Bears Mock Offseason [New Idea]

Free Agents

WR Mario Manningham [NY Giants] 5 years 22.5 million/10 guaranteed

The Bears need PROFESSIONAL WRs not kick returners that are fast that can provide Cutler with someone who runs good routes and makes key catches. Manningham is a very good #2 WR to go with Earl Bennett.

http://www.robmancini.com/wp-content...manningham.jpg

CB Brent Grimes [Atlanta] 5 years 30 million/15 guaranteed

Grimes has experience with Emery and is one of the most under rated CBs in the NFL. Grimes can start opposite Tillman and provide a man coverage option for the Bears.

http://championsportsviews.files.wor...ent-grimes.jpg

OT Khalif Barnes [Oakland] 3 years 7.5 million/4 guaranteed

The Bears have NO competition at the OT and Barnes has played and backed up at LT and RT while in the NFL.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...lif_Barnes.JPG

LB Tavares Gooden [49ers] 2 years 2.5 million/1 guaranteed

The Bears need depth at LB and players who can contribute on special teams. Gooden has been miscast in 3-4 defense and has the speed to be a player in the Cover 2.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/20...-111206-a4.jpg

Re-signings

RB Matt Forte [5 years 40 million/21 guaranteed]

A must resign and the most dynamic playmaker that the Bears have.

QB Josh McCown [2 years 2 million]

Where was he at the beginning of the season.

TE Kellen Davis [1 year 2 million/1 guaranteed]

Give him another year to show that he has some value, but the Bears need to get more dynamic.

DE Israel Idoinje [2 years 6 million/ 2 guaranteed]

Idonije might not be the pass rusher that the Bears need across from Peppers he is a great run stuffer and a perfect rotational player.

CB D.J Moore [4 years 10 million/5 guaranteed]

Perfect for the defense and a true take away machine he should be resigned for the top level of what a nickel CB gets.

CB Corey Graham [3 years 6 million/3 guaranteed]

A valuable special teamer and has flashed a knack for the ball in limited defensive reps. The Bears should keep the special teams captain.

S Craig Steltz [2 years 2.5 million/1 guaranteed]

Steltz has been a consistent contributor and can hold up as a sport starter and a leader on special teams.

RB Khalil Bell [2 years 3 million/1 guaranteed]

Bell in my opinion has earned the right to be the primary back up, he runs hard and catches the ball well out of the backfield.

Draft

*Trade* The Bears trade 1[19] to the Pittsburgh Steelers for 1[24] and 3[88].

1[24] TE Dwayne Allen [Clemson] 6'4" 255lbs.

This is a different pick than we have seen with the Bears, but here me out.

-The Bears need to get Jay Cutler weapons in the passing game and as the Patriots have shown those weapons can be TEs.

-Mike Tice features the TE position and they have had a ton of success with him as coach.

-The Bears have an unproven player in Davis who may be great and then you have 2 great TEs, or you have Davis struggle and you have another player that can be a weapon.

-Allen reminds me of Antonio Gates he has a great build, speed and ability to catch with his hands.

http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/D...FNyifx-Kpl.jpg

Dwayne Allen Highlights vs. Virginia Tech - YouTube

2[51] WR Dwight Jones [UNC] 6'4" 220lbs.

Their are red flags with the 1st round WRs and the Bears take a safer player in Allen in the 1st round. Jones has a ton of physical upside and can get deep at 6'4", he does have things to work on and will need to be developed. Reminds me a lot of Sidney Rice as a prospect.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedi...ight-jones.jpg

3[72] DE Cam Johnson [Virginia] 6'3" 272lbs.

The Bears add a young talented pass rusher that can enter the rotation and provide some more speed across from Peppers on passing downs. Johnson has a quick first step and is relentless to the QB.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAp34hCSrL...1_1208035e.jpg

3[83] LB Nigel Bradham [Florida St] 6'2" 235lbs.

The Bears need to start searching for a replacement to Briggs because of age and his contract problem. Bradham is a physical freak that can flat out run and his strength is coverage.

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/...gelBradham.jpg

3[88] S Antonio Allen [South Carolina] 6'2" 202lbs.

