Chicago Bears: 8 Early Winners and Losers of the Bears' Offseason

New Bears GM Phil Emery has had a solid offseason. Learning from the mistakes of his predecessor, Jerry Angelo, Emery went out and filled in depth at key areas where it had been missing last season.

If Jay Cutler or Matt Forte go down again this year, and let's hope that doesn't happen, there are far better alternatives for Chicago. Last year, the Bears were rolling along when Cutler broke his thumb. With Caleb Hanie taking over, the season was lost.

Emery also solved the long-standing problem of not having a viable No.1 receiver for Cutler to throw to by going out and trading for Brandon Marshall. Overall, especially on the offensive side of the football, almost everything was taken care of.

But notice I said "almost everything." There are still questions that went unanswered. Since this is a pivotal season for coach Lovie Smith and the Bears—who have a golden opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl—those questions could be their undoing this season.

Meanwhile, some of the moves, while good for the team, may not end up being as good for specific players. So let's take a look at who the winners and losers are of the Bears' offseason so far.  

Winner: Lovie Smith

Lovie Smith will be looking for a contract extension, so there couldn't have been a better time for him to win his battle with Jerry Angelo for control of the club. By firing Angelo and giving Emery the stipulation that he had to retain Smith as head coach, Lovie was assured of having a lot of input.

With that input, the Bears' offense improved and Lovie received his preferred first-round pick in DE Shea McClellin.

Unless the Bears have a winning season (better than 8-8), I believe Smith may be gone. But with the talent assembled, nothing short of bad luck and injury should stop the Bears from reaching that goal.

Smith ends up an early winner.

Winner: Jay Cutler

Cutler is a winner because he obviously had a lot of input into the offensive changes this offseason.

The Bears fired Mike Martz, yet went with Mike Tice so the offense wouldn't be drastically different. The terminology and some of the plays remain, yet the new coordinator will allow Cutler to take advantage of his strengths, such as his mobility.

Meanwhile, gone are the seven-step drops. Plus, they went out and acquired Cutler's buddy and former teammate, Brandon Marshall.

Finally, the Bears hired Cutler's mentor and friend Jeremy Bates to be the QB coach. They also drafted a wideout in the second round.

In short, many of the changes this offseason was designed to aid Cutler's success.  

Winner and Loser: Matt Forte

A winner and a loser? Yep. The obvious point here is that no matter what happens, Forte is going to make a ton of money. But he's also a loser in the sense that he hasn't signed that long-term extension he so badly wants.

But Forte is a winner when you consider that by getting the franchise tag, he will earn a cool $7.7 million this year. And that ain't exactly chump change.

Yet when the Bears went out and signed former Raiders running back Bush, Forte felt disrespected. And in truth, he probably feels he lost some leverage.

With the new offense, Forte will be counted on to have less of an overall impact, but he is still critical to their success.  

If he gets hurt again, he'll likely wish he had signed the extension which was offered to him this offseason. But if he has a big year, he will likely enter the free-agent market (I doubt the Bears tag him again) and will be in high demand.

Winner or loser? You decide.

Loser: Marion Barber

Marion Barber was one of the losers this offseason, as the Bears decided they didn't want him back and told him so. They were pretty certain they were going to sign Michael Bush to be the backup to Forte. Now, with Kahlil Bell as third-string, the Bears have three solid backs and will not miss Barber.

Overall, he did a good job in 2011, except for the obvious brain cramp when he failed to go out of bounds and then the resulting fumble in overtime.

Barber officially retired, although it was only after being told by the Bears that they were releasing him. The acquisition of Bush may have been a driving factor. Signing Bush definitely was bothersome for this next guy. 

Loser: Israel Idonije

Idonije was re-signed by the Bears this offseason, but he may have lost his starting defensive end job to first-round draft choice Shea McClellin.

Look, whenever the first-round pick plays the same position as you, that is never a good sign. And while he finished strongly, Idonije did not have as much impact generating a pass rush in 2011 as he did the year before.

Even if the Bears determine McClellin isn't ready to start on opening day, it won't be long before he takes Idonije's job.

If Idonije chooses to enter free agency at the end of the season, he may not have enough stats to get a lot of offers.

Winner: Mike Tice

The Bears parted ways with Martz and promoted Tice from offensive line coach to offensive coordinator. That's a win for Cutler, Tice and the fans.

Martz' offense seems less genius today and more about having a star QB and elite wideouts playing on a very fast surface.

The offense never fit with the personnel and, in truth, Martz never really ran his full scheme anyway.

So Tice gets control of the offense, yet inherits the same line that prevented Martz from establishing a solid passing offense. By using the tight end position for more than blocking, and having Cutler taking three and five-step drops, things should improve.

Winner: Kellen Davis

Davis has an opportunity to get far more pass receptions in the Tice offense than he ever had with Martz, who believed the position was for blocking and not much else.

Of course, Davis is unproven as a pass catcher, so he will have to take advantage of this opportunity. If he does, he can expect to become one of the top tight ends in the league with Cutler throwing him the ball.

One slight consideration, however, is that the Bears drafted Evan Rodriguez, a hybrid TE/H-back who could also get inserted heavily into the offense.

Still, things are looking up for Davis. Now it's up to him.

Loser: Offensive Line

All signs are pointing up for the Bears' offense so far this offseason. Well, that is, except for one.

That one area which wasn't addressed is that the offensive line wasn't improved, either through free agency or the draft, and that is troublesome.

As Marc Sessler of nfl.com reports, Cutler is very concerned. "The people in the Bears building are sometimes a little bit sensitive," Cutler told "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on WMVP-AM on Friday. "You always want to be pro-Bears and compliment your teammates and stuff but ... over a three-year career here (the offensive line is) definitely at the forefront of my mind every year. Until we get those front five hammered down, we're still kind of up in the air offensively -- even though we've got some really, really talented guys on the outside."

Cutler has been sacked 101 times over the past two seasons (despite 2011 being only a partial season for the Bears QB) and despite the positives of Marshall and Tice, if he doesn't have time to get his throws off, the offense could suffer.

It's disappointing that the Bears didn't feel that J'Marcus Webb needed to be replaced at left tackle. Oh, I know they are talking about inserting Chris Williams there as competition, but I hardly think that warms Cutler's heart.

The fact is, there was at least one free agent and several draft choices the Bears could have chosen to take advantage of, but they did not pull the trigger. If there is one thing that brings down the otherwise optimistic season for Chicago, it will be that line.