February Mock Offseason

[WindyCity]

14 Million

-1.4 Cohen
+8 Prince
+4.5 Gabriel
+6.5 Floyd
+4 Robinson
+3 Hicks
+3 Shaheen and Braunecker
+5 Top 51 Cut Off

46.6 million

Leonard Floyd

Old Money: 1 year 13.25 million
New Money: 4 years 32.75 million/9.75 guaranteed [Nigel Bradham]
Total Deal: 5 years 46 million/23 guaranteed/10 SB

Year 1: 4.75 GS/2 SB [6.75]
Year 2: 5.75/2 SB [7.75]
Year 3: 4.75 Salary/2.5 RB/2 SB [8.75]
Year 4: 9 salary//2 SB [11]
Year 5: 9.75 salary/2 SB [11.75]

Allen Robinson

Old Money: 1 year 15 million
New Money: 4 years 68.5 million/54 guaranteed/20 SB [Mike Evans]
Total Deal: 5 years 83.5 million/54 guaranteed/20 SB

Year 1: 7 GS/4 SB [11]
Year 2: 9 GS/4 SB [13]
Year 3: 6 Salary/6 RB/4 SB [16]
Year 4: 9.5 salary/6 RB/4 SB [19.5]
Year 5: 14 salary/6 RB/4 SB [24]

Akiem Hicks

Year 1: 10.2 salary/1.5 SB
Year 2: 10.4 salary/1.5 SB
Old Money: 20.6 million/0 guaranteed
New Money: 2 years 18.4 million/18 guaranteed/16 SB
Total Deal: 4 years 39 million/18 guaranteed [+3 old signing bonus]

Year 1: 4 GS/3.5 SB/1.5 Old SB [9]
Year 2: 5.25 GS/3.5 SB/1.5 Old SB [10.25]
Year 3: 6.75 salary/3.5 SB [10.25]
Year 4: 9 salary/3.5 SB [12.5]

Re-Signings [19.5 million spent]

LB Nick Kwiakowski 4 years 26 million/13 guaranteed/4 SB

I keep the younger and healthier player at ILB. Kwik showed incredible improvement in pass coverage and continued to be an animal in the run game and as a blitzer.

Year 1: 4 GS/1 SB [5]
Year 2: 5 GS/1 SB [6]
Year 3: 6 salary /1 SB [7]
Year 4: 7 salary/1 SB [8]

LB Kevin Pierre-Louis 3 years 10.5 million/6.5 guaranteed/3 SB

His speed won him a role on defense and I think he should be brought back to fill the role as a pass defending LB and sometimes pass rusher off the edge, where he was surprisingly effective for a 6' guy.

Year 1: 1.5 GS/1 SB [2.5]
Year 2: 2 GS/1 SB [3]
Year 3: 4 Salary/1 SB [5]

S Deon Bush 2 years 5.5 million/3.5 guaranteed/2 SB

They need competition at SS and Bush was solid in the playoff game in 2018 and he was good in the preseason and deserves a chance to compete.

Year 1: 1.5 GS/1 SB [2.5]
Year 2: 2 salary/1 SB [3]

DE Roy Robertson-Harris [RFA] 3 years 13.5 million/9.5 guaranteed/4.5 SB [2nd round tender: 3.5 million]

The Bears should try and use the last year of RRH contract to get him extended to a solid backup/rotational rate. In this deal he gets 3x the guaranteed money that he would on the RFA tender. This is something that the 49ers do often and have had success at getting guys at a little lower rate.

Year 1: 2 GS/1.5 SB [3.5]
Year 2: 3 GS/1.5 SB [4.5]
Year 3: 4 Salary/1.5 SB [5.5]

I Year Deals [6 million spent]

DE Brent Urban 1 year 1.25 million/250k guaranteed
S DeAndre Houston-Carson 1 year 1 million/250k guaranteed
LS Patrick Scales 1 year 1 million/150k guaranteed
OT Cornelius Lucas 1 year 1 million/150k guaranteed
OLB Isiah Irving 1 year 1 million/150k guaranteed
TE/FB JP Holtz [ERFA] 1 year 750k

Cap Room: 27.1 million

Free Agency [21 million spent]

