Ranking the Chicago Bears offseason needs as free agency heats up

The Chicago Bears currently just have Darnell Mooney who caught a pass. Last year’s sixth-round pick Dazz Newsome played in three games but failed to register a reception.

The Chicago Bears need receivers and lots of them. They also need playmakers at wide receiver to help in quarterback Justin Fields’ development.

The problem with the wide receiver market is there is a high demand but low supply in free agency—at least at the tier one level.

Davante Adams and Chris Goodwin were both franchise tagged. Michael Gallup and Mike Williams re-signed with their respective teams.

The Chicago Bears have ties to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling with new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy working with MVS in Green Bay. He has never been higher than the third wide receiver option. The Chicago Bears would be wise to not meet his price if it goes over $8 million.

The Bears are also reportedly interested in Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster.

This is a deep wide receiver draft so the Chicago Bears might be better served to add a couple of tier two free agents and then hit the draft hard to address wide receiver.

The hope is that Poles does not acquire a track team as Pace did last season. The Chicago Bears had a bunch of fast wide receivers but they struggled to get open.

Also, do not expect Allen Robinson to return.

The Bears should think about bringing back Jakeem Grant. He was a Pro Bowl kick returner but also started to show he could be a weapon in the passing game.

The Chicago Bears need to completely  overhaul to its offensive line.

Fields and Andy Dalton were sacked 56 times last season. Fields got sacked 36 times alone. Some of Fields’ sacks happened because he held onto the ball too long.

The offensive line struggled to protect the quarterback. Injuries at offensive tackle forced the Bears to find future Hall of Famer Jason Peters on a fishing boat and convince him to play another season.

Also, the Chicago Bears are implementing a new blocking scheme that requires players to be faster, leaner, and stronger.

The best way to improve the line is to bring in competition. The Bears should be hitting all free agency tiers, trades, and the draft to upgrade the line.

The Chicago Bears need to replace one starter on the line. Guard James Daniels left via free agency.

The Chicago Bears have just Eddie Jackson under contract at safety. Jaylon Johnson had a great second season at cornerback but everyone else the Bears tried at the other cornerback position got burned in coverage. The nickelback position was even worse.

The Bears can re-sign Tashaun Gipson at safety but a complete overhaul in the secondary is needed. The big reason is Eberflus’ defense has a heavy focus on getting interceptions. The Bears need to find players who can not only cover but force turnovers.

One impact player with Poles is available at safety.

There is still a bunch of big names in the first tier to chase. The second and third tier in free agency can also provide value. This is also a deep draft.

The Bears should also try to bring back Deon Bush and DeAndre Houston-Carson as they are valuable depth players who contribute well on special teams.