Breaking Down All the New Faces on the 2015 Chicago Bears
Few teams in the NFL have been as busy as the Chicago Bears have been this offseason. In addition to hiring a new general manager and coaching staff, the Bears have added several new faces to the roster over the course of the last several months.
Of the 90 players currently on Chicago's roster, over 40 of them were either signed as free agents or drafted by the team this offseason.
General manager Ryan Pace attacked early in free agency, signing Pernell McPhee, Eddie Royal and Antrel Rolle to long-term deals, but he also added a handful of experienced veterans on one-year deals. He addressed needs on both sides of the football in the draft, and the Bears roster will look much different this season than it did in 2014.
Just ahead, we break down some of the new faces on Chicago's roster in 2015.
C Will Montgomery
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The Bears released veteran center Roberto Garza earlier this offseason, but they quickly signed Will Montgomery to a one-year deal to replace him in the middle of the offensive line.
Montgomery was drafted by Carolina in 2006 and spent one season with the Panthers before playing with the New York Jets, Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos.
He played for current Bears head coach John Fox in Carolina and Denver, and that familiarity played into his decision to sign with the team.
“I’m familiar with the coaching staff, strength staff—the head guy here was the assistant in Denver—so it’s kind of like a home away from home here,” Montgomery said, according to Arthur Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com.
Over the course of the last 10 seasons, Montgomery has started 71 games, including eight last season for the Broncos. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished the 2014 season as the league's 10th-best center with a plus-3.6 grade. He finished with a plus-4.9 grade in pass protection but only registered a minus-0.1 grade as a run-blocker.
Montgomery is not overly athletic and struggles to get out in front on running plays, but he plays with a good base in the passing game and is a reliable veteran. He is viewed as the starter at center, but he could be pushed by third-round pick Hroniss Grasu during training camp and the preseason.
If he is not the starter at center in 2015, he could be used at guard if Kyle Long is moved to right tackle. If nothing else, Montgomery gives the Bears a proven veteran who can play both guard positions, as well as center.
CB Alan Ball
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In an attempt to help solidify the team's secondary, the Bears signed veteran cornerback Alan Ball to a one-year, $3 million deal in late March.
Ball was a seventh-round pick of Dallas in 2007 and spent five seasons with the Cowboys before spending one season with the Houston Texans and the last two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He has accumulated 216 total tackles, 34 pass deflections and six interceptions in 93 career games. He started the first seven games of the season last year for the Jaguars, but he suffered a biceps injury against the Cleveland Browns and missed the remainder of the season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ball played 288 snaps in pass coverage last season and allowed 21 catches on 41 targets for 214 yards with one touchdown. His 13.7 coverage snaps per reception were the best among all Jaguars who played at least 25 percent of the team's snaps on defense.
Ball excels in press coverage, and he said defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme played a big part in his decision to sign with the Bears.
“I just see opportunity in a new defense that is coming in,” Ball said, according to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs. “I’ve watched Vic’s defense in the past and what he does for his players and the situations he puts them in. You have to be excited about that."
Second-year man Kyle Fuller will be one of the team's starting cornerbacks this season, but Ball could potentially push two-time Pro Bowler Tim Jennings for the other starting job. If Jennings is able to come away as the team's other starter at cornerback, Ball could be an option out of the slot at nickelback.
He is not as quick as he once was, but he is physical at the line of scrimmage and plays with good technique. Ball could end up being one of Chicago's best under-the-radar signings this offseason if he has a strong training camp and preseason.
CB Tracy Porter
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Just like Ball, veteran cornerback Tracy Porter was signed by the Bears this offseason to help bring stability to Chicago's secondary.
Porter signed a one-year, $870,000 contract with the Bears earlier this month, and Fox thinks the veteran can compete at nickelback in the team's 3-4 defense.
"He's smart enough to do that," Fox said about Porter possibly playing nickelback, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. "He can play in all three spots on the sub-defenses, so we'll wait and see how it shakes out."