TE Eric Ebron [Indianapolis] 3 years 21 million/12 guaranteed/6 SB

Ebron is not my first choice at TE, but he is 1/3 available TEs that is an actual threat in the passing game, he has experience in a similar scheme, and he appears interested in coming to Chicago. Ebron is not a perfect player, he drops passes and his blocking is not great, but he is a dynamic athlete who defenses have to respect in the passing game. He has 1 season [rookie year] where he averaged under 10 yards per catch [9.9] and he has 4 season where he averaged 11+ yards per catch. For his career he averages 11.3 yards per catch which means he gets the ball downfield and is a threat in the passing game. In his 2 years with the Colts he had 3.8 and 5 yards/per catch of yards after the catch, which is an area where the Bears have struggled. You have to live with some drops, but he gives the Bears a TE that can draw coverage.

Year 1: 3.5 GS/2 SB [5.5]
Year 2: 3.5 S/1.5 RB/2 SB [7]
Year 3: 6.5/2 SB [8.5]

QB Andy Dalton [Cincinnati] 1 year 7 million/7 guaranteed *200k/start bonus

This makes too much sense. The Bears coaching staff has a connection, he probably is not walking into a starting role, he is the perfect level of comp and cost, and if he is released he does not cost the Bears a comp pick for the loses on defense. Dalton pretty much guarantees you 2018 Mitch as that is what his career averages work out to be. This is identical to the deal that Tannehill took, minus the Dolphins paying some of the money in exchange for a pick.

OG Stefen Wisniewski [Kansas City] 2 years 8 million/4 guaranteed/1 SB

The Bears need a veteran OG that can step in week 1 at RG and allows them to enter the draft not needing to force the pick. Wisniewski is not a world beater, but he is a rock solid OG that has started 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls for teams that run the same system as the Bears. He can play all the interior OL positions and if he gets beat out by a draft pick he can be the swing interior backup.

Year 1: 3 GS/.5 SB [3.5]
Year 2: 4 GS/.5 SB [4.5]

S Tony Jefferson [Baltimore] 1 year 2.5 million/500k guaranteed *100k/start bonus, 100k/interceptions, 250K pro Bowl, 250K 10+ starts. [2.5]

He is going to be released by Baltimore coming off an early season ACL. The Bears can get him cheap, he can get healthy and compete with Bush. When healthy he is a versatile, physical, leader in the back end who can allow Jackson to stay in the middle of the field and do the in the box work. This could be an incredible value if he gets healthy.

CB Rashan Melvin [Detroit] 1 year 2.5 million/1 guaranteed [2.5]

The Bears have youth at CB2, but they need a veteran they can turn to if the young guys struggle. Melvin has size, starting experience, and a connection to Pagano. He can come in and be ready in case Tolliver or Roberson fail to hold the job.

Cap Room: 6.1 million

 

[WindyCity]

Draft [4 million spent]

2[43] C/OG Cesar Ruiz [Michigan] 6'4" 319lbs.

The Bears need to start moving their line from average to dominant and they need to upgrade the talent to do so. The scheme sucked last season and the OL was poorly prepared and was blowing assignments, but more often than not they were simply getting beat. The Bears need a RG that has the size and power to be a force in the run game and someone with the athletic ability for the zone run and screen game. Ruiz is a big dude with a ton of raw power, but he also moves really well. He offers position versatility and a ton of upside to the interior OL.

2[50] OLB Julian Okwara [Notre Dame] 6'5" 252lbs.

The Bears need a cheap, high upside, upgrade to the pass rush and the only place to find that is in the draft. Okwara is a raw athlete, but the tools are there for him to have an impact as a pass rusher. Okwara needs some time and coaching and in Chicago he does not need to start and can play exclusively on passing downs. He has the height and long arms that Pace seems to favor and more power than Floyd.

4[144] TE Stephen Sullivan [LSU] 6'5" 245lbs.

Ebron is an upgrade at TE and someone who defenses actually have to bother to cover, but he is a short term fix with question marks. The Bears need to continue to add to the position and give themselves options. Sullivan burst on to the draft scene at the Senior Bowl after converting to TE from WR and not playing a ton at LSU. He has incredible size, length, and catch radius. He is an above average athlete for the position. He needs time and development and he should get that in Chicago with Ebron starting and Burton backing up until he pulls the shoot again.

5[163] OT Yasir Durant [Missouri] 6'7" 330lbs.

