Durkin: Cutting To The Core Of The Bears Offense
By Dan Durkin--
(CBS) Over the past nine years, on average, five new teams have made the playoffs every year. The Bears have been one of those teams just once, winning the NFC North in 2010. Playoff football in Chicago is the exception, not the rule.
The Bears are playing a game of catch-up not only in the NFC but their own division. For the second straight season, they've finished last in the North, winning only one divisional game in each year.
The previous front office was commissioned by ownership to close the talent gap between the Bears and the Packers and Lions. That didn't happen. The opposite did. That gap eroded into a chasm, and Phil Emery was relieved of his duties after the 2014 season.
While chasing Detroit and Green Bay, Minnesota did what Emery and Chicago didn't. The Vikings systematically accumulated quality young pieces on defense through the draft, culminating in a division title this season. While the Vikings were bounced in bitter fashion last weekend on a wayward chip-shot field goal, their arrow is pointed up.
All four of the NFC teams still alive in this weekend's divisional round were in the playoffs last season. Their collective consistency is driven by roster continuity.
Looking at where those four teams' offensive starters came from, the Panthers have two players who weren't on their 2014 roster, as do the Cardinals (but one is third-round rookie running back David Johnson). The Packers have one such player (James Jones, who was originally drafted by the team and spent seven seasons in Green Bay), and the Seahawks have none.
As the Bears prepare to reshape their roster, who's part of their core? Who are the players who can be counted on to be reliable starters or, better yet, difference-makers? Let's take a look at what the future holds.
Quarterback Jay Cutler
Contract status: signed through the 2020 season
Undoubtedly, the brightest spot on the Bears' 2015 season was the play of Cutler. The Bears used six different offensive line combinations, and their projected starting receiver trio -- Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White and Eddie Royal -- never played a snap together. Yet Cutler posted the highest passer efficiency rating of his career (92.3). Prior to the season finale, he was the only quarterback to make 10 starts without throwing multiple interceptions in a game.
Cutler flourished under the guidance of former offensive coordinator/new Dolphins coach Adam Gase and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains, who was recently promoted to offensive coordinator by the Bears. The numbers say this is Cutler's sixth different offensive coordinator since arriving in Chicago eight years ago, but the transition to Loggains should be smooth. The two have ties dating back to Vanderbilt, so trust and familiarity already exist. The terminology and concepts will remain the same, so once the Bears reconvene in April for organized team activities, they should hit the ground running and build upon the foundation that was laid in 2015.
Right tackle Kyle Long
Contract status: signed through the 2016 season, eligible for fifth-year option in 2017
Last June, when it first came out that Long was practicing at tackle, I suggested that move should've been permanent. Instead, the team opted to try Jordan Mills (who was cut) and Charles Leno Jr. (who eventually moved to left tackle), both of whom failed, forcing the Bears to make a late, rushed decision to move Long to right tackle less than a week before the season opener.
Unsurprisingly, Long had his ups and downs.
At guard, everything happens in a split second, so reaction time is crucial -- you need to quickly get your hands on an interior lineman, absorb the initial contact, reset and then redirect. At tackle, more patience is required. There's a different type of athlete rushing from the edge, typically one who's quicker and smaller, so foot placement and eventual hand placement are key to control engagements.
The bottom line is it's more difficult to find a tackle than a guard given the footwork, balance, length and strength required to protect the edge, typically without help. Long's the best athlete on Chicago's offensive line and has rare traits that help molded to help him become an upper-echelon tackle, given a full offseason to watch film and work on his technique. The question now becomes does he move to the left side or stay put on the right side? That decision will likely be settled after the draft.
Left guard Matt Slauson
Contract status: signed through the 2017 season
Slauson's importance to the line was on full display last year after center Will Montogmery went down with a broken fibula. He slid over to center and dealt with a defender lined head up over him (something he doesn't see while playing guard) and made all the line calls, a testament to his knowledge of the offense.
Slauson's a glue guy in the locker room. He's a well-respected veteran who remains one of the teams better pass blockers. He'll be the stabilizing force on the interior of the line next season, which projects to have at least one new starter, possibly two, and a still green player at center, Hroniss Grasu.
