With the Bears on their bye week, the Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley — who can be found @patrickfinley — answers your questions from Twitter:
You're the Bears GM. With $125 million in cap space, the draft picks and your QB in place. What moves are you making?
— Head Sanford (@Head_Sanford) December 6, 2022
First, I’d state unequivocally that my team has so many holes that it can’t be fixed in one offseason. Then I’d try to patch as many as I can.
In free agency, I’m thinking beef. Knowing the Bears’ defensive scheme is based around having a dominant interior lineman, I’d target the Eagles’ Javon Hargrave and the Commanders’ Daron Payne in free agency, and hope one says yes. I’d pay either 49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey, who blocks the same outside zone scheme the Bears run, or Packers guard/tackle Elgton Jenkins, who’s worked with Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy before.
I’d give extensions to cornerback Jaylon Johnson, tight end Cole Kmet and — if I’m comfortable with his injured ankle — receiver Darnell Mooney. The Bears practically have to give receiver Chase Claypool one, too, after trading a second-round pick for him.
If I’m picking second in the draft, I’m begging quarterback-needy teams to move up a few spots in exchange for their first-rounders in 2023 and 2024.
Finally, drunk with power, I’d burn all the orange helmets.
How much emphasis in free agency and the draft will the Bears place on O-line versus other needs?
— Chris Cremer (@ChrisCremer9) December 7, 2022
General manager Ryan Poles, a former offensive lineman, will build the line in front of Justin Fields. It’s just a matter of how many spots he finds problematic. You could make an argument for four of five — all but Teven Jenkins, whom Pro Football Focus grades out as the league’s fourth-best guard.
Poles signed Lucas Patrick to play center, and he logged exactly 10 snaps at the position all year because of injury. Left guard Cody Whitehair has a $14.1 million cap hit next year — the second-highest on the team — but a dead cap charge that’s half of what it is this season; Perhaps Poles would rather spend that money elsewhere. Braxton Jones might be a better right tackle than left tackle in the long run, and the Bears could splurge on a veteran on the left side. Alex Leatherwood has a chance to impress the front office at right tackle the next four games.
Is it anyway bears could end up with Carter and Anderson?
— jermaine jones (@jermaine611) December 6, 2022
No. PFF lists Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson as the draft’s second-best prospect and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter as the fifth-best player. Presuming the Bears pick second overall — that’s where they’d land were the season to end today — they’d have no way of getting back into the top 10. Either player would fit them nicely.
What's worse? Los Angeles traffic or Chicago traffic?
— Sarah Tonin's Gone (@collin_mcqn) December 6, 2022
The spot where the 10 meets the 405 in Los Angeles is the precise portal to hell. My wife would argue Chicago after driving her mom to Midway on Friday afternoon.
Is this the worst front 7 on the bears in the past 30 years ?
— Jason Black (@dabayrz) December 6, 2022
Maybe ever! For simplicity’s sake, let’s measure the front seven by the frequency in which they sack the quarterback and stop the run. The Bears are on pace to finish with 21 sacks, which would be the franchise’s second-fewest since the 1970 NFL-AFL Merger.
The Bears are giving up 4.7 yards per carry, the second-most since 1970. And they need to give up five more rushing touchdowns to pass the 1975 record for futility: 25.
Devante Adams has been on record crediting Luke Getsy with his successful development arc as a wide receiver. Do you think we could expect th same of Claypool’s development under Getsy’s leadership and coaching?
— Mansa Musa (@theblackjonsnow) December 7, 2022
Getsy runs a complicated scheme that requires his receivers to be able to play all over the field. After being acquired in November and learning on the fly, Claypool will benefit from a full offseason of studying it. Next year, I expect him to make a leap, though not to Adams’ heights. Few players have ever gotten there.
