Darnell Wright reveals he plans to sign a letter of intent to attend and play football at Tennessee on Feb. 6, 2019, at Huntington (W.Va.) High School. (Sholten Singer, AP)
Now that the dust has settled after the NFL draft, Chicago Bears fans have questions. Did general manager Ryan Poles make the right selections? Which positions are now strengths — and which ones remain weaknesses? And where will the Bears find a pass rusher?
The Tribune’s Brad Biggs reaches into his weekly Bears mailbag and provides some answers.
Can you share perspective around what potential options Ryan Poles will explore for defensive end support, including a trade for one in the last year of his contract? Who is in this potential pool of players? — @rgbears69
The good thing is there’s no shortage of options with a handful of experienced defensive ends on the market, including former Bears first-round pick Leonard Floyd, Jadeveon Clowney, Yannick Ngakoue, Frank Clark, Justin Houston and Trey Flowers. Floyd might be the best of the bunch, but it’s unknown what kind of contract he’s seeking. Clearly no team was interested in meeting his asking price entering free agency.
Some have wondered if the New York Jets will cut Carl Lawson, who is entering the final year of his contract and will make $15 million this season. They would eat only $333,333 in dead money if he’s released, but I think if the Jets were going to cut him, they probably would have done so by now. That being said, the Jets have an abundance of edge rushers on their roster and might be willing to trade Lawson for cheap.
Lawson had seven sacks and 24 quarterback hits last season. He’s not a top-rated edge rusher by any means, but he would be head and shoulders above what the Bears have. Lawson has 78 QB hits over the last three seasons. I suppose it’s possible the Jets would eat some of the salary in a trade, especially if it meant an enhanced draft pick. Maybe they’ll release Lawson, but it seems they could be holding out hope they get a pick for him in return.
Other options could be available as well, and I would expect Poles to attempt to make an addition in the next month or so.
Do you see the Bears putting in a phone call to the Commanders to see what they would want for Chase Young? If the Commanders have decided to decline the fifth-year option for Young, there is now clear evidence that he can be moved for the right price. The Bears have a glaring need for a legit edge rusher. Can a second-round pick from the Bears get it done? — Nick C., Grapevine, Texas
There were a lot of questions about Young in this week’s mailbag, and it just doesn’t add up from my perspective. I’d be highly surprised if the Commanders considered trading Young right now. The team is for sale, with some believing the process will be finalized before training camp. In that scenario, general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Ron Rivera would be under pressure to win this season.
Trading Young for a future draft pick — and I’d be stunned if the Commanders could fetch a second-round pick for him now — would do them no good at all. Future draft picks don’t mean anything to men who need to win this season — and possibly make the playoffs. Mayhew and Rivera can’t be looking down the road. They need to be hyperfocused on this season.
The Commanders would be much better off hoping Young, who played in only 12 games over the last two seasons because of a serious knee injury, bounces back in a big way and helps them win in 2023. Yes, the Commanders declined the fifth-year option in Young’s contract and hope to extend the contract of edge rusher Montez Sweat, but giving up on the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft doesn’t make sense right now. The time to trade Young would have been before or during the draft last week, when they could have gotten a pick or picks they could have put to use for this season.
There have to be real concerns about the health of Young’s knee and his commitment to football. Maybe things will change late in training camp if the Commanders don’t see a turnaround coming, but if it reaches that point, how much value would Young provide another team? The best-case scenario for Washington is Young has a huge season and the team has a decision to make next offseason about the franchise tag.
On Day 2, I was perplexed with the players Ryan Poles picked given the current roster and need for starters. Tuli Tuipulotu and John Michael Schmitz are two players he passed on that many slate as Day 1 starters in the NFL. In a rebuild shouldn’t starters be valued higher than projects? — @hatrikhwk
Tuipulotu, a defensive end from USC, went to the Los Angeles Chargers with the 23rd pick of Round 2, and Schmitz, a center from Minnesota and Homewood-Flossmoor alumnus, was chosen by the New York Giants with the 26th pick of Round 2. The Bears selected Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter one pick before Tuipulotu and Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson one spot before Schmitz.
