The Tribune’s Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.
We have heard a lot of talk this offseason about trading for Jimmy Garoppolo or drafting a quarterback at No. 3 along with Alshon Jeffery’s contact status. Truth is there is a lot more to the Bears offseason than those two positions. With the major cap space they have, who are the best and most likely choices in free agency general manager Ryan Pace could target at any position? — Brian J., Batavia
That’s a good point and a fair question. Reality is we’re going to have to wait a little while to get a clear picture of free agency. Wednesday is the first day teams can use the franchise tag to secure players for the 2017 season and the deadline is March 1, which happens to fall smack in the middle of the NFL scouting combine, which was pushed back a week this year. Teams will obviously work to re-sign some of their pending free agents in this time. So, we won’t get a real good idea of what the landscape of free agency will look like until the tag period has ended. The Bears need to add talent at a variety of positions and I would focus on cornerback, safety, defensive end, wide receiver and tight end. I might stack them up in that order and move wide receiver up a spot or two if it becomes apparent at some point that Jeffery will not be in the mix for 2017. Let’s wait a couple weeks and see what shakes out because the tag period usually takes several really nice players out of play.
Why does everyone think so highly of Jimmy Garoppolo when his pro resume is zero? He’s a Brock Osweiler 2.0 mistake on way. — @lind_tc
Let’s not forget Garoppolo was pretty well received when he came out of Eastern Illinois in 2014 and was a second-round draft pick of the Patriots. He’s played well for New England although we have only a small sample size to evaluate, certainly smaller than Osweiler’s when he entered free agency at this time a year ago. Garoppolo certainly has cleaner mechanics than Osweiler. Both were understudies under sure-fire Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks with Peyton Manning playing ahead of Osweiler and Tom Brady ahead of Garoppolo. I don’t think Garoppolo fizzles in the same fashion Osweiler did. But the question is how high is the ceiling for Garoppolo and will the Patriots indeed look to trade him when the new league year begins on March? There is no guarantee Garoppolo succeeds, especially if he goes to a team that is coming off a poor season like the Bears, Browns or 49ers, a team that doesn’t have nearly as much talent as the Patriots. But I think NFL evaluators have a little more to look at in Garoppolo than they do the draft prospects, especially a player like Mitch Trubisky who started for only one season at North Carolina. There’s no guarantee here. The Patriots would not be trading a 25-year-old Brady but a 25-year-old Garoppolo just might be pretty darn good.
New England Patriots Victory Parade Billie Weiss / Getty Images
Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo holds the Lombardi trophy during the Super Bowl victory parade on Feb. 7, 2017.
Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo holds the Lombardi trophy during the Super Bowl victory parade on Feb. 7, 2017.
(Billie Weiss / Getty Images)
Do you think Colin Kaepernick might be a good short-term answer for the Bears at quarterback? I don’t seem to recall Kaepernick being discussed as a possible free-agent acquisition before. Perhaps he might be a good acquisition while the Bears try to draft a quarterback. — John B., Springfield, Ill.
I am not a fan of Kaepernick from the simple standpoint that he’s just not as accurate as you would like a quarterback to be. He completed 59.2 percent of his passes last season and his career completion percentage is just a tick higher at 59.8. He’s not a guarantee to be available either. Kaepernick can opt out of his contract and most expect him to do that. He’s reportedly going to meet with new 49ers GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan in the near future. Kaepernick does have plenty of experience with 58 NFL starts and while he drew much more attention this past season for his decision to not stand during the “National Anthem” before games, he had a solid season statistically with 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions after taking over as the team’s starter in Week 6. He also rushed for 468 yards, second among quarterbacks. He’s a potential place-holder if the Bears draft a quarterback and want to bring him along slowly but my instincts tell me they would look in a different direction. Certainly you can’t rule Kaepernick – or any other quarterback – out at this point. The Bears must take a hard look at every single option.
