For fans of the Chicago Bears there’s not a ton to get excited about this season. For the Bears to accomplish anything at all in the NFC North, every other team’s season would have to be a complete, injury-filled disaster. That’s no reason for Da Bears’ faithful to jump off a bridge. John Fox, this stint with the Bears notwithstanding, has proven to be a quality coach in the past. Let’s take a look at how he and general manager Ryan Pace managed the off-season.
Free Agents Kept
Connor Barth, Kicker
C.J. Wilson, Defensive End
Free Agents Gained
Prince Amukamara, Cornerback, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars
Quintin Demps, Safety, formerly of the Houston Texans
Mike Glennon, Quarterback, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
John Jenkins, Defensive Tackle, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks
Dion Sims, Tight End, formerly of the Miami Dolphins
Markus Wheaton, Wide Receiver, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Kendall Wright, Wide Receiver, formerly of the Tennessee Titans
Free Agents Lost
Matt Barkley, Quarterback, signed with the San Francisco 49ers
Brian Hoyer, Quarterback, signed with the San Francisco 49ers
Alshon Jeffery, Wide Receiver, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles
Logan Paulsen, Tight End, signed with the San Francisco 49ers
Jay Cutler, Quarterback, Retired
2017 NFL Draft
Round 1: Mitchell Trubisky, Quarterback, North Carolina
Round 2: Adam Sheehan, Tight End, Ashland
Round 4: Eddie Jackson, Safety, Alabama
Round 4: Tarik Cohen, Running Back, North Carolina A&T
Round 5: Jordan Morgan, Offensive Guard, Kurtztown
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Mike Glennon
RB: Jordan Howard
WR: Cameron Meredith
WR: Kevin White
WR: Markus Wheaton
TE: Zach Miller
LT: Charles Leno
RT: Bobby Massie
LG: Josh Sitton
RG: Kyle Long
C: Cody Whitehair
Offensive Outlook
First off, let’s get this out of the way. It can’t get any worse for the Bears on offense in the 2017 season. Yes, they lost their best offensive player in wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey, but he’d struggled to stay on the field for the last two seasons anyway due to injuries and a suspension. They had to learn to play without him and, to some degree, they did, with rookie running back Jordan Howard forming the backbone of the offense. Howard averaged 5.2 yards a carry on his way to 1,313 yards and six touchdowns in his first NFL season and added 29 catches for 298 yards and a score.
The Bears started four different quarterbacks last season and if everything goes to plan this year, they’ll play no more than two. Mike Glennon and first-round draft pick Mitchell Trubisky, ideally, will get any and all quarterback snaps win or lose. And there will probably be a lot of losing.
The Bears are pinning a lot of hopes on Kevin White who has played all of four games in two seasons after they wasted a first round pick on him 2015. Markus Wheaton is a solid pick up only in that he can play wide receiver professionally in the NFL. Something White has yet to do. Cameron Meredith, at least, was a find as an undrafted free agent two seasons ago. He had a solid 66-catch, 888-yard and four touchdown season with the clusterscrum of quarterbacks the Bears used last year.
Proposed Defensive Starters
DE: Akiem Hicks
NT: Eddie Goldman
DE: Mitch Unrein
OLB: Pernell McPhee
OLB: Lamarr Houston
ILB: Nick Kwiatkoski
ILB: Danny Trevaithan
CB: Prince Amukamara
CB: Kyle Fuller
FS: Adrian Amos
SS: Quintin Demps
Defensive Outlook
As pathetic as the offense looks on paper, the defense appears pretty solid. Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman are both decent players up front and if Mitch Unrein can just lock up a blocker, he’ll probably not be a complete disaster.
What the Bears don’t have up front they make up for in linebackers. Adding Lamar Houston to the mix that already has Leonard Floyd and Jerrell Freeman coming off the bench is as solid as it gets. It’s too bad that Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can’t put six or seven linebackers out on the field at the same time.
Kyle Fuller’s return to health, along with Prince Amukamara on the other side should make the outside of the pass defense formidable. Demps too is an upgrade at strong safety and Adrian Amos is one of those underrated potential NFL stars that’s just ended up on a bad team.
Grade: D+
The Bears were active in free agency and brought in talent, but just didn’t do enough to make a dent in their potential record or to compete in their own division.
O/U wins: 3.5
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: Denver Broncos
Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals
Week 3: at Tennessee Titans
Week 4: Cleveland Browns
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: Atlanta Falcons
Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 3: Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 4: at Green Bay Packers
Week 5: Minnesota Vikings
Week 6: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 7: Carolina Panthers
Week 8: at New Orleans Saints
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Green Bay Packers
Week 11: Detroit Lions
Key game: If the Bears have a chance to pick up an NFC North win, this game is probably it. Jim Caldwell somehow led the Lions to the playoffs again thanks to the utter worthlessness of the rest of the NFC. Would I pick the Bears to win this game? No. But, to misquote Lloyd Christmas, I’m telling you there’s a chance.
Week 12: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 13: San Francisco 49ers
Key game: The Bears could very well enter this match-up 0-11. There’s no way in hell they’ll be favored in any game before this one. The NFL isn’t college football and there’s always a chance the Bears could catch a team like the Lions or Saints on the right day, but this game against the 49ers looks like the first, legitimately winnable game on their schedule.
Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 15: at Detroit Lions
Week 16: Cleveland Browns
Key game: The Browns at home. What more could a team looking to finish the season outside the garbage heap, this is the game. The problem is, the Browns look to me like they got significantly better this off-season. Still, it’s a home game late in the season and, if Chicago is desperate enough, they could maybe pick up a third or fourth win here.
Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
To make a wager on any sport, go to the world famous Diamond Sportsbook by clicking here.