I think Dexter and Stevenson have excellent chances to become starters in Year 1 and I’m not sure I would label them “projects.” Do both need to develop? Sure. So do the two players you referenced. There are concerns about Tuipulotu not playing the run adequately. Schmitz is a solid prospect, but the Bears have Cody Whitehair under contract and have expressed confidence in his ability to play center.
What you can’t deny is the Bears had a gaping hole at defensive tackle entering this draft. Dexter helps fill that and has real upside potential. The Bears also needed a cornerback — really more than one — and Stevenson could start on the outside with Kyler Gordon moving inside to the slot.
Coming off a 3-14 season, you’re looking for potential difference makers and eyeing a player’s ceiling, not the floor of where a guy might be in Week 1 of his rookie season.
Are you going to call out Ryan Poles for not drafting a defensive end, which was one of the Bears’ biggest holes? A good DE is hard to find. They are the QB of the defense. — @brianharden34
I’m not sure I need to call out Poles for not drafting a defensive end. He has been pretty open that it’s a position that needs work, and he foreshadowed back in mid-March that it was unlikely the Bears would be able to adequately fill every position in this offseason cycle. It just so happens it’s defensive end. Had he used a high pick on an edge rusher, we would be pointing to offensive tackle, defensive tackle or some other position as being light.
I agree that a good defensive end is hard to find, and that’s probably why the Bears didn’t force the selection of one on Day 3 of the draft, remaining true to their board. They will struggle to generate pressure from the edge this season. The hope is improvements at defensive tackle will create more pressure and make the job easier for the ends, but this will be a massive priority in the next offseason. There’s no way around it. Poles knows it. You know it. We all know it.
I really like the Noah Sewell pick. Could you see him as an early starter and being a major contributor early on? — @just_acy
I imagine Sewell will have an opportunity to compete for playing time at strong-side linebacker, where the Bears have Jack Sanborn penciled in as the starter right now. I don’t think Sewell will be a “major” contributor unless something happens to Tremaine Edmunds or T.J. Edwards. The strong-side linebacker probably won’t be on the field more than 25% of the time. Sewell certainly should have a role on special teams quickly.
I have read about Noah Sewell’s blitzing skills. Is it possible that the Bears may use him as a situational pass rusher off the edge in passing situations? — @coach_c_1
I got a couple of questions about the Bears using Sewell to rush the passer or play defensive end. Surely he will have a role in pressure packages if he’s on the field, but he really doesn’t have the frame to play end. He’s 6-foot-1, 246 pounds with 31⅝-inch arms. That’s not the profile you’re looking for coming off the edge. I could see him having some success as a blitzer if given the opportunity, but you’re not going to build a pass rush around that.
What’s your current read of the safety depth chart? Beyond Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker, it seems like the shakiest place of depth on the entire roster. Are the Bears higher on Elijah Hicks than one would think, or do they bring in a veteran or re-sign DeAndre Houston-Carson closer to camp? — @gregfeltes
You make a decent point here, but the Bears have a collection of young players to evaluate, including Hicks, seventh-round pick Kendall Williamson and A.J. Thomas. I wouldn’t worry too much as this is an easy position to find a player with experience on the street. It would not be surprising if they add a veteran before training camp. Ideally they would identify one of the young options as an up-and-comer who can be counted on as a backup.
Post-draft, which position group, outside of linebacker, do you see as most improved and which needs the most improvement still? — @drddiesel
The Bears are significantly better at wide receiver with the addition of DJ Moore via the trade with the Carolina Panthers and the selection of Tyler Scott in the fourth round. This position should be much more productive than it was in 2022, although we’re talking about a very low bar to clear. The Bears are deficient in edge rushers right now, and barring a slam-dunk addition or breakthrough seasons by players currently on the roster, that will be the case at the end of the season.
Is Khalil Herbert at risk for a demotion? Roschon Johnson seems like great value in the fourth round, but that’s a crowded RB room now. — @mosconml
My initial reaction when the Bears selected Johnson was that puts real pressure on Herbert. The Bears led the NFL in rushing last season with David Montgomery, Herbert and quarterback Justin Fields. Montgomery signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency, and the Bears added D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer. Consider the current front office and coaching staff didn’t draft Herbert and you start to wonder how things will shake out.
Generally teams keep three running backs on the 53-man roster, and that doesn’t include the fullback, where the Bears could have Khari Blasingame. I wouldn’t rule out a fourth running back making the roster. This is a good situation for the Bears in that it will raise the level of competition.
