Grading Bears Offseason Efforts

It all started off with a trade, one to vacate the top spot in the draft and bring DJ Moore with a package of draft picks to Chicago.

GM Ryan Poles was in a mood then to crow a bit after it all happened.

"You know, with that, to add capital this year in the draft as well as the future and set ourselves up with two 1's in '24, I couldn't be happier about that," Poles said. "But then when you add a player like DJ Moore, who can help us right now get better, continue to add weapons on our team, I was over the moon about that."

This set the tone for a free agency period with spending like the Bears have never done in the past because they've never had as much money as this to spend.

"I thought we did some really good things," Poles said. "We got better as a football team.

"The goal going into this offseason deal was to improve our roster now but also stay flexible in the future so we can stay healthy, opportunisitic and continue to get better because obviously we know this process takes some time to do it the right way. And I thought we set ourselves up nicely to do that."

The offseason talent acquisition period is pretty much over at this point as the Bears begin running plays at OTAs this week.

About all that's left is adding leftover pieces from free agency for depth or to plug a need spot. It's unlikely any of those additions would figure into any long-term Bears rebuilding plans but would be a plug for this year's roster holes.

So, it's time to assess and grade the efforts of Poles, assistant GM Ian Cunningham and the personnel department in conjunction with the coaching staff over the offseason. It's the Bears offseason report card.

Trading: A+

Poles had wanted to do the double trade and go from first to second to ninth, but the Houston Texans didn't cooperate. So they went from first to ninth and then to 10th.

Getting Moore was a coup. It was better than receiving yet another pick because he is a proven commodity on an inexpensive contract with a few years to go. And Moore was exactly what Justin Fields needs as a proven consistent high-level receiver who has excelled despite five seasons of inept quarterback play.

The second trade was the move back to 10th. And why not take a fourth-round pick for 2024 when they weren't planning to pick Jalen Carter because they didn't feel he was a fit for a building team's locker room? You can debate all day whether letting Carter get away was the right move, but the actual trade is what we're looking at here and it's like stealing a fourth-round pick for next year.

Yet another trade had to be commended. Whether the draft pick pans out will decide it but the fact they had marked Tyrique Stevenson as a player to draft and were willing to trade a fifth-rounder and their own 61st pick to get back up to 56th for the Miami defensive back revealed the depths of their conviction about this player.

Poles ultimately had the one weapon rebuilding GMs covet most thanks to Lovie Smith beating the Colts in January, and he played it as well as anyone could.

Free Agency: B

The Losses: David Montgomery's defection to Detroit seemed a foregone conclusion after it occurred. However, Poles initially said he wanted Montgomery back.

"I've always wanted to keep David," he said. "I love his mentality, how he plays the game. I've told him that to his face, and it comes from—he's part of the identity that we had this year that kept us competitive.

"Now, the second part of that is just the contract situation. That's something that we'll see how that goes, and if we can find common ground -- obviously I've learned that you can want a player and the value has got to come together for it to happen."

It was obvious they didn't think that much of him later because Poles had gone through the Roquan Smith standoff and trade but still didn't do more to get Montgomery back. When the Bears easily could have afforded the money Montgomery got from Detroit, it became apparent they simply didn't see their 2019 third-round pick as an essential player.

The Discards: A handful of players brought in on one-year deals and some underperforming players were either cut or allowed to leave as free agents, unrestricted or restricted. Center Sam Mustipher, linebackers Nick Morrow, Matthew Adams and Joe Thomas weren't wanted back. Their two backup tight ends, Ryan Griffin and Trevon Wesco, hadn't done much receiving-wise and left. Al-Quadin Muhammad, thought to be a key part of the pass rush as a former Eberflus player, was cut after an unproductive season.

