The Defensive Depth Chart

[Bear Pride]

RE: Sutton, Dunn
NT: Ratliff, Ferguson
LE: Washington

No bodies and no experience at 5 technique, add in a disturbing lack of size and the Bears need help.

OLB: Young, Allen, Bass
MLB: Bostic, Greene
MLB: Jones, Lattimore
OLB: McPhee, Houston, McClellin

The Bears have an epic amount of inexperience at MLB, and no elite pass rusher. Young and Houston are injury wild cards, Allen and McClellin are wastes of roster space and the only guys I am excited about are McPhee and Bass.

CB: Fuller, Jennings, Hurst, Louis-Jean

Need some depth but there are 2 starters here and a nickle with experience.

FS: Vereen
SS: Rolle, Mundy

DESPERATLY need a FS.

Looking at your terrible depth chart, no offense, just shows me the Bears have a ways to go yet. Personally, if they run with this, they'll get ass kicked, imo. It's just too soon. I'd go with a completely different 3-4 alignment, myself. Fangio will most likely have the Bears play both 3-4 and 4-3, so I think you have to look at it that way.

Current 3-4:

DE - Houston - Ferguson
NT - Ratliff
DE - McPhee - Sutton

OLB - Allen - Bass
ILB - Bostic
ILB - Greene
OLB - Young - McClellin

SS - Rolle
FS - Mundy
CB - Fuller
CB - Jennings

Post Draft & FA'cy 3-4 (Just an example):

DE - Houston - Ferguson
NT - Rookie or FA
DE - Ratliff - Sutton

OLB - Rookie (Vic Beasley) - Allen - Bass
ILB - Bostic
ILB - FA or Rookie
OLB - McPhee - McClellin

SS - Rolle
FS - FA - Mundy
CB - Fuller
CB - Jennings - Rookie

NOTES: I think Fangio will rotate the OLB's a lot in the 3-4, and guys like Allen and Young will get in on 4-3 sets. I think the Bears would like to switch Jennings to NB, and bring in another starting CB. The draft, obviously, will help a lot, but I think the Bears will add another defensive starting FA yet, imo.

 

[Zvbxrpl]

FS: Tillman.

Not this shit again.....

 

[JP Hochbaum]

Both Houston and McPhee will play some DE and DT in Nickel packages. And you can get Sutton to beef up like he did in his senior year.

So you end up having

1st and 2nd down DT: Sutton Ferguson Ratliff
1st and 2nd down DE: Washington, Houston, McPhee

3rd down DT/DE Houston, McPhee, Washington, Dunn, Young, Allen

So realistically you can get by with a FA at DT and Fa at DE and have the depth needed to go BPA in the draft.

 

[OnemanWolfpack]

I haven't heard any reports on it but I think Shea projects more as an MLB in the 3-4 if he makes the team. I know that developing talent is something none of us are used to but that is what this staff should be able to do. Considering that every player started out behind the eight ball (Tucker) these past few seasons, I want to see everyone hit the field and how they adapt to scheme. It happens all the time in the NFL, a change of scenery revives a players career. It can also go the other way. Still I look forward to what guys like Bostic, McClellin, and Sutton can do when put in a better position to succeed. But I do agree with the OP that the defense is still in serious need of new talent all across the board.

 

[WindyCity]

Alex Carrington would be an interesting signing 6'5" 295lbs would give him the size and length needed.

The Bears could invest 2 top picks (1-4) but that leaves limited resources for other positions.

 

[-Cago34-]

Devon Still would also be worth checking in to depending on where his frame of mind is with all the issues with his daughter.

I'm just looking at guys that could come on the cheap that are hungry.

 

[rawdawg]

Under Fangio, the 49ers didn't really spend a lot of resources on the DL either.

Tony Jerod-Eddie was a UDFA
Ian Williams was a UDFA
Tank Carradine was basically redshirted for a year due to injury
Quinton Dial was a 5th rounder.

Only Justin Smith, who was a stud veteran and Ray McDonald, a 3rd round pick in 2007, were the only players in the front 3 that were semi-high investments and Smith is very cheap for what he provides.

Before them, Isaac Sopoaga was a 4th round pick. And Ricky Jean-Francois was a 7th round pick.

So, I think Fangio will look at Ratliff as his Justin Smith. Not as good a player, but very versatile guy that can play various spots on the line for 3 downs and line up in various techniques. Then I wouldn't be surprise to see an early pick on the DL, but it's not going to be at #7. Other than that, I could see them signing an anchor in the middle of the DL, but it's not going to be someone expensive. No more than 2-2.5Mil/year spent on a 2-down position.

