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Bears Mailbag – What’s Cooking With The 8th Pick?

By
Dhruv Koul
-
chicago bears

This past Sunday, we witnessed one of the most interesting Super Bowls in NFL history. The Philadelphia Eagles, quarterbacked by backup Nick Foles, beat the defending champion New England Patriots in a track meet for their first ever Lombardi Trophy. All this while the GOAT, Tom Brady, delivered another record-breaking performance, throwing for 505 yards and three touchdowns to bring the Patriots back from 10+ points down multiple times and have New England in position to win in the fourth quarter.

Neither team played a lick of defense until late in the fourth quarter, when the Eagles got the one stop they desperately needed. Brandon Graham burst past the right guard and knocked the ball out of Brady’s hand; Derek Barnett recovered in Patriots territory, and the first real defensive play of the Super Bowl salted the game away.

But the biggest reason Philly won: Doug Pederson. In what may have been the greatest coaching performance in Super Bowl history, the aggressive Pederson watched all of his gambles pay off. From calling a tight end thrown touchdown pass to his quarterback on fourth-and-goal, to going for it on fourth down on his own side of the field, they needed every one of them to break in their favor to beat the Brady-led Patriots, and they did.

Pederson, who hails from the Andy Reid coaching tree, won the Super Bowl in his second season as Philly’s head coach. The Chicago Bears, who hired Matt Nagy (also from the Andy Reid coaching tree), are hoping he delivers similar magic soon in Chicago.

Now, with football season officially over, and after a week’s hiatus, we reach back into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions.

I want to be careful about using the word “likely”. The reality is it’s way too soon to speculate because the new league year hasn’t started yet. Teams still have to decide whom they’ll re-sign/tag, and whom they’ll release. Then, free agency has to happen as does the scouting combine in Indianapolis and each school’s pro day. So there are going to be plenty of moving parts between now and draft weekend in late April.

Right now, the Bears are picking eighth overall. A big part of what will determine their pick is the likely run on quarterbacks at the top of the draft. Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson are all likely to be first round picks. And there are plenty of teams in front of the Bears who may be going after a quarterback, pending free agency. The Browns, Giants, Broncos, and Jets could all be looking to take a QB before the Bears pick. Add to that teams after the Bears who could look to trade up (Miami, Arizona, and Buffalo), and Chicago could have a ton of options.

You’re correct in saying that the Bears have not traded down in the first round under Ryan Pace. They very well could if the draft doesn’t break the way they anticipated and they don’t value a player high enough where they’re picking but another team does and wants one. The only way I see that happening is if a highly rated QB is available where the Bears pick, though. I doubt they move up, but stranger things have happened.

Right now, the prospects I anticipate could be available at eighth overall that I’d be happy with (in no particular order): Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds, Orlando Brown, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Josh Jackson. I don’t, unfortunately, believe Quenton Nelson or Bradley Chubb will be available there. But remember, this could all change.

Drew with the double dip! Thanks for participating.

Once again, I do want to caution that the list of currently projected free agents can and will change once the market opens up. Players will be released in the coming weeks as salary cap casualties, and many currently “available” players will be tagged in order to keep them with their current teams.

As a first order of business, I think it’s imperative that the Bears take care of their own free agents first. Kyle Fuller is the highest priority. I don’t think there’s any way the Bears can allow him to leave. Look for them to sign him to an extension, but if he doesn’t agree, the franchise tag is a big possibility here. I’d also look for the Bears to re-sign Cam Meredith (WR), Prince Amukamara (CB), Kendall Wright (WR), Dontrelle Inman (WR), and perhaps Mitch Unrein (DL depth).

Right now, I’m not going to speculate on which external players might be released from their current contracts or who might be tagged. My predictions for now are solely based on who is currently projected as available. Also, noted that we are ignoring WR because we know that’s a huge need and the Bears will be active in that market regardless.

