2016 Chicago Bears

[rawdawg]

I personally like the way this offseason has gone. I think the front office and coaching moves have been stellar. Pace looks like he has a clear plan and path to get some sustained success in this organization. He has revamped the scouting department with guys who are highly regarded. I didn't love the Fox hire, but Pace brought in an experienced coach who brought with him coordinators that have championship caliber schemes. The free agency period was a bunch of team friendly contracts. The draft was solid and filled some needs.

But I still feel that the Bears aren't necessarily set up any better than they were when the season ended.

Projected starters or major contributors who are going to be free agents after the 2015 season:

-WR, Alshon Jeffery
-RB, Matt Forte
-DL, Ray McDonald
-DL, Jeremiah Ratliff
-DL, Jarvis Jenkins
-LB, Mason Foster
-CB, Alan Ball
-S, Ryan Mundy

Then there are the potential cap casualties:
-LT, Jermon Bushrod (8Mil + price tag for 2016)
-OLB, Jared Allen (no brainer to cut him for free rather than pay him 8.5Mil)
-OLB, Willie Young (very little 2016 obligation, does he come back from injury? does he fit?)
-CB, Tim Jennings (unless he's back at pro bowl level, likely cut)
-S Antrel Rolle (unless he's back at pro bowl level, possibly cut)
-OLB, Lamarr Houston (probably back but can easily get out of his deal if he isn't healthy or a good enough fit)

On top of that, you still have guys who the franchise has openly tried to trade this offseason in Cutler and Martellus Bennett. And underperformers who will be extremely cheap to cut and nobody would miss them if they don't take big steps forward this year (Mills, Bostic).

Alshon is a clear re-sign. Even if White is Odell Beckham as a rookie, Jeffery is not expendable because you need more than 1 strong target. But other than that, the only guys I would think have more than a 50/50 shot of being back in 2016 are Rolle and Houston.

So, you could be talking about a team that needs to replace starters at QB, RB, TE, LT, both DEs, Mike LB, OLB, CB, and at least 1 of the S positions.....not to mention a ton of depth is needed. Maybe Jones and Bostic both step up. Maybe Vereen and/or Amos step up. Maybe Louis-Jean plays and shows great improvement. Maybe Langford splits carries and is effective. But that's a lot of positions to fix. You could even argue that the Bears could be in a WORSE spot next offseason, as Forte and Bennett would leave holes bigger than any they had to fill this year, not to mention there is still no future QB nor franchise LT or pass rusher.

That being said, I'm not down on the team, especially for the future. But I think it's going to be a very interesting next 12 months for this franchise. There is still a lot of work to do with this team, and from the looks of things, it's starting from the top down and making a stop at every step.....and the 53 on the field may be the last piece to be completed.

 

[playthrough2001]

When a team drafts poorly for basically two decades, you end up in a situation like this but Pace seems to be on the right track.

It would be awesome to see the cornerstone franchise of the NFL run like a truly professional organization. Can you imagine if ten minutes after the SB in '85 someone told you the future of the Bears and the Patriots through 2014, you would have had that person institutionalized. Sad but true...

 

[Wintermute]

True, more work ahead to get this team to championship caliber. Still can't help but feel optimistic about 2015 though, in spite of not having very high expectations. I think we'll see a few surprise wins against ancient enemies...

 

[BearsFan51]

Now to soften the shock of this analysis let's try and look at the priority value of each position to determine what the focus should be in the draft and free agency:

QB. The reports surrounding Pace making Mariota a priority to draft because he feels he is the best QB in 2015 and 2016 are disconcerting. If he feels this way then if Cutler plays some of his best Cutler football he could be back in 2016. Otherwise this is the top priority in the first round.

RB, Low round priority, grab a RB in the second if he's a top-10 RB talent.

TE, this position is going through another evolution, an evolution of suddenly it may no longer exist because there aren't many teams left in college who prioritize the TE in their offense. Two straight years that this position has been down in the draft. Suddenly this is a mid round priority unless an elite prospect emerges.

LT, free agent or first to second round priority

both DEs, Free agency to mid round priority. This position just isn't the guy you get unless he's elite.

