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FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

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With few starting spots available, Bears focus on finding right fits

ears GM Ryan Pace was a new man in his approach to free agency this past offseason. After inheriting one of the NFL’s weakest rosters four years ago, Pace swung and missed in free agency on Pernell McPhee, Antrel Rolle, Jerrell Freeman, Mike Glennon, Quintin Demps and, most famously, Cody Parkey, but he also knocked more than a few out of the park with his signings of Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Prince Amukamara, Allen Robinson and Trey Burton. Along with some solid drafting, it helped lead the Bears to the NFC North title. Now possessing one of the more talented young rosters in the league, there’s a new strategic approach to free agency. Only Ha Ha Clinton-Dix this offseason was recruited to be a starter, and that’s because he was viewed as an upgrade and much more financially sound decision than re-signing Adrian Amos. Buster Skrine, Cordarrelle Patterson, Mike Davis and Marvin Hall were all added for their special abilities to be

unique strategic fits in sub packages or special teams, and veteran offensive linemen Ted Larsen and T.J. Clemmings were brought in for much needed depth and versatility. Before these moves could be made, Pace had quite a bit of housekeeping to do, with decisions to be made on his own free agents in addition to Amos because the Bears began with only about $3 million of cap space to work with. Pace elected to do a long-term deal with RT Bobby Massie, re-sign punter Patrick O’Donnell and long snapper Patrick Scales, and make sure that Aaron Lynch, Roy Robertson-Harris, Isaiah Irving, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Ben Braunecker and Rashaad Coward all stayed in town and working at Halas Hall. With no other real choice, Pace bit the bullet and released Parkey, creating a $4 million dead cap hit but not losing any cap space. He also decided to move on from TE Dion Sims ($6 million) and OLB Sam Acho ($2.75 million), creating almost $9 million of cap space, and re-worked the contracts of Kyle Long, Khalil Mack and

HUB ARKUSH

Eddie Goldman, freeing up another $18.5 million or so. Then he was ready to hit the market.

S HA HA CLINTON-DIX

At 27, Clinton-Dix is just four months older than Adrian Amos and a former Packers Pro Bowler. He has been one of the league’s better ball-hawking safeties, and yet he fell out of favor in Green Bay. With free agency pending and knowing they were unlikely to re-sign him, he was traded to Washington prior to the deadline last season so the Pack could pick up an extra fourth-round draft pick. So why was he a better option than Amos? We asked Ryan Pace. “I think there [were] a couple things maybe that worked to his disadvantage. Getting traded mid-season like he did, that’s always hard, you know?” he said. “We went back and looked at the totality of his work and all the way back from our college evaluations to his first couple of years in the league. Just coming into our defense and his state of AP PHOTO

See FREE AGENTS, page 4

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

USA TODAY PHOTO

Cordarrelle Patterson

• FREE AGENTS Continued from page 3 mind right now, we had a lot of very honest conversations with him and he was very honest and up front too. “But what jumped out was how bad he wanted to be here. He’s kind of coming in with a chip on his shoulder, and you can’t ask for any more than that. And, hey, let’s just be honest, usually these one-year deals, they are very motivated and he has the right makeup and character to come in and play well. And he fits well into the defense and obviously the familiarity with Eddie Jackson, I think that helps a lot too.” Amos averaged 67 tackles a year over his four seasons with the Bears and totaled just four interceptions and three forced fumbles. Clinton-Dix has averaged 91 tackles over five seasons, totaling 17 picks and four forced fumbles. If Clinton-Dix — who will earn $3 million this season, while Amos will earn $9 million a year over the next four years in Green Bay — can regain or approach his 2016 Pro Bowl form, the Bears will have the best pair of safeties in the league. If he doesn’t, this is a low-risk gamble, easy to move on from and Amos is still not that difficult to replace.

RB MIKE DAVIS

Originally a 49ers fourth-round pick, Davis is a four-year journeyman with two seasons in San Francisco followed by two in Seattle, never carving out more than a RB3 role. But in Davis, Pace and Matt Nagy see an ideal fit for Nagy’s multiple, RPO offense. “With Mike, we saw somebody that … he was in a position in Seattle where he [still has a lot of tread on his tires], not a lot of carries,” Nagy said. “I thought he had really good vision. He was a guy that can make you miss between the tackles. He has that in him. We liked that, we thought it was a great fit.” What is slightly puzzling about the Davis signing, is that if we’ve learned anything about Nagy’s offense it’s that he wants his backs to be receiving threats, but he admits about Davis, “You don’t see a lot of that on tape with him where he came from in Seattle. But I think it’s there and just from talking to him when he got in here … he’s an athlete. “And as long as you’re an athlete, you can make it work.”