The Bears are pretty stuck at OT for the 2020 season, but they should start the process of developing cheaper and better options at OT. Leno and Massie were not good in 2019 and average QBs need better production from the OT spot. Durant is a massive, raw, JUCO, transfer who needs some work on his technique and footwork, but the skills are there to develop into an NFL OT. He gets a year as a backup to work with Castillo before he really competes in 2021.

6[196] RB Antonio Gibson [Memphis] 6'1" 220lbs.

Gibson only has 1 year of production, but he had an impressive year in the run and pass game and would be an interesting versatile addition to the backup running back spot. He can catch passes as he had 38 catches for 19 yards per catch, he can run the ball after 33 rushes for 11 yards per run. He is raw and inexperienced, but an explosive player that can be develop and get a couple of touches a game and offers more size than the over used Cohen.

6[200] S J.R Reed [Georgia] 6'1" 195lbs.

The Bears need an option in case Jefferson's knee takes longer to heal than expected. Reed comes from Pace's favorite school, he is a team leaser, and has solid athletic tools. Reed does not have elite ball skills and production, but he is a reliable player who should be able to fill Bush's role on special teams and offer some depth.

7[226] QB James Morgan [Florida Atlantic] 6'4" 223lbs.

The Bears will add a QB just for optics sake and to put on the PR and "see what happens". Every rep that Bray gets is a total waste of time. Morgan has the size and arm to be an NFL QB. He has experience in the air raid offense [Bowling Green] and in a more pro style offense at Florida International. The Bears can see what happens with him. 99% chance he is not an NFL QB, but you need to take a swing.

7[233] OLB James Smith-Williams [NC State] 6'3" 268lbs.

The Bears need to add multiple young cheap pass rushers and hope they get something out of one of them in the 2020 season and long term they can be cheap rotational depth. Smith-Williams is a raw, well built, and athletic pass rusher who has physical tools, but very little in the way of refinement. He can work as a deep backup and on special teams while they try and coach up the technique and pass rush moves.

Depth Chart

QB: Trubisky, Dalton, Morgan [PR]
RB: Montgomery, Cohen, Gibson, Holtz
WR: Robinson, Miller, Ridley, Wims, Patterson
TE: Ebron, Burton, Sullivan, Horsted
LT: Leno, Durant
LG: Daniels/Bars
C: Whitehair
RG: Wisneiwski/Ruiz
RT: Massie, Lucas

RE: Nichols, RRH
NT: Goldman, Anderson
LE: Hicks, Urban
OLB: Floyd, Okwara
ILB: Smith, Iggy
ILB: Kwit, KPL, Woods
OLB: Mack, Irving, Smith-Williams
CB: Fuller, Tolliver/Melvin/Roberson, Skrine, Shelley
FS: Jackson, DHC
SS: Bush/Jefferson/Reed

 

[dag54]

Great job Windy! I LOVE this mock offseason.

 

[Mattracer82]

Jefferson was just released. He is definitely worth a contract

 

[jooo83]

Nice work. I'm not one of these people that fails to understand that salaries climb as the salary cap rises, but I think you can get a better player than Leonard Floyd for that money. He's just a guy.

 

[WindyCity]

Nice work. I'm not one of these people that fails to understand that salaries climb as the salary cap rises, but I think you can get better player than Leonard Floyd for that money. He's just a guy.

Normally, you can structure a deal how ever you want. You could sign a guy for 4 years 40 million and structure it like

2
10
10
18

But without a new CBA you can only have a 30% increase from year to year. You cannot just dump money into the years that do not have a CBA covering them like Washington and Dallas did last time.

 

[kg1187]

Free agency feels like a lot of 'has been's'. It's a rich man's version of the 2011 off-season where the Bears signed Roy Williams, Amobi Okoye and Marion Barber.

 

[PeterMbangala]

I like the multiple upgrades/investments at TE and OL. Trubisky is the poster child for Pace's failures but TE is right next to him hiding in plain sight.

At least Ebron gives us a TE1 that we can semi rely on. It feels like since Burton went down and missed the playoff game, we have been operating without a TE that defenses have to account for. With Mitch's downfield struggles outside of jump balls down the sideline, this has been a huge problem. Remember when Holtz made a few plays and we all went crazy - that is just normal, functional TE play.

Also definitely spending at least one of my second rounders in OL. Are there no tackles worth taking that high?

