The offensive arsenal is no where near where it needs to be. Here are five players Ryan Pace should target.
The Chicago Bears were near the bottom of the league in overall offensive output in 2017, but have a few pieces in place to turn that around this season. Mitch Trubisky showed some promise in his rookie campaign, but did so without any household names aside from stud running back Jordan Howard.
Ryan Pace did a nice job in the 2017 NFL Draft finding a couple of young, promising offensive weapons in Tarik Cohen and Adam Shaheen, but it’s going to take more than youthful, developing players to get his quarterback to the next level.
While the backfield is exciting and one of the more well-balanced ones in all of football with Howard and Cohen, the receiving corps has been lackluster to say the least. Kendall Wright became Trubisky’s go-to guy down the stretch. Other than Wright, there was hardly any consistency from the rest of the group.
Shaheen showed flashes in the second half of the season when he finally got the chance to run some routes — of course, that was a product of an offensive coordinator holding him back. Dowell Loggains didn’t do anyone any favors in that offense, and that’s being kind. But, aside from Shaheen, the tight end position could use some improvements as well, especially with Shaheen in only his second year.
Aside from offensive weapons, the Bears need depth at offensive line in a bad way. We all saw what happens when Kyle Long gets hurt. He’s just one guy, sure, but without him, the rest of the line isn’t the same. On the edge, Charles Leno Jr. gets the job done, but Bobby Massie has underperformed ever since coming to Chicago. The line has been solid at times, but depth here is absolutely an issue.
With all of that said, the coming weeks are pivotal for Pace and the Bears. When the new league year opens March 14th, the offensive side of the football must be addressed in free agency. If Pace can land two or three of the following players, he’ll leave his team in much better shape going into next season.
5. T Nate Solder
As previously stated, the Bears need an upgrade at the tackle position. While Leno has done a fair job on the left side, it’s the right side that has suffered at the hands with Massie simply not cutting it.
One of the positives here with potentially adding Solder would be the fact that he has years of experience playing alongside the legendary Tom Brady. There is absolutely no doubt that Solder would bring plenty of that knowledge with him to the Bears and, specifically, to Trubisky.
Having been on the biggest stages in the sport, and succeeding there, Solder would be a fantastic add. He will be 30 by the time the 2018 season gets underway, but has remained relatively healthy outside of the 2015 campaign.
He had a rough start to last season, but Solder was Pro Football Focus’s fifth ranked offensive tackle from week 10 on. The Bears would welcome that type of consistency.
It is very likely Solder will hit the open market, due to what New England has historically done with their free agents. The Patriots typically will not pay top dollar for anyone, with a couple of rare exceptions, and Solder figures to demand something similar, if not greater, than his current expiring deal which paid him roughly $20 million over two seasons.
Would Solder be a long-term answer at the tackle position? Actually, he very well could be. If he stays healthy, Solder likely could have another solid three to five years left in him. The experience and knowledge of a signing like this cannot be overstated. Solder would be a welcomed signing in Chicago.
4. WR Paul Richardson
One of the more under-the-radar guys on the market this spring will be wide receiver Paul Richardson of the Seattle Seahawks. Richardson would give the Bears an immediate downfield threat which is yet another dynamic they have been lacking offensively.
Richardson is only 25 years old and is coming off by far his best season as a pro. The Seahawks featured Richardson much more last season and he proved to be an exciting player with big play ability. Richardson caught 44 balls for 703 yards and six touchdowns in 2017.
Every Seahawks game I watched, it seemed like Richardson was good for one huge, game-breaking catch. To have someone with that capability in a Matt Nagy offense would most definitely give defenses something to worry about.
https://twitter.com/_TheRefresher_/status/922236399537065984
The only real concerns with Richardson have been minor injuries. Yes, I fully understand how injured wide receivers make Bears fans feel. It’s something we are very familiar with. But, if Richardson can prove to be healthy, he’d be a great addition to the new offensive scheme.