It appears that some teams are increasing their focus on the running back position. Are we possibly looking at a slight renaissance of the ground game in the NFL? — @carlso1
I see where you are going with this, but I don’t think we’re seeing any shift in strategy or positional value. The Atlanta Falcons selected Bijan Robinson at No. 8, and he was the undisputed top prospect at the position. The Lions surprised many by selecting Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12. After that, it’s not like there was a real run on running backs. The Seattle Seahawks chose UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet in the second round with the 52nd pick, and the fourth back didn’t come off the board until Round 3 at No. 71 when the New Orleans Saints drafted Kendre Miller.
What sets Robinson and Gibbs apart is they are elite receivers out of the backfield. A dynamic running back in the passing game has enhanced value, and the feeling is Robinson and Gibbs can deliver that. It was a solid year for running backs, and we saw four selected in the third round. The only running back drafted in Round 4 was the Bears’ Roschon Johnson at No. 115.
I know that the Bears like to have their offensive linemen more on the agile, lighter side. Any thoughts on what they might view as the ideal body weight for Darnell Wright after he’s put through their conditioning and nutrition program? — @roybal5598
Wright was listed at 6-foot-5, 333 pounds at the scouting combine, and we’ll have to see what the Bears determine as an ideal playing weight for him. They are obviously confident he’s an ideal fit for what they want to do because they said he was the top-ranked tackle on their draft board, ahead of Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr.
It’s possible the Bears would like him to be a little lighter than 333, but if they didn’t think he moved really well for his frame, I don’t think he would have been at the top of their board. It’s not uncommon for linemen to drop weight during the season, too, based on all of the work they have to put in.
Significant upgrade of the O-line, but 2023 success is predicated on Braxton Jones being a solid left tackle. What is the view on him outside Halas Hall? — @trrogers2
The Bears project to have two new starters on the offensive line with first-round pick Darnell Wright slotting in at right tackle and free-agent pickup Nate Davis playing right guard. Cody Whitehair slides over to center and Teven Jenkins slides to left guard. For the line to take a big jump, Jones will have to be significantly better at left tackle.
Around the league, he’s considered a lower-tier left tackle right now, but he is young and has a ton of reps in the bank after playing every snap as a fifth-round rookie in 2022. Jones has been working to get stronger this offseason so he will have a firmer anchor. If he takes a big step forward, the Bears will be in a terrific position with young starters on each side of the line. If not, the Bears can consider their options after the season. Jones played well enough to earn another chance, but it’s clear the team expects more from him.
“This is the league now: You’ve got to compete every year when you come in here and earn your job,” Ryan Poles said Thursday when asked if Jones was locked in at left tackle after the selection of Wright. “I’d say he’s done a really good job to deserve that, but this is a new year. He’s got to continue to push and get better, and if that’s the case, I think we feel confident about that.”
Do you agree with the decision not to draft a developmental QB with a similar game to Justin Fields? Someone like Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jaren Hall or some of the other athletic QBs? Seems to me they should and P.J. Walker is just a guy. — @themaxconnor1
Walker is a pretty athletic quarterback, and that’s why the team decided to have him replace Trevor Siemian as No. 2 on the depth chart. The reality is most late-round picks at the position don’t reach the level of becoming “just a guy.” The San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy, the last pick in the draft a year ago, is an exception.
The Bears need to focus on the development of Fields this year, and they had a slew of other roster needs — some of them still unfilled — to address with 10 draft picks. I understand your point but I don’t have a problem with them not drafting a quarterback.
I believe the Bears’ arrow is pointing upward. Do you think the Bears can make the playoffs this year or are they still a year away? — @mdwme23
The NFL loves to push the storyline there is parity and sell hope for every team from year to year. New playoff teams emerge every year, and worst-to-first division turnarounds happen almost every season. Three 9-8 teams earned wild-card spots the last two years with the expanded 14-team playoff system. It used to be a team probably had to go 10-6 to have a good chance of making the playoffs. Now the bar seems to be more like 10-7 with an outside chance at 9-8.
I would say the odds are against the Bears being a 10-win team, but we saw them make a huge improvement not long ago. They were 5-11 in 2017 and improved by seven games to 12-4 in 2018. Anything is possible.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service