Bears’ top 5 positional needs this free agency

With free agency just about a month away, the Bears have plenty of needs they could address at the start of the new league year.

The Chicago Bears have no shortage of needs this offseason as they look to rebound from a disappointing 2019 season. The offense will require plenty of work this offseason, which has already begun with the hiring of four new offensive coaches in Bill Lazor, John DeFilippo, Juan Castillo and Clancy Barone.

With free agency just about a month away, the Bears have plenty of needs they could address at the start of the new league year in regards to their roster.

Here are the Bears’ top five positional needs for free agency:

1. Quarterback

Finding a veteran quarterback to challenge incumbent Mitchell Trubisky will surely be the Bears’ biggest priority in free agency. While general manager Ryan Pace has publicly voiced his support of Trubisky, what he does at the quarterback position this offseason will speak louder than than his words.

Considering the Bears are in a bit of crunch as far as the salary cap goes, they likely won’t be able to afford some of the high-profile free agents, like Teddy Bridgewater. Instead, expect the Bears to bring in an experienced veteran quarterback that will challenge Trubisky but won’t necessarily be anointed the starter upon arrival, perhaps a Marcus Mariota or Case Keenum.

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6 Bears players that regressed in 2019

There were plenty of players that contributed to the disappointment of the Bears’ 2019 season, but these six stood apart from the rest.

There’s no sugarcoating the fact that the Chicago Bears were a bad football team in 2019. While there was a time where finishing .500 would’ve been considered a win, that’s no longer the case.

Coming off a 12-4 record, a divisional title and a playoff berth, things were looking up for the NFL’s charter franchise. Instead, what ensued was a complete fall from grace, led by Chicago’s inept offense.

There were plenty of players that contributed to the disappointment in 2019, but these six stood apart from the rest.

QB Mitchell Trubisky

There was no bigger disappointment in 2019 than quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, whose regression was a key aspect of the offensive’s decline. While he was far from the only issue on offense, he was the biggest issue. Trubisky continued to struggle with accuracy and reading defenses, and it’s fair at this point to wonder if Trubisky is going to be just another quarterback failure in Chicago.

While Trubisky had a few moments, including impressive back-to-back games against the Lions and Cowboys, ultimately he proved to not be a consistent player for the Bears. This for a player that was supposed to take the next step in Matt Nagy’s offense.

Looking ahead to 2020, Trubisky has the starting job right now. Whether that proves true down the line remains to be seen. The Bears are going to bring in veteran competition for Trubisky, and possibly a young prospect in the NFL Draft. If Trubisky struggles early next season, the Bears shouldn’t hesitate to pull the plug.

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5 causes for concern for Bears in 2020

The Bears are expected to make plenty of moves this offseason. But there are reasons to be cautious about the Bears heading into 2020.

Things can certainly change in a year. At this time last season, the Bears’ only real concern was replacing beleaguered kicker Cody Parkey. They had a young core in place that was coming off a strong 12-4 season, and there were high expectations for their offense to take the next step and their defense to continue dominating.

Fast forward, and the Bears have several needs that far outweigh their kicker, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

The offseason has just begun, and the Bears are expected to make plenty of moves. But if the season were to start today, here are five reasons to be cautious about the Bears in 2020.

1. Mitchell Trubisky’s regression

The one glaring issue that serves to potentially hold the Bears back from championship contention is quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky was expected to take the next step in his development last season, but he only served to be arguably the most disappointing aspect of Chicago’s offense.

While the Bears remain publicly committed to Trubisky as their starter for 2020, that’s not set in stone in February. The Bears will likely bring in veteran competition/insurance for Trubisky. But given Ryan Pace’s job figures to be tied to the quarterback he traded up to get and took over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, you figure the Bears will give him one last chance in 2020.

The Good News? Trubisky can’t get much worse in 2020, right? Especially with new offensive coaches in Bill Lazor and John DeFilippo.

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QB, OL, DB among Bears’ biggest offseason needs

The Bears have plenty of needs to address this offseason if they hope to turn around a disappointing 2019 season.

With the offseason in full swing, the Bears have plenty of needs to address if they hope to turn around a disappointing 2019 season, where they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

As far as the Bears’ biggest offseason needs, NFL.com believes the Bears need to address the quarterback position, as well as offensive line, secondary and even tight end.

I know GM Ryan Pace said in the direct aftermath of a massively disappointing 2019 season that he’s sticking with Mitchell Trubisky as his QB1, but he has to find someone at the position who can help his team win games in the event that his prized former No. 2 overall pick continues to sputter. It’s not listed here, but tight end help should be a priority, as well.

