Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2017 10:57:58 GMT -6
Top 5 Players Chicago Bears Must Re-Sign in 2018
by Bill Zimmerman19 hours agoFollow @zimmermansxm
Link: beargoggleson.com/2017/11/17/top-5-players-chicago-bears-must-re-sign-2018/
The Chicago Bears have a few key players that need to be re-signed this offseason.
There isn’t too much to say at this point about the Chicago Bears’ 2017 season. They sit at 3-6 and the last seven games are going to be focused on developing players for the future and speculating on who is going to replace John Fox as the head coach of the team.
If the focus is going to shift to 2018, there is a good reason then to talk about the makeup of the 2018 roster. While the Bears still control all of Ryan Pace’s draft picks and many of his larger free agent signings, there are still some other players that aren’t under control for next season but Pace needs to focus on keeping on the roster.
Here’s a closer look at five pending free agents that need to be brought back for 2018.
5. Christian Jones, ILB
Jones has had a very nice season in a Bears’ uniform. He’s one of the few guys that has survived from the Phil Emery era and he has steadily improved over the last couple seasons. Jones has transitioned from a 4-3 OLB to a 3-4 ILB and it took some time but he’s gotten the hang of the job quite well.
Jones cannot call plays, so when he’s in the game, that job will have to go to another defender, but he has proven to be a capable player in the middle of the Bears’ defense. Odds are the Bears’ will part ways with Jerrell Freeman and have Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski start at ILB. They will need a solid sub who can also play special teams and Jones fits the bill. Pace would be smart to lock him down with a 2-year deal.
4. Dontrelle Inman, WR
It may sound crazy to put Dontrelle Inman on the list. He’s only played one game in Chicago, but he’s already shown that he can get some separation from the secondary and get himself open for Mitch Trubisky.
The Bears wide receiving group is not good. Inman is a capable player and the Bears aren’t in a position to let him go. Kendall Wright is also a free agent. If the Bears decide to keep Wright on a less expensive deal and let Inman walk, that would be a palatable option, but if they do that, the Bears would also have to spend some cash on a high-end free agent WR. Inman is a younger option with a good amount of upside. The Bears should make every effort to keep their newest acquisition.
3. Bryce Callahan, CB
Bryce Callahan only makes $615,000 and he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The Bears should make sure they lock up Callahan for at least the next couple seasons. The Bears secondary has turned the corner this year. The Bears have legitimate NFL-caliber talent in the defensive backfield, but some of that talent is going to test the free agent market.
The Bears almost certainly won’t be able to keep all of their key secondary players, but keeping Callahan to play in the nickel and give the unit quality coverage would be a smart move. His price tag still won’t be very high, so the Bears should take advantage of that and keep him on the roster.
2. Kyle Fuller, CB
After his struggles against the Green Bay Packers, Fuller has this writer a little nervous about putting him this high on the list. But to be fair to Fuller, one game shouldn’t ruin what has been an entire season of quality play. Fuller is playing for a contract, and he’s played well enough that he’s going to earn a pretty good contract next season.
Prince Amukamara is also a free agent, so the Bears are at risk of losing all three of their top CBs. The Bears should focus on keeping Callahan at a reasonable price and locking down Fuller on a multiyear contract. They could let Amukamara walk (along with his history of injury trouble) and see if next season is a better one for Marcus Cooper, or find another free agent in to play opposite Fuller (or find one in the draft).
1. Cameron Meredith, WR
Oh yeah, that’s right, good ole Cameron Meredith. Meredith, of course, tore his ACL in week three of the preseason and that injury delivered a devastating blow to the Chicago Bears wide receivers. After nine games of the regular season, it’s pretty clear that WR is a position of need and one that needs to be addressed in the offseason.
The first thing Ryan Pace needs to do is make sure Cameron Meredith is back. Based on the fact that Meredith has only really had 8 good to great games in his entire career and is coming off a significant knee injury (and is a restricted free agent), he shouldn’t have that much of a market.
That’s a good thing for Pace and company. Not that an injury is ever a good thing, but since the injury has happened, the Bears should at least take advantage and sign Meredith to a 2 or 3-year contract at a reasonable cost.