I feel like the Bears are in the sweet spot at No. 3. Assuming the top two picks go as expected, I fully expect the Bears to entertain offers to trade down and either pick up extra picks or get their quarterback. Here’s the deal that I don’t think New England would be able to resist, which is why I think we’re in the driver’s seat here: Swap No. 1’s, giving us Jimmy Garoppolo and allow Bill Belichick to grab Jonathan Allen to wreak havoc on his defensive line for years to come. Naturally, we’ll have to throw in some future consideration. Without looking at trade value charts, I’m guessing likely a conditional No. 3 next year that could ripen into a No. 2. The reason I like this trade for the Bears is that this draft seems exceedingly deep in defensive backs and they should be able to get a starting cornerback and safety at picks 32 and and No. 36. If there was a stud offensive tackle at the top of the draft, that would be worth grabbing. But given the state of the roster and the absence of any franchise quarterbacks this year, they need to leverage that pick and I think they can get their quarterback while still addressing the holes in their defensive backfield. What do you think of that trade? The only other idea that appeals to me is trading down just far enough to pick up Deshaun Watson as I think he is the only safe bet to come in and lead from the get-go. He reminds me of Warren Moon, only stronger. — Tom. W., Boise, Idaho
There’s a lot to process here, Tom. For starters, I’m not sure how the top two picks are expected to go at this point. I think it’s a good bet right now that Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett is one of the first two picks. Which team he goes to? Your guess is as good as mine right now. I’ve got positively no idea who the other player will be that comes off the board. I doubt the Bears know at this point either. So, it’s really hard to forecast specifically what the Bears will be looking at when they go on the clock at No. 3. I like the outside-the-box thinking of swapping first-round picks with the Patriots for Garoppolo but only if the Bears decide Garoppolo is a franchise quarterback waiting for a franchise to make him the starter. Using the popular draft pick trade chart, the No. 3 pick is worth 2,200 points and the No. 32 pick is worth 590 points. The difference of 1,610 points is worth approximately the No. 6 pick. You suggest the Bears would have to throw in another pick to make this happen. I don’t know if that would be necessary and wonder if possibly the Bears would be able to get a late-round pick from the Patriots thrown into the deal. If the Browns are very serious about Garoppolo, they could potentially offer the No. 12 pick for Garoppolo and if that happened the Bears would have to get aggressive and creative in order to put together a stronger package. If you think Watson is the next Moon, the Bears would be better off drafting the Clemson star then trading draft capital to acquire Garoppolo. If the Bears believe Watson is the next Moon, they better hope he lasts until No. 3 or consider a move up to get him because the next coming of Moon would be a player that could stabilize the franchise for seasons to come. Finally, I like the idea if using multiple draft picks for help in the secondary. It’s a mess and must be addressed.
The deadline to declare for the draft has passed. The Senior Bowl is in the books. The NFL scouting combine is a scant three weeks away. Draft season is fully engaged and the many prospects are already well along the proverbial road to the podium.
Which players will get that invite to the 2017 NFL draft in Philadelphia? Plenty of those among my Top 50 will get that coveted invitation to Philadelphia, so let’s take a look at my Big Board heading into the combine at the end of the month.
— John Harris, Special To The Washington Post
Do you believe the Bears will face fallout from raising ticket prices after a 3-13 season? — Tom W., Naperville
I can’t imagine the Bears would have raised ticket prices if they thought it would create a situation where they don’t sell the number of season tickets they usually expect to have the public purchase. In other words, the Bears certainly have some attrition on an annual basis where season-ticket holders elect not to renew for whatever reason. Maybe they no longer consider it a purchase they need to make. Maybe they move. Maybe there is a death in the family. There can be any number of reasons. Coming off a very poor season, it’s reasonable to think the Bears will have a slightly higher level of non-renewals this year. But they probably feel pretty good about the season ticket waiting list they have with the second smallest stadium in the NFL after Oakland (only because the Raiders tarp over sections of seats). If the Bears make substantial improvements in 2017, and that is certainly the goal, they believe what was a nominal price hike will soon be forgotten by their most valued fans.