Mike LB, mid round priority free agency

OLB, first and second round priority

CB free agency first and second round priority

So four players have potential first round draft priority depending on how the rest of these guys shake out. Hopefully OLB shakes out as does the CB position to lessen the immediate priority. Overall you're looking at two more quality drafts to set this team on the path over the next three to five years.

Needless to say consistent to elite QB play would help a lot to open up a championship window sooner rather than later. Hopefully Cook or Hackenberg is that guy.

 

[dabears70]

I personally like the way this offseason has gone. I think the front office and coaching moves have been stellar. Pace looks like he has a clear plan and path to get some sustained success in this organization. He has revamped the scouting department with guys who are highly regarded. I didn't love the Fox hire, but Pace brought in an experienced coach who brought with him coordinators that have championship caliber schemes. The free agency period was a bunch of team friendly contracts. The draft was solid and filled some needs.

But I still feel that the Bears aren't necessarily set up any better than they were when the season ended.

Projected starters or major contributors who are going to be free agents after the 2015 season:

-WR, Alshon Jeffery
-RB, Matt Forte
-DL, Ray McDonald
-DL, Jeremiah Ratliff
-DL, Jarvis Jenkins
-LB, Mason Foster
-CB, Alan Ball
-S, Ryan Mundy

Then there are the potential cap casualties:
-LT, Jermon Bushrod (8Mil + price tag for 2016)
-OLB, Jared Allen (no brainer to cut him for free rather than pay him 8.5Mil)
-OLB, Willie Young (very little 2016 obligation, does he come back from injury? does he fit?)
-CB, Tim Jennings (unless he's back at pro bowl level, likely cut)
-S Antrel Rolle (unless he's back at pro bowl level, possibly cut)
-OLB, Lamarr Houston (probably back but can easily get out of his deal if he isn't healthy or a good enough fit)

On top of that, you still have guys who the franchise has openly tried to trade this offseason in Cutler and Martellus Bennett. And underperformers who will be extremely cheap to cut and nobody would miss them if they don't take big steps forward this year (Mills, Bostic).

Alshon is a clear re-sign. Even if White is Odell Beckham as a rookie, Jeffery is not expendable because you need more than 1 strong target. But other than that, the only guys I would think have more than a 50/50 shot of being back in 2016 are Rolle and Houston.

So, you could be talking about a team that needs to replace starters at QB, RB, TE, LT, both DEs, Mike LB, OLB, CB, and at least 1 of the S positions.....not to mention a ton of depth is needed. Maybe Jones and Bostic both step up. Maybe Vereen and/or Amos step up. Maybe Louis-Jean plays and shows great improvement. Maybe Langford splits carries and is effective. But that's a lot of positions to fix. You could even argue that the Bears could be in a WORSE spot next offseason, as Forte and Bennett would leave holes bigger than any they had to fill this year, not to mention there is still no future QB nor franchise LT or pass rusher.

That being said, I'm not down on the team, especially for the future. But I think it's going to be a very interesting next 12 months for this franchise. There is still a lot of work to do with this team, and from the looks of things, it's starting from the top down and making a stop at every step.....and the 53 on the field may be the last piece to be completed.

Hahahaha so you talk about how you don't think we're any better off now then we were at the end of last season and talk about all the guys that will be free agents and cap casualties and all the positions that we'll need to replace after next year and you start your last paragraph off with "I'm not down on the team" LOL. What is it you're going for with this thread??

 

[rawdawg]

Hahahaha so you talk about how you don't think we're any better off now then we were at the end of last season and talk about all the guys that will be free agents and cap casualties and all the positions that we'll need to replace after next year and you start your last paragraph off with "I'm not down on the team" LOL. What is it you're going for with this thread??

The point is.......I assumed the Bears would go for more big splash moves to set up the future. I figured the on field team would be the priority. But it clearly is not. I figured the team would not only add building blocks but also that some of those blocks would be elite talents.