Porter was a second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2008 and has also played for the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins in his seven-year career. He has recorded 287 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, 51 pass deflections, 10 interceptions and three defensive touchdowns in 68 career games.
He only appeared in three games last season due to a shoulder injury, but he is ready to put last year behind him.
"Now I'm 100 percent," he said, according to Campbell. "I'm not looking back on what happened in the past. I'm looking more so into the future."
He has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but when healthy, he has the ability to be a playmaker out of the slot. He is not as physical as Ball, but he plays with good technique and makes good breaks on the football.
In order for Porter to make the roster in 2015, he will have to stay healthy this offseason. If he is able to stay healthy, the Bears could have two solid options at nickelback in both Ball and Porter.
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DL Jarvis Jenkins
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A former second-round pick of the Redskins in 2011, defensive end Jarvis Jenkins was a disappointment in Washington. He collected 75 tackles and just two sacks in 44 career games, and the Redskins allowed him to hit the open market this offseason.
The Bears signed the 27-year-old to a one-year deal in late March, and one NFL general manager was surprised the young lineman stayed on the market that long.
"I was surprised he didn't get signed a little earlier," one general manager said at the league meetings, according to Biggs. "You thought he was gonna do more in Washington, but he's got good size, he's still young and I figured someone would go after him because you're looking at him saying there's still upside there."
He has experience playing the 5-technique defensive end position in a 3-4 defense, and while he has not been much of a threat as a pass-rusher, he does a nice job of filling gaps and occupying space against the run.
Jenkins will not put up flashy numbers, but he should be an integral part of Chicago's defensive line in 2015 because of his experience and ability to move inside to the nose tackle position if needed.
LB Mason Foster
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To help solidify the inside linebacker position, the Bears signed veteran linebacker Mason Foster to a one-year deal this offseason.
A four-year starter for Tampa Bay, Foster struggled last year in the Buccaneers' Cover 2 defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished the season with a minus-8.6 grade against the run, and he totaled 62 tackles in 10 games.
Foster feels Chicago's 3-4 defense is a good fit for his skill set.
“My best football is definitely ahead of me,” Foster said, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. “This 3-4 defense is going to give me a chance to make a lot of plays and use my skills to an advantage.”
Foster is an athletic linebacker who is at his best when playing up against the run. He has struggled against the pass in the past, but he is quick enough to match up with both tight ends and running backs in the passing game.
He reads and reacts to plays well but struggles at times to shed opposing blockers. He is a solid tackler in the open field and has the ability to drop back in zone coverage.
Both starting inside linebacker spots are currently wide open, but Foster should have the inside track to one of the starting spots because of his track record and experience. If he can get stronger at the point of attack and improve in pass coverage, he has a chance to break out in Fangio's scheme in 2015.
LB Pernell McPhee
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Chicago's biggest free-agent signing this offseason was McPhee. The Bears acted quickly once free agency began and signed the outside linebacker to a five-year, $39 million deal.
McPhee was used as a situational pass-rusher in Baltimore, but he registered 92 tackles and 17 sacks in four seasons with the Ravens. According to Pro Football Focus, his plus-26.0 overall grade in 2014 was second-best among all 3-4 outside linebackers.
The young pass-rusher finished last season with 27 tackles and 7.5 sacks, and according to Pro Football Focus, he also registered 21 quarterback hits and 35 quarterback hurries in 540 snaps.
He was used all over the field in Baltimore, and McPhee says Fangio's defense in Chicago is very unpredictable.
“How [Fangio's] got us playing—I can’t tell the secrets—but he’s got us where, you don’t know who’s dropping, you don’t know who’s rushing,” McPhee said, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s just different. It’s very creative.”
McPhee has the ability to line up at outside linebacker, the 5-technique defensive end spot or virtually anywhere along the line as a defensive tackle. While he was signed to get after the quarterback as a pass-rusher, Pace also thinks the outside linebacker can contribute against the run.