While the Bears remain publicly committed to Mitchell Trubisky as their starting quarterback in 2020, things can certainly change between now, training camp and the start of the season.

The Bears are likely to target a veteran quarterback in free agency, although they could also bring in a young prospect to develop behind Trubisky.

Chicago would serve well to invest in the offensive line, even as they remain strapped for the 2020 season with tackles Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie. The Bears have an out with both Leno and Massie following the 2020 season, and if that’s the goal they need to have replacements in place.

Tight end is another important offseason need, especially considering the embarrassing production (if you could call it that) by that group in 2019. While Trey Burton is expected back — as his dead money hit of $7.5 million would be too great — the same can’t be said for Adam Shaheen. The Bears have shown interest in several tight ends in this pre-draft process, which only indicates that tight end is a big priority this offseason.

Then there’s the defense, which has far fewer needs. Although defensive back is certainly at the top of that list. With cornerback Prince Amukamara likely to become a cap-casualty — as Chicago could save $9 million by cutting him — and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix likely to hit the free agent market, the Bears need to find replacements opposite Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson.

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Grading the 2019 Bears by position: Tight ends

There is no way to sugarcoat the following statement: Bears tight ends were historically bad in 2019. Let’s break them down, shall we?

There is no way to sugarcoat the following statement: The Chicago Bears tight ends were historically bad in 2019.

All three players who started the season with the team, finished on injured reserve (Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, and Ben Braunecker), with two relatively unknown commodities left to pick up the pieces (J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted).

When a group of five tight ends combine for just 395 yards and two touchdowns for the season, you can expect some harsh grades. Here are the grades for the 2019 tight ends.

Trey Burton: F

After a strong start to the 2018 season, Burton trailed off and ultimately missed the Bears wildcard playoff game against the Eagles due to a sports hernia. The expectation heading into 2019 was that Burton would be 100 percent entering training camp, but ended up missing even more time due to other injuries and failed to string together any sort of momentum in the preseason.

Even when he was on the field when he was deemed “healthy,” Burton was invisible in nearly every game he played. When he was targeted, he struggled with drops and wasn’t willing to take the big hit in order to secure the catch on multiple occasions. Burton wound up catching 14 passes for 84 yards in eight games with no scores.

His health will be a major question mark heading into next season, but with two more years left on his deal and a significant amount of dead-cap attributed to his contract, Burton will likely begin the 2020 season on the Bears. It can’t get worse than 2019, right?

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Bears stock watch: Who impressed or disappointed in 2019?

Following a disappointing 2019 season, which Bears impressed and which ones underwhelmed?

For a season that began with lofty championship expectations, the Chicago Bears underwhelmed and underperformed in 2019.

After going 12-4 and winning the NFC North last season, the Bears finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the eighth time that decade in 2019.

But believe it or not, there were some bright spots in the disappointment. Players like Allen Robinson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Nick Kwiatkoski and Nick Williams come to mind. Then there were the players and coaches that disappointed. Guys like Mitchell Trubisky, Matt Nagy, the tight ends and offensive linemen.

Let’s take a look at who impressed and who disappointed in 2019:

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5 things to know about new Bears tight ends coach Clancy Barone

Get to know the man tasked with fixing the Bears’ tight ends situation: Clancy Barone.

The Chicago Bears are filling the vacancies on their offensive staff. After firing four coaches, including offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride, the Bears have added two new faces to Matt Nagy’s coaching staff.

Last week, Juan Castillo joined the Bears coaching staff as offensive line coach, and now Clancy Barone is joining Nagy’s staff as the Bears’ new tight ends coach.

Barone will have a big hurdle to overcome, as tight end is arguably the most concerning area of need on this roster. He’ll be tasked with bettering a tight ends room that right now features Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, Ben Braunecker, J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted.

Here are five things to know about the Bears’ new tight ends coach:

1. He’s had success wherever he’s gone

During his tenure in the NFL, Barone has found success in every stop he’s made at the professional level. He’s coached four Pro-Bowl tight ends — the Falcons’ Alge Crumpler, the Chargers’ Antonio Gates, the Broncos’ Julius Thomas and, most recently, the Vikings’ Kyle Rudolph.

Obviously the hope is that Barone can manage to get the best out of a struggling Bears tight ends room — which could look different heading into training camp depending on what the Bears do in free agency and the NFL.

But then you could also argue that Crumpler, Gates, Thomas and Rudolph are all substantially more talented than any of the Bears’ current tight ends. Can Barone make a Pro-Bowler out of a current tight end on the Bears’ roster? Unlikely. Baybe he can get more production from that group than the previous season, which honestly shouldn’t be too hard to do considering how woefully ineffective they were.