Forget Kevin White, there’s no reason to even consider him a legitimate WR, even if he’s on the roster. If the Bears can enter 2018 with Cameron Meredith, Dontrelle Inman, Markus Wheaton, Tre McBride, a major free agent signing and a rookie drafted in the middle rounds, that would significantly upgrade what is clearly the worst position on the roster.
by Bill Zimmerman19 hours agoFollow @zimmermansxm
Link: beargoggleson.com/2017/11/17/top-5-players-chicago-bears-must-re-sign-2018/
The Chicago Bears have a few key players that need to be re-signed this offseason.
There isn’t too much to say at this point about the Chicago Bears’ 2017 season. They sit at 3-6 and the last seven games are going to be focused on developing players for the future and speculating on who is going to replace John Fox as the head coach of the team.
If the focus is going to shift to 2018, there is a good reason then to talk about the makeup of the 2018 roster. While the Bears still control all of Ryan Pace’s draft picks and many of his larger free agent signings, there are still some other players that aren’t under control for next season but Pace needs to focus on keeping on the roster.
Here’s a closer look at five pending free agents that need to be brought back for 2018.
5. Christian Jones, ILB
Jones has had a very nice season in a Bears’ uniform. He’s one of the few guys that has survived from the Phil Emery era and he has steadily improved over the last couple seasons. Jones has transitioned from a 4-3 OLB to a 3-4 ILB and it took some time but he’s gotten the hang of the job quite well.
Jones cannot call plays, so when he’s in the game, that job will have to go to another defender, but he has proven to be a capable player in the middle of the Bears’ defense. Odds are the Bears’ will part ways with Jerrell Freeman and have Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski start at ILB. They will need a solid sub who can also play special teams and Jones fits the bill. Pace would be smart to lock him down with a 2-year deal.
4. Dontrelle Inman, WR
It may sound crazy to put Dontrelle Inman on the list. He’s only played one game in Chicago, but he’s already shown that he can get some separation from the secondary and get himself open for Mitch Trubisky.
The Bears wide receiving group is not good. Inman is a capable player and the Bears aren’t in a position to let him go. Kendall Wright is also a free agent. If the Bears decide to keep Wright on a less expensive deal and let Inman walk, that would be a palatable option, but if they do that, the Bears would also have to spend some cash on a high-end free agent WR. Inman is a younger option with a good amount of upside. The Bears should make every effort to keep their newest acquisition.
3. Bryce Callahan, CB
Bryce Callahan only makes $615,000 and he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The Bears should make sure they lock up Callahan for at least the next couple seasons. The Bears secondary has turned the corner this year. The Bears have legitimate NFL-caliber talent in the defensive backfield, but some of that talent is going to test the free agent market.
The Bears almost certainly won’t be able to keep all of their key secondary players, but keeping Callahan to play in the nickel and give the unit quality coverage would be a smart move. His price tag still won’t be very high, so the Bears should take advantage of that and keep him on the roster.
2. Kyle Fuller, CB
After his struggles against the Green Bay Packers, Fuller has this writer a little nervous about putting him this high on the list. But to be fair to Fuller, one game shouldn’t ruin what has been an entire season of quality play. Fuller is playing for a contract, and he’s played well enough that he’s going to earn a pretty good contract next season.
Prince Amukamara is also a free agent, so the Bears are at risk of losing all three of their top CBs. The Bears should focus on keeping Callahan at a reasonable price and locking down Fuller on a multiyear contract. They could let Amukamara walk (along with his history of injury trouble) and see if next season is a better one for Marcus Cooper, or find another free agent in to play opposite Fuller (or find one in the draft).
1. Cameron Meredith, WR
Oh yeah, that’s right, good ole Cameron Meredith. Meredith, of course, tore his ACL in week three of the preseason and that injury delivered a devastating blow to the Chicago Bears wide receivers. After nine games of the regular season, it’s pretty clear that WR is a position of need and one that needs to be addressed in the offseason.
The first thing Ryan Pace needs to do is make sure Cameron Meredith is back. Based on the fact that Meredith has only really had 8 good to great games in his entire career and is coming off a significant knee injury (and is a restricted free agent), he shouldn’t have that much of a market.
That’s a good thing for Pace and company. Not that an injury is ever a good thing, but since the injury has happened, the Bears should at least take advantage and sign Meredith to a 2 or 3-year contract at a reasonable cost.
Forget Kevin White, there’s no reason to even consider him a legitimate WR, even if he’s on the roster. If the Bears can enter 2018 with Cameron Meredith, Dontrelle Inman, Markus Wheaton, Tre McBride, a major free agent signing and a rookie drafted in the middle rounds, that would significantly upgrade what is clearly the worst position on the roster.
