What Will Be The Big Moves The Chicago Bears Make This Offseason?
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The Chicago Bears just turned the NFL upside down with their surprising 2018 season. The NFC North, for the past several years have been basically a two-team race between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. However, it was time for a change and head coach Matt Nagy led his team to the top of the mountain. But what’s next?
What the Bears were able to do in 2018 was great but was it their ceiling? Did they peak too soon or was this just the beginning of something special? The answer to those questions will come from what the Bears will or won’t do during the offseason.
To win in the NFL, there needs to be a balance on the defensive and offensive side of the ball. What we also saw this year was how important special teams’ play is as well. Where would the Bears be if K Cody Parker had nailed that crucial kick against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Division Round?
As the Bears enter into this important offseason, they will do so knowing that the Packers, Vikings, and Lions will be gunning for them in 2019. Nagy will head into the new year with relatively the same core but this time, the target on their backs will be bigger.
It wasn’t that the Bears dominated the North, it was just how they did it with such ease that has people talking dynasty. Aaron Rodgers struggled. Kirk Cousins did worse than Case Keenum and Matthew Stafford was stripped of all his weapons. If the Bears are to keep this momentum going, they cannot allow their rivals to make up any ground.
Here are 3 bold predictions for the Chicago Bears 2019 offseason.
Go Big or Go Home
Now is not the time to sit back and take a trip down memory lane. The Bears will enter the 2019 offseason with a few holes they must fill. But in order to fill those gaps, they will need to to make a big splash. While talent wins, money talks. With a few good weapons available on both sides of the ball, the Bears must be ready to deal.
They will enter the offseason with roughly $14 million in cap space. With that, they may be able to sign a few under-the-radar guys but it will be hard grabbing one of the big pieces like Le’Veon Bell or Antonio Brown without giving up a few assets. With Green Bay and Minnesota expected to charge hard, the Bears must think two steps ahead of the competition.
After a 12-win season, it will take some money to assure they don’t falter. Maybe it was a fluke season, maybe not. It’s time for the Bears to open their wallets and go for some of the top names on the market or make a big trade as they did with Kahli Mack. Scared money don’t make money.
Sign Mitch Trubisky To A Long-Term Deal
It’s easy to lose a QB, but even harder to find a good one. The Chicago Bears have their man in Trubisky, so why wait to sign him to a long-term deal. In order to get the top free agents, players want to know the organization provides stability. Look at Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers.
Trubisky will be entering just his third season the NFL, but he has proven he can lead a team. The Bears have gone a good decade looking for a reliable starter at QB. Now that they have their guy, it’s time to pony up and secure their future at the position. Yes, injuries can happen but what if it doesn’t?
His base salary for 2019 is only $654k. While teams are playing QBs an obscene amount of money for limited production, Trubisky is due for a hefty raise. In his two years as the starter in Chicago, he’s passed for 5416 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions.
Not the best of numbers but his first year was a learning curve. They say QBs hit their stride in their third season. If that proves to be the case, the money will be well spent.
Trade Jordan Howard
This is a tough call as Howard has given the Bears everything in terms of run production. However, with the emergence of Tarik Cohen, the Bears may have found their all-purpose back. The reason for moving Howard is simple, they need draft picks. As great as the Mack trade with the Raiders was, it set them back in terms of adding more youth.
The Bears will need to find a way to get back into the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The only way to do that is to package Howard and possibly a 3rd-4th round pick and hope a team like the Philadelphia Eagles bite. There are still free agent backs available such as Spencer Ware, LeGarrette Blount, Tevin Coleman, and Latavius Murray to replace Howard.
The Bears will need picks to sure up their DE position who registered only six sacks on the year. It’s possible to snag a player in the later rounds or through free agency, but the cost and risk will be high.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
