Dhruv Koul answers your questions in this week’s Bears Mailbag. Follow him on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
The Chicago Bears have descended upon Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy met with the media earlier this week to answer questions and provide their thoughts on the previous and upcoming seasons. I shared my thoughts on Pace’s presser and you can read them here.
With only five picks and none in the first two rounds (right now), the Bears have their work cut out for them. Pace alluded to feeling more pressure this offseason after a successful campaign, and indeed, there should be. How the Bears execute this offseason will inform their upcoming year quite a bit.
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With that, let’s reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions — I always appreciate the participation!
Their are rumors about the Bears interesting in Ross. What about a trade. Ross and a 5th rounder for Howard. Who says no?
— JanJa (@jalali_jan) February 28, 2019
The Bears should say no. John Ross has proven his straight line speed, but his game speed doesn’t match, he has trouble catching the ball and he has trouble running routes. He’s just a bad wide receiver.
If the asking price drops to just a seventh round pick, then maybe I explore it. Perhaps the Bears can salvage something from him and try to use him in certain packages. But he’s not good enough to explore more seriously than that. And he’s certainly not worth giving up Jordan Howard.
In general, the Bears shouldn’t be in a rush to trade Jordan Howard. He still has value and they shouldn’t look to unload him in just any deal. I definitely believe the Bears should bring in another running back or perhaps two to compete this offseason to take the reins in Matt Nagy’s offense, but Howard should only be moved in the right deal.
Q: Is there still a chance of signing Robbie Gould? — Erica R.
Those chances are on life support. The San Francisco 49ers placed the franchise tag on Robbie Gould earlier this week — a prudent move, in my opinion.
You can’t let one of the best kickers in the NFL the last three years, and one of the best in NFL history, leave without a strong contingency plan. The 49ers didn’t, so they tagged Gould. Kyle Shanahan talked this week about how excited he is that Gould will remain in San Francisco at least for 2019.
There is a microscopic chance that the 49ers rescind the franchise tag if Gould decides he doesn’t want to sign it. But the chances of that are slim, too. It’s a $5M tender for one year — he’s going to take it. He may not sign a long-term deal, but he’ll remain in San Francisco for another year.
Let’s hope the Bears don’t need to explore bringing Gould back next offseason too; if all goes well, Pace will find his long-term kicker in the coming months.
If Amos walks who is the best replacement option?
— 🤷🏽♂️ (@Erudite1914) February 28, 2019
As things stand right now, Deon Bush is slated to take over Adrian Amos’ safety position. Bush filled in for the injured Eddie Jackson at the end of 2018 and is the third safety on the depth chart. But the Bears are unlikely to roll with Bush as the replacement in 2019.
There are some intriguing players scheduled to become free agents: Landon Collins, HaHa Clinton-Dix and Tyrann Mathieu are among the best options. And there are sure to be others that become available as the offseason continues. The draft also has some options, but keep in mind the Bears’ first pick is scheduled to happen in the back half of the third round. Many of the top players will be gone.
Right now, I’d keep my eye on Collins. He’s likely to be the most expensive option, of course. But he’d also be the most ideal option. If the Bears are somehow able to make that work, that’ll strike even more fear in opposing offenses going forward.
Q: Will the Bears draft a quarterback? — Corey Z.
I sincerely doubt that the Bears would use a draft pick on a quarterback who might not even make the team. Mitch Trubisky is their unquestioned starter going into 2019 and Chase Daniel is their unquestioned backup.
Tyler Bray is the third quarterback, so perhaps a young QB could be added to compete with Bray. But the chances of the Bears using a valuable draft pick on one are remote.
That said, Pace strongly believes in drafting the best player available at each spot. But the QB class is so weak this year that the chances of a QB being the best player at a certain spot are also small. Look for the Bears to dabble in the UDFA market for a QB, if necessary.
