Breaking Down Chicago Bears' Deepest, Thinnest Roster Spots
A year or two ago, depth wasn't exactly a topic of discussion around the Chicago Bears.
Fast forward to the aftermath of the 2017 NFL draft, though, and general manager Ryan Pace's roster makeover via any means necessary has created some spots on the depth chart observers could shade in green.
Of course, given the severity of the rebuild, plenty of red still exists. The good news? This red can self-address itself if new faces and even a handful of those returning take steps in the right direction.
For now, a realistic approach to Chicago's roster isn't the most encouraging. But, at the same time, it's scores better than what it has been over the past few years.
Below, let's take a look at the deepest and thinnest spots on the roster heading into the summer.
Deepest: Wide Receiver
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For a team like the Bears, deep doesn't always imply consistent past production.
One would be hard-pressed to suggest the Bears aren't deep at wideout, though, not when the depth chart features two guys budding with high upside and two more situational players with upside if they can either stay healthy or mesh well with the offense.
Cameron Meredith is the top wideout on the depth chart right now after breaking out last season to lead the team in receiving with 888 yards and four scores. It doesn't sound like much, but go back and look at who played quarterback for Chicago last year before coming to the realization the only way Meredith can go is up.
It's the same story for Kevin White, minus the production and plus a whole lot more upside. The former top-10 pick actually got on the field last year and has the sheer upside to be one of the better players in the league at the spot if his body lets him develop.
New additions Markus Wheaton and Kendall Wright help make this a deep crop of players. The former is a deep threat who had problems staying healthy and couldn't free himself of a deep depth chart in Pittsburgh. The latter had spotty problems keeping him off the field, but he had his best year as a pro under the guidance of current Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.
The Bears have options and major upside at wideout, which is more than anyone can say for last year's drop-happy crop of players.
Thinnest: Offensive Tackle
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Offensive tackle was one of the notable needs for the Bears going into this offseason, but a whiff in free agency and a weak draft class means the team heads into 2017 with the same starters as last year.
This means Charles Leno Jr. on the left side a year removed from his ranking as the 53rd tackle in football, per Pro Football Focus. It means Bobby Massie back on the right side during his second year with the team after ranking 49th on the same list.
Those rankings don't mean everything, but observers could see the obvious weak points last year. Leno is 25 so he could perhaps improve next year, and maybe Massie could get more comfortable and do the same, but to argue there is upside here wouldn't make sense.
And there isn't much behind the two starters. Whereas the interior of the line has quality starters and capable backups, the same simply doesn't apply to the edges and projects as a major priority next offseason.
Deepest: Tight End
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Tight end was a well-known problem area going into this offseason.
Pace had two avenues to address the problem and used both to their full extent, coughing up a contract for free agent Dion Sims and spending a top-50 pick on Ashland's Adam Shaheen.
The addition of both—depending on how well Shaheen translates to the pros—moves Zach Miller out of an every-down role, which, based on his injury history, is the direction Pace needed to take the position.
Sims is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL by a long shot, meaning he'll provide a boon in the run game, especially on the edge next to the shaky aforementioned tackles. Even better, he's a budding pass-catching target.
As for Shaheen, while there are concerns he didn't play against the best competition in college, at some point his being 6'6" and 278 pounds is his being 6'6" and 278 pounds. He'll play in two tight end sets with Sims, making Miller a strong depth option and bolstering a former weakness.
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Thinnest: Defensive End
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One or more needs were bound to go unaddressed this offseason.
Defensive end is one such area of concern. Akiem Hicks had a career year last season on one end of the line, but stopgap solutions such as Mitch Unrein didn't put up notable production.
The space opposite Hicks looks as shrug-worthy as ever. Unrein is still on the roster, there's no guarantee free-agent add Jaye Howard pans out and a similar lack of a guarantee with the upside surrounding 2016 third-round pick Jonathan Bullard.
"I don't think he was quite ready for that last year, both physically or mentally," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said of Bullard, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times. "Emotionally, he's more ready. We're hopeful that he does well."
Late additions to the line such as Howard and John Jenkins give Fangio more options than he had a year ago and his versatile fronts could hide weaknesses.
That's great, but like offensive tackle, compensating for these issues won't stop defensive end from being a major need going into next offseason.
