Chicago Bears: The biggest problem for the Bears is not what you think
Surprisingly, the biggest need for the Chicago Bears right now is the same as last year’s.
The Chicago Bears are looking at different avenues on how to address certain positions. All eyes are on the safety, kicker, and running back, but that is not their biggest problem. The Bears’ main focus is to address the outside linebacker position.
The reason why this is the position that needs to be addressed is because of the lack of depth. Even with the needs at safety and running back, those positions have extremely significant depth that can make a reliable contribution.
Before Khalil Mack was traded to the Bears, everyone was concerned about the outside linebacker position. The only reliable player that they had was Leonard Floyd and he missed a significant amount of time due to injury in his first two seasons.
Not to mention Leonard Floyd’s contract is almost up. The Bears have the cap space to re-sign their own players, but is Floyd worthy of a contract extension? Outside of last year, Floyd made little contribution to the Bears. If Floyd eventually leaves, then Mack is all that’s left.
Been getting questions about the #Bears and Justin Houston. They do want to add to their pass rush. Obviously, Nagy knows Houston from KC. We’ll see but depth at pass rusher is a need for them.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) March 13, 2019
Outside of Mack, the Bears need to find a way to improve the depth at the position. The Bears cannot rely on Mack to make a significant contribution to every play. Even if Floyd is able to produce, who else can help?
Sam Acho is gone and even when here, he was injured. Aaron Lynch is a free agent. Isaiah Irving and Kylie Fitts do not have much playing experience. The Bears need to find a way to fortify the position and improve on their depth. Mack, Floyd, Irving, and Fitts are nowhere near enough to work with.
The Bears have young talent, but they need help. The best way to fix the position is to sign Justin Houston in free agency and to draft an outside linebacker in the draft. The Bears are limited in draft capital, but the linebacker class is the deepest draft position.
Next. Cordarrelle Patterson a huge addition. dark
The Bears can take a safety, running back, and outside linebacker in the middle rounds and get an impact player. It’s important for the Bears to address this problem before it becomes a huge issue in the future.