Would you think that singing Tony Romo and drafting a quarterback with the third pick makes sense? The Bears get a veteran that can bring them back to respectability who could have shot at a championship game in a couple of years towards the end of his contract provided that the team rebuilding process moves forward. In the meantime, the Bears can develop this year’s pick. Romo would eventually run out his contract or retire and the Bears would have their future quarterback ready or closer to being ready by then. This situation has a natural flow to me and could set the quarterback position in Chicago for the next decade. — Mauricio C., Cullom, Ill.
You’ve got more faith in Romo, who turns 37 in April, than I do. Romo has started four games the last two seasons and would come with serious durability questions. Granted, he could have returned in the second half of this past season and would have if rookie Dak Prescott had not taken the job and run with it in Dallas. The Bears will not be able to sign Romo unless the Cowboys terminate his existing contract, which they could very well wind up doing. I would imagine Romo will be looking for a landing spot with an eye on being able to win right away and the most optimistic Bears fan probably doesn’t believe the team will be in that position in 2017. I like the idea of using the No. 3 pick in the draft on a quarterback if the Bears identify a player they believe will be a smash success at the position and I think if they do that, they will want to have a bridge player to allow the rookie to learn. But I don’t know if Romo is that guy, at least for the Bears. I would think the Bears would hope the No. 3 pick is ready to play in 2018 or 2019 at the absolute latest if they take a quarterback with that selection and plan to bring him along slowly. But as I’ve said with just about every quarterback that people have asked about, the Bears have to dig in and learn everything about every available candidate knowing that Plan A, Plan B and Plan C might not necessarily fall in place for them.
Tony Romo Brandon Wade / AP
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo prepares to throw a pass during warm-ups before a game against the Lions on Dec. 26, 2016.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo prepares to throw a pass during warm-ups before a game against the Lions on Dec. 26, 2016.
(Brandon Wade / AP)
What kind of dream package would the Bears have to put together to get Jimmy G AND Gronk? — @Acabrales_7
That’s probably a formula you will have to refine on Madden or somewhere else. What would possibly make trading Rob Gronkowski a good idea for the Patriots? Remember, they’re trying to win the Lombardi Trophy each season and have done a pretty good job of remaining in the mix each and every season for, well, all of Tom Brady’s career. Please keep in mind my No. 1 rule when discussing trades: The deal has to make sense for BOTH teams, not just the Bears.
Can John Fox afford not to have Jay Cutler at quarterback and win enough to keep his job? — @Baltman28
That’s a fair question and one worth considering. The one option the Bears have that hasn’t really been discussed is the possibility the Bears could retain Cutler in 2017 and pay him a base salary of $12.5 million with another $2.5 million available in per-game roster bonuses. The flip side to your argument is Cutler is 7-13 as a starter in the last two seasons with Fox and if the Bears make a dramatic change at the position, perhaps that buys Fox and his staff some more time, especially if the team shows some positive steps forward in 2017.
With the cap so high this year shouldn’t we expect contracts to be extra crazy in free agency? — @TomOMalley23
Crazier than $85.5 million over six seasons with $42 million guaranteed for Malik Jackson? Or crazier than $85.5 million over five seasons with $52.5 million guaranteed for Olivier Vernon? The first 48 hours of free agency produces some reckless contracts each and every March and this year will be no different in that regard. This is considered a down year for free agency for a multitude of reasons, the biggest being the 2013 draft was a dud. The salary cap continues to make significant jumps on an annual basis and is projected to be between $163 million and $165 million this season. That’s proof that the current collective bargaining agreement is working for players. It will work for them again at the outset of free agency when we’ll see some eye-opening deals go down.
A look at the faces at Halas Hall.
