There’s no way to sugarcoat the fact that the NFC North was a train wreck in 2013. Three of the four teams in the division lost their quarterbacks for a large chunk of the season due to various injuries, the only team avoiding this being the Detroit Lions.
The Chicago Bears were not so lucky. Despite having one of the league’s most explosive offenses, inconsistent quarterback play and an awful defense prevented the team from reaching the playoffs.
Chicago Bears 2014 Offseason Preview
As the offseason gets into full swing with the NFL Draft Combine underway, and free agency only a few weeks away the Bears will look to address the many needs they have on defense. Though the passing defense was not terrible (ranked 15th in the league), the team ranked dead last in rush yards allowed (161.4 RYPG) and 30th in total defense. Chicago gave up an average of 29.9 points per game (tied with the Redskins for second last in the league), and allowed 30+ points in nine of 16 games last year. Overall, the numbers are terrible.
But while the quarterback situation would give the same indications for the offense (Jay Cutler suffered a long-term injury in the middle of the season), in reality this side of the spectrum was a different story, as Josh McCown also put up very good numbers. The Bears finished the season ranked fifth in passing and eighth in total offense. It was clear that the passing game was not a big issue for the team.
On the rush, Chicago ranked 16th, but like the pass attack, this is not as big of a problem as you might think. Running back Matt Forte, 28, had the best season of his career, putting up 1,339 yards, 4.6 yards per carry, 74 first downs (29 more than what he had in 2012), and nine touchdowns.
Aside from QB health, the only concern for the Bears offense is getting a stronger offensive line. Though they only gave up 30 sacks (tied with the Chargers for 4th fewest in the NFL), they also allowed 85 QB hits, 13th most in 2013. Then again, 80% of the Bears offensive line was completely new in 2013 (via Dan Durkin of 670 The Score), so I can see improvement in the o-line come 2014 as they continue to gain familiarity with each other.
The same cannot be said about the Bears’ defense. Free agency and the draft are a must to ensure a significant turnaround, and with many players of what was once a great defense not that long ago becoming free agents, Chicago has a lot of options this year.
The only drawback? Limited cap space. According to Rant Sport’s Aaron Leming, the Bears will have $10.1M in cap space (assuming that the cap will rise to a projected $130 million). Though that gives Chicago a little more legroom to work with, it could prevent them from reaching out to some of the NFL’s top free agents on defense. The biggest example is Packers DE BJ Raji, who due to his status would likely demand a contract the Bears could not afford.
So what can the Bears do?
For starters, they can cut guys not getting the job done in order to save money and increase cap space. Safeties Major Wright and Chris Conte are examples, as they blew coverage in the Bears secondary numerous times, including the nail-in-the-coffin Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb game wining touchdown in week 17 that eliminated the Bears from the playoffs. Both safeties dragged the team down in 2013, and it would be best for Chicago to cut them.
Luckily, two sought after free agents the Bears can target are both safeties: Jarius Byrd of the Buffalo Bills, and TJ Ward of the Cleveland Browns. Both are ranked in the top five in NFL Around The League’s (NFLATL) top 25 free agents for 2014, and both were big contributors to their respective teams ranking in the top ten for total defense. Signing either Byrd or Ward would provide a big boost to a struggling secondary.
Numerous names also come up on the defensive line for free agency, including Linval Joseph, Jason Hatcher, Michael Johnson, and Lamarr Houston. Panthers DE Greg Hardy is second in NFLATL’s top free agents list, but Chicago won’t be a possible destination, as he’ll likely re-sign with Carolina or move to another team that can afford the salary he will command.
As for the draft, there are numerous prospects Chicago can choose from. The team will likely focus their drafting on the defensive side of the ball, and some of the prospects the team may be interested in include defensive end Kony Ealy of Missouri, and defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan of Florida State (via Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times). With a number of high quality prospects on the defensive side of the ball available in this year’s draft, Chicago should have a few quality players to choose from come draft day.
The Windy City will likely have an off-season filled with cuts, signings, and aggressiveness in the draft. In other words, expect a busy off-season for the Chicago Bears.
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(Stats via espn.com and nfl.com. Sources via 670 The Score, Rant Sports, NFL Around The League)