Receiver Alshon Jeffery
Contract status: unrestricted free agent
Despite playing only nine games last season, Jeffery allayed any doubts that he can be a No. 1 receiver. When he was on the field, he was a difference-maker who dictated coverage and consistently threatened all three levels of the defense.
Set to become an unrestricted free agent, the team is likely to use the franchise tag as a mechanism to negotiate a long-term deal with Jeffery. Or perhaps the Bears will use the tag for 2016, forcing him to prove his injury woes last season were an anomaly.
On a team that has struggled to find playmakers via the draft, Jeffery's a rare pick that the Bears connected on. Not only is he the best playmaker on offense, he's the best playmaker on the team and must be compensated accordingly.
Receiver Kevin White
Contract status: signed through the 2018 season
The reward for going 5-11 in the 2014 season was the seventh overall selection in last year's draft, which first-year general manager Ryan Pace used on White. A stress fracture in his left shin didn't heal on its own, forcing a surgical procedure to insert a titanium rod into his leg for stabilization purposes. This cost White his entire rookie season and leaves him as an unknown heading into 2016.
Optimistically, White can be viewed as an extra first-round draft pick in 2016. He's a rare size-to-speed athlete who brings a vertical element to an offense in desperate need of it. Assuming he's fully recovered in time for the offseason program, there are no physical doubts that he belongs at the NFL level. His challenge now becomes the mental side of the game, as he'll need to improve technically with his route running and coverage/sight adjustments. The potential of Jeffery and White on the field together is tantalizing.
Running back Jeremy Langford
Contract status: signed through the 2018 season
A knee injury to Matt Forte thrust the fourth-round rookie into full-time duty last year, and Langford responded. His timed speed showed up in the open field, making decisive cuts that led to explosive gains. While he suffered some crucial third-down drops, as a whole, his receiving skills were on display throughout the season.
With Forte set to become a free agent, the team has to make a financial decision on his future. Will the Bears be willing to pay the $4 million to $5 million per year an established 30-year old running back will command on the open market? They have the money to do it, but Langford's emergence gives them a solid hedge should Forte walk.
Tight end Zach Miller
Contract status: unrestricted free agent
Miller's athletic skills have never been in question. His durability has always been the issue. In 2015, he stayed healthy and by season's end, he was Cutler's go-to guy, leading the team in receiving touchdowns (five) and finishing third in receiving yards (439).
Martellus Bennett's future in Chicago can be characterized as murky at best, so Miller's emergence, in a contract year, nonetheless, is fortunate timing. He proved to be an ideal move tight end, providing flexibility as an H, F and Y. He's ideally suited as a No. 2 option at the position.
If the team moves on from Bennett, they'll need to replace his prowess as a blocker, which is something Miller can't match. To be fair, Miller was more physical this past season at the point of attack and sustained his blocks. He certainly played well enough to become a priority free agent signing for the Bears this offseason.
There are other players the team is counting on who haven't yet proved to be trusted starters.
The Bears have plenty of decisions to make this offseason on offense, but the most glaring holes are along the offensive line. They not only need bodies, they need two new starters, which will likely come both via free agency and the draft.
Grasu was drafted to be the center of the future, but his play as a rookie shined a spotlight on his deficiencies. He won with leverage at Oregon, but NFL defensive linemen are decidedly quicker and bigger than the competition he faced in college. He must gain 10-15 pounds this offseason and get significantly stronger. He struggled with shade techniques, frequently getting turned at the point of attack and redirected against his will.
Leno was able to step in and hold the job at left tackle, but that was more out of a lack of alternatives opposed to the level of his play. He has a strong punch and decent feet, but he struggles with speed rushers off the edge. The team would be in much better shape if he were their swing tackle in 2016.
Chicago's lack of depth at receiver was an issue, but the majority of that stemmed from its top three options not being able to stay healthy.
In particular, Royal was a major disappointment given the financial investment the Bears made in him. Even when he was healthy, he wasn't effective from the slot. The team needs more speed at the receiver position, as this group struggled to gain separation on their own, forcing Gase to pry receivers open with scheme.
The offensive core has a few building blocks to build around, but clearly more talent is needed both inside and out. The majority of their offseason resources will be dedicated to rebuilding a defense void of talent, but the offense can't be neglected.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @djdurkin.