The Additions: As they let one group of low-budget linebackers leave, they welcomed in at great expense Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Dylan Cole. Paying the $72 million deal for Edmunds comes with risk. He hit really high points last season in Buffalo after an inconsistent start to his career and is extremely young for a player with four years of experience. Edwards is a natural as a Chicagoan and effective tackler from last season's NFC champions. Both excel in pass coverage. Cole is a backup and special teams ace. The line needed to be rebuilt and Poles recognized a root problem on defense by adding run-stuffing players like nose tackle Andrew Billings and stout ends like DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green.

The problem with his approach here was they spent so much money on these pieces to fix a huge issue but left the pass rush off the edge virtually untouched. Green and Walker have yet to produce big sack numbers in their careers and they join two relatively inexperienced pass rushers in Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson. The lack of one experienced edge rusher who could do great damage remains to this day the biggest flaw in the offseason plan. Taking by far the most money into free agency and coming out minus a veteran productive edge rusher for the future can be softened with a productive draft but they didn't find one there, either.

On offense, they did get a tackle in the draft and that, combined with proven free agent guard Nate Davis, allowed them to restructure the offensive line so that Cody Whitehair would be center and Teven Jenkins a left guard. The addition of Robert Tonyan Jr. also gave them a viable second tight end option which they lacked last year, and depth in case something happened to Cole Kmet. Running back D'Onta Foreman gives them a challenger for Khalil Herbert or backup with efficient, powerful style to run behind this wide-zone blocking scheme, while Travis Homer is a third-down back they lacked last year, and possibly a better blocker than the starters.

Draft: C+

Meeting Need: This would have been much higher except for the 800-pound gorilla in the room—the inability to draft a defensive end who can excel or develop into an outstanding pass rusher. This rated a real problem going into the draft and went completely unsolved. This was a draft in which great foresight was used and problem areas addressed, except for one glaring omission.

Top Talent: Paris Johnson Jr. and Peter Skoronski earned high draft praise but the Bears had their eye on Darnell Wright all along and got him at No. 10, a spot some considered a bit of a reach but a top talent nonetheless. He also was a perfect 10 as a fit because he played the same tackle position where they needed help. There would be no offensive line flip needed for second-year tackle Braxton Jones.

Creativity: Doubling up on defensive tackles in Rounds 2 and 3 occurred probably because they didn't get a deal done to move back up in Round 2 or even into Round 1 and get an edge rusher. Zacch Pickens and Gervon Dexter fit the mold for the three technique and now it's a matter of how fast they can develop, but taking two does help give them an alternative if one falters. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has the potential to win a starting spot for opening day while fifth-rounder Terell Smith adds quality depth to a group of backups comprised of undrafted types. It was a position the Bears could have ignored or treated with less urgency, but that would have been unwise considering Jaylon Johnson's contract status and the importance of cornerbacks in a pass-happy league.

Depth Finders: Adding receiver Tyler Scott could be an answer at a few niche spots on the roster, like punt gunner and return man. He might even be a hedge in the future against losing either Darnell Mooney or Chase Claypool as free agents. There is an obvious lack of experienced depth at safety and with seventh-rounder Elijah Hicks in the third position for now. So taking Kendall Wilkinson with the draft's next-to-last pick landed more needed layering at the position. Roschon Johnson is a back with capability to become a starter but one well acquainted with backup duties, so he should fit in as part of a co

Final Overall Grade: B

The team improved possibly as much or more than any other team in the league but had so far to go. It might be insufficient for a turnaround, considering how little talent they had initially and then after they got rid of the unwanted players.

All of Poles' work could have resulted in an A or A- but the lack of a long-term solution at defensive end prevented it. This is a major flaw and even signing one of the remaining stragglers among free agent defensive ends will only be a band-aid fix for a deep, gaping wound. It's going to be a one-year patch and could unravel plans for a quick turnaround. They're also placing undo pressure on their interior defensive line to produce and make up for the lack of edge rushers but no one can even be certain three rookies, Justin Jones and nose tackle Andrew Billings can accomplish it at this point. The answer for this could be there in the rookies, but players with no experience at this position frequently need time to develop.

It all falls in the lap of coaches this week, everything from Fields' development to the lack of a legitimate edge rusher.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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