Think about how Nagy used a guy like Tyreek Hill with the Kansas City Chiefs over the past two years, and then picture a guy with Richardson’s athletic ability on the field at the same time as Cohen. To me, it may be worth the risk to bring him in and hope he’s healthy.
3. TE Trey Burton
Pace was given some flack for taking Shaheen in the second round of the draft last April. After all, the average fan had never heard of him, nor had they heard of Ashland, the smaller school he came from. But, as the season progressed, Shaheen did prove he could be a formidable target.
They say it takes a few years for tight ends to develop in the NFL. If this holds true, it would be wise to bring someone else in alongside of Shaheen who has a wide skillset. Trey Burton could very well be that guy.
Burton, while smaller than Shaheen, is faster and can run routes like a wide receiver. He has great hands and has shown the ability to block. What’s not to like? Last year, the Bears took a flier on Dion Sims, who never seemed to really fit the mold.
Granted, there wasn’t much of a mold when it came to Loggains’ offensive plan of attack. I digress.
Two tight end sets are used all across the league nowadays, and the best teams know how to do it. Just look at the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and what they did with Burton and Zach Ertz last year. Little known fact — Burton was one of Pro Football Focus’s highest graded tight ends while he filled in for Ertz, even once finishing at the number one spot.
Looking at where Nagy came from in Kansas City, it was clear he liked to mix things up with his tight end position. He had Travis Kelce lined up all over the place. Kelce would take shovel passes from the backfield one moment, and line up on the outside the next. Imagine Burton being that same type of hybrid guy for Nagy in Chicago.
2. WR Jarvis Landry
This is the guy most Bears fans want to see in the navy and orange next year. Jarvis Landry will command a heck of a lot of attention in free agency, and justifiably so.
Landry catches the football. Every. Single. Time.
Is he the quickest? No. Is he the biggest? Of course not. What does he do well? He creates separation and catches the football — period.
A lot of people want to make a big deal about his career-high nine touchdowns in 2017. That’s fantastic, but I highly doubt he will repeat it — and that’s just fine. The Bears don’t need someone to score nine touchdowns every season. Let’s start with simply catching the football — something the Bears aren’t quite used to seeing from the likes of, oh let’s say, Joshua Bellamy.
Landry has made a name for himself in the NFL over the course of his four year career. You are talking about a guy who has averaged 100 catches and over 1,000 yards per season since coming out of LSU. That’s unheard of.
Here’s a stat to open your eyes, just in case they aren’t already: Since Landry entered the league, only Antonio Brown and Julio Jones have caught more passes.
Landry would fit quite nicely in the Bears scheme. The only reason I would argue against bringing him in is if two things happen. Those two things include, first of all, bringing back Kendall Wright at a much cheaper price to fill that middle-of-the-field role. Secondly, the Bears need to sign the guy atop this list, coming up next.
1. WR Allen Robinson
Allen Robinson is atop this list for one simple reason: He’s the true number one wide receiver the Bears need. Since the likes of Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall are long gone, the Bears have lacked that big body that can go up and grab contested balls.
Last year, Robinson missed the entire season due to a torn ACL. But, the previous two years he amassed 153 receptions for 2,283 yards and 20 touchdowns. Every player comes back from an ACL injury differently, but it should be noted that Robinson played all 16 games in the previous two seasons before missing 2017.
Robinson possesses everything Chicago needs in a number one option. His 6-foot-3 frame is big enough to control opposing defensive backs. He has great hands. His ability to get up into the air and pull down even the toughest catches ranks up there with the best in the league.
Pro Football Focus highlighted Robinson’s big play ability this weekend, tweeting out a pretty impressive graphic.
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/965266423244316672
This is exactly what the Bears have been missing. Deep passes, big plays and game-changing moments. That’s what Robinson provides. If Pace and his team play their cards right, Nagy could very well be on his way to securing one of the most coveted offensive playmakers in free agency this year.