The Foxy Offseason

[WindyCity]

Coaching

HC: John Fox

Foxy will win games, the record will look way better than last season, Trubisky will show some progress as the schedule gets easier and he gets more experience and they will sell the fans on continuity. Not what I would do, but what I think happens. I can see the argument for wanting to see where this momentum takes them. Fox is a survivor and I do not think he is on as hot a seat as what is being reported.

OC: Dowell Loggains

If you are going to sell the importance of continuity then you need to commit to that. I also think it will be difficult to find a quality OC that wants to take over such an unsettled situation. Loggains can open up the offense with improved weapons and we can start to accurately assess him as a play caller.

DC: Chuck Pagano

I think if Fox stays that Fangio will leave for a HC job or for a more lucrative opportunity. A new HC will be able to offer him a huge 3 -4 year guaranteed deal that the Bears will not be able to offer to him along with total control of the defense. The Bears will need to find someone where opportunity is more important than financial security and a fired HC that is still getting paid by the Colts and who needs to rebuild his image would be a great start. Pagano ran some very good defenses in Baltimore and an attacking 3-4 style.

Releases/Not Re-signed

QB Mike Glennon [11 million]-A complete failure of a free agent signing.
TE Dion Sims [4.5 million]-He has been mediocre at catching and blocking and there is an out in his contract
WR Markus Wheaton [5 million]-Has done nothing and been injured and an easy one to move on from
LB Jerrel Freeman[3.5 million]-Younger players took his job. He can still play, but you do not keep a 32 year old guy when you have young guys ready to play

K Conner Barth
OT Bradley Sowell
OT Tom Compton

Re-signed/Extended

NT Eddie Goldman 5 years 44 million/26 guaranteed

Goldman needs to be extended and coming off what is looking like a monster season the Bears need to do it now and use the 1 year remaining on his deal as leverage and allowing them to spread the money over 5 years instead of 4.

Old Money: 1 year 2 million
New Money: 4 years 42 million/26 guaranteed 

CB Kyle Fuller: Franchise Tag

This staff seems to have had question marks about Fuller, they didn't draft him, and while he has played well I think they give him the Alson treatment and make him earn it for one more year.

WR Kendall Wright 2 years 10 million/5 guaranteed
LB Christian Jones  3 years 15 million/8 guaranteed
DE Mitch Unrien 2 years 5 million/2 guaranteed
P Pat O'Donnell 3 years 10 million/4 guaranteed
CB Sherrick McManis 2 years 3 million/750k guaranteed
QB Mark Sanchez 2 years 4.5 million/2 guaranteed
WR Dontelle Inman 1 year 1.75 million
RB Benny Cunningham 1 year 1.2 million
NT John Jenkins 1 year 850k
LS Patrick Sclaes [RFA]
LB John Timu [RFA]
Daniel Brown [RFA]

Free Agency

WR Paul Richardson [Seattle] 4 years 34 million/18 guaranteed

The Bears need some professional WRs, they need some speed, and a player with some untapped potential would be nice as well. Richardson checks all the boxes and gives the Bears a legit speed weapon that can stretch the defense and create some less congested throwing lanes. Richardson is having a break out year in Seattle, which has no way of retaining him, and the Bears should take advantage of this. Richardson can slot in as the #2 WR early and give the Bears a player that is capable of making the huge play, which is something they have missed and they seem to always have to grind out long possessions.

TE Trey Burton [Philadelphia] 4 years 18 million/6 guaranteed

Zach Miller should be given a job with the Bears as a player engagement director or something. His presence in the locker room and around the team is a huge positive, but he will never play again. The Bears need to replace him in the passing game and get a TE that can be used in the flex role and to threaten the seam. Burton has been stuck on the depth chart in Philly, but he has the skill set to step into the pass catching role. He can be flexed outside and into the slot without looking out of place.

K Graham Gano [Carolina] 3 years 10.5 million/4 guaranteed

If you are going to play Foxy ball you cannot have a kicker who struggles to put points on the board. Barth kind of sucks and Gano is much more consistent and has a much better leg for kicking in the elements. We have not even seen the worse of Barth, wait till it is cold and windy in December.

Draft

1[12] WR Calvin Ridley [Alabama] 6'1" 195lbs.

The WR core blowing up in the Bears face is really the story of 2017. Not only did it limit the success that the team could have, but it also slowed the development and what Trubisky could show. I think the Bears, who after keeping Fox, need to do something to ensure that Trubisky takes a huge step forward in year 2. Sean McVay is not walking through the doors, so they need to give Trubisky a plethora of weapons. One of the goals for the Bears is to create a diverse WR core that offers different skill sets and looks to a defense. With Cutler the focus was on bigger WRs because of his accuracy issues at time, but with Trubisky I do not think the Bears need to focus as much on size and jump ball ability. With Meredith they have size, with Richardson they have pure speed, and with Ridley they have a combination player that runs greate routes in the deep intermediate area.

