After the Combine: What Are the Chicago Bears' Options?

The NFL's 2009 Draft Combine is complete, and free agency starts in just a couple days. The picture for many teams in the NFL is getting more cloudy every day, as the questions multiply and the answers become less certain.

The Chicago Bears are no different.

What have the Bears done so far this off-season? Well, a few familiar names have left Chicago.

Safety Mike Brown will be missed in the secondary, though the same can't be said for quarterback Rex Grossman and receiver Marty Booker. Receiver Brandon Lloyd will also be gone in 2009.

In the retirement department, the surprising rumors of offensive tackle John Tait's decision to hang up the shoulder pads opens some questions for the roster as well.

One free agent who was with the team in 2008 has been asked back for 2009. Largely due to the combination of Tait's apparent retirement and the Carolina Panthers keeping their stud Jordan Gross, the Bears have offered a deal to John St. Claire.

For the sake of argument, let's assume St. Claire stays with the Bears and moves to right tackle. Let's also assume the Bears stay at the 18th overall selection in this year's draft. So what are the areas of need for the Bears, and how can they take steps to get better in 2009?

Areas of Need

Wide Receiver

Where do I begin? The highest paid receiver on the team is Devin Hester. Hester was on the verge of becoming a historical return man before Angelo gave him a whole lot of money to play a new position.

This is the same Devin Hester who was drafted as a corner who couldn't cover or tackle.

While I might be giving Hester a hard time, he did make enormous strides as a receiver in 2008.

He still has some learning to do on adjusting to the ball in the air, especially on deep passes, but his route running has become consistently better and his hands were as good as any receiver on the Bears roster last year.

Other than Hester, though, the Bears have...two tight ends and a stud running back. There isn't really another player on the Bears active roster who makes anyone, whether it's a fan or an opponent, fear the passing game being conducted by Kyle Orton.

The Remedy?

There are a handful of receivers in this year's draft that will likely be available for the Bears at No. 18. North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks has some of the best hands in college football along with good size (over six feet tall, 212 pounds) and speed (4.54 in the 40).

Another name to watch might be Darrius Heyward-Bey from Maryland. He posted the fastest 40 time for any receiver at the combine (4.30) to go with a 6'2 frame and 210 pounds.

There might be an option in free agency as well. TJ Houshmandzadeh might be the best name openly available this year, but he will likely demand a healthy salary.

So will former Colt Marvin Harrison, who is in the decline of his career. Rumors are swirling that some names that used to be highly regarded, like Javon Walker and Ashley Lelie, are available as well.

Best Bet: free agency.

There might be players more appropriate for the Bears' future available in the draft, but if Angelo has been consistent at one thing in his tenure with Chicago it's been his inability to evaluate receivers. Look for another wasted contract on a veteran like Walker or Jerry Porter.

Offensive Line

The Bears, again under the assumption that St. Claire stays, have two starting tackles in place with last year's first-round selection Chris Williams. At guard, the Bears will have two returning starters in Roberto Garza and Josh Beekman. And in the middle, the Bears will continue to have Olin Kreutz.

There are a couple problems here, though. First, after the starting five, the Bears have very little depth coming back in the wake of Tait's retirement and another departure from Fred Miller.

The other problem is that only two of these five starters will be under 30 years old in 2009, meaning that depth will hold additional importance in protecting Kyle Orton and clearing holes for Matt Forte.

The Remedy?

On the free agent market, there are some big bodies and names available... trouble is, they're old, big bodies. Pete Kendall, Tra Thomas, Jon Runyan and Jeff Saturday are all players that will likely all draw a look to start somewhere in 2009. After that, many of the players available are in the declines of their career.

Much like with receivers, there are some offensive tackles that might be available for the Bears in the first round this year. The performance, of lack thereof, from Alabama's Andre Smith puts the entire draft picture for tackles into flux, but someone like Arizona's Eben Britton will likely be available.

The Bears have the 49th (2nd round), 85 (3rd), and 115 (4th) picks from which they might address the tackle position.

Best Bet: the draft

Rushing the Quarterback

We'll call this a position because the Bears could use some help both at the defensive end position as well as the strong side linebacker (currently occupied by Hunter Hillenmeyer).

Creating pressure falls onto three sets of shoulders: the line, the linebackers, and the scheme. With new d-line coach Rod Miranelli, the scheme and motivation will improve. What about the players?

Alex Brown has played a steady defensive end since coming to the Bears from Florida, both creating pressure and playing the run.

Adewale Ogunleye has not performed to the level the Bears would like the past few years, and Mark Anderson has been nothing short of an enormous disappointment since exploding onto the scene as a rookie in 2006.

Hillenmeyer is a nice player who's abilities are overshadowed by All Pros Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. But the Bears inability to get to the quarterback in a base 4-3 defense can also be a function of the linebackers.

Urlacher has been called on to cover the middle of the Cover-2 defense more in the past couple years, leaving the outside linebackers to provide pressure.

The Remedy?

If Jerry Angelo had some intestinal fortitude, and Lovie Smith was able to think outside the box, the Bears would follow the trend in the NFL and go to a 3-4 base defense and offer Julius Peppers the farm.

He's been franchised by Carolina, but the way Angelo has drafted in the first round recently are the Bears really missing anything by trading one or two for the best, most athletic end in the game?

I'm not going to talk about putting Albert Haynesworth next to Tommie Harris. It's too expensive for Madden 2010, and a pipe dream for even Michael Phelps.

But Angelo and Smith lack the stones and and creativity to make either of these scenarios happen. What else is there? Former Raven Bart Scott could be a nice option, as could former Falcon Michael Boley.

In the first round of the draft, there are some nice ends who could be available at the 18th selection. Aaron Maybin from Penn State, Northern Illinois' Larry English, Michael Johnson from Georgia Tech, and LSU's Tyson Jackson should all be around when the Bears pick.

Strong performances from USC's Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews make both outside linebackers popular names, though Cushing will likely be gone by 18 and Matthews would be a stretch at 18 and likely be gone by 49. A sleeper might be Ohio State's James Laurinaitis.

Best Bet: none of the above.

Angelo's too stubborn to fill a need when there's a player in the position already on the roster.

Safety

This wouldn't be a problem if A) Mike Brown could have stayed healthy of B) Charles Tillman would switch positions. But neither of those are a reality, and the Bears are now facing a roster with Danieal Manning, better suited as a nickel back, and Kevin Payne, better suited as a wrecking ball, as their two best safeties.

The Remedy?

There aren't many safeties in this draft that are much to write about, unfortunately. The intrigue at safety comes with the performance of Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins at the combine.

He ran a 4.60 in the 40 and struggled with many of the drills corners run through, and is now projecting as more of a safety than a corner at the pro level. This might cost him a slot in the top ten of the draft, and bump down other safeties on the Bears' board.

William Moore from Missouri might be the only other safety worthy of a first round pick, but there might be a sleeper the Bears could take in the second or third rounds.

David Bruton from Notre Dame impressed with a solid 4.46 in the 40 at the combine and has good size as well (6'2, 220). He also posted the best broad jump and vertical for any safety in Indianapolis.

In free agency, there are a lot of veteran corners and safeties flooding the market to clear cap room. Oshi Atogwe, Dawan Landry and Jermaine Phillips are all solid free agents that could, and should, be on the Bears radar.

Best bet: Angelo will probably make a run at Phillips, who spent seven quality seasons in Tampa. If he can't get a free agent, look for a second- or third-round pick to be invested in a safety.