You kind of dismissed this question a couple of mailbags ago, but I think it is a fair one. Shouldn’t the Bears consider a trade of Jay Cutler for Brock Osweiler and draft picks (something like a 2 and a 5)? The Bears effectively trade their cap space plus what little value Cutler has for draft picks and then they either cut Osweiler or keep him as a No. 2. Houston gets cap space and a likely QB improvement with Cutler having a lot of experience throwing to big receivers like DeAndre Hopkins. The Bears use their cap space for picks instead of likely overpaying free agents. To me this is a win/win for both sides. — Nick V., Glenview
If I dismiss the idea of trading for Osweiler for a second time will that end all Osweiler inquiries? I hope so. Osweiler has a base salary of $16 million that is fully guaranteed for 2017. So if the Bears traded for Osweiler and then cut him, they would still owe him that guaranteed salary and it would count against their salary cap. The Texans are not going to trade away Osweiler with draft picks to ditch that salary-cap commitment. Yes, Osweiler’s $16 million cap charge will be tough to swallow for Houston in 2017 but doing something like giving away draft picks to free up space hurts the Texans in 2017 and beyond. I get the idea that the Texans have made a major mistake in investing in Osweiler but there’s no easy out for them. Osweiler isn’t going to be an asset for the Bears either. I wouldn’t describe Hopkins as a “big receiver” either. He’s listed at 6-foot-1. I get it. Fans want to come up with creative ways for the Bears to be able to turn Cutler into something of great value. He’s going to be difficult for them to trade, in my opinion, and I have detailed why I believe that in multiple mailbags. Trading to acquire a quarterback that really struggled last season isn’t going to aid the Bears and the Texans aren’t going to sweeten the pot by throwing in valuable draft picks. Houston could draft a quarterback in the first round and the Texans can move on from Osweiler after this coming season with little penalty.
How does letting Alshon Jeffery leave improve the Bears roster? — @stephenclapp1
It doesn’t. But if the only way the Bears can keep Jeffery is to place the franchise tag on him at a cost of $17.5 million, you have to think long and hard about it. Consider if Jeffery plays out the coming season on the season on the franchise tag, the Bears could find themselves in the same position next year with Jeffery readying to enter free agency. If we were talking about Calvin Johnson in his prime, it’s an easy decision. You use the tag and work on a long-term deal. Jeffery is very talented but he’s not the same player and it takes two sides to get a deal done.
Photos of Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
Topic no one’s talking about: Akiem Hicks is in a contract year already. Do you see him getting extended this offseason? — @Knee_Mart
Actually that very question was raised in this very spot near the end of the regular season. Hicks has a $1 million roster bonus due on March 13 and will have a $4 million base salary this coming season. He’s only 27 years old and has positioned himself to get a much larger contract when the current one expires. Hicks was good for the Bears last season and probably wound up logging more playing time than the team would have preferred. He figured his best football was ahead of him when he signed the contract and the Bears will want to get value out of the smart deal they signed him to last March. I suppose it’s possible the team approaches Hicks but I think it’s more likely the Bears consider such a move in-season if he’s playing well again. Hicks is going to have to be really blown away with an offer too because remember he’s only 13 months away from entering free agency right now. Right now, general manager Ryan Pace has many more issues on the front burner than what to do with Hicks.
The Bears lack a top quarterback and are close to losing their best wide receiver. Why not buy a year. Pick up a fullback and go to the run game with short passing. — @chibob57
Hate to burst your bubble, but if coaches could “buy a year” by adding a fullback to the offense, there would be a lot more lead blockers employed in the NFL. The Bears had a fullback last season in Paul Lasike, and he showed some improvement while the season moved along after playing early in the year with a broken bone in his wrist. I expect Lasike to compete for a roster spot again this season and perhaps the team goes out and brings in another fullback to create some competition.
A look at the Bears’ quarterbacks through the years, from 1934 to present-day.
