Predicting Chicago Bears' 2017 Starters After 1st Wave of Free Agency
For a third consecutive year, the Chicago Bears will trot out a new-look set of starters at important positions.
This offseason the franchise waved goodbye to the likes of Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery, adding their names to a heap featuring Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and others.
In areas of strength—namely the interior of the offensive line and inside linebacker—things will look much the same. But as a team trapped in an extensive rebuild and making the positive steps necessary to compete again, new faces will pop up in new places.
After circling areas of attack in red pen, general manager Ryan Pace has revamped multiple spots with new faces. Rookies will soon enter the fray as well.
As a way to pass the time before the draft, let's take a look at who figures to nail down starting positions along the depth chart by kickoff next season.
Quarterback
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QB: Mike Glennon, rookie, Mark Sanchez
Regardless of when the Bears draft a rookie quarterback (it's a borderline sure thing if Pace and Co. are serious about trying to keep jobs long term), Mike Glennon is the starter next year.
Chicago inked Glennon to a $45 million contract, per Spotrac, and while it's essentially a one-year deal given the structure, that's starter money. The front office clearly aims to see what he can do in a stable environment when given a fair shake.
Whether the Bears can provide a stable environment right now is a conversation for a different time, though they surely have more to offer than Tampa Bay did when the Buccaneers chewed up Glennon and spat him back out.
At worst, Glennon coasts through a mediocre year before handing things over to a rookie. Fans might chant for the rookie, but a year of guidance while watching Glennon and learning from a veteran like Mark Sanchez will do a rookie some good regardless of when he comes off the board.
Glennon's signing didn't wow fans and it wasn't meant to—but in the grand scheme of a rebuild, the Bears now have a starting quarterback who makes sense.
Running Back
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RB: Jordan Howard, Jeremy Langford
FB: Paul Lasike
Not much to see here, right?
Fans have Jordan Howard to thank. Behind a strong interior line or not, Howard, a fifth-round rookie, put on a better season than all in his class outside of a guy named Ezekiel Elliott, rushing for 1,313 yards and six scores on a 5.2 yards-per-carry average. Add in another 29 grabs for 298 yards and a score though the air.
A true every-down back, the only concern with Howard going into next year is how he'll hold up if his workload increases. It might not—Forte never went wild into workhorse territory either.
Meaning, Jeremy Langford and another change-of-pace back might spell Howard at times. A smart approach, really, though there isn't any doubt Howard has this starting role locked down going into 2017.
Wide Receiver
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WR: Kevin White, Cameron Meredith, Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright
In the past, Chicago has competed well with a strong running game and defense while trotting out iffy wideout corps.
For now, this seems the potential outlook for the Bears. The coaching staff is still waiting for Kevin White to live up to fabled Julio Jones comparisons by simply staying healthy and on the field.
White has the chance to a be a true No. 1 option, which seems to be what the coaching staff is counting on—he certainly showed the proper flashes when on the field last year. Cameron Meredith has the upside of a No. 2 wideout, even if he doesn't get the attention he deserves nationally.
New additions Markus Wheaton and Kendall Wright are hard to nail down. Wheaton is a deep threat who has a chance of playing on the borders, though he needs to stay healthy. Wright is a slot guy, if not a little more, and the hope is his prior success with offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains makes him a worthwhile investment.
The upside for a strong set of wideouts is here. But two of the guys have checkered injury pasts, one has had an up-and-down career while being used oddly and the other is still developing. Maybe the group turns out great, maybe it implodes. Either way, barring injury, these are the four guys the Bears will count on next year.
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Tight End
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TE: Zach Miller, Dion Sims, rookie
Zach Miller is one of the league's more underrated tight ends, but he doesn't help his standing much by being unable to stay on the field. He's missed seven games over his two years with the Bears and never played in a full 16-game season.
Hence the Bears bringing on Dion Sims this offseason. Sims likely picked the Bears over a return to the Miami Dolphins for a perceived chance to act as a starter. Chicago will be more than happy to give it to him, as his superb blocking skills make him a nice fit alongside Miller in two tight end sets.
Sims is also a nice budding weapon of his own. He's only 26 years old and Miami was slowly developing him in this area, where the Bears could fully unleash him next year.
The Bears might add a rookie rather high in the draft who could contribute, though the presence of the two starters makes it seem more likely a rookie comes later and is developmental in nature.
Offensive Line
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LT: Charles Leno
LG: Josh Sitton
C: Cody Whitehair
RG: Kyle Long
RT: Bobby Massie
Given the fact offensive tackle would be a terrible value pick for the Bears in the first round of the upcoming draft thanks to needs at other spots, the five-man starting lineup in the offensive trenches seems set.
Josh Sitton was a great late pickup for the Bears last year and performed as expected, as did veteran Kyle Long when healthy. The real surprise last year was rookie Cody Whitehair stepping up at center and solidifying the interior, ranking as the fifth-best center in the NFL at Pro Football Focus.
The edges are a different story.