*Trade: The Chicago Bears trade 2[42] to the Buffalo Bills for 2[57], 3[89], and 6th round picks. The 2nd round trade down seems to be a tradition for Ryan Pace and short on picks again I think we will see a 2nd round move down if possible. The Bills have more picks than they can possibly make and seem like an ideal trade down partner.

2[57] OLB Lorenzo Carter [Georgia] 6'6" 245lbs.

With the way that McPhee is playing the Bears do not neccasserily need someone who can walk in and start week 1, but they need someone who can take over for McPhee and play snaps pretty quickly to limit his exposure. Carter has the size, length, and athletic abiltiy that the Bears want at the position. He is not the freakish athlete that Floyd is, but few human beings are. Carter is a raw pass rusher who can slowly be worked in as he developes the finer points of the position.

3[89] OT Toby Weathersby [LSU] 6'6" 315lbs.

The Bears clealrly need to upgrade the OT position and the free agency class is really bad, so the Bears need to look at the draft. Bobbie Massie needs to be replaced, but lacking a guaranteed upgrade the Bears should get serious compeition for him. Weathersby has the size, length, and physicality to be an NFL RT. He has started a ton of games for LSU and should be far enough long in his technique to challenge Massie as a rookie. At a minimum he gives the Bears talented depth and he can try and take Massie's job later in the season or in 2018. The Bears really cannot expect Mitch to take a majpor step forward with mediocre protection on the edges.

4. ILB Micah Kizer [Virginia] 6'2" 240lbs.

Jerell Freeman has probably played his last game for the Bears and that means that the depth at ILB will take a hit as Jones and Kwiatowski are competing to start at his spot. The Bears should add a player that can develop and back up Trevathan who has been knicked up in his 2 years with the Bears. Kizer can step and provide depth and special teams impact. Kizer also has a unique skill set that can be deployed on defense, as he has already racked up 5 sacks for Virginia and has shown that he is a very adept blitzer.

4. CB Qunetin Meeks [Stanford] 6'1" 195lbs.

The Bears core of CBs has been very good this season, but they need a young player who has the physical tools to play on the outside. Cooper and Amukamara have both been banged up throughout 2017 and Fuller will be on another prove it year after a big season. Meeks has the size and physicality to play on the outside in this scheme and can provide depth and another option if injuries strike or if Cooper is released in 2019. Meeks coming from Stanford means that he tackles in the run game at the level that this defense demands.

5. OG Timon Parris [Stony Brook] 6'5" 310lbs.

In New Orleans, Pace and the Saints would draft smaller school OTs and convert them to OG pretty regularly. They always seemed to have players developing behind the starter and ready to step in and take over. The Bears are going to need a starting OG in 2019 and they are going to need options in 2018 as Kyle Long has another offseason of surgery ahead of him. Parris has excellent size and length and by moving inside he will look like an even better athlete. Like Jordan Morgan he may need some time coming from a lower level, but he gets 2018 to get himself ready to compete to start in 2019. As we are seeing if the Bears are going to run the ball as much as they are, they are going to need to start to keep 9 OLmen on the team with the physical pounding they take.

6. NT B.J Hill [NC State] 6'4" 315lbs.

The Bears defense has talent, they are young, and this affords them time to try and find some contributors later in the draft. Eddie Goldman is the NT of the future, but he plays a lot of snaps for a 330lbs. man so finding a player that can make himself active on game days could be a big plus for Goldman's endurance and health. Hill is a big physical run stuffer with a sneaky motor and who plays on a really talented DL. I thought he held up well against the Notre Dame OL which has  a number of NFL players on it. He can come in and develop and hopefully earn 5-10 heavy run down snaps a game.

6. TE Ethan Wolfe [Tennessee] 6'6" 260lbs.

Dion Sims has been a failure of a signing and while Burton is signed to replace Miller in the passing game, the Bears need to add someone who can block. Wolfe has the size and blocking experience to hopefully step into that role. Wolfe has not done much as a WR, but he is being drafted for the 3 TE formationas, short yardage, and obvious run downs that we do not want to waste Burton on. Wolfe and Shaheen give the Bears a couple of intimidating in line blockers.

Depth Chart

QB: Trubisky, Sanchez
RB: Howard, Cohen, Cunningham
WR: Ridley, Richardson, Meredith, Wright, Inman, Bellamy
TE: Burton, Shaheen, Brown, Wolfe
LT: Leno
LG: Long, Parris
C: Whithair, Kush
RG: Sitton, Morgan
RT: Massie/Weathersby

RE: Bullard/Robertson-Harris
NT: Goldman, Hill
LE: Hicks, Unrien
OLB: Floyd, Carter
ILB: Jones/Kwaitowski
ILB: Trevathan, Kizer, Timu
OLB: McPhee, Young, Johnson
CB: Fuller, Amukamara, Cooper, Meeks, Callahan, McManis
SS: Amos, Hall/Bush
FS: Jackson, Demps

[G08]

Pagano would be an AWESOME get for the defensive staff, man. Isn't he under contract until 2020, though?

