The Best and Worst Chicago Bears 2017 Off-season Moves

WORST MOVES

#1:  Letting Alshon Jeffery walk

Okay, this must be prefaced by a simple statement. The failure to re-sign Alshon Jeffery is not entirely on the Bears. There are many reasons that likely went into this happening. In the end though it became obvious the veteran receiver didn't have many fans among the top team brass. That was evident from the frustrating contract negotiations and camp holdouts. Nevertheless failing to re-sign him was a bad move. It left a gaping hole in the passing game right when the team couldn't afford it as they try to break in two new quarterbacks in Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky. Him staying may not have made them contenders, but it certainly makes the job more difficult.

#2:  Not drafting another pass rusher

Given the nature of the secondary and its many unproven aspects it was a blunder by Pace and the front office to not add another edge rusher in the draft or free agency. Why? Look at how things are shaping up. Leonard Floyd and Pernell McPhee are really good, but also proved last year to be really fragile as well. Lamarr Houston is returning from another torn ACL and Willie Young is 32-years old. Put simply it's a group with plenty of ability but is facing serious age and injury concerns. That makes having good, young depth vital. They appeared to either not see it that way or failed to act on it. Either way it's a major oversight.

#3:  Keeping John Fox

Okay, yes it was done in the name of stability. There is something to be said for that. Constantly firing head coaches is not the best way to go about building a successful team. Besides that John Fox is a proven commodity who has reached the mountaintop before. That being said, it was a mistake to keep him if the plan was always to draft a quarterback. Fox is good for many things. Stability and experience being two big ones. Developing a young quarterback? Nope. Throughout his entire career Fox has been atrocious at drafting and molding young signal callers. The two greatest runs of success he had in Denver and Carolina were brought about by experienced free agents. He's a defensive-oriented coach and is also 62-years old. The Bears should've just started fresh with somebody who know how to handle Trubisky.

#4:  Overpaying Dion Sims

Look signing help at tight end was not a bad decision at all. Dion Sims is young and appears to be trending up in his career both as a blocker and receiver. He'll provide more depth and flexibility which is a good thing. That said there was no indications he's worth $6 million per year and $6 million in guarantees. The guy is being paid in the same ballpark as Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis. Admittedly all those guys are older than Sims. However, they're also more productive than him too. Age can't be the sole determining factor in the value of a signing. Maybe Sims was pursued by other teams but that doesn't excuse the fact that Chicago overpaid to get him.

#5:  Failing to push Pat O'Donnell

Punting is never important in the eyes of fans right up until it's vital. Great punters are so underappreciated right up until they're gone. Bears fans didn't know how good they had it with Brad Maynard until he left. Now the team has been settled with lots of mediocrity since. Pat O'Donnell being the embodiment of such over the past three seasons. The guy isn't terrible but he's far from good. He ranked 24th in the NFL last season and 21st the year before that. Despite having considerable talent the guy struggles with consistency both in his distance and his accuracy. That's why it's amazing that the Bears didn't make any sort of move in the draft or free agency to at least give him some competition.

BEST MOVES

#1:  Trading up for Mitch Trubisky

This move was great not only due to the player but also the message it sent. Mitch Trubisky was the best quarterback in the 2017 draft class. He has all the tools one could want out of the position. He's smart, humble, works hard, is athletic and features a strong arm with excellent accuracy in his throws. The biggest complaint people could find on him was lack of experience. That's a really good thing. Beyond that though is the dramatic shift in policy the Bears went through during the act. Historically the team had never shown any sort of aggressive strategy when it came to acquiring top quarterbacks in the draft. Always it was either staying put or trading back before taking one. Trubisky was the first one they had ever traded up for. It showcased that they finally accepted the reality that this organization won't win without a top QB and they didn't hold back in their attempt to get one.

#2:  Cutting Jay Cutler

Even now when it was so clear that Jay Cutler had started to regress as a starting quarterback, this wasn't an easy decision. The man still had sway in the organization. He was the most productive quarterback in franchise history. A lot of people weren't willing to let that go. Give it one more year. He can still be the guy they need him to be. That the Bears were willing to cut that cord and start fresh, even at the risk of a regression at quarterback spoke volumes. It signaled that they were no longer accepting mediocre at that quarterback position. That's what Cutler was, whether people like it or not. He was a giant step up from where the team was in the early 2000s, but going from atrocious to average can often create the illusion of a player being great. Chicago finally saw reality.

#3:  Signing Marcus Cooper

He wasn't the marquee corner that everybody hoped for. Not a Stephon Gilmore or A.J. Bouye. That being said Marcus Cooper was still perhaps the best free agent signing the Bears made. A big reason why is he just turned 27-years old and is coming off the best season of his career. History shows Cooper has the capability to play like a Pro Bowler. The problems up to this point have been consistency. He showed progress in both areas last season for the Arizona Cardinals. Not only did he deliver four interceptions, something the Bears desperately need more of. He also made a career high 69 tackles. Every facet of his game has begun to mature. If nothing else he's a step up from where they were in 2016, and the Bears had the 7th ranked pass defense with that secondary.

#4:  Signing Jaye Howard

Depth up front on defense can never, ever be overstated. The more solid defensive linemen a team has, the more effective they are at controlling the line of scrimmage. Something the Bears haven't been able to do consistently for years. Jaye Howard was a big step towards that end game for Vic Fangio and his crew. He is a rock solid run defender with some pass rush skill who saw his value plummet last year due to injury. So the Bears got him on the cheap and if he regains his old 2015 form? That is a steal. It potentially gives the team three above-average linemen along with Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman with a chance for Jonathan Bullard to become a fourth.

#5:  Drafting Eddie Jackson

One thing the Bears just haven't had for way too long is that "quarterback of the secondary." Somebody who can direct the action on defense from the back end while making plays on the football. Similar to what Mike Brown was 10 years ago and Mark Carrier before him. A true ballhawk safety that leads both with his voice and by example. For the first time in awhile it feels like the Bears may have gotten just that in Eddie Jackson. Despite his limited experience at safety, several sources out of Alabama insist he was the big leader on defense for the Crimson Tide. He also did his own part with seven interceptions in his two seasons as a starter. He still has a broken leg to heal from but once done he has a chance to become some critical for the Bears defense.