So, come May, I think you'll see a DL something like:

DE- Ratliff, UDFA
NT- cheap FA, Ferguson
DE- 2nd/3rd round rookie, Sutton

If they only play base D 40% of the time, you'll be playing only 2 of those 6 guys most of the time. And then you can always put McPhee or Houston inside in the nickel and get more speed out on the edge. I think that's a workable DL, and basically similar to what the Niners did in a near elite defense under Fangio.

 

[Run the ball]

Is Houston really going to be a LBer? He seems a little thick for that role, IMO.


Also, it's going to be fun watching a totally different style of D next year.

 

[-Cago34-]

Good post, rawdawg. Only thing I dont really agree with is putting Ego at NT. I'd try him at DE first and go from there. I'm just going off of the way Fangio built in SF, could be completely wrong about all this and I most likely am, but for now its all I have to go off of.

If he runs a 1-gap, I think we'll see a smaller NT unless we luck up and find a guy that just wins the job. I doubt we're targeting Shelton at 7. I wonder if in a Fangio 1-Gap if Sutton could actually play NT. From my understanding, a NT in a 1-Gap just shoots one of the A-gaps and one of the LB's behind him is responsible for the one he doesn't go in to.

Sutton may work in a pinch until they find their guy.

 

[rawdawg]

Ego is closer to Ian Williams in size than he is to McDonald or Smith. DEs were long armed and tall. I think Ego is 100% a nose in this system

 

[-Cago34-]

K cool, I respect your opinion, we'll see.

 

[HeHateMe]

Dont they need a super fat guy to play in this scheme? I dont think we have that. Also you guys have smaller dudes playing where fatter dudes are supposed to be, fyi.

 

[rawdawg]

Dont they need a super fat guy to play in this scheme? I dont think we have that. Also you guys have smaller dudes playing where fatter dudes are supposed to be, fyi.

Niners starting DL was 290, 305, 290 left to right. Biggest DL on their roster was 315 I believe.

 

[Raskolnikov]

gaping hole in the middle means Shelton.

 

[HeHateMe]

Niners starting DL was 290, 305, 290 left to right. Biggest DL on their roster was 315 I believe.

Hmmm. I wonder why we cut briggs then....

 

[Bear Pride]

Ego is closer to Ian Williams in size than he is to McDonald or Smith. DEs were long armed and tall. I think Ego is 100% a nose in this system

I'm thinking you're right, but we'll know once we get on the grass. If Ego can play NT and Sutton can play some 3tech and 5tech, it would be big for the Bears. The Bears actually have a lot of DL guys already, with Allen, Young, Bass, Washinton, etc. all maybe playing OLB in the 3-4.

Can't wait to see how Fangio uses these guys. You could say that we have too many OLB's already, but none in the perfect mold of a true OLB, except for McPhee. Maybe we don't go with an edge rusher at #7? Maybe a CB or even a RT? Certainly is interesting at this time.

The more moves they make, the easier it will be to figure out which way they are leaning towards certain players.

 

[dreadpirateroberts]

I really wished the Bears signed Kendall Langford to play the 5-tech spot due to his previous success at the position in Miami.

 

[WindyCity]

Fangio's defense depth charts in SF look like this

7 DL

9 LBs (5 O, 4 I)

9 DBs (5 C, 4 S)

It was a little difficult to tell this season with all the suspensions and injuries.

If that is the case the Bears are missing

3 DL
1 MLB
1 CB
1 S

 

[pseudonym]

Fangio's defense depth charts in SF look like this

7 DL

9 LBs (5 O, 4 I)

9 DBs (5 C, 4 S)

It was a little difficult to tell this season with all the suspensions and injuries.

If that is the case the Bears are missing

3 DL
1 MLB
1 CB
1 S

yeah, we can't get that all in the draft. sounds like a combo of:

2-5 FA still
Draft
Utilizing players that are on the team already (Sutton, Ego, Ratliff, etc.)

We might get 1-3 rookies that will start, or play a lot, IMO.

 

[Bears27]

Sign
Mason Foster
Kenrick Ellis
Dashon Goldson

Resign
Sherrick McManis
Dante Rosario
Darryl Sharpton

Draft
Randy Gregory
Mario Edwards Jr.
Henry Anderson
Eric Rowe
Ben Heeney
Terry Williams