Bears’ bold moves a bid to get better
Bears running back Jordan Howard rushed for 1,313 yards with six touchdowns in 2016. Now Howard has new company on offense.
Five things to know about the Chicago Bears heading into the 2017 season:
They didn’t overpay for Trubisky:
If Mitchell Trubisky is the quarterback they think he is, that is. Across the league, the North Carolina product was the consensus top QB in this draft class. The Bears got word out that they wanted to trade down from No. 3, giving them a good idea of who wanted to trade up. The Cleveland Browns served as an effective bogeyman, considering they had ammo to leapfrog Chicago to No. 2 and public affinity for Trubisky. So the Bears showed conviction and dealt three mid-round picks — which are fairly easy to recoup — to the San Francisco 49ers to make sure they got their man. Time will tell if the evaluation was right, but imagine the fallout in a QB-starved city if Trubisky became the player the Bears project somewhere else and they had drawn the line at throwing in a fourth-round pick.
Glennon’s the QB for now:
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup Mike Glennon is guaranteed $18.5 million in the first 12 months of the free agent contract he signed in March. From there, the Bears can decide what to do. And if Glennon plays well enough to keep the job, that’s a good problem to have. Sure, there’s more pressure now with a first-round pick behind Glennon. Ideally, though, Trubisky won’t take a snap in 2017, giving him the time he needs to develop.
Some pieces on offense:
Jordan Howard ran for 1,313 yards as a rookie last season. The interior of the offensive line should be solid. They let top receiver Alshon Jeffery walk in free agency but signed a high-charac- ter vertical threat (Markus Wheaton) and a slot guy who knows Dowell Loggains’ offense (Kendall Wright). Kevin White, the No. 7 overall pick in 2015 who has played in four games in two NFL seasons, is healthy (for now). Another receiver, Cameron Meredith, could be primed for a huge year. And though tight end Adam Shaheen — drafted in the second round after a trade down to get back one of those selections dealt for Trubisky — has a big adjust- ment ahead coming from Division II Ashland, his size-speed combination is intriguing. Little fourth-round back Tarik Cohen from North Carolina AT&T had some fans around the league, too.
Defense is the question:
They have a chance to be stout in the front seven, led by nose tackle Eddie Goldman (assuming his ankle is OK), end Akiem Hicks, edge rusher Leonard Floyd and linebacker Danny Trevathan (again, pending health). Who knows how the secondary shakes out, though? A slew of free agent signings (among them Prince Amukamara, Quintin Demps, Marcus Cooper and B.W. Webb) will duke it out with the incumbent likes of Adrian Amos and Kyle Fuller, a 2014 first-round pick who missed all of last season with a knee injury and whose fifth-year option was declined.
Pressure’s on Fox:
Injuries played a significant role in the Bears’ slide from 6-10 to 3-13 in John Fox’s second season as coach. But he’s 62, has a contract that expires after the 2018 season and is sure to face scrutiny over whether he’s the man to see through the rebuild. Ownership’s willingness to let Ryan Pace pull the trigger on Trubisky after signing Glennon suggests the long-term thought is there with the Bears’ GM. Whether that extends to their coach probably depends on how a young roster progresses.