "That’s how it fell. We knew we had a lot of needs.”
Chicago feels comfortable with its outside linebacker situation right now, but the team lacks youth at the position outside of McPhee and Bass.
Allen recently turned 33 years old, Young will turn 30 in September and Houston is 28. The team has plenty of options for the 2015 season at the position, but the Bears could have some serious question marks at the position next season because they did not address the position in this year's draft.
Signed WR Eddie Royal for Less Guaranteed Money
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The Bears had a real need at the wide receiver position after trading Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets in early March, and Pace quickly signed veteran receiver Eddie Royal to a three-year deal once free agency officially opened.
According to Spotrac, Royal signed a three-year, $15 million deal with $10 million guaranteed. Following the first week of free-agent signings, Bleacher Report's Ty Schalter did not agree with the amount of money Chicago gave Royal:
"Now, it's time to party like it's 2009: Chicago dealt Marshall, and Cutler again needs Royal to play second banana to his big, fast No. 1 receiver (Alshon Jeffery).
This contract, though... $10 million guaranteed? To a guy about to turn 29? Whose best year ever was a 91-catch, 980-yard, five-touchdown rookie season? Who's only started at least 12 games in a season twice in seven years?
I'm a fan of Royal's redemption story, but this is a bizarre first-week signing.
"
Royal had the best year of his career in 2008 in Denver with Cutler as his quarterback, but since his rookie year, he has not had a season in which he has hauled in more than 62 catches or recorded more than 778 receiving yards.
He struggled in his three years in Denver without Cutler, but he found new life playing in head coach Mike McCoy's offense in San Diego in 2013 and 2014.
He made a total of 109 catches for 1,409 yards with 15 touchdowns over the course of the last two seasons, but the contract he signed this offseason is more lucrative than the contracts signed by guys like Michael Crabtree (one-year, $3 million) and Stevie Johnson (three-years, $10.5 million).
Royal should play a big part in Chicago's offense this season out of the slot, but at best he will be Cutler's third option in the passing game. Jeffery and White will be Cutler's primary targets on the outside, while tight end Martellus Bennett and running back Matt Forte will give Cutler reliable targets in the middle of the field.
Royal will be a valuable part of Chicago's offense in 2015, but on the surface, it looks like the team overpaid for a receiver whose best season came back in 2008.
Pursued TE Jermaine Gresham
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Earlier this offseason, Bennett opted not to participate in the team's voluntary minicamp or organized team activities (OTAs) in an attempt to get a contract extension. He did return to the team for voluntary minicamp in early June.
“It’s cool to be out there," Bennett said after rejoining the team, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. It’s the same thing I always do [in the offseason]—just work out and enjoy my family. Same thing I do every year.”
Bennett is 28 years old and is coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance after finishing the 2014 season with 90 catches for 916 yards with six touchdowns, but he still has two years remaining on his contract.
The talented tight end has not said whether or not he will sit out training camp in hopes of receiving a new deal.
Veterans Dante Rosario and Bear Pascoe are both proven NFL players, but they are viewed strictly as blocking tight ends and do not offer much in the passing game. Zach Miller has shown flashes of his potential in the past as a pass-catcher, but he has struggled with injuries throughout his career.
Veteran tight end Jermaine Gresham has struggled with back issues this offseason, but he is a two-time Pro Bowler who would give the Bears another reliable threat in the red zone.
According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Gresham was diagnosed with a herniated disc back in March and had to undergo surgery. Per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, Gresham met with the New Orleans Saints in early June, but he was not signed.
Gresham was a big part of Cincinnati's offense from 2010 to 2012 before the Bengals drafted tight end Tyler Eifert in the first round of the 2013 draft. He has recorded 280 catches for 2,722 yards with 24 touchdowns in his five-year career.
The Bears could conceivably still sign Gresham this offseason, but the team currently has seven tight ends on the roster. Bennett is going to be the team's top tight end this season as long as he does not holdout, but there are still plenty of unknowns behind him on the depth chart.
Either Rosario or Pascoe will make the roster as the team's blocking tight end, but if Miller cannot stay healthy, the team does not have a backup who has the ability to be a pass-catching tight end.
If Miller gets injured, or simply does not have a good offseason, it may be too late to bring Gresham along near the end of the preseason and to expect him to have much of an impact.
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Added a Proven Offensive Tackle
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Former fifth-round pick Jordan Mills surprised many when he won Chicago's starting right tackle job in his rookie season back in 2013.
Mills started all 16 games that season, but according to Pro Football Focus, he finished the year as the league's third-worst tackle with a minus-36.2 overall grade. He allowed three sacks, 13 quarterback hits and a league-high 62 quarterback hurries in 1,022 snaps.
He missed three games last season due to injuries, and according to Pro Football Focus, he gave up six sacks, six quarterback hits and 31 quarterback hurries in 839 snaps.
The Bears had plenty of opportunities to upgrade the position in free agency and the draft, but they opted to stand pat at the position.
The team may have opted not to add to the position because they want to try Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long at right tackle, but there is no guarantee he starts the year playing on the outside.
“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 earlier this offseason after Long took reps at right tackle in OTAs, according to Biggs. "We had a shortage of tackles right now. We have a couple of guys in the training room. So we took a look at him there.”
The Bears were not going to spend big money on a right tackle like King Dunlap, Doug Free or Jermey Parnell in free agency, but they could have signed a former starter like Joe Barksdale to a team-friendly deal.
Barksdale started 16 games for the St. Louis Rams last season, but he struggled to secure a long-term deal this offseason. He eventually signed a one-year contract worth $1.095 million with the San Diego Chargers. Not only can Barksdale play on the outside at tackle, but he can also play inside at guard if needed.
The young lineman would not have been guaranteed a starting job at right tackle, but he would have been an upgrade over Mills.
If Long moves to the outside and becomes a Pro Bowl tackle, then none of this matters. But if the team opts to keep Mills on the outside and he struggles, the Bears may look back and regret not signing someone like Barksdale this offseason.
Added More Depth to the Defensive Line
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Not only has the transition to a 3-4 defense affected Chicago's linebacker corps, but it has also affected its defensive line. With guys like Allen, Young, Houston and Bass moving off the line of scrimmage to linebacker, the team's depth along the defensive line took a big hit this offseason.
Veteran Jeremiah Ratliff and offseason addition Jarvis Jenkins are currently the only two linemen on Chicago's roster who have played in a 3-4 defense before. 2014 draft picks Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton moved from defensive tackle to defensive end this offseason, and the team drafted Goldman in the second round to play nose tackle.
The Bears signed veteran Ray McDonald earlier this offseason to help anchor the defensive line, but he was arrested in late May and released by the team shortly after his arrest.
Ratliff can play both inside at nose tackle and outside at defensive end, and where he ends up starting this season will be based on how well Goldman adapts to playing in the NFL.
If Goldman can prove he can handle the load on the inside as the starter, the team could line up Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers with Ratliff and Jenkins at defensive end and Goldman at nose tackle.
Ferguson and Sutton are both better fits at defensive tackle in a 4-3 defense, but they will be forced to play both nose tackle and defensive end in Fangio's scheme.
Options were fairly limited in the free-agent market in terms of 3-4 defensive line depth, but veterans like Stephen Bowen, Darnell Dockett and Kevin Vickerson were all available. None of those three veterans would have drastically improved Chicago's defensive line, but they would have given the unit more credibility.
Unless some of Chicago's young linemen can step up this season, the defensive line is going to be one of the defense's weakest units in 2015.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.
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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