Offseason Outlook 2015: Chicago Bears

Offense

This offense has to be better in 2015 right? There is still a lot of talent, and it is only one year removed from being the second best offense in the NFL. Jay Cutler is... Well he's Jay Cutler and if you have seen him play you know exactly what I mean. If you haven't, he has a huge arm, can struggle with accuracy and decision making, and is very inconsistent. He's also very talented though, and before last season he was quite a few noted analysts sleeper MVP pick. The Bears have to roll with him this season no matter what, but unless he puts forth a great season chances are he will be playing somewhere else in 2016. At wide receiver, the Bears have two young studs to roll out for the next decade. Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White could be a dominant duo in this league and bring a lot of excitement to a Bears franchise that currently lacks it. The Bears also gave Eddie Royal a 3 year/$15 million deal to come in and be their slot receiver. Royal should blend well with the two strong outside receivers, and strengthen the Bears underneath passing game. At running back, Chicago has one of the most reliable three down backs in Matt Forte. Once again, Forte put forth another great season in 2014. He actually broke the single season reception record for RB's with 102 catches last season. The Bears also signed Jacquizz Rodgers to be Forte's backup this season, with Ka'Deem Carey as the third back. At tight end, the Bears have one of the best all around TE's in the league in Martellus Bennett. He is a great end zone target, he can stretch the field, and he is a solid blocker when needed. On the offensive line, Chicago is average at best. Kyle Long is a terrific guard, and opposite him Matt Slauson is coming off of a good year too. At center, the Bears have Will Montgomery or Hroniss Grasu, and neither one of those players inspires much confidence. At left tackle, Jermon Bushrod is solid but not great. The real issue is at right tackle, where Jordan Mills still figures to be the guy this year. He is coming off of a really bad season, and he needs to either play better or the Bears need to move on. Chicago's offense is a tough one to judge. If Jay Cutler plays well, if Kevin White plays like a rookie wide receiver in 2014 (amazingly), and if Matt Forte does what he normally does, then this offense could be explosive and more like the 2013 version of it. With that being said, I think this offense will fall somewhere in between 2013-14. Losing Brandon Marshall hurts, Forte is getting older, their O-line has some holes, and Jay Cutler isn't a reliable starter at this point in time. There's enough talent for them to put up points, but it is still going to be a frustrating year for Chicago fans, because the issues that the team had last year didn't just automatically go away. I expect a middle of the pack finish, maybe a little worse, and for the Bears to move on from Cutler after this season.

Defense

On defense, the Bears have gone through quite the makeover these past couple seasons. On the D-line, Chicago has a lot of depth at the defensive end positions, and a lot of youth at the defensive tackle positions. At end, Pernell McPhee was signed out of Baltimore to partner up with Jared Allen, Willie Young, and Lamarr Houston. I expect McPhee to play all over the line though, and in obvious passing situations play beside Allen and Young. All four of those players can be really good, but they all have their questions too. Allen is getting older, Houston is coming off of a big injury, Young has had one good season, and McPhee didn't get starter snaps in Baltimore so nobody knows how he'll play with them. At defensive tackle, the Bears have three very young, but talented players. Eddie Goldman was drafted this year in the second round, and Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton were drafted in the second and third round last year respectively. The Bears also have Jay Ratliff to lead the group of youngsters on the inside. This group has talent, but it might be another year or two before Sutton, Ferguson, or Goldman really steps up. At linebacker, this defense has some holes to fill. Mason Foster is actually pretty solid in the middle. If he stays healthy, I like what he can do for this Chicago defense as he is a 3 down LB capable of making big plays. On both sides of him are the issue. Shea McClellin and Jon Bostic are both talented players, but they are both extremely inconsistent and can get caught out of position. Both players need to step up their respective games this season or they will be replaced in 2016. In the secondary, this is an improving team. At cornerback, Tim Jennings pairs up with Kyle Fuller to form a very dangerous CB duo. They both have a knack for creating turnovers, and if Fuller can stay healthy all season then I have high hopes for him. Chicago also had a very underrated signing in Alan Ball, if he's healthy he could be a very good cornerback and they have him for very cheap too. The Bears have some problems with their safety positions. They signed Antrel Rolle, but he isn't a reliable safety at this point in his career. He plays very inconsistently and he gets burned a lot deep in coverage. Beside him, Brock Vereen will probably be the guy. He was okay last season in limited work, but his ceiling as a player isn't all that high to begin with. Chicago has done a lot with a roster that may have needed even more turnover. The free agent signings they did were for the most part solid values and the players should be impactful, and they had what seems like a very good draft too. To start with the positive, their defensive line looks pretty strong, and they also have a solid group of cornerbacks too. With that being said, this defense lacks any real star power. They are rolling with a lot of average players and are relying on them to play big roles in this defense. Their linebacker group could also be a huge issue, and the additions this offseason may not be enough to solve their problems versus the run that they had last season. Chicago seems like a team that is one or two years away from having a solid defense, and because of that I predict them to be a bottom 5 defense for the third year in a row.

Chicago is in a tough spot this year. The coaching staff and front office are in a position where they are limited in the moves they make, because there is a belief that this team can still win and compete. I don't think they can. They don't come close to the talent that the true competitors of the NFC have, like Green Bay, Seattle, Dallas, Philly, or Arizona. The defense is lacking any elite talent or an elite position group, which is going to be a big problem because they lack an identity. After this season, I think Chicago will have to go into full rebuild mode. Their roster isn't in a position that they can be competitive after some free agent signings, they just need an infusion of young talent through a couple drafts. Jay Cutler is also what I like to call the coach destroyer. There are QB's that can save coaches jobs. Eli Manning has extended Tom Coughlin's career with the Giants because of those two Super Bowl wins. Rodgers and Brady both have two terrific coaches, but both of their coaches are helped by having two terrific QB's too. Jay Cutler on the other hand, will never save a coaches job. The enigma with him is that he has so much talent, and always shows flashes of brilliance. So coaches are under the impression that they can fix him, and also win with him, but when they don't they get fired. Just look at Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman. Chicago just needs to rip the band-aid off and move on from Jay Cutler. I have a feeling this will be a long year for Chicago fans, as a last place finish in the NFC North seems almost inevitable. On the bright side, at least you have Jeffery and White!