That said, the biggest areas of need right now are EDGE rusher (dire) and CB (depth). With that said, here are some targets I’d love to see the Bears go after in some capacity:

EDGE:  Demarcus Lawrence, Kony Ealy, Aaron Lynch, Jeremiah Attaochu

CB:  David Amerson, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Bashaud Breeland

Other:  Trey Burton (TE), Sheldon Richardson (DL), Andrew Norwell (G), Jimmy Garoppolo (QB – just kidding)

I won’t speculate on the full offense — I’ll just talk about the starters. So now that we’re talking just starters, the offense will probably suffer less turnover than we all expect. Here were last year’s starters (in some capacity):

QB – Mitch Trubisky

RB – Jordan Howard / Tarik Cohen

WR – Dontrelle Inman, Josh Bellamy, Kendall Wright, Markus Wheaton

TE – Dion Sims

OL – Charles Leno, Josh Sitton, Cody Whitehair, Kyle Long, Bobby Massie

Of these, Trubisky, Howard, Cohen, Leno, Whitehair, and Long are locks to be back and start. And Massie is more than probable to return as the starting right tackle. And I expect Sims to remain on the team, but Adam Shaheen to take over the starting job.

Many of the wide receivers are impending free agents, and Wheaton is a candidate to be cut. But I expect Inman and Wright to be re-signed, along with Cam Meredith, who missed the entire year with a torn ACL. Sitton is also a probable cut candidate.

Based on how poorly the offense did, I’m sure one would expect perhaps a few more heads on the chopping block. But the belief is this team as constructed could have done a lot more than they did, thanks to John Fox anchoring the offense. When certain upgrades come along (like at receiver), and the newer, modern offense is installed, expect a much better looking product.

Kevin White is a very sad story. The kid had so much raw talent coming out of West Virginia, but missed his entire first year due to a stress fracture in his leg. He missed 13 games his second year due to another broken leg, and 14 games last year with a broken scapula. What once seemed to be a potentially promising career is now reduced to speculating about his ability to contribute at all.

There’s no chance that White is assured of a starting spot next season, though I don’t think he’s in any danger of being cut unless he fails spectacularly in camp. That said, I think the chances are great that White can contribute in Matt Nagy’s offense, if he stays healthy, of course.

They may not rely on White’s abilities as a receiver to win one-on-one matchups anymore, but you can expect that Nagy will leverage a ton of different plays to scheme White open so that he can gain yards after the catch, because he’s still expected to have solid football speed. I’m excited to see what White can do in Nagy’s offense, but I’m also excited to see him actually play.

Bears Were Warned To Stay Away from Josh McDaniels

By
Erik Lambert
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josh mcdaniels

The Chicago Bears were quick in their head coach hiring process. They went through a string of interviews and after the round was done they ended up choosing Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy as their guy. The choice caught some by surprise. Over time though many have warmed to it, believing Nagy to be an inspired choice. If the rumors were to be believed though, there was a brief time where he wasn’t the frontrunner.

Early in the process, there was a rumbling that the Bears had eyes for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. It’s not hard to see why. His track record is impressive. He has two rings as an offensive coordinator and coached Tom Brady through the most productive stretch of his Hall of Fame career. Most consider McDaniels one of the sharpest play callers in the game. Pairing him with Mitch Trubisky certainly fuels the imagination.

At the same time, there’s more to being a head coach than just the quarterback. Could McDaniels overcome the demons of his past? Everybody knows what a disaster his first head coaching run became back in 2009 and 2010. Had the 41-year old learned his lessons? Many around the league didn’t think so and told the Bears as much.

Bears brass was heavily cautioned to avoid Josh McDaniels

According to a source, at some point during the hiring process word leaked out the Bears were starting to key on McDaniels. He fit the profile of what Ryan Pace wanted after all:  a young, hotshot offensive mind to pair with Trubisky. It didn’t take long though for ice cold water to get thrown on that fire.

“Multiple people who had considered hiring McDaniels in the past contacted the Bears after word got out he might be the guy and pleaded they not hire him. San Francisco, Denver, and Los Angeles (Rams) all voiced that opinion.”

The Broncos, of course, employed McDaniels as their head coach back in 2009 and 2010. They had firsthand experience of how he operates. The 49ers and Rams had interviewed him for their vacant positions in 2017. It seems he made a not-so-good impression on them.

Thankfully their warnings got through. The McDaniels buzz vanished and Nagy was hired. Barely a month later they appeared to receive validation for taking the advice. McDaniels shook the NFL landscape to the core when he backed out of his commitment to the Indianapolis Colts to become their next head coach in order to stay with the New England Patriots.

It was not a good look for the young coach in any sense. Most feel it was done because Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave him assurances that he would be the heir whenever Bill Belichick retired. Though McDaniels never signed a contract, it still came off looking bad. Especially when several assistants he’d recruited to the team had already signed deals. In essence, he left them all hanging.

That easily could’ve been the Bears. Be grateful.

