Chicago Bears Need To Concentrate on Free Agent Receivers for Jay Cutler

The problem with the Chicago Bears sure isn't the defense.

Last year's free agent class took care of that. It can be argued Julius Peppers was the best free agent acquisition in the NFL last year. Together with Urlacher and Tillman, the Bears defense was one of the best in the league last season. Free agency would be wasted on the defense when they should be drafting for Urlacher and other players' eventual replacements.

Matt Forte is getting over four yards per carry. So he is doing something right. He is young and Chester Taylor, while not having a great year, is a more than capable second back.

The offensive line, after a shaky start in 2010, protected Jay Cutler very well. Mike Tice turned out to be just the thing the Bears need to coach that line. They should be thinking about drafting a center, though.

Other than that controversial end to his season, Jay Cutler turned in a very solid year as the leader of the Chicago Bears offense. His play at quarterback was very good. Mike Martz and Cutler make a great team.

However...

Johnny Knox has potential, but runs sloppy routes and needs to work on it. Devin Hester is a great return man and a pretty good receiver. Devin Aromashodu could be better than he has shown.

The Chicago Bears need to pick up one or two receivers in free agency this offseason. The following five receivers should be tops on their list.

Braylon Edwards Could Be One Of the Jets That Got Away.

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 16: Braylon Edwards #17 of the New York Jets celebrates on his way to defeating the Patriots 28 to 21 in their 2011 AFC divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 16, 2011 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael He

Apart from a little bit of offseason trouble, Braylon Edwards turned in a great season for the New York Jets in 2010.

However, the Jets find themselves in free agent distress right now. They have to work on re-signing a number of their players who have reached free agent status including Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie, among others.

The Jets simply will not be able to sign every one of them and if the Bears make the right moves, they may be able to stage a coup and pick up Mr. Edwards. This would be a great move for the Bears as Edwards is a great route runner who could fit into the Martz offense which relies heavily on timing.

Santana Moss Would Benefit From the Martz-Coached Chicago Offense

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LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 12: Santana Moss #89 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball after a catch during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on December 12, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. The Buccaneers defeated the Redskins 17-16. (P

Most of Moss' career, he has been slapped with ineffective coaches, multiple quarterbacks and an ownership who, while well intentioned, continues to make the same mistakes over and over again.

Mike Shanahan and his son are not the answer in Washington. Their inability to connect with Donovan McNabb, who was never a problem in Philly as far as getting along is concerned, proves to this writer that Shanahan is out of touch. He hasn't won a thing since he had Sharpe and Elway and TD on his team. That was a while ago now.

Moss, despite all the troubles and inconsistency in the Redskins organization, has consistently turned in good years. In an offense like Martz's and a team run by Lovie Smith, who has been with the Bears a number of years now, he could connect with Cutler and make waves nearly immediately. Picking up Moss could be a major play for the Chicago Bears.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh Needs a Permanent Home After Bouncing Around

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CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 21: T.J. Houshmandzadeh #84 of the Baltimore Ravens against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on November 21, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Ok, that final play of the Ravens' season where Housh dropped the ball was not indicative of T.J. Houshmandzadeh's career. 

He is not known for his speed but what he is known for is his route running and his hands. He is exactly the type of receiver needed in the Chicago Bears offense. He would be where he is supposed to be when Jay Cutler throws the ball.

T.J. has bounced around the league for a while. After a stay in Cincinnati, he has had short stays in Seattle and now he is a free agent in Baltimore. If the Ravens can't keep him, the Bears would be smart to lock him up for the next few years.

Vincent Jackson Held Out but With a Proper Contract, He Could Be the Ticket

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SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 16: Wide receiver Vincent Jackson #83 of the San Diego Chargers scores a touchdown on an 11-yard pass in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Qualcomm Stadium on December 16, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Phot

Vincent Jackson does not look to return to the Chargers, no matter the offer. He is very disappointed with the way his contract was handled last year and it is safe to assume that he has played his last game as a Charger.

Jackson's size and speed are arguably the points that make him the biggest free agent target for any team looking for receivers this offseason.

Therefore, the price tag might be a little too high especially after the monster contract the Bears inked with Peppers last season. However, if it worked, and the Bears did get him, they would instantly be talked about seriously in any Super Bowl contender discussion for next year.

Plaxico Was Guilty Of Stupid Decisons.

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GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 03: Wide receiver Plaxico Burress #17 of the New York Giants kneels after catching a 13-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008 at the University of Pho

Prison has a way of making those who do time, change their decision making skills. I truly believe that Plaxico Burress will be a model citizen in the future. He will need a little time to get back into football shape, but the team that takes a chance on him could be getting a bargain priced super star.

He has everything to prove and he could do so under Lovie Smith and Martz.

Think of this, if Tony Dungy reaches out to Plax as he did with Vick, there is every chance he could go to his good friend, Lovie Smith, and convince him to give a second chance.

The Bears are not known for taking on projects such as this. Smith had very little patience for Tank Johnson. But Johnson had not yet learned the lessons that Plaxico Burress has spent the past many months learning while locked behind bars.

This could be a future comeback player of the year and if it doesn't work out, it really didn't cost much. In addition, signing Burress would leave money to sign any number of other free agent receivers.

What About Those Other Guys?

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KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 26: Receiver Randy Moss #84 of the Tennessee Titans watches from the sidelines during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 26, 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Ima

What is the old saying about old dogs and new tricks?

Randy Moss? Terrell Owens?

No thank you and no thank you.

There is no denying that both of these players are some of the most talented to ever play the game. But there is also no denying that they just can't seem to get it together and just "team-up". They always seem to be at odds with coaches or other players and quite frankly, they are distractions who the Bears just do not need with the amount of free agents on the market.

They may be priced right, though. So who knows?

But this writer believes that Jay Cutler does not need a sideshow. He doesn't deal well with that sort of thing.

As for the others on the market?

I would be surprised if Sidney Rice leaves Minnesota. Santonio Holmes will be the Jets' priority to sign at wide receiver. Malcolm Floyd showed the Chargers why letting Jackson go may not be so bad for their team. Steve Smith isn't going anywhere and will continue to be a part of the Giants. Mike Sims-Walker is just too inconsistent.

This year there are a plethora of receivers on the market. But the ones named in this article I feel would be the best choices for the Chicago Bears and Jay Cutler.