How Chicago Bears Should Approach 2015 NFL Free Agency
Published by Matt Eurich on January 13, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Following a long, detailed search, the Chicago Bears hired Ryan Pace late last week to be the team’s new general manager.
Now that Pace is in place, the team will need to hire a new head coach and then focus on improving the team through the draft and free agency. The NFL draft does not take place until late April, meaning the team’s biggest focus right now will be determining what sort of approach they are going to take in free agency this offseason.
In his introductory press conference last week, Pace acknowledged how important free agency is, but the draft will be the key to building a winning team.
“We’ll be aggressive in our approach, but … for the Bears, to have sustained success, we must build through the draft,” he said, via Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com.
While building the team through the draft is clearly at the forefront for Pace and the organization, there are still many ways to build a franchise with the help of free agency.
According to Over the Cap, the Bears currently have 47 players under contract for 2015 with a cap hit of $113,554,687. With the salary cap expected to jump to between $138.6 million and $141.8 million in 2015, via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com, the Bears could have nearly $28 million to spend this offseason.
Even though Pace discussed the need to get better through the draft, he also acknowledged the NFL is a win-now league.
“This is a winning league. You must win,” Pace said, via Jon Greenberg of ESPNChicago.com. “We’re all judged on wins and losses. I understand that. In fact, I thrive in that. I know I’m evaluated on wins and losses. As far as the time frame and all that, I’m not concerned with that. I want to win. I want to win.”
With the amount of money the Bears are projected to have this offseason, they could spend big on a couple of top-level players, but they may be better served spending money on young, high-upside guys.
The Bill Belichick Approach
If Pace and the Bears want to build a winning organization, they should try to take Bill Belichick’s approach to free agency.
Belichick and the New England Patriots have won three Super Bowls with the help of quarterback Tom Brady, but a lot of his success has been based off the team’s ability to find diamonds in the rough in free agency each and every offseason.
While he has made mistakes in the past by bringing in older guys like Chad Johnson, Adrian Wilson and Albert Haynesworth, he has done a good job of finding younger players who can contribute to his team who were cast aside by others in the league.
Two of the best examples of Belichick’s ability to find young players with high upside in free agency are Mike Vrabel and Rob Ninkovich.
Vrabel was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in third round of the 1997 draft but played sparingly in his first four seasons in the league. The Patriots signed him in 2001 and the linebacker was consistently one of the team’s most productive players for the next eight seasons.
A fifth-round pick of New Orleans in 2006, Ninkovich was waived by the Saints, spent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, was re-signed by the Saints, was waived again and eventually signed by the Patriots in 2009. In six seasons with the Patriots, Ninkovich has recorded 35.5 sacks and 370 tackles.
Neither player would ever be considered a “star” in the NFL, but both are the type of players that teams need to solidify a defense.
If the Bears look to take the Belichick approach, Indianapolis’ Jerrell Freeman and Jacksonville’s Tyson Alualu both fit that mold.
Undrafted out of Mary-Hardin Baylor in 2008, Freeman spent time with the Tennessee Titans before playing three seasons for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He signed a contract with the Colts in 2012 and has started 44 games over the last three seasons.
In those 44 games, Freeman racked up 365 tackles with nine sacks and three interceptions, and he’s forced eight fumbles. Even though he was slowed by injuries and only played in 12 games in 2014, he still registered 94 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and six pass deflections. He is terrific when moving from sideline to sideline and has shown improvement in pass coverage over the last three seasons.
He is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason and appears to be on the verge of becoming one of the league’s best middle linebackers. Due to his injury this season, he could find himself moving on from the Colts in 2015.
Alualu was a first-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2010 but has failed to live up to expectations. In five seasons in Jacksonville, he recorded 195 tackles and 13 sacks. He was expected to be a pass-rushing presence on the inside at defensive tackle, but he has developed into more of a run-stopper. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Alualu finished with 19 tackles in 251 snaps versus the run, 19th-most among all 4-3 defensive ends who played at least 50 percent of his team’s snaps against the run.
While he has disappointed as a pass-rusher, he showed off his versatility in Jacksonville by lining up at both defensive tackle and defensive end. He has a high motor and could benefit from a change of scenery.
There is no guarantee Freeman or Alualu would develop into superstars, but they are the types of players that winning organizations need in order to have sustained success in the league.
Only Spend Big Money on Proven Talent
While it would be wise for the Bears to spread their money around on less-heralded talent, they should not limit themselves to just middle-of-the-road players. If a young, proven talent is available in free agency, they would be wise to solidify a position of need.
Instead of going after known commodities at safety like T.J. Ward, Jairus Byrd and Donte Whitner last offseason, then general manager Phil Emery opted to sign veteran Ryan Mundy.
Mundy was serviceable in his first season in Chicago at strong safety, but the free safety position was once again a revolving door. Chris Conte, Brock Vereen and Danny McCray all got starts alongside Mundy this season, but none could claim the position as their own.
If Pace wants to make a statement this offseason, he will need to spend money at the position.
Enter Devin McCourty.
A two-time All-Pro for the New England Patriots, McCourty finished the 2014 regular season as Pro Football Focus’ eighth-best free safety with a plus-11.6 grade. He finished with 68 tackles, one forced fumble and two interceptions.
Belichick had nothing but good things to say about McCourty‘s play and ability to communicate with his teammates, telling Dan Duggan of NJ.com:
Safety is an important communication position in any defense, certainly in our defense. Devin always does a great job of that. He studies, he’s smart, he knows what we’re facing, what the teams’ tendencies are, how the quarterbacks play. He knows what we’re doing so it’s important for him to be able to use the tools we have to make the right adjustments or calls based on the situation. He’s done a good job of that and he’s a good communicator. He works well with whoever he’s had back there. He’s played with a lot of different guys since he’s been here, but he’s always communicated well and worked well with those guys.
Communication was a big issue for Chicago’s safeties last season, as they were often burned on deep passes down the field. McCourty would instantly give the team a solid communicator in the back half of the field. In addition to his play and communication skills, McCourty would also be looked at as a leader in a locker room that needs a new voice.
“[McCourty] is always a great example of a leader because not only does he know how to get us going with his motivational breakdowns before the game, but he’s just a leader by example,” said Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan, via Duggan.
The Patriots will likely make a strong push to bring him back, but if McCourty hits the open market, the Bears would be wise to spend big money on him to shore up the free safety position.
Even if he seeks a contract close to the four-year, $22.5 million deal Ward signed last offseason with the Denver Broncos, it would be worth it to have the 27-year-old manning center field for the Bears.
Pace will have plenty of opportunities to make the Bears his own in the coming years, but if he decides to take a Bill Belichick approach to free agency, combined with signing a top-end free agent like Devin McCourty, the Bears will have a chance to be competitive for years to come.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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