A new head coach. Check.
A new general manager. Check.
A new quarterback? Not quite yet.
The Chicago Bears underwent massive changes this offseason. Head coach Marc Trestman was fired after just two seasons. General manager Phil Emery was also dismissed.
The Bears tabbed John Fox as the team's new head coach. Fox guided the Denver Broncos to three straight seasons of 12 wins or more as well as a Super Bowl appearance following the 2013 campaign. Fox brought Adam Gase, his offensive coordinator in Denver, with him to Chicago and hired Vic Fangio to overhaul the defense.
Fangio was previously the defensive coordinator in San Francisco. The 49ers ranked second in points allowed and fourth in turnovers generated over the past four seasons. The Bears, meanwhile, boasted one of the league's worst defenses last year ranking 31st in points allowed and 30th yards surrendered.
Emery was replaced by Ryan Pace, who climbed the ladder of the New Orleans Saints' organization and became their director of player personnel.
The next question for the Bears is at quarterback where Jay Cutler is coming off of a season in which he tied for the league lead with 18 interceptions. With no prominent backup and the top two quarterbacks off the board in our Fan Mock Draft, there's no solution here at the No. 7 pick.
What won't help Cutler, unless it's a case of addition by subtraction, is the trade that sent wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Jets. Maybe Marshall is in decline, but the Pro Bowl wideout had seven straight 1,000-yard campaigns before an injury-plagued 2014. He still finished with 61 receptions for 721 yards and eight touchdowns. The Bears could replace Marshall's 6-4, 229-pound frame with Kevin White, the 6-3, 215-pound prospect who had 109 catches and 1,447 yards receiving last season for West Virginia.
The Bears still have one of the best all-purpose backs in the league in Matt Forte. The Bears could fortify the offensive line with either Brandon Scherff, who has been projected by some experts to move from tackle to guard, or Andrus Peat, the athletic tackle from Stanford.
To aid in the defensive transition, the Bears could get a two-gap defensive lineman in Arik Armstead, who has a similar stature to that of Calais Campbell. The Bears signed edge rusher Pernell McPhee away from the Ravens in free agency, but this draft is supposed to be rich at that position.
There have been a slew of changes to the Chicago Bears. Do they help the quarterback with some added protection or weaponry? Or does the defense try to bring back the days of the Monster of the Midway and add a difference-maker there?
- 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: QB Jameis Winston
- 2. Tennessee Titans: DL Leonard Williams
- 3. Jacksonville Jaguars: LB Dante Fowler, Jr.
- 4. Oakland Raiders: WR Amari CooperÂ
- 5. Washington Redskins: LB Vic Beasley
- 6. New York Jets: QB Marcus Mariota