Deepest: Linebacker
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This shouldn't register as much of a shock.
Pace went out and added tackling machines in the middle of the defense, with Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan forming one of the better one-two punches in the league at inside linebacker. Nick Kwiatkoski played serviceable ball last year when one or the other missed time.
The outside looks just as good.
Pernell McPhee has had problems staying healthy, but he's known as a quality rusher and overall player. Leonard Floyd posted a strong seven sacks over 12 games last year while adapting to the pros and dealing with injuries. Underrated rotational presence Willie Young registered 7.5 sacks.
This is just scratching the surface, too. The Bears still have Lamarr Houston on the roster. He's been hobbled by injury, but there's little cash incentive to cutting him at this point. Sam Acho is still around, and the Bears brought in quality depth presence and special teams ace Dan Skuta.
Top to bottom, linebacker might be the best spot on Chicago's roster. The unit just needs to stay healthy.
Thinnest: Defensive Interior
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Back to the defensive line, and things aren't much better on the interior for the Bears.
Eddie Goldman, a second-round pick in 2015, missed a game during his rookie season and then only appeared in six last year.
While he's only 23 years old, the Florida State product only ranked as the No. 20 defensive tackle in the NFL at PFF. There's plenty of upside and room for Goldman to grow, but the budding injury concerns might hamper the defense's front seven.
There isn't much behind Goldman, either. Veteran C.J. Wilson is a journeyman player and the aforementioned Jenkins didn't have a good season over the course of playing snaps for two different teams.
If Goldman can stay on the field, rotational depth isn't the biggest concern. But, after last year, expecting the Bears to stay healthy seems like a lofty pursuit.
Deepest: Quarterback
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How many teams outside of New England can confidently say they have two quarterbacks they wouldn't mind trotting out in 2017? Some don't have one.
This isn't comparing Mike Glennon or Mitchell Trubisky to the guys in New England, so nix that thought. But it is saying Pace targeted two guys he really likes and made aggressive moves to get them—so either of them starting in 2017 isn't something that would make him lose sleep at night.
Pace doled out a big contract to Glennon in free agency. Maybe he's nothing more than a mid-tier starter, but he's only 27 years old and never had a fair shake in Tampa Bay. With a strong running game backing him and a quality (if healthy) defense, Pace might leave some feeling silly about criticizing the contract.
It's the same story for Trubisky. Pace tabbed him as the potential franchise quarterback he wanted early in the draft process and traded up to make sure he got him.
Letting Trubisky see starter snaps his rookie year maybe isn't ideal, but traits such as a live arm and an ability to keep his eyes downfield while using great athleticism to escape the pocket means learning on the fly isn't the worst possible thing that could happen to the North Carolina product early on in his career.
Like most deep positions listed for the Bears here, this hinges on a heavy dose of upside. But so it goes given the nature of the rebuild, and the Bears feel like they have two shots at a franchise player at the most important position of all. So, yes, it's a deep spot.
Thinnest: Boundary Cornerback
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Pace targeted the secondary in a big way this offseason, but a combination of not wanting to put the team in a bad cap situation and players simply not wanting to come to Chicago means he whiffed on pursuits of big names such as Stephon Gilmore.
The defense added Quintin Demps and rookie Eddie Jackson at safety, bumping backup-caliber players such as Adrian Amos and Deon Bush into their proper roles. Slot corner is another strong area thanks to budding names such as Cre'von LeBlanc.
Boundary corner? Not so much.
Pace added Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper there, which is better than what the team had last year. But it's still thin on the basis those new faces have never met expectations. Unlike wideout, where Wheaton and Wright at least had big years, Amukamara has never looked like the No. 19 pick in the 2011 draft. Cooper has done well as a former seventh-round pick, but instead of remaining steady, he nosedived into being graded as the 106th corner at PFF last year.
It's the same theme beyond the two new starters for guys like Kyle Fuller and Deiondre' Hall, who are both candidates to move to safety.
Maybe the fit in Fangio's scheme helps the new additions turn in quality years. Maybe the other names figure out new roles. But it's asking a lot of guys who haven't showed much.
On paper, the depth at boundary corner doesn't look terrible, but when pressed, it might indeed be as thin as a sheet of loose leaf.
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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