NICKEL CB BUSTER SKRINE

The Bears would have loved to re-sign starting nickel Bryce Callahan, but his lack of dependability and long injury

Mike Davis

history, paired with his still-hefty price tag made it unmanageable Skrine is a veteran nickel who will bring toughness and an attitude to the Bears secondary, and whom Pace and Nagy have admired from afar for years. “In my time in the NFL, Buster has been in this league — he’s one of those guys where he’s always around the football,” Nagy said. “He’s feisty. He’ll stick his nose in there on a nickel slot blitz. He’ll go in there and take your legs out. He plays the game hard, and he’s not a big guy, but he plays hard. “I always thought he was just kind of sticky. He always — that slot receiver, if you were running a corner or a post route, he was always right on your hip. You saw that in our game against them (Jets). But I’ve always appreciated him, he’s going to be all-in with what we’re doing.”

RS-WR-RB CORDARRELLE PATTERSON

Of all this year’s additions, it is “CP” that has Nagy’s mouth watering the most. “From what I’ve seen on tape and everything that he does, I think that CP has a role in the fact of we need a vision for him — and I think that’s what’s exciting for me. “You see what he did in New England

USA TODAY PHOTO

with the jet sweeps, the screens, and I think that that’s a good fit for him. But for me, it’s kind of like a kid in a candy store. You get to kind of pick which candy you like best, put it together and figure out what he does best. You see how big he is. He’s 228 [pounds]. “I like him back there returning kicks. [But if you thought] we were bringing him here just to return kicks ... I’d be lying to you. He’s going to play with the offense, and he’s going to have a role.”

OL TED LARSEN AND T.J. CLEMMINGS, WR MARVIN HALL

Larsen started eight games for the Bears at right guard in 2016 after Kyle Long went down and then went on to be the starting left guard in Miami the past two seasons, also playing center. Hall is a receiver and stalwart in the third phase out of Atlanta. Clemmings is a former Vikings fourth-round pick who can play anywhere along the offensive line and is now the only player on the roster other than Charles Leno who’s logged snaps at left tackle. Larsen seems quite likely to stick, but all three of these veterans will be pushed for their roster spots by veteran OT Cornelius Lucas, youngster OL Rashaad Coward, Alex Bars and Sam Mustipher and WRs Javon Wims and Emanuel Hall.

QUALITY

Bears mini draft class can have big impact ARTHUR ARKUSH

N By

o team had a smaller 2019 NFL Draft class than the Chicago Bears’ five-player haul, and yet it comes with two key qualifiers: Chicago’s last draft quintet, in 2017, very well might go down as one of the best in franchise history; and GM Ryan Pace supplemented the Bears’ small draft class with one of the league’s larger collections of talent among the undrafted ranks. Just as Pace deftly navigating the “eighth round,” aka college free agency has become commonplace, so too has bold trades up to address his more pressing needs. Enter RB David Montgomery whom the Bears kicked off this year’s draft with by selecting him in Round 3 with the 73rd overall pick, after moving up 14 spots with a deal that sent third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks to New England. Was it a lot to pay for Montgomery, the ex-Cyclone with ordinary workout numbers but extraordinary consistency as a backto-back 1,000-yard rusher at Iowa State? Most definitely. Are the Bears sweating the cost of doing business to acquire someone they say fits their program — on and off the field — to a tee? Hardly. “He’s what we call a Bears box guy — he checks all the boxes of the traits that we’re looking for to fit our culture, character-wise,” said area scout Scott Hamel. “But then as a player, we saw him the same way. It’s hard not to like him with the vigor, the aggression that he runs with. … Passionate, loves the game, tough — he has everything that you look for.” Of course that includes natural receiving ability, something the Bears didn’t see in Jordan Howard, which led to him being replaced. “It’s a part of his game that we think is a little underrated,” Hamel said of Montgomery’s receiving skills. “There are guys in the building there in Ames who think he has

AP PHOTO

David Montgomery

the best hands on the team. He’s a natural route runner, natural pass catcher, so that’s something he can definitely add.” Perhaps the surprise of the draft for the Bears wasn’t that they moved up for their feature back — or even that they doubled down in the backfield — but that they followed up the Montgomery pick with Georgia WR Riley Ridley in the latter part of Round 4. He was available at least one round later than PFW and several other draft sites projected the polished and highly pedigreed prospect to come off the board. Although the initial belief by many was that Ridley was a pick for the future and that he’s unlikely to be a significant factor as a rookie at the team’s most competitive position, not so fast. And no, we don’t mean Ridley’s modest 4.58 40 time. “[Pro-style experience] has allowed him to gain some success fast here throughout rookie minicamp and then throughout OTAs,” WR coach Mike Furrey explained. “His

