Rebuilding the Defense Tops Long List of Priorities for Bears This Offseason
Published by Zach Kruse on January 29, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
New Chicago Bears head coach John Fox knows a thing or two about rebuilding a franchise. He also knows a thing or two about coaching defense.
His expertise in both areas helped make Fox a perfectly qualified candidate to take over the Bears, a club with just 13 wins over the last two seasons—including five in 2014—and a defense fresh off the worst two-year run in franchise history.
Fox’s first and most important order of business this offseason: begin the defensive rebuild.
The Bears ranked 31st in points and 30th in yards allowed in 2014, just one year after finishing 30th in both categories. The 920 points allowed by Chicago since 2013 ranks dead last in the NFL, while only the Atlanta Falcons have allowed more yards.
Fox to the rescue.
He has revived franchises in both Carolina and Denver, helping middling defenses to become top units at each stop. The Panthers ranked in the top eight in yards allowed four times under Fox, including a No. 2 finish in 2002, his first year in Carolina. The Broncos were better known for a prolific offense with Fox in town, but Denver also finished in the top three for yards allowed during two of Fox’s four years.
Conjuring a similar recovery in Chicago will require Fox, new general manager Ryan Pace and new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to make all the right moves this offseason.
The Bears first have decisions to make on a number of free agents, including aging veterans Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman and D.J. Williams and younger starters Chris Conte and Stephen Paea. If anything, the mass exodus could give Chicago the opportunity to start mostly fresh on defense.
Needs will litter every level of the unit.
The Bears spent heavily on the defensive line last spring, only to have aging Jared Allen regress and Lamaar Houston register a single sack before blowing out his knee. Willie Young had 10 sacks, but he also tore his Achilles tendon late in the season.
Who knows what the Bears have at linebacker, especially if the club transitions to Fangio‘s preferred 3-4 defense. Jon Bostic, Christian Jones and Khaseem Greene are young players with potential, but it’s not certain if the team has anything more than one starter on the roster right now.
The back end is just as messy. Kyle Fuller is entrenched as a starter, and Tim Jennings—given his contract—is also a good bet to stay as one of the starting 11. But Chicago still needs another cornerback, and the safety position—a legitimate dumpster fire the last two seasons—requires a complete overhaul.
The Bears have an old, talent-lacking defense with very few building blocks. Fox and Fangio are respected leaders of defense, but their rebuild in Chicago will need time. And Pace must hit far more often than his predecessor did, especially if a scheme change is coming. His first draft will likely be defense-heavy, as the Bears attempt to get the right bodies and right talent to make a 3-4 work.
Rebuilding the defense is Chicago’s top goal this offseason. Below are Chicago’s three other most important priorities.
1. Develop and Execute a Plan at QB
The Bears have a deadline for deciding the future of Jay Cutler. While all $15.5 million of his 2015 salary is guaranteed, another $10 million in 2016 locks in if Cutler is on the roster March 12. The Bears have between now and then to determine if he’s the man for the job over the next two seasons. While a straight-up release is almost impossible, a trade isn’t totally Looney Tunes given the health of the quarterback position around the league.
It’s still very likely he’ll remain in Chicago, especially after the Bears hired quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains.
Even if that’s the case, the Bears must start planning the future at the game’s most important position. Drafting a quarterback isn’t out of the picture. If Chicago finds and hits on one, Cutler can be gone in 2016 at a $10 million cap hit, per Spotrac. While far from an ideal scenario, it’s not a cap-suffocating one, either.
Cutler is clearly on his last life line as the Bears quarterback. Getting a jump on the future should be in the cards for Pace this offseason.
2. Rebuild the Offense Around the Run Game
“Fixing” Jay Cutler was a fad phrase with Marc Trestman in town, but now that Cutler and his league-high 24 turnovers sent away the “quarterback whisperer,” it’s time to start focusing instead on simply helping him.
In 2014, the Bears attempted 609 passes—the seventh most in the NFL—while attempting just 355 runs. Only two teams ran the football less last season. This statistical anomaly was partly due to Chicago being down in so many games, but Trestman and his staff rarely wavered from a pass-happy scheme that probably didn’t fit Cutler best.
Given the presence of Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte and a surprisingly effective run-blocking offensive line, new offensive coordinator Adam Gase now needs to build an offense based around the running game.
Chicago actually finished the 2014 season ranked sixth overall in run blocking by Pro Football Focus. Kyle Long, Roberto Garza, Brian De La Puente and Eben Britton all finished with positive run grades, and arguably no team in football has a better trio of perimeter run-blockers at receiver and tight end.
Forte, 29, probably has one or two more good years in his legs.
The Bears currently don’t have an offensive line that measures up to the Dallas Cowboys. But Gase could still build off the same base concepts seen in Dallas over the last year, using the running game to shield his quarterback and increase his efficiency. Trestman tried to do the same with an underneath passing game built on timing. It didn’t work.
Cutler now needs help from his running back.
3. Get Healthy at Halas Hall
Few teams dealt with more internal issues than the Bears last season.
Martellus Bennett was suspended for bodyslamming Kyle Fuller in training camp. Lance Briggs skipped town before Week 1 to open a restaurant. Brandon Marshall took heat for flying to New York every week to tape a show. Offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer leaked criticism of his quarterback to the media. Jay Cutler was benched.
Overwhelmed by it all, Trestman‘s team folded. Five wins in 16 tries. An ugly end to a disappointing season.
Hiring John Fox should put an end to the toxicity in the Bears locker room.
He is widely respected around the league. He has many years of experience in the NFL and many wins to show for it—the two recognized currencies in a professional locker room.
It will be on Fox and his all-star coaching staff to reunite a divided, mishandled group of players. It will also require Pace bringing in the right kind of characters to help provide any lost or needed leadership inside the walls of Halas Hall.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
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