Having addressed the CB position in free agency the Bears can add more depth to the S position. With Major Wright's inability to stay healthy and play at a high level consistently the Bears add a big physical tackler to compete at the SS position.

http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/A...JRbXW8yIel.jpg

4. OT Mitchell Schwartz [California] 6'5" 316lbs.

More competition at the OT position as Schwartz has the look of a RT or a RG and a solid technician.

http://calbearsonline.com/cal_bears_...-1113_1338.jpg

5. WR. B.J Cunningham [Michigan St] 6'2" 215lbs.

The Bears continue to add size to the WR core with Cunningham who can be a developmental possession WR and a special teams player

http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c191...Cunningham.jpg

6. LB Chris Marve [Vanderbilt] 6' 242lbs.

Marve has his limitations, but he has a nose for the ball makes a ton of plays and is a team leader.

http://images.athlonsports.com/d/16457-1/ChrisMarve.jpg

7. CB Gary Gray [Notre Dame] 6' 190lbs.

The Bears continue to add CB depth with a physical player that can step in on special teams.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5162/...a1f914a430.jpg

Depth Chart

QB: Cutler, McCown, Enderle
RB: Forte, Bell, Allen, Clutts
WR: Manningham, Jones, Bennett, Knox, Cunningham, Hester
TE: Allen/Davis, Spaeth
LT: Webb, Barnes
LG: Louis/C. Williams
C: Garza, E. Williams
RG: Spencer
RT: Carimi, Schwartz

RE: Peppers, Wootton
DT: Melton, Paea
NT: Toenia, Adams
LE: Idonije, Johnson
SLB: Roach, Gooden
MLB: Urlacher, Marve, Dicico
WLB: Briggs, Bradham
CB: Tillman, Grimes, Moore, Graham, Gray
FS: Conte, Walters
SS: Wright/Allen Steltz

I don't like the trade down. I say we stay in the same spot or, better still, trade up if possible.

Agreed Dags. If someone falls in the first round or the picks get a bit crazy there is a extra #3 out there to grab a targeted guy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by short faced bear

Agreed Dags. If someone falls in the first round or the picks get a bit crazy there is a extra #3 out there to grab a targeted guy.

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I would be interested in seeing what the Bears could do with drafting a decent LB within the first 100 picks. We have five picks pending within the first four rounds depending on whether or not we make a trade up. I think we can find someone around the third round who is as adept at playing the Tampa 2 as is Briggs. Briggs is starting to slow down and really didn't have that good of a season this past season despite being voted into his seventh Pro Bowl. He's missing tackles and not defending against big bodied receivers well these days (e.g., tight ends). I think that trading Lance Briggs and a third round pick would give the Bears an additional first round pick to where we could draft a LT AND a DE or CB.

No TE's in the first round!!! We have a slew of them already and we need to see what we have in Davis and the others before we go off and draft another. Jones was pathetic during Senior Bowl week. If he can't even get separation from college CB's he'll do even worse in the pro?

Have you actually figured out the cap implications involved with all those signings? If I base it as if the amounts you offer were just straight salaries divided by the length of their deal to come up with an annual salary for 2012 it's over $35 mil. That's at least $5 mil more than the Bears will have to work with and it doesn't take into consideration the costs of the rookie draftees another vet QB and any reserve left over for use during the 2012 season for injury replacements or extensions for other players who would reach FA in 2013.

Windy, Cliff Stein would really need some magic to get all that done and stay under the cap. He'd have to backload the hell out of those deals to fit them all into 2012 and then you end up in cap hell with some two or three years down the road. Too many bucks out the door for all of that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by soulman

No TE's in the first round!!! We have a slew of them already and we need to see what we have in Davis and the others before we go off and draft another. Jones was pathetic during Senior Bowl week. If he can't even get separation from college CB's he'll do even worse in the pro?

Have you actually figured out the cap implications involved with all those signings? If I base it as if the amounts you offer were just straight salaries divided by the length of their deal to come up with an annual salary for 2012 it's over $35 mil. That's at least $5 mil more than the Bears will have to work with and it doesn't take into consideration the costs of the rookie draftees another vet QB and any reserve left over for use during the 2012 season for injury replacements or extensions for other players who would reach FA in 2013.

Windy, Cliff Stein would really need some magic to get all that done and stay under the cap. He'd have to backload the hell out of those deals to fit them all into 2012 and then you end up in cap hell with some two or three years down the road. Too many bucks out the door for all of that.

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That's the problem with doing all these mock drafts. There are so many unknown variables, and you have to take into consideration what you do in free agency. I thought that Windy's free agent signings were somewhat underwhelming and even bordered on Jerry Angelo-esque in nature in that there was a waste of a lot of money on players who wouldn't bring an immediate enough impact to the Bears. I also didn't like the idea of a trade down in any way, shape, form, or fashion. We either stay the course, move up, or make a trade with one of our key players and a third round pick or two for an extra first rounder. Emery is right: the bulk of your team will be built from your drafts. We need to draft aggressively, not passively, and we need to be wise with whom we sign in free agency. If we're going to get a big time WR, get one in free agency, and maybe one or two other medium-to-small size salary loads and then call it a day. Spend up to the limit, but don't risk going over or staying under.