Bears Blitz

Published by Matt Eurich on October 22, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

When Ryan Pace took over as the general manager of the Chicago Bears in January of this year, he said one of his top goals was to add talent through the draft on a yearly basis, per the Chicago Tribune:

The recipe to winning Super Bowls is stringing successful drafts together again and again. We are not just collecting athletes. We are acquiring football players that fit the Chicago Bears. There will be a major emphasis on character, toughness, instincts and intelligence. Guys, it’s all about winning games and that’s what I’m here to do. Every decision we make goes back to what’s best for this organization. It’s as simple as that.

Pace added outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, strong safety Antrel Rolle and wide receiver Eddie Royal in free agency, but some of his biggest additions in the offseason came during the NFL draft.

The majority of Pace’s six draft picks have all played significant snaps this season, and a few undrafted free agents have also flashed their potential through the first six weeks of the season.

Even though Pace’s first pick has yet to play this season, Chicago’s rookie class is giving the team hope for the future.

 

Disappointing First Selection

After trading wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets in March, the Bears had a void at the position. Alshon Jeffery was expected to take over as the team’s new No. 1 receiver, and Royal was expected to play out of the slot, but the team lacked a true No. 2 receiver.

When the time came for Pace to make his first pick in the 2015 draft, he opted to take West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White with the seventh overall pick.

“This guy’s dynamic, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s ultra-competitive,” Pace said about White after the draft, per CBSChicago.com. “If I could stress one word for him, he’s ‘competitive.’ You see it after the catch. You see it in the way he attacks the ball in the air. This is a dynamic playmaker for our offense.”

White appeared to be a perfect complement to Jeffery because of his speed and ability to stretch the field, but after suffering a shin injury in OTAs, White encountered a setback during training camp.

The team announced in August White would need surgery, and he was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. White is eligible to start practicing this week, but head coach John Fox said little about White’s possible return to practice.

“As I said, with all injuries, and Kevin is no different, he’ll be evaluated,” Fox said on Monday, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “And when he is deemed healthy, we’ll start that window that typically happens with reserved PUP.”

The fact that Pace’s first overall pick has not been able to see the field this season has been a disappointment, but some of Pace’s other draft picks have done well through the first six weeks of the season.

 

After White, Pace’s Next Four Picks All Making Contributions

White was selected to help give Chicago’s offense another playmaker, but when it was Chicago’s turn to make its pick in the second round, Pace opted to improve his defense by selecting Florida State nose tackle Eddie Goldman.

“He’s very instinctive, he gets off blocks,” Pace said about Goldman after the draft, per CBSChicago.com. “I really like the pad level he plays with. Steps up in big moments.”

After a shaky start to his rookie season against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, Goldman has settled in to the nose tackle position in recent weeks. He has 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks in six games, and according to Pro Football Focus, he has registered eight quarterback hurries in 207 snaps this season.

Goldman has taken snaps at both the 0-technique nose tackle position and the 5-technique defensive end position in 2015, and he has been showing improvement from week to week. He has an explosive first step, he can anchor the interior against the run and he has the ability to collapse the pocket as a pass-rusher.

If he continues to progress on a weekly basis like he has up to this point, he has a chance to be a key part of Chicago’s defense moving forward.

The Bears used their third-round pick on center Hroniss Grasu, but the former Oregon Duck did not dress for the first four games of the season. Following an injury to starting center Will Montgomery in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders, Grasu was thrust into the starting lineup in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Grasu struggled early in the game with pressure up the middle, but he settled in as the game wore on. He had help from left guard Matt Slauson with his pre-snap adjustments, but quarterback Jay Cutler said after the game he was confident in Grasu‘s ability to become a quality center.

“The next step for him is taking control of that group and, whenever he makes a call, being sure of it,” Cutler said, per Finley. “But he’s going to be great. We’re looking for big things from him.”

One knock on Grasu coming out of Oregon was his lack of strength, and that was evident at times against both the Chiefs in Week 5 and the Detroit Lions in Week 6. He has a tendency to get pushed around at the point of attack, but he uses his hands well and is one of the most athletic linemen on the team.

Grasu has only played two games this season, but he showed improvement from his first start to his second start. He will need to add strength during the offseason, but he appears to be the team’s best option at the position for the future.

Pace used his fourth-round pick on running back Jeremy Langford, and while Langford has not played a lot of snaps this season, he has flashed his potential at times.

According to Pro Football Focus, Langford has played 43 snaps on offense this year, and he played a season-high 16 snaps on Sunday against the Lions. He has carried the ball 15 times for 34 yards and has scored two touchdowns. He has also hauled in two passes for 31 yards.

Langford helped lead the Bears on a long scoring drive against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 by carrying the football six times for 21 yards with a touchdown, but his workload has been limited ever since.