But I think the reason we didn't see the Bears give out huge contracts, move up for Mariota, draft top 15 talents who were falling (Gregory/Lael), or move around all over the draft.....is because Pace didn't feel he had the people around him in place. Now that the Bears have revamped scouting, I think next year is when you'll see the bold moves being made. And the Bears will have a ton of them to make. And I'm not down because they have the guys in place to make the right moves.

 

[The Hawk]

The point is.......I assumed the Bears would go for more big splash moves to set up the future. I figured the on field team would be the priority. But it clearly is not. I figured the team would not only add building blocks but also that some of those blocks would be elite talents.

But I think the reason we didn't see the Bears give out huge contracts, move up for Mariota, draft top 15 talents who were falling (Gregory/Lael), or move around all over the draft.....is because Pace didn't feel he had the people around him in place. Now that the Bears have revamped scouting, I think next year is when you'll see the bold moves being made. And the Bears will have a ton of them to make. And I'm not down because they have the guys in place to make the right moves.

Interesting viewpoint and you could be right. Maybe Pace thinks that he has to plug the leaks and hire tug boats to get the ship to dry dock before he can re-fit the vessel, eh Matey?

 

[BringBackDitka54]

The point is.......I assumed the Bears would go for more big splash moves to set up the future. I figured the on field team would be the priority. But it clearly is not. I figured the team would not only add building blocks but also that some of those blocks would be elite talents.

But I think the reason we didn't see the Bears give out huge contracts, move up for Mariota, draft top 15 talents who were falling (Gregory/Lael), or move around all over the draft.....is because Pace didn't feel he had the people around him in place. Now that the Bears have revamped scouting, I think next year is when you'll see the bold moves being made. And the Bears will have a ton of them to make. And I'm not down because they have the guys in place to make the right moves.

I feel like Pace has taken a very safe approach in his first off-season as general manager, which is fine. Emery often went for home-run moves that would either make him the "savior" or the "destroyer" of this franchise. Emery took risky moves that paid off, like trading up for Alshon, trading for Marshall, drafting Kyle Long... But he also had risky moves that haven't paid off, like hiring Trestman, re-signing Cutler for 7 years, and drafting Shea. Big splash moves aren't necessary for where we are right now.

 

[jjabrams]

we would be good to go if we could get a strong quarterback in place. Thats my two cents

 

[Major Ursa]

we would be good to go if we could get a strong quarterback in place. Thats my two cents

So would every team.

 

[Urblock]

Thread is depressing.

 

[Doubledown]

Thread is depressing.

NFL's best offseasons in 2015
http://www.si.com/nfl/video/2015/05/15/nfls-best-and-worst-offseasons-2015

 

[The Big Grabowski]

NFL's best offseasons in 2015
http://www.si.com/nfl/video/2015/05/15/nfls-best-and-worst-offseasons-2015

SI mentioned the move from Tucker to Fangio as being the biggest upgrade possible, but really it was big move forward at HC, OC, DC and likely ST too. Obviously we'll see how the coaches factor in when the team hits the field, but it would have to be an upgrade to the train wreck last year.

There are more than a few positives going forward for the organization. Obviously we'll need more than 1 draft, but we should see some immediate progress.

 

[1COBearsfan]

The point is.......I assumed the Bears would go for more big splash moves to set up the future. I figured the on field team would be the priority. But it clearly is not. I figured the team would not only add building blocks but also that some of those blocks would be elite talents.

But I think the reason we didn't see the Bears give out huge contracts, move up for Mariota, draft top 15 talents who were falling (Gregory/Lael), or move around all over the draft.....is because Pace didn't feel he had the people around him in place. Now that the Bears have revamped scouting, I think next year is when you'll see the bold moves being made. And the Bears will have a ton of them to make. And I'm not down because they have the guys in place to make the right moves.

Big fa moves are not generally how you build a strong team. That is primarily the realm of strong drafting.

And, did the saints make a ton of crazy moves all over the draft board while pace was there? I know he wasn't the guy in charge but that's where he learned the ropes. He will probably model his draft strategy after his saints days for a while

 

[Tjodalv]

The point is.......I assumed the Bears would go for more big splash moves to set up the future. I figured the on field team would be the priority. But it clearly is not. I figured the team would not only add building blocks but also that some of those blocks would be elite talents.