 

[Kaufman20Embalm]

I would love this offseason given our limited resources. Ruiz and Okwara are two of my draft crushes this year. I am afraid Ruiz is going to sneak into the backend of the first rd after all is said and done. I would also be very shocked if we actually cut Cohen even if it makes financial sense.

 

[HearshotKDS]

Love your offseason mocks Windy. For this one: not a huge fan of Dalton as back up QB, would prefer Keenum but the difference is probably blue M&M vs. red M&M, and not hamburger vs. steak. Also don’t like brining Irving back, think there will be a few good backup edge guys who will go for 2-3M a year that would hope the Bears find room for over bringing back Irving or Lynch. Finally, not a huge fan of signing OG in FA then drafting an OG with the first pick, to me that’s an either/or thing. Either sign OG and draft OT with one of the 2nds, or sign OT and draft OG. If they could for example sign Wisniewski but manage to draft Niang/Prince that feels like it addresses the OL a lot better.

 

[WindyCity]

Free agency feels like a lot of 'has been's'. It's a rich man's version of the 2011 off-season where the Bears signed Roy Williams, Amobi Okoye and Marion Barber.

Can't buy steak when you have value meal cash.

 

[kg1187]

Can't buy steak when you have value meal cash.

I'd rather sign one really good TE and Dalton rather than trying the discount bin strategy at every spot.

Use the second rounders at RG and RB since those positions have some the quickest learning curves for rookies.

 

[WindyCity]

I'd rather sign one really good TE and Dalton rather than trying the discount bin strategy at every spot.

Use the second rounders at RG and RB since those positions have some the quickest learning curves for rookies.

They will not go into the draft with gaping holes. They need to sign 6 or 7 free agents just to be at a reasonable roster spot pre-draft.

Unless they intend on signing 40 UDFA.

 

[remydat]

I don't see the logic of resigning Floyd and yet still using a 2nd round pick on a pass rusher as well as another pick. Floyd is simply not worth keeping around particularly if you still need to draft an 2 pass rushers.

Instead, I would cut Floyd outright. I would then use the extra money that brings to upgrade the OG acquisition to being a higher level OG. Then in the draft, I would take a WR in the 2nd round as I think it is a mistake to leave this draft without a WR given how deep it is at that position. I would then take a development OG with the 4th pick at TE as Ebron, Burton, Holtz and Horstad is already sufficient at the TE position for me.

 

[vabearsfan15]

While I prefer Hooper, I feel Ebron will offer the best value in FA considering he has shown interest in wanting to come here. While probably not as cheap as Haha, I could see him playing for us at a discount, which gives us the ability to spend more on finding an OL upgrade.

At the same time, I kind of feel as excited for Ebron as I did for Sims. A huge athletic TE, but will he do much? I'll have to wait and see..

 

[vabearsfan15]

I also agree with the premise of your draft, that there really needs to be concentrated effort on the OL. We need to spend quality resources on upgrading that position. Both Massie and Leno can be cut after the season and save the franchise big money if they don't turn it around this year. We need to have quality options available if we need to move in that direction. We can't afford sticking with under performing OL for the whole season. Bench them for younger guys if need be.

Also, in keeping with trend of protecting the QB, I think we should look into a big body TE that can block well. If you would, look up Domenick Wood-Anderson for Tennessee. (I'm admittingly a TN fan). He's a thick bodied, athletic TE that blocks fairly well. He was under utilized in the passing game, but TN had some decent WRs to go to first.

 

[bears26]

Bears will need to add another receiver to the offense. They need a speed option. You cannot have Anthony Miller out all off season again without another weapon added. One will be added, guaranteed.

 

[RacerX]

Nice job, Windy. I like it all except for the L. Floyd extension, I think the team should be able to reallocate those funds and generate a better ROI.

Assuming, of course, they don't fuck up the reallocation target assessment.

 

[Rob219_CBMB]

Bears will need to add another receiver to the offense. They need a speed option. You cannot have Anthony Miller out all off season again without another weapon added. One will be added, guaranteed.

jeez..Miller will be fine. we have Ridley also. although, our main problem last season was no TE's./

 

[greg23]

The Bears lack speed....need a speed wr or two and a tight end who has higher end speed for a te

Also need a veteran ass kicker at right guard with a nasty streak (think richie incognito type)....rest of the line seems soft or young; dont want another rookie in the middle of the line