Former NFL QB Predicts Big Things From Mitch Trubisky in 2018

By
Erik Lambert
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mitch trubisky

People like to hate on David Carr even to this day. Most of that was for his failures as a former #1 overall pick of the Houston Texans. Nevermind the fact he took over an expansion franchise and endured 249 sacks in just five seasons. He still managed to lead them to a respectable 7-9 record in 2004 with more TDs than interceptions. Then he spent another five seasons as a journeyman backup. The guy knows about being an NFL quarterback, which is why his opinion on Mitch Trubisky is worth hearing.

This is a man who worked alongside Alex Smith and Eli Manning. He’s seen some of the best at their peaks. Since then he’s become a sharp analyst for NFL Network as one of their quarterback specialists. What he had to say involving the young crop of QBs around the league going into 2018 was interesting to hear.

He provided a straightforward ranking. Which quarterbacks had their stocks going up and which had theirs going down. There were some surprises including a loss of faith in Dak Prescott and even his brother Derek Carr. Both experienced huge downturns in 2017 after Pro Bowl trips the year before. Where did Trubisky fall on this list?

Carr sees Mitch Trubisky taking a big step forward next season

Despite a rocky start to his rookie year, Trubisky finished this past year on a high note. He didn’t have a lot of help from the wide receivers or the coaching. Carr believes both will be upgrades significantly come next season. If Trubisky continues his upward trajectory as he has, then big things are on the horizon for him and the Bears.

“In Year 1, Trubisky operated a pretty traditional offense. He wasn’t asked to do too much schematically, and he did a solid job with that. It was a year of learning and getting acclimated to the NFL. Bringing in Matt Nagy, who elevated Alex Smith’s career in Kansas City, puts Trubisky in a perfect situation. Trubisky showed enough in his first year — toughness, accuracy, leadership — that he can be a good quarterback, so with the Bears’ defense, run game, offensive line and Nagy, Trubisky is poised to take the next step.”

It was felt that weapons and a more creative offensive system were the keys to unlocking Trubisky’s full potential. The hiring of Matt Nagy and his new staff hopefully solves the first problem. Now it’s a matter of waiting to see what GM Ryan Pace has planned at the receiver position. If things go even modestly well, Trubisky should show signs of progress sooner than later.

Interesting Report About The Cubs And Jake Arrieta

By
Aldo Soto
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Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs

You know the story by now. Pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training next week and most of the top free agents haven’t signed. The league and the MLBPA are going back and forth arguing who’s fault it is, as we get closer to the season. A few agents are saying teams aren’t even calling and in Bob Nightengale’s latest article in USA TODAY, there was an interesting note about the Chicago Cubs and Jake Arrieta that makes you think it’s true.

Here’s what Nightengale says regarding the interaction or lack thereof between the Cubs and Arrieta.

One of the biggest fears for teams seeking Arrieta: What do the Cubs know about him that the rest of baseball doesn’t? The Cubs and Arrieta barely even engaged in contract talks this winter, leaving a reunion as unlikely as a Bill Belichick comedy show

Maybe you missed it after that awful joke, but Nightengale is reporting that the Cubs and Arrieta have barely talked this offseason. Again, this goes back to the biggest storyline of the winter. Which side is being unreasonable, the teams or the players?

Arrieta’s agent is Scott Boras and ever since his 2015 Cy Young season, Boras has been talking about seeking a Max Scherzer type deal for Arrieta. Scherzer signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals in 2015.

While Arrieta followed up his Cy Young year with a solid 2016, his control hasn’t been the same and in 2017 his fastball velocity decreased, making him look a lot more human compared to the machine he was a few years ago. However, despite the decreasing quality in his pitching, there was a report earlier this offseason that Boras was still seeking a huge contract for Arrieta.

Via ESPN.

One MLB executive told ESPN he’s under the impression Boras is seeking a long-term contract in the $200 million range for Arrieta, but Boras said he has not set any specific parameters with teams.

That was back in December.

We’re two months removed from that, so is Boras still asking for that much and is that why the Cubs have barely talked to Arrieta? If that’s the case it makes sense why there hasn’t been much contact, but of course everyone is waiting for Yu Darvish to sign.

In Nightengale’s article, he also gives his predictions for the best remaining free agents and he wrote this about Darvish.

Darvish has several teams who have offered five-year deals, and he would like to at least get the six-year, $130 million contract that Johnny Cueto received two years ago with the San Francisco Giants. 

