The Chicago Bears will have plenty of needs to address this offseason, both on offense and defense — and one could argue special teams.
General manager Ryan Pace will have a lot of work to do to free up salary cap space in the offseason — to resign free agents in-house and look elsewhere for assistance. But it’ll also be what he does in the NFL Draft that will be important for the future of this team.
The Bears currently hold the 47th and 49th picks in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, as they got Oakland’s second-round pick (No. 47) in the Khalil Mack trade.
In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, they have the Bears addressing two needs on defense: cornerback and edge rusher.
With the 47th pick, they have the Bears selecting Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade. In 12 games with the Buckeyes, Wade has 26 total tackles, including 4 tackles for loss, as well as one interception and two forced fumbles. With Prince Amukamara’s status in question heading into the offseason, the Bears will need to address the cornerback position. Second-year player Kevin Toliver has been getting playing time in place of Amukamara as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Then with the 49th pick, they have Chicago taking Boise State edge rusher Curtis Weaver. In 13 games, Weaver has 13.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one interception and 50 total tackles. While the Bears picked up Leonard Floyd’s fifth-year option, Floyd hasn’t been able to capitalize opposite one of the league’s best edge rushers in Khalil Mack. Since notching two sacks against the Packers in the season opener, Floyd has just one sack. The Bears need some more quality pass rushers to pair with Mack.
While there are certainly other needs Chicago needs to address this offseason — tight end, offensive line and quarterback depth — there are going to be some holes for Pace to plug in on defense.
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