Despite getting limited opportunities on offense so far this season, Langford understands his role on the team.  

“I’m a competitor and a football player,” Langford said, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I do want to go out there and contribute to the team and contribute to us winning. But at the same time, I know how to play my role. Right now, it’s special teams, and whenever my number is called, I’m always prepared to go in there and play [on offense].”

One reason why Langford has been unable to see the field this season has been the play of starting running back Matt Forte. The veteran back currently leads the NFL in rushing with 507 yards. Langford has not had the same number of snaps either Goldman or Grasu has had this season, but the former Michigan State Spartan has proven his worth as a backup running back and special teams contributor.

The Bears have struggled at the safety position for the better part of the last decade, and they opted to use their fifth-round pick on Penn State safety Adrian Amos. A four-year contributor for the Nittany Lions, Amos played both cornerback, nickelback and safety during his collegiate career.

Amos appeared to be a long shot to start at safety this season with guys like Rolle, Ryan Mundy, Sherrod Martin and Brock Vereen on the roster, but he played well in OTAs and training camp and began the season as Chicago’s starting free safety alongside Rolle.

According to Pro Football Focus, the young safety has played every snap on defense this season and has recorded 23 tackles. He has not been challenged often in the passing game, but he has played well in the box against the run. 

Amos has been able to learn from a veteran like Rolle, and defensive backs coach Ed Donatell has been impressed with Amos’ composure this season, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com:

Amos has been just so steady and mature beyond his years. He’s been that way 24/7 in everything that he does and in every meeting. He’s very calm. And you can see he was listening to Antrel. You can tell that when Antrel went out there wasn’t as big of a drop off in communication as there might have been. There was some drop off, but Amos is a real student of the game and very composed.

He isn’t flashy and has not come up with a big play through the first six weeks, but Amos has been Chicago’s most impressive rookie this season because of the stability he has brought to the secondary.

The Bears used their final draft pick in May to select TCU offensive lineman Tayo Fabuluje, but the young tackle has only dressed for three games this season. He has been used primarily on special teams, but he has been used at times in the team’s short-yardage package on offense.

Fabuluje still has a long ways to go in his development, but he has great size (6’6″, 342 lbs) for the position, and he is versatile enough to play both inside at guard and outside at tackle.

 

Undrafted Free Agents Making Their Mark

Not only have the Bears been able to get production out of most of their draft picks this season, they have also gotten production out of a few undrafted free agents. 

Cameron Meredith was a quarterback at Illinois State University back in 2012 before moving to wide receiver the following season. He went undrafted this offseason, but the Bears took a chance on him. 

With injuries to White, Jeffery and Royal during the preseason, Meredith got an opportunity to play with the first-team offense during training camp and the preseason. He made the team’s 53-man roster and went from a special teams contributor to one of Cutler’s top targets when Jeffery and Royal were sidelined with injuries during the first six weeks of the season.

Meredith has eight catches for 95 yards this season, and he made four catches for 52 yards in Week 5 against the Chiefs. With Jeffery and Royal now healthy, Meredith will see a drop in his snaps, but he proved in their absence that he has what it takes to be an NFL wide receiver.

Jonathan Anderson began his career at TCU as a safety before transitioning to linebacker during his junior year. The Bears signed him as an undrafted free agent in May, and he played well during the preseason. He recorded five tackles, a forced fumble and two sacks against the Cleveland Browns in the preseason finale, but he was cut before the start of the season. 

After spending time on Chicago’s practice squad, Anderson was elevated to the 53-man roster last week and started at inside linebacker for the injured Shea McClellin against Detroit. He finished the game with three tackles and recorded his first career interception. He showed off his good closing speed on a sack of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, but the play was negated by a Bears penalty.

Anderson split time at inside linebacker with LaRoy Reynolds, but Fox came away impressed by Anderson’s performance against the Lions, per the Chicago Tribune‘s Rich Campbell:

Anderson did not play a great game in Week 6, but he played well for an undrafted linebacker making his first NFL start.

The Bears claimed undrafted rookie Harold Jones-Quartey off waivers from the Cardinals just before the start of the season, and the former University of Findlay standout has started the last two games at strong safety for the injured Rolle.

He played steady against the run in his two starts, but he was burned in pass coverage on a deep ball thrown to Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson in overtime on Sunday. Jones-Quartey is still raw, but he is an explosive player who could become a reliable starter down the road if he can improve his technique and tighten up his fundamentals.

The Bears do not have any rookies on their roster who will be pushing for Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, but despite not having their top draft pick on the field, Chicago’s draft class has been impressive through the first six weeks of the season.

If Chicago’s rookies can continue to improve on a weekly basis, they will be able to give Bears fans hope for the future.

 

Statistical information and measurables courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.

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