Top 5 Areas of Need for Chicago Bears to Focus on for 2012

The Bears have no shortage of needs for next season. But if they are going to make another run at a title, with an aging defense, they will need some players that can step in and contribute.

Those players typically come from the free-agent or, to a lesser degree, the trade market. First-round draft picks aside, the draft seldom produces immediate difference makers in the later rounds.

But the first step is to prioritize their requirements. Establish a needs hierarchy, if you will. In other words, figure out what the heck they need to fix.

With needs in many different areas, I have ranked them one through five, and have provided some options for improvement as well.

What more could you want?

5. Backup QB

I rank this is the fifth-most pressing need for Chicago only because no matter who backs up Jay Cutler, the Bears will suffer if he goes down again.

That said, it is still critical that the Bears find a competent backup to Cutler. They may have found their guy with Josh McCown, though with the removal of Mike Martz, his advantages have been reduced.

Still, he played decently after replacing the awful Caleb Hanie, who won't be back. But there are lots of options out there, as I outlined recently.

Kyle Orton will be an unrestricted free agent, as will David Gerrard and Jason Campbell, but each may be looking for opportunities to start in 2012.

They also have Nathan Enderle, but he is too young to be counted on, and Martz seemed to be the main one interested in him, so his future with the team is up in the air.

My guess is that they will bring back McCown.

4. Defensive End

The Bears' pass rush was hit or miss last season, but mostly miss, unfortunately. In 2010 Israel Idonije picked up some of the slack as the beneficiary of the signing of Julius Peppers.

And while Peppers was still there in 2011, Idonije was missing in action a lot of the time, so someone has to step up or be signed that can pressure the QB other than Peppers.

That pressure can also come from the tackle position, of course, but I feel confident that the combination of Henry Melton and Stephen Paea will be more than good enough next year.

Plus, the Bears have Anthony Adams, who plays decently at the nose when healthy and Amobi Okoye, who was a competent free-agent acquisition. .

As far as in-house candidates, I need to see more from Corey Wootton in 2012 if he is ever going to be the answer. Chauncey Davis didn't get enough snaps to make a strong determination, though I liked what I saw.

If they wanted to make a big splash, and hurt a division opponent in the process, Cliff Avril (Lions) is an unrestricted free agent, but he will probably be too expensive for Chicago to consider.

Avril had 11 sacks, six forced fumbles and 29 tackles, plus he scored two touchdowns for Detroit this season.

As for the draft, Quinton Coples, Devon Still and Courtney Upshaw will likely be off the board when the Bears select at No. 19 in Round 1, but Nick Perry from USC and Melvin Ingram from South Carolina should be there.

In the second round, Andre Branch out of Clemson or Vinny Curry from Marshall could make sense.

3. Secondary

Charles Tillman had a Pro Bowl year for the Bears in 2011, but he is only one man and is getting on the other side of 30.

The other corners had their ups and downs. Tim Jennings got into Lovie Smith's doghouse, but overall, I thought he played well for a little guy. Corey Graham is needed for his special teams contributions, but he will be a free agent.

Zack Bowman and Jennings are unrestricted free agents, and DJ Moore is inconsistent, so they need some help here.

In the draft, Morris Claiborne (LSU) and Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama) will be gone, but Janoris Jenkins (North Alabam) and Alfonzo Dennard (Nebraska) could be options if the Bears want to spend a first-round pick on a corner.

In the second round, the Bears could pick from Chase Minnifield (Virginia), Jayron Hosley (Virginia Tech) or Stephon Gilmore (South Carolina).

At the safety position, I question whether Major Wright will ever be a long-term starter. Craig Steltz looked better than ever in his four starts, but again, still questionable. Brandon Meriweather was a bust, but Chris Conte showed flashes of possibly being a long-term fixture there. Still, they could use more help.

In the draft, Mark Barron and Robert Lester (Alabama) or Markelle Martin (Oklahoma State) could be available in the second or third rounds.  

2. Wide Receiver/Tight End

All Bears fans know they need a serious upgrade at the wideout position and while Brandon Marshall is tweeting with Jay Cutler, a trade is not all that likely.

Devin Hester should not be used as a WR, and we don't know what the health of Johnny Knox is going to be. Meanwhile, Earl Bennett and Dane Sanzenbacher are decent, but they need a true No. 1 receiver.

If the Bears are going to draft a WR in the first round, it should be Michael Floyd of Notre Dame. Justin Blackmon will be gone, and Floyd is the only one worthy of the first round in my opinion.

Unless they go that route, free agency will be their best choice, barring a trade. Vincent Jackson is an unrestricted free agent, as Marques Colston will be, but I expect the Chargers to try to keep Jackson and Colston is going nowhere.

Other unrestricted FA options include Dwayne Bowe, Wes Welker (not going anywhere), Steve Johnson, DeSean Jackson (probably staying put and will be very expensive) and Reggie Wayne (getting old).

Now that Martz is gone, Tice will look for a tight end to throw to. Kellen Davis could still be their guy, though I question his pass-catching abilities.

Jermichael Finley will be an unrestricted free agent but I can't imagine the Packers letting him walk, so I'm sure he will be tagged. Fred Davis is a good young TE if he can stay off the substances, as is John Carlson even though he has injury issues.

Hey, Greg Olsen can be a free agent. Just sayin'...

1. Offensive Line

I'm sorry, but I just don't see improvement from J'Marcus Webb. The Bears like his athleticism, but I like my QBs upright, so they need an upgrade to protect Cutler's blindside.

The only free-agent option left tackle I see is Jared Gaither, if healthy, but there's not much overall.

In the draft, Matt Kalil (USC) will be one of the first players taken, and Jonathan Martin (Stanford) will be gone, too. That leaves Zebrie Sanders (Florida State), who is expected to go early in the second round.

So if the Bears can't get a LT, maybe they should draft a center in the first round and move Roberto Garza back to guard.

The top center in the draft is Peter Konz of Wisconsin, who should be on the board when the Bears pick at No. 19.