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Chicago Bears rebuild is under way

By Ashish Mathur

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The rebuilding project has finally begun for the Chicago Bears. The team made two trades on Monday night, and it was a clear sign of things to come. The Bears are not contending for anything this year, so the team is taking the necessary actions in order to build up the teams roster for the future.

New general manager Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox have firmly put their stamps on this football team by getting players who fit in the system they are implementing. It was obvious that Jared Allen wasn’t comfortable in his new role on defense, so Pace and Fox did the logical thing and traded him for some draft picks, something the Bears are in a high demand for.

The sixth round picks that the Bears got for Allen from Carolina might not seem much to the average fan, but they will pay off in the long-term. Stockpiling draft picks is something that Pace has talked about doing, and using them in an efficient manner will be key for the Bears. The Bears need to get younger on defense so unloading Allen was a step in the right direction.

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Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee has looked good so far in a Bears uniform and fits the new defensive system well. The Bears are counting on McPhee to be a building block now that he is probably the most talented player they have on defense.

New personnel is needed at many positions on defense and it is up to Pace and Fox to get the right players who fit their system.

The Bears secondary and linebacker slots are putrid and need major work. Pace and Fox need to find defensive play makers that can alter games and cause pressure on opposing offenses. Whether that’s through free agency or the draft, the Bears need to address that.

Vic Fangio is a great defensive mind, but he needs the right players to properly run his defense. He was successful in San Francisco because he had the right players for the system who executed the scheme of the defense well. It is clear that the current Bear defenders are not the right fit.

The Bears offense has been awful since Jay Cutler got hurt, and it is clear that the team needs to start looking for a quarterback. Cutler was performing well in the new offensive system and looked comfortable. As always however, Cutler still throws those same interceptions at the worst time possible and it is unknown if he can truly be counted on.

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    • Trying to trade Cutler is something that Pace and Fox have probably already discussed internally, and would most likely pull the trigger if a good deal came up. But there is no team that wants to take on Cutler’s contract, so he’s most likely going to be on the team for the rest of the year.

    Figuring out his long-term status with the team should be a top priority though. If they are confident in Cutler and believe they can win with him, two things need to happen.

    One, they need to surround him with better talent and a defense that doesn’t give up so many big plays and points. Two, they need him to take a pay cut immediately and use that money to fix up the rest of the roster.

    If they want to move on from Cutler, they should do it sooner rather than later while he has some sort of value left. A desperate team that needs a quarterback badly will trade for Cutler, so Pace needs to find that team, and the Bears can get some more draft picks out of it.

    It remains unclear what running back Matt Forte‘s future is with the team. He’s in the last year of his deal and all signs point to the Bears moving on, although that remains to be proven as a certain fact.

    Forte is still an elite running back but has digressed in speed which is limiting his abilities on the field. All Bears fans love Forte, but think that the Bears should trade or move on from him since he is at the later stages of his career.

    The Bears are trying to get younger on both sides of the ball so trading Forte and getting some value from him would be good for the future, although he would be missed dearly. Forte is by far one the best running backs to ever put on a Bears uniform and fans should respect what he has done for this franchise.

    The rebuild has begun for the Bears and yet there are so many questions still at hand. Besides the future of Cutler and Forte on offense, the Bears have to make a decision on wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, whose contract will be up soon.

    No one can deny the talent Jeffery possess, but he is injury prone and has never been able to consistently stay on the field. Will Pace pay big money to keep him?

    Besides Jermon Bushrod and Kyle Long, the offensive line needs a retooling as well and needs to get more athletic and versatile.

    Pace and Fox need to alter this roster drastically and that is exactly what they are going to do. The roster is mostly filled with players from the Phil Emery regime, and lets face it, he wasn’t that great at player personnel decisions. Pace and Fox need to get the right players for this team who fit in the system.

    However long that takes is yet to be determined, but staying the course and with the process is what Pace emphasized when he took this job, so we will hold him to that.

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