Bears Mailbag - Wait, Could John Fox Still Save His Job?

The Chicago Bears are coming off their best and most complete game in years. Their beatdown of the Cincinnati Bengals, who were supposed to be fighting for their playoff lives at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, was the type of game we'd been waiting the entire John Fox era to see. And best of all, the players responsible for the overwhelming victory were the Bears' building blocks for the future. Mitch Trubisky delivered the signature game of his entirely too young career. Jordan Howard ran wild over yet another AFC North opponent, while becoming the only Bear in franchise history to rush for 1,000+ yards in their first two seasons. Tarik Cohen wreaked havoc all over the field. Eddie Jackson picked up two more takeaways on his birthday. Adam Shaheen took the next step in his quest to become a legitimate "Baby Gronk". It was terrific to see, and it served as vindication, of sorts, for general manager Ryan Pace. The Bears travel to Ford Field this Saturday to take on the Detroit Lions, who are also fighting for their playoff lives. It'll be fun to see if Trubisky & Co. can build on their impressive victory last week and hopefully deliver a knockout blow to their NFC North foes. And with that, we reach into this week's Bears Mailbag. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions!

Q via Facebook: If the Bears somehow win out against the Lions, Browns, and Vikings and blow them out like the Bengals, could that be a case for John Fox to keep his job? -- Stephen H.

I get where this is coming from, but I don't think there's any way that Fox keeps his job next year. That victory against the Bengals, while great and a sign of what this team *could* be if coached properly, is too little and too late. The Bears have lost too many inexcusable games this year for a win like this to matter much. The Packers w/ Brett Hundley and the 49ers losses at home are too much to overcome. Remember, the Bears usually lay an egg coming off a win. Yes, they did beat the Ravens and Panthers in consecutive weeks this year, but the consistency just hasn't been there for this team. And that falls squarely on John Fox's shoulders. If anything, if the Bears do win out and win handily, it'll raise more questions as to where this was all year. Remember, right now Fox is desperate and willing to try anything -- we saw that in the way he allowed Dowell Loggains to continue calling plays aggressively even when the game was mostly decided. If Fox were to come back next year, there's no doubt he'd revert to his conservative ways. That's just woven into his personality fabric. The Bears need a fresh start. I will say this, though: I always thought Loggains was a better play caller than he'd shown all year. He finally called a terrific game against the Bengals, and it was clear that the shackles had finally been lifted. I hope to see him continue calling plays like this in the remaining three games. I still think he can be a successful offensive coordinator in this league; it probably just won't be with the Bears.

Sometimes it's fun to play the what-if game. Here is my combined ranking based on how I liked them coming out of college:

1. Carson Wentz
2. Mitch Trubisky
3. Jared Goff
4. Patrick Mahomes
5. Deshaun Watson
6. Dak Prescott
7. Deshone Kizer
8. Paxton Lynch

Since their short time in the NFL, some of the guys have moved up and down, but the top three haven't changed for me. If I had to start a franchise today, I'd take Wentz. His experience playing in a pro-style offense in college certainly helped his transition quite a bit, and with an adjustment in his supporting cast, he's a deserving MVP candidate in his second year. That's not by accident. His leadership and talent are off the charts. The Eagles seem to be set for a long time; wishing him a speedy recovery from his torn ACL. I'll say this, though: I think Trubisky absolutely has what it takes to be on Wentz's level, and I'm thrilled that he's a Bear. People raved about Deshaun Watson taking the league by storm earlier this season before he tore his ACL and think Chicago made a mistake by not taking him (without accounting for any contextual factors of course). People have no idea how any of these guys will be playing in three years, which is when it's actually fair to make a judgment call. Besides, don't look now, but Trubisky is quietly coming into his own despite a "limited" environment. I'm just hoping he stays healthy.

The Bears' two biggest needs this offseason are: EDGE rusher and wide receiver. The good thing is that receiver is expected to have a ton of talent available in free agency this offseason. Not accounting for any franchise tags or re-signings, here is the list of potential free agents the Bears could choose from:

• Josh Gordon
• Jarvis Landry
• Davante Adams
• Paul Richardson
• Allen Robinson
• Sammy Watkins
• Terrelle Pryor

That's a terrific list, and Gordon is the best name on this list. It'll be interesting to see if Ryan Pace takes a chance on him. I would expect very aggressive attempts at luring in one of Adams, Landry, and Richardson. Robinson is also intriguing, but he's coming off a torn ACL. He might be in line for a one-year, "prove it" type deal. You can also expect that the Bears will target a receiver in the draft; but where they do depends on whom they land in free agency.

This team really isn't that far off in terms of talent. The Bears will be bringing in a new coaching staff next year to align with the way the game will be played in 2018, not 1998. That will be a big boost in it of itself. The assumption is that Trubisky will continue to develop the way he's expected to, and Ryan Pace has another offseason of talent acquisition coming up where he'll bring in a few new starters and some depth. But assuming he hits on the coaching staff, this team should be contending next year. The NFC is very competitive and it might not be until 2019 when the Bears make the playoffs again. But if Chicago isn't playing meaningful football in late December next year, my guess is that will be the end of the Ryan Pace era.

I wouldn't say the Bears don't need a top 10 pick. They can always use more potential game-changing, franchise talent. Every team can. But they don't need a quarterback, so that potentially makes them an attractive trading partner if they are indeed looking to trade down and acquire more picks. Teams that trade into the Top 10 generally do so with a quarterback in mind. I believe Mason Rudolph has already announced he's returning to Oklahoma State, so if all of the remaining QBs declare, my guess is four, and potentially five, quarterbacks could be taken in the first round of the draft if teams are desperate enough. They are, in my current order, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen. Chicago is expected to pick eighth overall based on current standings, so I'll use that as my assumption. I'll also assume that the 49ers bring Jimmy Garoppolo back, as they should. So then, the teams ahead of the Bears that could be looking at quarterbacks are the Browns, Giants, and Broncos. So three of the top five QBs could potentially be gone, leaving two more. Teams after the Bears pick that could be looking at QBs are the Jets (who pick ninth, so they wouldn't trade), Cardinals, Washington, Dolphins, Bills, and Chargers. I would particularly keep my eye on the Cardinals and Washington. The Cardinals desperately need a franchise QB, and Washington will need one too assuming Kirk Cousins is on his way out.

I've written in previous Bears Mailbags that Vic Fangio is unlikely to remain in Chicago no matter what. He seems to want to return to San Francisco under Kyle Shanahan, so I would expect him gone. The only receiver I think that is worth drafting in the Top 10 is Calvin Ridley. We'll see how Ryan Pace's board shakes out as we approach scouting season, but if I had to guess, I would think the Bears take the best EDGE rusher available. Keep your eye on either Bradley Chubb or Clelin Ferrell. As for the next head coach, there are so many ways the Bears could go. I expect them to pursue the best coach available, period, regardless of their affiliation to offense or defense. David Shaw is my favorite candidate, but it might be hard to pry him away from Stanford. Keep your eye on Matt Patricia, though. He has the makings of being a dynamite head coach.