Three teams badly need him – the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers – but he continues to wait to see if the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers can move some contracts to make it work.

A couple things. If Darvish really is seeking a six-year deal worth $130 million, then the Cubs should jump all over that. What’s odd is that Nightengale thinks Darvish ultimately does sign with the Cubs for five years and $125 million. That’s $25 million a year compared to $21.7 million a year that Johnny Cueto go from the San Francisco Giants. So again, why wouldn’t the Cubs just give him that sixth year?

Also, the Cubs don’t “badly” need Darvish. It would be great if they did get him, but as it stands now they’re still one of the best three teams in the National League.

What a miserable offseason and it doesn’t appear as though things are changing anytime soon.

Colts Radio Host Desperately Attacks Bears After Swiping Matt Nagy

By
Erik Lambert
-
matt nagy

It’s safe to say Indianapolis Colts radio and the rest of their fans aren’t exactly feeling good these days. Once upon a time, their franchise was considered the cream of the NFL crop. However, the exit of Peyton Manning, injury to Andrew Luck and mismanagement of their roster over the past few years have transformed them into an AFC doormat. Clearly, some people who cover the organization aren’t taking that so well.

Take Kent Sterling of CBS Sports radio in Indianapolis for example. Never afraid to share his, shall we say, “unvarnished” opinion the host took to Twitter in defense of the Colts over what has happened in the recent string of missteps involving their search for a new head coach. It started when Bob Kravitz, a retired hockey player mind you, claimed Indy did not, in fact, offer the job to Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy.

This despite multiple outlets indicating Nagy was their primary target including my own sources. That didn’t deter Sterling who vehemently backed up the statement with a series of tweets. Not that he offered any proof to the effect. Instead, it sounded far more like a man desperately slamming another team for the failures of his own.

Colts Radio host Kent Sterling slams Bears over Nagy situation

Oh, where to begin? Sterling already started handicapped in this argument for two main reasons. First and foremost was the fact that the Colts finished with a worse record in 2017 than the Bears did. So purely from a win-loss standpoint, his statement is not valid. Then there’s the fact that Nagy isn’t the only coach who jilted them. News has since come out that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was ready to take the position but then changed his mind at the last second.

If that job was so coveted why is it the only one still available? Sure the Colts have more money and better draft assets. It’s because they’re a bad team with few good players. He loved saying Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett are better than Mitch Trubisky. Both of those men have significant NFL experience. Trubisky was a rookie.

In case he needs a further reminder? The Colts offense finished 31st in the NFL. Their defense was 30th. The Bears offense was 30th and their defense was 10th. So in spite of having a supposedly inferior quarterback, they still finished with a better offensive ranking and the defenses aren’t even comparable. The only viable stake Sterling has in this argument is Luck and even that’s shaky due to his injured shoulder.

Whether he likes it or not, facts are facts. The Colts job has lost a lot of its appeal. That happens in the NFL. Rather than be sour about it, those guys need to accept reality.

Matt Nagy Urging Bears To Watch Possible Roster Cut Carefully

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy

Anybody with a lick of common sense knows the Chicago Bears are going to pursue wide receivers hard this off-season. That’s the product of being the 32nd ranked passing offense in the league. Mitch Trubisky had just seven touchdown passes in 12 games. That can’t continue if this team wants to get to the next level. Anybody watching the Super Bowl saw that. So the first order of business is lining up solution.

Among that includes deciding if any of their own targets are worth keeping. The big three names to watch at this point are Cameron Meredith, Kendall Wright, and Dontrelle Inman. All of them have flashes some ability over the past two years. Meredith was the leading receiver in 2016. Wright led the team in 2017. Inman showed he could produce with the Chargers.

After that comes the highly anticipated unrestricted free agency period. It looks like 2018 could be a richer-than-usual year at the position. Most of the big names are well-known at this point. However, it seems the Bears’ new head coach is telling GM Ryan Pace and the front to keep a close watch on one name who could join the fray.

Matt Nagy may have interest in reuniting with Jeremy Maclin in Chicago

It stands to reason that Nagy might reach into his own personal connections in order to find help for the Bears offense. One name that people might not have thought of was Jeremy Maclin. The former Pro Bowler played two years in Kansas City in 2015 and 2016. He posted his most recent 1,000-yard season there. This past season he spent with the Baltimore Ravens. With his 30th birthday approaching though and Baltimore tight on cap space, it’s felt he may get cut. If so, Nagy is ready for a reunion according to a source.