[Rogerthat]

great work as always. Ever mock should include a pace 2nd round trade down.  glad you didn't have the bears unrealistically signing a top tier FA WR.   you don't think they will be a little more aggressive in FA.  Maybe a Greg Robinson to play RT? A back up with starter potential center/guard in Zack Fulton?  how about Arron Lynch to have a three man rotation with Mcphee, Floyd and lynch?

[Nads786]

I was thinking we may need to draft a center/guard a bit higher because I see one of our guys having a downfall. I can't imagine Sitton playing well next year due to age and Cody has just been a very poor snapper all season.

[Madmike90]

I still see no way Fox stays...this franchise can not tie a stubborn aging defensive minded HC to a bright young high round pick QB...it makes zero sense and for as much as I love the tradition and history of our franchise it's time we brought it into the modern world with a quality offensive minded HC.

[Rogerthat]

24 minutes ago, Madmike90 said:

I still see no way Fox stays...this franchise can not tie a stubborn aging defensive minded HC to a bright young high round pick QB...it makes zero sense and for as much as I love the tradition and history of our franchise it's time we brought it into the modern world with a quality offensive minded HC.

Bears don't want to pay two coaches.  Continuity is going to be the 2017 off season buzz word at halas hall 

[Madmike90]

3 minutes ago, Rogerthat said:

Bears don't want to pay two coaches.  Continuity is going to be the 2017 off season buzz word at halas hall 

Bears also don't want empty seats and to waste a 2nd overall pick at QB...Fox offers us nothing right now.

[blkwdw13]

5 minutes ago, Rogerthat said:

Bears don't want to pay two coaches.  Continuity is going to be the 2017 off season buzz word at halas hall 

Come on this is far from the truth, they have already done this twice recently to move on from coaches.

[G08]

I think it will be easier for Pace to preach progress than it would for him to blow everything up.

Good thing is we have 8 weeks to go. I am rooting for the defense to continue to get better and better and the offense to evolve and hit their stride in 3-4 weeks.

[WindyCity]

2 hours ago, Madmike90 said:

I still see no way Fox stays...this franchise can not tie a stubborn aging defensive minded HC to a bright young high round pick QB...it makes zero sense and for as much as I love the tradition and history of our franchise it's time we brought it into the modern world with a quality offensive minded HC.

You should listen to Adam Jahns on the dabearsblog podcast.

He seemed prett admant that Fox and Pace are in lock step and baring an implosion he would be back.

[WindyCity]

1 hour ago, Madmike90 said:

Bears also don't want empty seats and to waste a 2nd overall pick at QB...Fox offers us nothing right now.

I 100% agree.

But they are going to talk about momentum and contiuinty.

 

To paraphrase Jahns. Pace is taking a lot of the blame for the offense and lack of weapons and the Glennon fiasco, more so than coaching. 

[topwop1]

49 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

You should listen to Adam Jahns on the dabearsblog podcast.

He seemed prett admant that Fox and Pace are in lock step and baring an implosion he would be back.

Does Jahns have insider info to be able to make this type of claim? I think not.  It's purely his opinion.

No one thought Lovie would be fired either after going 10-6.

Usually the national guys are right when it comes to this kind of news and we've heard Fox's seat is pretty hot.  Dan Bernstein is also pretty adamant that Fox will be cut loose and he's usually right about these things because he actually has insider info.

I was one of Fox's biggest supporters the past couple of years but 3 straight years of losing records and impotent offensive play would be the the nail in the coffin for me.  We'll see...

[G08]

27 minutes ago, topwop1 said:

Does Jahns have insider info to be able to make this type of claim? I think not.  It's purely his opinion.

No one thought Lovie would be fired either after going 10-6.

Usually the national guys are right when it comes to this kind of news and we've heard Fox's seat is pretty hot.  Dan Bernstein is also pretty adamant that Fox will be cut loose and he's usually right about these things because he actually has insider info.

I was one of Fox's biggest supporters the past couple of years but 3 straight years of losing records and impotent offensive play would be the the nail in the coffin for me.  We'll see...

Does a beat writer have inside information? You must not be familiar with "off the record" conversations.

 

Of course you think it's purely his opinion 

[Madmike90]

3 hours ago, WindyCity said:

You should listen to Adam Jahns on the dabearsblog podcast.

He seemed prett admant that Fox and Pace are in lock step and baring an implosion he would be back.

I honestly don't buy that for a second...Pace knew he needs to be QB driven from day one on the job...now he has the QB he knows he needs someone to develop him and Fox & Loggains don't cut the mustard.

[Madmike90]

3 hours ago, WindyCity said:

I 100% agree.

But they are going to talk about momentum and contiuinty.

 

To paraphrase Jahns. Pace is taking a lot of the blame for the offense and lack of weapons and the Glennon fiasco, more so than coaching. 

Build momentum and continuity to be what? Average at best?...we need more...we deserve more...there is nothing holding this franchise back apart from ambition.