Bears: Five biggest needs going into training camp
Training camp for the Chicago Bears just kicked off, and the team looks a lot better after their first full offseason under the new regime. Expectations for this unit are a lot higher than they were a year ago. However, the team still has a couple of question marks on the roster. Let’s go over the biggest needs on the Bears’ roster as we inch closer to the start of the season.
Offensive tackle
The depth that the Bears have at tackle is anything but deep. The sudden retirement of Nate Chandler put them in a dangerous position. Behind Charles Leno Jr. (who isn’t all that good to begin with) and Bobby Massie, nobody else on the depth chart is recognizable by the average fan. And rightfully so. Jason Weaver hasn’t been on the active roster yet in his career. That’s alarming. Nick Becton actually was on the active roster last year for five games, but didn’t play a snap on offense. Not much better.
The market is becoming a lot more thin as well. Veteran Jake Long just recently signed with the Ravens. Former Giant Will Beatty is still available, which is mindboggling to say the least. The Bears may be planning on putting Kyle Long at tackle and Ted Larsen or Amini Silatolu at right guard in case a tackle goes down, and that’s fine. But they should at least find a solid depth piece to add to the roster.
Strong safety
The Bears have a lot of OK players at strong safety, but none of them are great. As of now, competitors for the position include Harold Jones-Quartey, Deon Bush and Chris Prosinski. Any of those guys get you excited? Probably not.
Jones-Quartey was solid in flashes last year, but has yet to prove that he can carry the load of being a full-time starter. Prosinski would be a lot better suited on special teams. And Deon Bush is a rookie who was looked at as a reach. There is absolutely no clear front-runner at strong safety. And that’s not a good thing.
Tight end
Zach Miller was surprising good last year, and the Bears had enough confidence in him to trade Martellus Bennett over the offseason. However, he’s still unproven as a full-time starter and the depth behind him isn’t all that great either.
Tony Moeaki was solid with the Chiefs a few years ago, but hasn’t done much of note since 2012. Khari Lee only had one reception last year, and Rob Housler didn’t do much better with three. A player to look out for is undrafted free agent Ben Braunecker. He has potential and could make the team, but likely won’t do much right out of the gate.
Cornerback
Is this the year that Kyle Fuller finally lives up to his potential? It could be, but for now the cornerback position looks bleak. Tracy Porter is a career journeyman, yet the Bears are trusting him with the #1 corner spot. He was solid last year, but he’s still not someone a team should be trusting with that big of a role. As previously mentioned, Fuller has had flashes of great talent over the past two years, but hasn’t been consistent enough to live up to his 14th overall draft status.
Outside of them, the corner position is full of young, unproven talent. There are six cornerbacks on the roster who are either rookies or second-year players. Among them is Bryce Callahan, who will likely be the team’s nickelback. Fourth-rounder Deiondre’ Hall could be good in the future, but might not contribute right away. Sherrick McManis, the second-oldest corner at 28, is better suited as a special teams player.
Nose tackle depth
Eddie Goldman has potential to be a fantastic player, as shown late last year. He played like a seasoned pro for most of his rookie year. However, nose tackle is a physically demanding position, and the Bears don’t have any good players behind him. Goldman played in about half of the team’s defensive snaps last year.
When looking at the Bears’ depth chart, almost none of their backup defensive linemen are ideal to have at nose tackle. Their current and only backup is Terry Williams, an undrafted free agent last year who hasn’t played a down in the NFL yet. He could be kept on the roster due to his positional value, but it may be at the expense of cutting a proven and better player.
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