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Should Bears pursue Falcons TE Austin Hooper in free agency?

Considering the importance of the tight end position in Matt Nagy’s offense, TE needs to be a top priority for Bears this offseason.

As far as positional needs go this offseason, tight end ranks near the top for the Chicago Bears. Considering the importance of the tight end position in Matt Nagy’s offense, this has to be a top priority for general manager Ryan Pace this offseason.

Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen underperformed and underwhelmed — and that was before both were placed on season-ending injured reserve, along with Chicago’s third tight end Ben Braunecker.

There will be several attractive tight end options in free agency, among them Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper, who has yet to be locked down to an extension by his team.

“I obviously would like to be here,” Hooper said. “I’m open to coming back here. I haven’t received an offer yet. If I do, I’d definitely like to be here. But, at the same time, it’s a business. So, I’m going to let my representation and the representation of the Falcons handle that.”

Hooper, who missed three games due to injury, had career highs with 75 catches for 787 yards and six touchdowns with Atlanta in 2019. His performance earned him a Pro Bowl alternate spot.

Before his injury, Hooper was tied for the league lead in receptions and touchdowns for tight ends. He ended up finishing the season tied for fourth in touchdowns among tight ends and sixth in receiving yards.

“It was cool leading the league for a little bit,” Hooper said. “And then I got hurt and saw all of my stuff go away, but it’s the reality of the sport. People get hurt; all I could do from there is when I was back on the field try to bounce back as best I could, and I feel like I did that.”

For comparison sake, Bears tight ends combined for 46 receptions for 416 yards and a single touchdown in 2019. This, for an offense that relies heavily on tight end production.

None of Chicago’s tight ends broke the 100-yard receiving mark. The Bears’ leading tight end was J.P. Holtz, who had seven receptions for 91 yards followed by rookie Jesper Horsted with eight receptions for 87 yards.

While Hooper expressed his desire to return to the Falcons, if he hits the open market, the Bears need to pursue him as a viable free-agent addition to the roster.

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What are Bears’ biggest priorities heading into 2020 NFL Draft?

There are no shortage of needs for Bears heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, which will make every one of GM Ryan Pace’s draft picks important.

There are no shortage of needs for the Chicago Bears heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, which will make every one of general manager Ryan Pace’s projected seven draft picks even more valuable.

Obviously the focus of the offseason will be fixing the Bears’ anemic offense, which was ranked near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every statistical category. Obviously there needs to be a definitive answer at quarterback. Obviously they need to address the concerns at tight end and on the offensive line. But what are the Bears really in the market for at this point of the offseason?

Here’s what Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller learned from a Bears scouting source about the team’s early NFL Draft priorities:

The Bears don’t own a first-rounder after trading for linebacker Khalil Mack in 2018 but do have two selections in the second round: picks No. 43 and 50 overall. Tight end, offensive line and cornerback were listed as the team’s biggest needs from a scouting source with the club. Quarterback was not mentioned as a priority.

Considering every position mentioned by Miller is a priority, it doesn’t come as a surprise. Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen were complete disappointments in 2019 — and both, along with Ben Braunecker finished the season on injured reserve. Then there’s the offensive line, whose struggles were amplified this season in the run game and pass protection. Cornerback is also an area of concern with an aging and struggling Prince Amukamara, who the Bears could certainly move on from this offseason.

But the one surprise is that quarterback wasn’t mentioned as a priority in the NFL Draft. Maybe that means the Bears are content with Mitchell Trubisky; maybe that means Chicago will turn to free agency to address the position; or maybe it’s a smoke-screen, as it wouldn’t be the first time Pace did that.

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Bears’ top positional needs this offseason

General manager Ryan Pace has a lot of work to do this offseason. But what are his top priorities this offseason?

The Chicago Bears were sent into early hibernation following a disappointing 8-8 season marred by offensive deficiencies and underwhelming execution.

General manager Ryan Pace has a lot of work to do this offseason when it comes to addressing needs on the offensive and defensive sides of the football.

Here are the Bears’ top five positional needs this offseason:

1. Tight end

Arguably the most disappointing position group of the entire season were the tight ends, who were non-existent in the Bears offense this season. Chicago’s top three tight ends — Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker — were all on injured reserve by season’s end. But even before that, they weren’t producing on the field.

The Bears can’t rely on injury-prone Burton and Shaheen to suddenly have breakout seasons in 2020. Pace needs to turn to free agency or the NFL Draft to bring in a production tight end that’s a necessity for Matt Nagy’s offense.

Possible options: Hunter Henry (UFA), Austin Hooper (UFA), Eric Ebron (UFA), Cole Kmet (Draft), Brycen Hopkins (Draft)

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