missed assignments are so far below a normal rookie.” Indeed, Ridley quickly maximized his opportunities in his first NFL offseason, spending plenty of time with the starting unit in the absence of WR Anthony Miller, who spent the spring rehabbing following offseason shoulder surgery. Coach Matt Nagy praised Ridley’s “laser focus” as the rookie took reps at Miller’s “zebra” position and appeared to develop a fast rapport with QB Mitch Trubisky in different areas of the field. “Riley’s a really good route runner. His attention to detail is really high. And now I think the game is slowly starting to slow down for him, and he has very natural hands, so when the ball’s in the air, he’s a 50-50 guy. He’ll get those footballs,” Nagy said. “But he’s playing really well and then [Furrey’s] done, with Anthony being out, Furrey’s been putting [Ridley] in and he’s been getting more reps. And the more reps he gets, the better.” As evident in the spring as Rid-

ley’s precise route-running skills and sticky hands — which Bears brass raved about immediately after the draft — was his competitiveness. We can imagine what the rivalries were like in the Ridley home, where Riley battled with older brother and Atlanta Falcons All Rookie Calvin Ridley. “The first time you see the way he competed, the way he stood out on a big stage was last year, his sophomore year, when he played against his brother in the National Championship Game,” scout Sam Summerville said of Ridley’s game-high 6-82 receiving. “Georgia-Alabama, they’re going at it, and in a lot of ways he showed his brother up for a good chunk of that game. His brother is a good pro, and I think we got one too.” With all due respect to sixth-rounders CB Duke Shelley and RB Kerrith Whyte, and seventh-round CB Stephen Denmark, after the Bears first two picks it’s not a reach to say that their UDFA class could include more pro-ready prospects. The “happy-go-lucky” Shelley is transitioning to nickel after starting four years mostly on the boundary at Kansas State. It was hard to tell he was learning a new position in the spring, when he arguably flashed as much as any Bears rookie. His college tape also reveals a fearless player who doesn’t mind throwing his body around despite his stature, but Nagy said Shelley’s true test begins when the armor comes on in Bourbonnais. “Duke’s a confident kid. He’s twitchy. He’s always going to be scrappy and be around you, and I think he’s learning from a great player in Buster [Skrine] — they’re very similar,” Nagy said. “But when those pads come on, that’s when it’s really real and that’s when you’ve got to stick your nose in there and make a few tackles. I think when the pads get on, will be the true tell.” Denmark, the King-sized corner with “ridiculous measurables,” played receiver for Valdosta State as recently as two years ago. He and Shelley join a CB room that’s among the NFL’s highest paid, so barring

See ROOKIES, page 6

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

NOT QUANTITY

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

â&#x20AC;˘ ROOKIES Continued from page 5 major injuries, special teams are likely to be their biggest contributions to a 2019 team with Super Bowl designs. Denmark admits he had to recalibrate his mindset to switch from offense to defense, but he thinks the move is the best way to maximize his unique traits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I kind of figured, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of 6-3, 220-pound wide receivers,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not many 6-3, 220 cornerbacks at all, really. I just felt like that was the better â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to get to this spot, I think that was the best move for me at the time.â&#x20AC;? Like the corners (but unlike Montgomery and Ridley), Whyte is a freaky athlete who wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t given the opportunity to showcase his eye-opening speed and explosiveness at the scouting combine. But the 4.38-second 40-yard dash, 42-inch vertical and 132-inch broad jump Whyte registered at Florida Atlanticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pro Day would have paced his position in Indianapolis. If nothing else, his dynamic return experience could offer a layer of insurance behind Pro Bowl newcomer Cordarrelle Patterson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;His speed just jumps out when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re watching the tape,â&#x20AC;? GM Ryan Pace said of Whyte. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And then you throw in the special teams value that

AP PHOTO

Riley Ridley

he brings, too. I know I feel like with him, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one where the scouts, the offensive coaches and the special teams coaches are all excited about, because he brings that kind of versatility.â&#x20AC;? Undrafted headliners WR Eman-

uel Hall and OL Alex Bars boast bigtime college production but will have to make up for lost time in training camp after spending the spring rehabbing. Hall, the size-speed prospect out of Mizzou, was as feared a big-play receiver as there was in the SEC last season, but he missed four games with a groin injury that required sports hernia surgery this spring. Bars made 32 career starts on a star-studded Irish O-line prior to his final season being halted in late September by a torn ACL. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no question [Bars] would have been [drafted were he not injured],â&#x20AC;? said Harry Hiestand, Barsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; O-line coach at Notre Dame from 2014-17. Hiestandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s familiarity with Bars could give him and fellow Notre Dame OL product Sam Mustipher a decided advantage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś [Bars] will have the chance [to make this team] because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smart, he understands the technique, he knows what to doâ&#x20AC;? Hiestand added. Hall is â&#x20AC;&#x153;a guy who ran a 4.3, (broad) jumped over 11â&#x20AC;&#x2122;9â&#x20AC;?, he vertical [leaped] over 44,â&#x20AC;? Furrey explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the fastest player in the SEC. He dominated games when he played. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential.â&#x20AC;? Durability concerns plagued him at Mizzou and likely contributed to Hall not being drafted, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;obviously thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a story to be written one day about how that went down