“Nagy has urged the Bears to look at Jeremy Maclin if he’s released.”

Maclin didn’t have a standout year for the Ravens, but then again none of their receivers did. He’s certainly not what one would call the ideal solution for the Bears’ problem, but it’s possible they see him as good enough to avoid overspending in free agency. The source elaborated on the possibility.

“(Allen) Robinson, (Jarvis) Landry, and (Paul) Richardson remain at the front of the list but if Maclin gets released and takes a bargain deal they may just re-sign Wright, and Inman and be done with free agency.”

Meredith is a restricted free agent so the Bears should be able to retain him easily enough. A group of him, Maclin, Wright, and Inman would be something to work with. Then again such a passive approach would almost certainly guarantee they go after a receiver early in the draft. Pace can be unpredictable in these situations. Odds are he may not be happy settling for one older receiver.

Bill Shuey Becomes the Latest Fascinating Hire by the Bears

By
Erik Lambert
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bill shuey

New Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is already proving to be a unique character. That much is true based on the staff he’s been assembling. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to its construction. Most coaches go one of two ways. They either seek out personal connections they’ve worked with in the past. Or they go after the biggest names. Nagy seems to be conducting a balancing act on both of those fronts. Bill Shuey is a perfect example.

Looking across the staff there are plenty of big names with no ties to Nagy himself. Retaining Vic Fangio is one example, as is the hiring of offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.  Then all of a sudden it shifts with the bringing in of Brad Childress. He and Nagy worked closely together for five seasons in Kansas City.

There is also Mike Furrey, the new wide receivers coach, whom he knows from his Arena League days. Shuey represents the latest assistant to come in who has close ties to Nagy.

Bill Shuey a forgotten but sneaky good defensive coach

It’s rather surprising that Bill Shuey didn’t stay in the NFL. From 2003 through 2010 he was an assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. During the last three seasons, he was their linebackers coach, a job at which he did fairly well. Though he never had the chance to coach any star-caliber talent, his groups always contributed to the teams’ success. After that? He disappeared.

He later resurfaced at Widener College, a Division III program where he was named their defensive coordinator. Since then the team has become a defensive powerhouse. This past 2017 season his group gave up single-digit points in five of their 11 games. Three times in four years one of his players was named Defensive Player of the Year in the conference and they fielded three All-Americans this past season.

Shuey has accomplished a lot away from the spotlight. He’s experienced and has proven highly capable everywhere he’s landed since leaving Philadelphia. He certainly doesn’t have the star power some of the other Bears hires do, but this is the latest demonstration of Nagy’s attention to detail. Not only does he have a good memory, he also goes the extra mile to find coaching talent.

Depending on how things go the Bears may have landed a young coach who is ready to make his ascent up the NFL ladder in earnest this time around.

Wheel Of Fortune: The Chicago White Sox Don’t Exist

By
Aldo Soto
-

ESPN forgetting the Chicago White Sox won the 2005 World Series was bad, considering that you know, they’re the “worldwide leader in sports,” but “Wheel of Fortune” not even acknowledging the team is from the city when the show is literally in CHICAGO! C’mon, Pat Sajak!

On Tuesday, “Wheel of Fortune,” had a Chicago-themed episode as a part of its Great American Cities week and one of the answers included the five major professional teams from the city. Well, all of them except for the White Sox.

It’s been a rough year for the South Siders in terms of gaining any respect from the media.

Here’s a quick summary of the times the White Sox have been completely forgotten about via the Chicago Tribune.

Over the past two years, ESPN twice had to apologize for forgetting the White Sox from some playoff-related trivia.

— First the network tried to put the Cubs and Indians World Seriesface-off into context, listing all the Chicago and Cavaliers teams that had won titles since 1965, but it left out the 2005 White Sox.

— Then they said last season’s Dodgers and the 1998 Yankees were the only two teams “in the Wild Card Era to win the World Series with 2 losses or fewer.” Not true, the ‘05 White Sox went 11-1 in the postseason.

CBS also slighted the Sox, saying Chicago hadn’t seen a World Series game in 71 years, then corrected themselves to say Wrigley Field.

You could argue that given the format of the answer it would be tough to fit in White Sox, but what’s the point of it if you can’t actually have all five teams.

By the way, it is also bullshit that the first guess wasn’t given credit for the correct answer because the contestant Brad added an “and” after saying Bulls.