Not pictured: Steve Bradley (1 game; 1987), Greg Landry (1 game; 1984), John Huarte (2 games; 1972), Kent Nix (9 games; 1970-71), Tommy O’Connell (12 games; 1953), Tom Farris (20 games; 1946-47), Johnny Long (12 games; 1944-45), Bill Glenn (2 games; 1944), Charlie O’Rourke (11 games; 1942), Young Bussey (10 games; 1941), Solly Sherman (14 games; 1939-40) and Bernie Masterson (72 games; 1934-40). | source: pro-football-reference.com
How do you think Kyle Long’s injuries are going to affect his play going forward? Will he be ready for training camp? — @Gum006 from Twitter
Everything I have been told leads me to believe Long will no doubt be ready to roll before the Bears head to training camp in Bourbonnais. He could miss a good chunk of the voluntary offseason program as he rehabilitates from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. I don’t anticipate that affecting him by the time the rubber hits the road. We should know more a little later in the offseason.
Do you think the Bears will take a look at Stephon Gilmore in free agency? — @Bquinn34
Just as I expect the Bears to thoroughly explore all options at cornerback, I can guarantee you they are leaving no stone unturned in their drive to improve the secondary. The Bears were aggressive in pursuing cornerback Janoris Jenkins in free agency last year and then did more than dip their toes into the water when Josh Norman became a free agent after the Panthers rescinded his franchise tag. They swung and missed in their bid to add a No. 1 cornerback last year and will surely be in the hunt once again. Gilmore has got plenty of experience. He might not be as skilled as Jenkins but he’d be an instant upgrade for the Bears and is a player they have to know in and out in the event he reaches free agency.
Do you trust the Bears enough to make the right QB choice in either free agency or the draft? — @BarberSquires
I cover the team with an unbiased approach so it’s not a question of whether or not I have trust or faith in them when it comes to making roster moves or any other decisions. Perhaps you are questioning your own level of faith when it comes to matters of this significance. I think general manager Ryan Pace has made some nice moves in his first two seasons on the job but sooner rather than later those moves need to make a difference when it comes to wins and losses. Perhaps sticking with Jay Cutler the past two seasons was a mistake. If so, that doesn’t mean the Bears will make the wrong choice when it comes to a quarterback this offseason. Just keep one thing in mind and I can’t reiterate this enough: It’s not like the rest of the NFL is waiting for the Bears to come up with a solution for their quarterback situation before other teams make moves. There are a lot of teams with dire quarterback situations that will be looking to make moves as well. So the first player the Bears target, the second player the Bears target, the quarterback the Bears would really like to draft … they can all be scooped up by other teams first. Let’s sit back and see how this plays out. The next couple months will be very interesting not just for 2017 but for seasons to come.
New York Giants v Philadelphia Eagles Rich Schultz / Getty Images
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz catches a pass against Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll on Dec. 22, 2016.
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz catches a pass against Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll on Dec. 22, 2016.
(Rich Schultz / Getty Images)
Which happens first: A. The Chicago Honeybears return B. Eddie Royal is cut or C. James Hetfield’s Grammy mic works? — @GridAssassin
I’ll go with B. I’m grateful audio was on point for the Metallica concert I attended at AT&T Park last February. Hetfield was excellent.
Is Jimmy Garoppolo really that much better of a developmental prospect than Matt Barkley? — @rundenick
I don’t know if the term “developmental prospect” applies to either one at this point. I’m assuming you saw Barkley play last season. He was with his third franchise and if the Bears bring him back in 2017 it will be to compete for a No. 2 job – at best. If the Bears acquire Garoppolo, he will be the unquestioned starter.