Charles Leno still has room for improvement, but graded as the 53rd-best tackle in the league at PFF. The Bears tried to upgrade on the right side by flirting with the idea of free agent Ricky Wagner, per Sporting News (h/t NBC Chicago). This was after Bobby Massie graded 49th.
Another year of development, or in Massie's case simply being in Chicago, could address the problems on the edges. Chicago doesn't really have a choice but to find out.
Defensive Line
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DE: Akiem Hicks
NT: Eddie Goldman
DE: Mitch Unrein, Jonathan Bullard, rookie
Many raise quality points about the job Pace has done as general manager while mostly not even mentioning the addition of Akiem Hicks. Hicks just had the best year of his career under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, tallying eight sacks, 10 hits and 32 hurries while grading as the eighth-best 3-4 defensive end in the NFL at PFF.
So, yes, that side of the line is locked up, as is nose tackle, provided Eddie Goldman can stay on the field. He only played in six games last year, so 2017 will decide whether there is a serious injury pattern to worry about with the former Florida State star.
The other end is where things get messy. Mitch Unrein had a forgettable season while taking snaps from a young guy like Jonathan Bullard. Chicago could add a rookie here as high as No. 3, though it's reasonable to expect Bullard will see a bigger slice of the pie in 2017 if the Bears don't add to the spot.
Things get messy when projecting a lineup for a hybrid front like this anyway. Even a rookie drafted late could come in and rush from the interior and eat plenty of snaps. The base, though, will lean on big years from Hicks and Goldman, with rotational depth a close second.
Linebacker
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OLB: Pernell McPhee
ILB: Jerrell Freeman
ILB: Danny Trevathan (inj), Nick Kwiatkoski
OLB: Leonard Floyd, Willie Young
Inside linebacker is an area Pace decided to attack in an aggressive fashion last year, with both Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan providing a huge boost and acting as two of the better inside men in the league.
Note Trevathan, though, might enter the season on the physically unable to perform list (PUP), handing things over to Nick Kwiatkoski.
On the outside, Pernell McPhee was another great add by the front office, though he only played in nine games last year. He's an effective rusher when healthy, though it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see the Bears add a rookie for rotational depth and insurance.
Speaking of rookies, Leonard Floyd put on an absolute show last year, registering seven sacks, two hits and 27 hurries, per PFF. If he can avoid injury issues, it's hard to imagine he comes off the field often so long as the coaches like what they see in areas that aren't rushing the passer.
Like the line, a hybrid look in a pass-happy league means the snap counts might play out in unexpected fashion. But McPhee and Floyd are the base the Bears will build a stand-up rush around, with guys like Willie Young or even a rookie pitching in to help the front seven.
Cornerback
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CB: Marcus Cooper, Prince Amukamara, Kyle Fuller, rookie
Slot: Cre'von LeBlanc, Bryce Callahan, Jacoby Glenn
Alongside wideout, Pace put defensive backs in his crosshairs and went after upgrades hard this offseason.
Fans maybe wanted bigger names, but Marcus Cooper and Prince Amukamara are surefire boundary guys with the upside to act as quality starters. Given the boundary is such a premium spot, grabbing two players who could benefit greatly from Fangio asking them to press often is a huge win.
Slot was never a big issue going into the offseason. Both Cre'von LeBlanc and Bryce Callahan flashed at times and a rookie added to the mix could take snaps there as well.
Speaking of rookies, Pace could choose to add one as high as the third pick. The presence of three potential boundary starters on the roster already doesn't make this seem likely, but there's no such thing as too many quality defensive backs on a roster. Even at three, though, a rookie might not find a large chunk of playing time in 2017.
Safety
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S: Adrian Amos, rookie
Quintin Demps was Pace's answer at safety.
Maybe he wasn't the big move fans expected either, but Demps is 31 years old with little in the way of usage on his body given his quiet first four years as a pro. He picked off six passes last year and ranked as the 12th-best safety at PFF.
The slot next to Demps is a little tougher to figure out. Adrian Amos is a fifth-round pick from 2015 who isn't worth throwing the towel in on just yet, though a Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker at No. 3 changes things.
Pace figures to draft a rookie at one point or another either way. And in sets needing extra defensive backs, both Amos and the rookie will figure to see plenty of snaps, as might Deiondre' Hall or other corners who can moonlight at safety.
The only guarantee here is Demps playing every down he can. Heading into a strong draft, it's a great situation for a team to find itself in, as the veteran is the perfect complement to a rangy rookie safety who might have to learn on the fly.
Special Teams
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P: Pat O'Donnell
K: Connor Barth
The Bears don't figure to change much in this area.
Pat O'Donnell, per PFF, was a top-12 punter a year ago, forcing 31 fair catches on his 68 attempts, only having 22 returned and forcing 28 drives to start inside the 20-yard line.
As for Connor Barth, he had a rocky start with the ghost of Robbie Gould breathing down his neck, but evened out to hit 7-of-8 from 20-29 and 30-39 yards, and even 3-of-4 from 40-49 yards.
Consistency is a common theme for successful special teams units, so the Bears might not shuffle this duo unless they have a bad summer and preseason.
All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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