"I think he's an ascending player," Pace said, according to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "I like the violence that he plays with. He's got length, gets off blocks. I think he's a well-rounded player, too. He's a productive pass-rusher but also a steady, consistent run defender."
As a pass-rusher, McPhee uses a combination of power and speed to maneuver his way around opposing linemen, but he uses his strength to gain leverage against the run. He was used primarily in obvious passing situations while in Baltimore, but he proved in limited opportunities he can be a factor against the run.
If McPhee can continue to produce with increased reps, he could develop into one of the league's best young pass-rushers under Fangio.
RB Jacquizz Rodgers
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To help take some of the load off starting running back Matt Forte's shoulders, the Bears signed veteran running back Jacquizz Rodgers this offseason to a one-year deal.
In four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Rodgers rushed for 1,116 yards on 305 carries with five touchdowns, and he also hauled in 155 passes for 1,104 yards and five touchdowns.
Rodgers was used primarily as a third-down back in Atlanta, and he excelled in pass protection.
“I take pride in that; I fear nobody,” Rodgers said, according to Arkush. “That’s how you got to approach it. I had an old coach who used to say, ‘It’s angles and attitude.’ You've got to want to do it—that’s a big part of it. And then knowing how to do it is the rest.”
Despite standing just 5'6" and weighing 196 pounds, Rodgers packs a punch in pass protection and can also power his way between the tackles to pick up yards. He can run north and south, as well as laterally, but he is at his best in the passing game.
He hauled in 50-plus catches in both 2012 and 2013, but he had limited opportunities last season because of the emergence of Devonta Freeman in Atlanta.
Rodgers is in the running to be the No. 2 running back behind Forte this season, but at the very least, he will be a reliable third-down running back who can pick up yards on the ground and through the air and can be counted on as a blocker in pass protection.
S Antrel Rolle
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In an attempt to solidify the safety position and add veteran leadership to the defense, Pace signed Rolle to a three-year deal this offseason.
Rolle was drafted eighth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2005 draft and spent five seasons in Arizona before signing with the New York Giants in 2010. During his 10-year career, Rolle has been named to the Pro Bowl three times, was an All-Pro twice and won Super Bowl XLVI with the Giants.
He has played in 148 games in his career and has registered 799 tackles, four sacks, 68 pass deflections, 26 interceptions and four defensive touchdowns.
His play has regressed a bit as he has gotten older, but he is a major upgrade at the position for the Bears.
The Bears have only held a handful of practices this offseason, but Rolle likes the way things are going right now.
“Right now, I know we’re very enthusiastic,” he said, according to Nate Atkins of ChicagoFootball.com. “We’re aggressive right now, and like I said, it’s a learning curve, so we’re not maybe moving as fast as we should be moving or we’re going to in the future. Right now, we’re just grasping the concepts.”
The former University of Miami star will likely play the free safety position this season, but he could potentially play the strong safety position if someone like second-year man Brock Vereen or rookie Adrian Amos steps up in training camp.
Rolle is a physical tackler who can step up in the box against the run, but he is also quick and athletic enough to drop back in coverage and cover speedy wide receivers.
In addition to his ability on the field, he is a leader in the locker room, and Fox knows how important that is, saying, according to Newsday's Bob Glauber:
"Leadership is important. There's kind of a 10-80-10 percentage on a football team. There are 10 percent of the guys that are doing it right all the time. The key is to get a big majority of that 80 to see it done right so they can climb up to the 10. We think he's in that 10. He has the ability. He's done that before. I've seen him even at the Pro Bowl show leadership.
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The Bears lost two leaders on defense in Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs this offseason, and Rolle should be able to take over one of those leadership roles this season.
While his leadership role will be important, what he does on the field will be what matters most in 2015.