Should the Bears look at Victor Cruz and/or Rashad Jennings? — @matthewroe28
The Giants terminated the contracts of both veterans on Monday. Cruz is 30 and is coming off a season in which he made 39 receptions for 586 yards. His best football is behind him. I’m not sure how he helps the Bears turn things around. Jennings turns 32 next month. If the Bears are looking for a veteran to be a backup to Jordan Howard, perhaps he could be in a mix of players for a role like that. But I doubt Jennings commands more than a minimum contract at this point. I think the Bears will be looking for players with more tread remaining on the tires.
Photos of the Bears general manager Ryan Pace.
The Bears need a QB but what if they don’t love any of the available options? — @mosconml
Once upon a time, Bears coach Dick Jauron was asked about specifics on a player’s injury and suggested the questioner consult athletic trainer Tim Bream for a better answer. Jauron was informed the Bears had made Bream off-limits to media and at that point the coach quipped, “Well, there’s a conundrum.” I would say the Bears will be in quite a conundrum if they’re not able to land a quarterback they’re in love with because in a lot of ways that will mean status quo remains in place at Halas Hall. The Bears aren’t going to truly turn the corner until they have a quarterback that can lead the team. The teams that compete consistently, year-in and year-out all have a franchise quarterback.
What Bears’ stat troubles you the most from last season? — @BaineStephen
Besides having only three wins? The Bears scored only 17.4 points per game to tie for 28th in the league and that’s an issue. You’ve got to be more powerful than that even if you’ve got a top-notch defense, which the Bears do not. The other glaring issue is the lack of takeaways on defense for a second consecutive years. The Bears had only 11 takeaways. That’s anemic and when you’re offensively challenged, that’s an even bigger issue. Those are the things that jump out at me.
Calais Campbell may be a free agent. Should he be a priority signing, more so than Eric Berry, opening up the No. 3 pick for a defensive back like Jamal Adams/Malik Hooker? — @james23white
Campbell will be an unrestricted free agent beginning March 9 unless he has a new deal in place with the Cardinals before then. He’s been a nice player in Arizona but he turns 31 in September before the start of the regular season and is entering his 10th season. Campbell has been remarkably durable during his career and has missed only six games in nine seasons but that just illustrates how high mileage he is. He finished this past season strong with five of his eight sacks coming in the final three games. I agree the Bears could use another really productive player up front but I don’t know that signing a player that is turning 31 to a huge contract is a move that really gets the Bears going in the right direction. That move would make more sense if you felt like they were really close to competing. I personally don’t believe that is the case. I certainly would advocate for finding help in the secondary. But none of these moves helps sort out the quarterback situation the team currently faces.
Would Sheldon Richardson be worth the Bears’ third round pick this year? — @Wtlarrys
It will be interesting to see if the Jets wind up trading the talented but immature Richardson this offseason. The problem for New York though is the 26-year-old’s value has never been lower. He’s coming off a season in which he produced only 1 ½ sacks and hasn’t done a whole lot to diminish the idea that he’s at best a player you have to have concerns about in your locker room. Richardson is heading into the final year of his rookie contract that will guarantee him $8.1 million in 2017 so there is the whole issue of having to sign him to a long-term contract. Richardson was super productive in his first three seasons when he totaled 16 ½ sacks but he’s already been suspended twice by the NFL, including one for substance abuse. The Jets reportedly were in talks to trade him to the Cowboys back in October before the deadline but that never materialized. I don’t know if a third-rounder gets it done for Richardson because the Jets would have a decent chance of recouping a third-round compensatory pick if they keep Richardson for this season and then allow him to walk in free agency. I don’t know if the Bears are prepared to add a player with the kind of baggage Richardson has to the locker room.
If the Patriots are going to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, at what point in the offseason would you expect that to happen? — @zevyr
If New England makes the determination it wants to peddleGaroppolo before his contract expires at the end of the 2017 season, it would make sense for them to start chatting with other teams at the Scouting Combine, which starts at the end of the month and runs into early March. The Patriots cannot tradeGaroppolo until the start of the new league year on March 9 but they can have conversations with other clubs at any time.
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