But I think the reason we didn't see the Bears give out huge contracts, move up for Mariota, draft top 15 talents who were falling (Gregory/Lael), or move around all over the draft.....is because Pace didn't feel he had the people around him in place. Now that the Bears have revamped scouting, I think next year is when you'll see the bold moves being made. And the Bears will have a ton of them to make. And I'm not down because they have the guys in place to make the right moves.

Who exactly was there in FA that would have been a "big splash?" Suh? Revis? Iupati? I guess they could have pushed harder for Odrick or Knighton; but let's at least pretend to be semi-realistic...this was not a very good FA class in positions of need other than a small handful of guys who signed insane contracts. Blowing a **** ton of cap space in FA is just about as stupid as blowing an entire draft worth of picks to move up and take Mariota.

The on field team isn't a priority? Where do you come up with this stuff? They brought in (FA or draft) a starting OLB, starting ILB, starting safety, slot receiver, starting WR, starting C, two DEs that will compete to start, starting NT, and a bunch of depth. How much more is it viable to do in one offseason given that a thing called the salary cap exists?

Since you apparently missed it: no one thought drafting Collins was a good idea given the circumstances, and obviously the majority of GMs took Gregory off their boards as well (unless you think Jerry "I'm still pissed at my son for not letting me draft Manziel" Jones is some sort of draft day genius). What if ours was one of the team meetings he ditched, on top of the other red flags? Oh, and why would you think "moving all over the draft" is a good thing? It may entertain you, but really means very little about draft outcomes most of the time.

 

[Monsieur Tirets]

hopefully, the big splash moves in FA are over. they are the mark of a struggling, poorly ran franchise. Pace has acknowledged this and has stated his desire to build through the draft.

 

[rawdawg]

Who exactly was there in FA that would have been a "big splash?" Suh? Revis? Iupati? I guess they could have pushed harder for Odrick or Knighton; but let's at least pretend to be semi-realistic...this was not a very good FA class in positions of need other than a small handful of guys who signed insane contracts. Blowing a **** ton of cap space in FA is just about as stupid as blowing an entire draft worth of picks to move up and take Mariota.

The on field team isn't a priority? Where do you come up with this stuff? They brought in (FA or draft) a starting OLB, starting ILB, starting safety, slot receiver, starting WR, starting C, two DEs that will compete to start, starting NT, and a bunch of depth. How much more is it viable to do in one offseason given that a thing called the salary cap exists?

Since you apparently missed it: no one thought drafting Collins was a good idea given the circumstances, and obviously the majority of GMs took Gregory off their boards as well (unless you think Jerry "I'm still pissed at my son for not letting me draft Manziel" Jones is some sort of draft day genius). What if ours was one of the team meetings he ditched, on top of the other red flags? Oh, and why would you think "moving all over the draft" is a good thing? It may entertain you, but really means very little about draft outcomes most of the time.

You really aren't that bright are you? Missed the point when it's spelled out to you.

I never said that's what I wanted. Never said I wanted a big splash or movement all over the draft. Said that's what I expected. And who can blame me? That's what we had for years in Chicago. New, young GM trying to prove he belongs.

 

[DrGonzo]

This team is being rebuilt and rebuilding takes time. OP is correct many positions are filled with place holders right now and many more changes are coming next year. My question is, who are the core players the Bears are being rebuilt around, a WR and a guard? I really hope Fuller becomes the ten year starter he is expected to be, and Jones continues to look like the guy the lightbulb switched on for at the end of last season.

 

[1COBearsfan]

This team is being rebuilt and rebuilding takes time. OP is correct many positions are filled with place holders right now and many more changes are coming next year. My question is, who are the core players the Bears are being rebuilt around, a WR and a guard? I really hope Fuller becomes the ten year starter he is expected to be, and Jones continues to look like the guy the lightbulb switched on for at the end of last season.

We should revisit this conversation after this season. There are finally some competent coaches (hopefully) to truly see(hopefully) what the young kids can do, especially on defense