WR Eddie Royal
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Prior to the start of free agency, the Bears traded wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets for a fifth-round pick. To help fill Marshall's void, Pace quickly signed Royal in the first couple of days of free agency.
Royal spent his rookie season in 2008 in Denver with current Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, and he put up some of the best numbers of his career that year. He hauled in a career-high 91 catches for 980 yards and caught five touchdowns. He struggled in Denver without Cutler but found new life in San Diego playing with Philip Rivers over the last three seasons.
He is at his best playing out of the slot, and according to Pro Football Focus, he ran 445 of his 516 routes out of the slot last season and made 46 catches on 66 targets for 584 yards.
He is a quick receiver who makes sharp, clean cuts out of the slot, but he has been a bit inconsistent throughout his career. Other than his rookie year in 2008, he has not hit the 800-yard receiving mark or caught more than 62 passes in a season.
Even with his shortcomings, he is an upgrade at the slot receiver position for the Bears. Chicago used Santonio Holmes, Marquess Wilson and Josh Morgan out of the slot last season, but the three receivers combined for just 277 yards and 35 receptions.
Royal will not be asked to be a primary target in the passing game because of Alshon Jeffery and first-round pick Kevin White, but he will give Cutler a reliable target in the middle of the field.
C Hroniss Grasu
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After addressing needs at wide receiver and along the defensive line with the team's first two picks in the draft, Pace added Oregon center Hroniss Grasu in the third round this past May.
Following the draft, Pace had nothing but praise for the young lineman.
“When you talk about work ethic, team captain, leadership—all those traits we stress around here—he brings those to the table,” Pace said about Grasu, according to Mayer.
Montgomery sits as the front-runner for the starting center job, but Grasu could potentially push for the job this offseason. While Montgomery is a seasoned veteran who excels in pass protection, Grasu is an athletic center who is at his best when he gets to the second level in the running game.
He needs to work on his technique in pass protection, but he plays with a good base and is able to combat quick interior defensive linemen with his own athleticism.
Additionally, he will need to get more comfortable with short snaps after spending the majority of his career making shotgun snaps at Oregon.
Like Montgomery, Grasu has the ability to play guard, and at worst he will enter the season as one of the team's top reserves at both the center and guard positions.
DL Eddie Goldman
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After taking White in the first round to help on the offensive side of the football, the Bears opted to take Florida State nose tackle Eddie Goldman in the second round to anchor the middle of the team's defensive line for years to come.
He has the ability to play both inside and outside, but he will be used as a nose tackle in the team's 3-4 scheme. In three years at Florida State, Goldman registered 62 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks.
He is not a flashy player, but he plugs up holes against the run and has the ability to collapse the pocket as a pass-rusher. He won't be asked to rush the passer often, but he will be expected to be a two-gap player who can open up opportunities for his linebackers to make plays in the running game.
The young lineman has already received praise from one of his teammates this offseason.
"(Goldman) is a monster," veteran defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff said, according to Biggs. "He'll probably only get stronger and a little bigger. He is going to play in this league a long time."
Ratliff has experience playing the nose tackle position in a 3-4 defense, but he will likely start the season at defensive end, leaving Goldman as the team's best option at nose tackle this season.
Goldman will not put up big numbers, but he will be an important part of Chicago's defense in 2015 as long as he can stay healthy.
S Adrian Amos
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The Bears needed to add more youth and upside to their secondary this offseason, and Pace did just that by drafting Penn State's Adrian Amos in the fifth round of this year's draft.
In four seasons with the Nittany Lions, Amos registered 149 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks and seven interceptions. He played both cornerback and safety, and that versatility could help him earn playing time in 2015.
Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei thinks Amos has a chance to become an impact player.
"Adrian Amos looks like he has potential to be an interceptor," Pompei tweeted in early May. "He has range, length and excellent hands. Made catches away from his body."
