Biggest Needs Chicago Bears Have Yet to Address This Offseason

Few would suggest the Chicago Bears haven't been active this offseason. Yet, funnily enough, the team's top needs haven't changed much.

General manager Ryan Pace hasn't shied away from his approach this offseason going into what is essentially the third year of a rebuild.

He's signed players who immediately make the team better, but most are stopgap guys with high upside who at worst don't cost the team much after 2017 and act as fillers until Pace's draft classes assume starting roles across the board.

Look at quarterback Mike Glennon as the leading example. He's a clear upgrade over the players the Bears trotted out at center last season. There is potential there for him to start for a few years, but if it doesn't work, he doesn't have much in the way of guaranteed cash after 2017—and his presence won't stop the front office from pulling the trigger on a rookie as high as No. 3 in the upcoming draft.

It's a similar story at most areas of need for the Bears. Massive turnover has created the need for smart investments while building for the future in the background, meaning the biggest areas of need haven't been fully addressed.

Let's look at these areas as the draft approaches.

Finding a No. 1 Corner

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Cornerback is another great example of Pace's approach to this rebuild.

The front office brought on Marcus Cooper and Prince Amukamara this offseason, two under-the-radar signings who could turn into quality starters.

Cooper is a boundary corner who struggled last year with the Arizona Cardinals across from Patrick Peterson, grading as the 106th corner in football, per Pro Football Focus. Amukamara is the same, though he ranked 43rd on the same list and the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't always play him to his strengths.

Rest assured, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will use these guys in a press manner, which is mostly where they shine best. Whether they work out isn't easy to tell, but their presence doesn't mean the Bears won't grab a cornerback as high as No. 3 on draft day.

There, the Bears could look to grab a Marshon Lattimore. If they move back in the first, it opens the door for a Marlon Humphrey or Fabian Moreau.

Either way, corner is still a huge need in Chicago. Even guys floating around the roster like Kyle Fuller and Cre'von LeBlanc aren't guaranteed to pan out, meaning the Bears have a huge need at a premium position.

Adding a Top Target

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Readers will begin to notice a trend here.

Wide receiver is the same story as corner—Pace brought on Kendall Wright and Markus Wheaton, two younger players who could easily secure starting roles and never look back.

At his best, Wheaton put up 749 yards and five touchdowns at 17 yards per catch in 2015, though health issues have derailed his momentum.

Wright had his best year in 2013, where he played under Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who served in the same role with the Tennessee Titans that year. He posted 94 catches for 1,079 yards and two scores.

Add Wheaton's deep ability and Wright's potential as an all-around guy to a group featuring Kevin White and Cameron Meredith, and it looks like Chicago has a high-upside group of guys.

But like corner, things could speed the other direction in a hurry.

This isn't so much about losing Alshon Jeffery, but at least he was a proven veteran. The Bears knew what they would get with him each time he suited up. The four names here are—for now, at least—the opposite.

With proven wideouts off the free-agent market, the Bears could look to address the issue as high as (surprise) No. 3. Wideout seems more realistic in the first round after a trade down, though a second-round wideout wouldn't come as a major shock.

Adding a Talented Edge-Rusher

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Pace and the front office hit it out of the park with Leonard Floyd last year at No. 9.

Floyd only graded as the 38th 3-4 'backer at PFF last year, but keep in mind he tallied seven sacks, two hits and 27 hurries over all of 537 snaps. He stays on the field and those numbers get stretched out or improved next year, and the Bears are good to go at the spot for a long time.

The same doesn't apply elsewhere when it comes to edge-rushers. Pernell McPhee has had a hard time staying on the field since joining the team. Willie Young is a quality gem of a depth find, but the Bears need more of it, both as injury insurance and rotational depth to keep opposing offenses guessing and linemen worn down.

Chicago can hit this need anywhere. If the Bears want to get wild right out of the gates in the first round, Solomon Thomas should be around at three, and if they trade back, someone like Haason Reddick can have an instant impact.