I guess Pat did say, “don’t add anything,” but what’s up with these unnecessary technicalities?

So yeah, people get to make jokes about the White Sox being ignored, but let’s not forget that Brad got absolutely screwed here. Fuck off, Wheel of Fortune. Be better Pat Sajak.

Also, you know you wanted to watch it again. Shoutout, Julian from Indiana.

Kris Dunn Could Be Back As Soon As Friday

By
Patrick Mooney
-

When Kris Dunn took a scary, face-first fall onto the United Center hardwood on January 17th, both the team’s medical staff and coaching staff tried to play it cool, telling us it was all good. Initially, it was reported that he just messed up a few teeth.

It took less than a day for the team to report that actually, he did indeed suffer a concussion. Even then the team was staying optimistic, issuing a quick statement saying he’d be out indefinitely but oh don’t worry it’s nothing too serious.

Well, it’s been hard to stay calm and collected about the point guard of the future’s health when we all saw this happen:

I know basketball and football aren’t in the same stratosphere in terms of contact, but with all of the news that has come out in recent years about the effects concussions have had on former and current NFL players, no concussion should be taken likely.

That’s why, after 3 weeks of silence, today’s news was so relieving.

It’s awesome that he is back on the court, no doubt, but he has yet to climb the final hurdle(s) of concussion protocol. The Bulls next game is this Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dunn’s former team. He still hasn’t been cleared to suit up for the contest.

The Bulls have struggled mightily without Dunn, losing seven straight after winning their first game he was sidelined against a lowly Atlanta Hawks squad. During that stretch, Lauri Markannen has missed three games due to the birth of his child (he is set to return Friday) and the team’s leading scorer Nikola Mirotic was traded. The Bulls record is now the sixth worst in the NBA, just two games better than the league’s worst team.

While Dunn’s absence has greatly aided the team’s tanking efforts, Friday would be an awesome time to see him, Lavine and Markkanen all on the court together for the first time this season. With players like Robin Lopez still on the trading block, the Bulls shouldn’t have to worry about winning too many games down the stretch, they’ve put themselves in a pretty good #tank spot.

However, of the few wins the Bulls will get the rest of the way, none would be sweeter than winning the team’s only national tv appearance this Friday against Tom Thibedeau and Jimmy Butler. Seeing Dunn run the point with Lavine and Marrkanen by his side will make that game a must watch.

Bears Angling to Give Vic Fangio Another Intriguing Project

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears defense

The Chicago Bears defense is starting to become something serious again. It finished in the top 10 for the first time since 2012. That’s exceptional progress considering where it was back in 2014. Arguably the worst in franchise history. Much of that credit goes to coordinator Vic Fangio. His tireless work and ability to develop players have paid huge dividends. Unfortunately, he may have a big challenge coming up.

Free agency is always a tricky time of year. For the Bears, it may get especially interesting at the cornerback position. Four of their key players at that spot is set to come out of contract. They include three starters in Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara, and Bryce Callahan along with special teams ace Sherrick McManis.

Odds are they’ll bring back at least a couple of those guys this off-season. That said there’s a chance one or two could hit the market. That would put corner higher on their list of position needs to fill. Given the QB-stacked NFC they need as many as they can get. Recent word is they may already be planning alternatives.

David Amerson could thrive on Chicago Bears defense under Fangio

The Oakland Raiders made waves early this off-season by choosing to cut cornerback David Amerson. The 26-year old former second round pick spent three seasons with the team as a starter after being cut by Washington. A foot injury limited him to six games in 2017. With the arrival of a new coaching staff, it’s clear his standing had sunk considerably. Now he’s back on the market and the Bears are hot on the trail.

Amerson would make for an intriguing addition. He’s still young but already has five seasons of starting experience. He has length and athleticism, playing an aggressive style that would fit what the Bears do. Fangio is notorious for taking in veteran defensive backs who floundered elsewhere and making them effective. Prior to this past season, it looked like Amerson was emerging as a top corner. Between 2015 and 2016 he had six interceptions and a defensive touchdown for the Raiders.

Still, he suffered from consistency issue. Something that kept him out of the first round of the draft and why he was cut in Washington. Keeping Fuller and Amukamara would be preferable for this cornerback situation. Amerson would make for good depth, perhaps an upgrade over what the Bears hoped they were getting from Marcus Cooper.

In that context, this would be a good move. Perhaps Fangio could make it a great one in time.

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