Rolle is the only safety with a guaranteed starting job, meaning Amos has a chance to earn the other starting job this offseason. He will be squaring off with Ryan Mundy and Vereen for playing time this summer, but he will need to show improvement against the run if he wants to be considered an every-down player.
He could also compete for the nickelback job this offseason, but reps in training camp and the preseason may be scarce with guys like Porter and Ball competing for that job.
If he wants to make an impact this season, he will need to be willing to compete on special teams. If he shows enough improvement, he could eventually find a role in various defensive sub-packages later in the season.
OT Tayo Fabuluje
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Sixth-round pick Tayo Fabuluje is the only tackle the Bears drafted this offseason. He stands 6'6" and weighs 353 pounds, and Pace commented about Fabuluje's size after the draft, according to CBSChicago.com:
"This is a massive player, very strong, very strong. Athletic for a big man. He can play tackle; he can play guard. His weight has been well documented and we’re going to stay on that. We’ve got a great strength-and-conditioning program here, sports science—that’ll be an emphasis and he understands that. When this guy’s at the right weight, we feel really good about him and there’s a lot of upside potential as well.
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Because of his size, the young lineman does play a bit stiff at times, but he is strong and powerful and could potentially move inside to guard to better utilize his skill set.
He lacks the athleticism to be a starting right tackle, but he has shown an ability to get to the second level in the past and would benefit from playing between two linemen as a guard. He struggled against quick, explosive defensive ends on the outside at TCU, but he was able to hold his own against strong, powerful linemen.
At this point, he is considered a project, and there is no guarantee he makes the roster out of training camp. If Fabuluje is cut before the start of the season, the Bears will likely do their best to keep him on their practice squad.
RB Jeremy Langford
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The Bears took Michigan State running back Jeremy Langford in the fourth round of this year's draft after he rushed for 2,944 yards with 40 touchdowns over the course of the last two seasons.
At the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year, Langford's 4.42 40-yard dash time was the fastest among all running backs, according to NFL.com.
Langford is a slashing running back who has the ability to get to the outside and pick up big yards because of his speed, but he also possesses good hands and has the ability to contribute on special teams.
He began his career at Michigan State as a defensive back, and Pace knows it is crucial to have a backup running back who can contribute on special teams.
"If you get a special teams player out of your backup running backs, that's critical,'' Pace said, according to Mike Griffith of MLive.com. "He can do that, and having a defensive background helps him with that. So that was a part of the evaluation process.''
Offensively, he needs to be more physical, but he gives the Bears a speedy running back to complement both Forte and Rodgers in the running game.
He will be competing with Rodgers and Ka'Deem Carey to be Forte's backup this season, but even if he is unable to win that backup job, he will have an important role on special teams.
WR Kevin White
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After trading Marshall to the Jets, Pace needed to make a splash at the wide receiver position. Instead of going after a pass-rusher or offensive tackle with the team's first selection, the young GM took West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White with the seventh overall pick.
White hauled in 109 passes for 1,447 yards with 10 touchdowns in his final season for the Mountaineers. He has great size (6'3", 215 lbs) for the position, and he has the ability to take the top off a defense with his speed—according to NFL.com, he ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the combine.
He has strong hands and is not afraid to go up and get the football at its highest point. He needs to work on his route running, but he has been impressive when on the practice field this offseason.
“He’s a great player,” Jeffery said about White, according to Finley. “He’s an explosive player. We can’t wait for the season. What he’s going to do on the field is going to be great.”
He participated in the team's rookie minicamp and organized team activities, but he was not present for the first day of the team's mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, according to Chicago Bears radio network sideline reporter Zach Zaidman:
"#Bears WR Kevin White was not on the practice field for the first day of minicamp. John Fox says the rookie is day-to-day.
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) June 16, 2015"
The Bears have not released any other information about his injury, but as long as he is healthy, he will enter the 2015 season as one of the team's starting wide receivers opposite of Jeffery.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. All 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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