Bears will have new receivers in 2018
@CanuckBoy670AM: What role do you see WRs [ Cam] Meredith [ free agent] and [ Kevin] White [ sizable cap hit] having in 2018? I think # Bears need TWO new WRs in 2018, minimum.
A: Agreed. I could see them bringing in two veterans to start, the way they did at cornerback this season. They’ll consider one in the first round of the draft, too. The sad fact is, they can’t count on production from White. Anything they get from him should be considered a bonus.
@TreyBizzy: When will [ general manager Ryan] Pace extend [ Kyle] Fuller?
That question would’ve seemed laughable even a month ago, but Fuller has been above- average all year and is coming off a spectacular showing in Baltimore. He gave up five catches on 15 targets, per Pro Football Focus, for 45 yards.
The Bears declined his fifthyear rookie- contract option for 2018, so Fuller can be a free agent at the end of the year. The Bears like theway he has played this season but probably want to see more before considering such an investment.
@ANessel01: Why not make a trade for a splash WR with the division up for grabs with all of these injuries?
A: Perspective: Even after Sunday’s win, the Bears have a 2 percent chance to make the playoffs and a 1 percent chance to win the NFC North, per FiveThirtyEight.com. That’s not gospel— the site famously missed a projection 11 months ago, if you’ll remember
— but also no reason to give up a future asset for a slightly better chance this season. The Bears are building for later. Still, Aaron Rodgers and Sam Bradford are out, and Matthew Stafford didn’t look the same Sunday. Maybe the NFC North looks different in a few weeks.
@ R__ D__ 3: What’s the holdup with [ Adam] Shaheen?
A: Zach Miller and Dion Sims struggled with their run blocks Sunday. But
Shaheen is still clearly the Bears’ third tight end. His 19 snaps against the Ravens were a career high, but the jump from Ashland is a steep one. Adjust your shortterm expectations accordingly.
@NickMau91: Think [ John] Fox will let Dowell [ Loggains] expand the play- calling? This offense is predictable, and Mitch [ Trubisky] can only get better by throwing the ball. A: It depends on
whom they play. The Bears didn’t want to test the Ravens’ playmakers in the defensive backfield and thought their best chance was to turn the game into a rugby scrum. While the Bears will be a runfirst team the rest of the year, it won’t always be that extreme. Fox and his staff need to win games. They’ll do what they feel is best every week to accomplish that.
@FrenchDerek: Is [ Cody] Whitehair destined to play [ guard] when [ Josh] Sitton retires, moving [ Hroniss] Grasu to [ center]?
A: Sitton is 31 and has another year left on the three- year, $ 21 million deal he signed last season. I wouldn’t be fitting him for any gold watches yet; he’s still one of the NFL’s best guards. Your question is rooted in Whitehair’s bad snaps. The Bears have to be worried, but it could be a temporary case of the yips. He had one such snap last year, when he was one of the best centers in the league as a rookie. No reason to move him off the position yet.