The Chicago Bears have a bad contract on the books, and that contract belongs to quarterback Jay Cutler. That isn't to say that Cutler himself is bad, it's just that his contract is absolutely massive given his production over the past few seasons. Cutler is a capable, effective quarterback who can sling with the NFL's elite, but with 44 interceptions over the past three seasons, he's definitely trending down rather than up.
2015 NFL depth charts: Bears’ draft class helps ease 3-4 transition
The Bears drafted several players who could see the field early and often.
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Of course, there's more to it than the interceptions -- he had 28 touchdowns last season, and completed 66 percent of his passes. But Cutler has a cap hit of $16.5 million next season, and that number goes up in 2016. The Bears didn't have a whole lot of room to maneuver under the salary cap in free agency and that's a disadvantage with the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions both looking strong and the Minnesota Vikings moving along with a solid rebuild.
Additions like Pernell McPhee and Antrel Rolle are nice, but most feel the Bears really won out with their coaching staff more than anything else, with Vic Fangio set to rebuild the defense and John Fox taking over as head coach. Going into the NFL Draft, the Bears had plenty of needs and most feel they had a pretty decent draft. Still, plenty of questions remain.
Can White be the guy Marshall was supposed to be?
Chicago has found success with Alshon Jeffery, though after trading Brandon Marshall away to the New York Jets this offseason, the team needed a receiver to start opposite him. Marshall was given a large contract alongside Cutler, but he only managed 721 yards and eight touchdowns in 2014, significantly fewer than the 1,508 yards in 2012 and 1,295 yards he had in 2013.
The Bears addressed the need immediately in the 2015 NFL Draft, taking West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White with the No. 7 overall pick. White was considered by many to be the top receiver in the NFL Draft, with most believing it was down to him and Amari Cooper. The Oakland Raiders wound up taking Cooper with the No. 4 overall pick. White should step right into a starting role.
Will Goldman make the 3-4 transition seamless?
The Bears took care of the big wide receiver need in the first round, but with the defensive-minded Fox in charge and Fangio on defense, the Bears are switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense this offseason. Fangio’s defense doesn’t necessarily require a proper nose tackle on every play -- it didn’t in San Francisco, at least -- but getting someone who fits at the position should ease the transition in a big way.
That someone is Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, who the Bears took with the No. 39 overall pick in the draft. Goldman is a run-stuffing defender who should be able to start at the nose tackle position. Jeremiah Ratliff is likely in that discussion as well, but the Bears feel that Ratliff can be moved around the line, whereas Goldman most definitely fits in the middle.
Will any other rookies see the field?
While the Bears grabbed a pair of surefire starters in White and Goldman, they’re playing in a very tough NFC North and any other help they can get would be a positive. Chicago drafted four other players this year and, fortunately, many agree that at least two of the players stand a shot at seeing the field this season.
The first is center Hroniss Grasu of Oregon. He should be able to compete for a starting interior line spot early on, while Penn State safety Adrian Amos, a fifth-round selection, is on a lot of "underrated" lists. Amos could have what it takes to see the field early and often, pushing Brock Vereen and Ryan Mundy for snaps. Amos will be a starter for Fangio, if not immediately then at some point in the near future.
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