Value buys in the mid rounds such as Derek Rivers or Tanoh Kpassagnon, among others, offer similar rotational production with the ability to grow into every-down starters.

No matter which way the Bears choose to address the issue, giving Fangio another elite athlete at a premium position is nothing short of an outstanding idea.

Addressing Offensive Tackle

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We've said in the past that upgrading offensive tackle is a big need for the Bears this offseason.

Some might consider it a luxury issue, but few things are more important than protecting an immobile quarterback like Glennon playing under a starter-money contract (for at least one year). If the Bears hope he's the guy for a long time, upgrading offensive tackle is a priority. Ditto for any rookie they draft.

This seems to be the thought process for Pace and Co. after Sporting News' Alex Marvez reported the Bears had an interest in free agent Rick Wagner.

Wagner signed with the Detroit Lions, but one can see why the Bears wanted to lure him—he ranked as the 20th tackle in football last year with PFF, posting a big grade in pass blocking while allowing just three sacks and 25 hurries.

For comparison's sake, Bears right tackle Bobby Massie ranked 49th with negative marks in pass and run blocking, allowing four sacks and 27 hurries. On the left side, Charles Leno Jr. came in 53rd with similar negative marks, five sacks and 23 hurries.

These numbers don't tell the whole story by any means. Leno in particular can still come around seeing as he's 25 years old. The odds the Bears find a surefire starter in the draft, even if they wanted to for some reason, aren't good.

At a minimum, the Bears need to find a high-upside rookie who can push the rest of the roster.

Reinforcing Safety

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Quietly, the Bears chalked one of the better post-first day signings of free agency with safety Quintin Demps.

A team going with a youth movement seems crazy to add a 31-year-old safety, even if he's a starter. But there's a catch with Demps—he might be 31, but, per PFF, he never played more than 354 snaps in a season over the first four years of his career.

Demps is a late-blooming player who has had a big impact over the second half of his career, last year alone slotting as the league's 12th safety while picking off six passes.

In other words, the Bears have shored up one of two safety spots. Given the importance of the position in today's NFL and how iffy it is as a whole throughout the league, a safety at No. 3 seems likely.

This means LSU's Jamal Adams or Ohio State's Malik Hooker. The former is as pro-ready as it gets and perhaps the most complete safety to enter the league in a long time. The latter is more of a long-term project, though his sheer coverage skills over little time at the spot speak to incredible upside.

Outside of the first, names like Budda Baker and Obi Melifonwu are ones to watch. Either way, a safety drafted perhaps as low as the third round might be expected to start as a rookie.

Finding a Quarterback of the Future

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Glennon either is or isn't a long-term answer, depending on who answers the question.

As usual, the answer is probably somewhere between the two extremes. He's on a $45 million contract over three years, per Spotrac, with little in the way of cap penalties if the Bears give him the boot after one year.

Glennon, though he has only received a chance in two games since 2014, is a big-armed passer who stands tall in the pocket and can run an offense well. He seemed due for a major payday on the market after leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers either way, Chicago was simply the one to pull the trigger.

Never given a fair shake before the league laughingstock drafted Jameis Winston, Chicago won't exactly have a consistent environment for him either. If he succeeds, good, he's 27 years old and can play for a long time.

If not, well, that's why Chicago still looks like a favorite to draft a quarterback at some point.

This is a weak class, so if the Bears want to pull the trigger at the position, it's advisable to do so at No. 3 with Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer or Mitchell Trubisky. That, or trade back up into the first round for one of the three or Patrick Mahomes. This class doesn't offer much after the first two rounds.

If the Bears wait, rolling the dice on a Davis Webb or other and planting them on the bench is a decent consolation prize, so long as the team doesn't plan on aiming for one of the best prospects in 2018—this rarely works and the outlook a year from now probably won't resemble what it does right now.

Either way, the Bears need to develop a passer behind Glennon regardless of when he actually takes the field. Nothing else much matters without a quality passer in the league these days, something the Bears should know quite well while playing in the same division as Aaron Rodgers.

All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.