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in the draft,â&#x20AC;? his new position coach thinks. Dax Raymond, the athletic Utah State tight end with oven mitts for hands, earned the highest pre-draft grade from PFW among the Bears undrafted bounty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You saw some of that, right? He made a catch in the back of the end zone,â&#x20AC;? Nagy said of Raymond in May following a particularly impressive rookie minicamp practice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He has big hands, and usually when you have big hands you catch a lot of footballs and he did that. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shown that on tape, he has a really good skillset. I was happy with what he did this week.â&#x20AC;? Buffalo OLB Chuck Harris, a dominant mid-major-level pass rusher, battled a shoulder injury during much of his final collegiate season. But he still managed to display an exciting knack for getting home, albeit against a lower level of competition, with 12 career sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss. Harris, of course, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to look far to see another former Buffalo Bull flourishing in the NFL in Khalil Mack. Along with Hall, Bars, Raymond and Harris, fellow OLB Matt Betts and Central Michigan TE Ian Bunting are other college free agents who caught their new coachesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eyes this offseason and will have more chances to impress in Bourbonnais.

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

All Aboard the

In-Depth

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

Assessing the increasingly competitive Bears depth chart entering camp By HUB ARKUSH

AP PHOTO

Chase Daniel

oming off a 12-5 campaign, with a roster that includes four first team All Pros, a fifth Pro Bowl starter, seven more Pro Bowl alternates, and former Pro Bowlers in Kyle Long, Allen Robinson and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the 2019 Bears have one of the best depth charts in the National Football League. As a result of this wealth of talent, though the Bears won’t even release a depth chart until the first week in August, and GM Ryan Pace and HC Matt Nagy will always preach the value of competition everywhere on the roster, it is fairly easy to project the Week 1 starting lineup and reserves.

With that in mind, let’s meet your 2019 Bears.

QB DEPTH CHART • Mitch Trubisky • Chase Daniel • Tyler Bray Trubisky was acquired to be the franchise in Chicago, and if anything those expectations have been raised after his first two seasons in the league. Daniel is every bit as secure as the No. 2, with Pace saying in February when asked whether the backup could be a cap casualty this past offseason, “No. We expect Chase to be a Bear for a long time.” The Bears would prefer to carry

just two quarterbacks on the final 53, but I have spent hours trying to understand how Tyler Bray could possibly have any practice squad eligibility left and it just doesn’t seem likely. With no one else on the roster, the Bears may be forced to carry three on the 53 this year. Nagy is adamant about how Bray fits as a Bear. “When (Trubisky) heard that Tyler Bray, our third quarterback, signed back with us, I mean, he was elated. “And now, those three guys, even Tyler Bray and Chase Daniel, are helping out Mitch to try to be the best quarterback he can be,” Nagy said. “It’s powerful. And Mitch was one of the

See DEPTH, page 10

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in Denver landed him on I.R. and left him performing at less than full capacity the rest of the season. He shed some weight this offseason and looked quite comfortable in OTAs and minicamp, and Shaheen still has that unique body type the Bears admired so much two years ago. But vs. NFL talent, he has yet to exhibit unique athleticism or speed for a man his size. Burton is one of the best “move” tight ends in the league and is coming off a very good first season in Chicago, but while he is willing, he is not a strong enough blocker to be counted on in the running game. Braunecker is really No. 3 by default, while Raymond is the most promising of four undrafted rookie tight ends on the roster entering training camp. Sowell is a converted offensive tackle who is likely to make the team as the fourth option and specialize as the second tight end with Shaheen in obvious run and short yardage situations.

• DEPTH Continued from page 8 first guys that called me just to tell me how excited he was that Tyler’s coming back as that third quarterback.”

RB DEPTH CHART • David Montgomery • Tarik Cohen • Mike Davis • Cordarrelle Patterson • Kerrith Whyte • Ryan Nall Cohen is actually the No. 1 back, but he is really a hybrid RB/WR that Nagy will commit to getting more touches for this year. But because of his size, he will never be a guy you can hand the ball off to 15-20 times each game. Much like with Trubisky, the Bears overpaid for Montgomery, so he will clearly get a shot at the No. 1 job. Pace and Nagy prefer him to the departed Jordan Howard because they believe he will be more of a big-play threat with a lot more “make-youmiss” in his game and a bigger factor as a receiver. Expect Davis to claim the Benny Cunningham role as a solid No. 3, if he can hold off the rookie, Whyte, who just may have the highest ceiling in the group as a true running back. Patterson is likely to get 3-5 touches each game from the RB position as Nagy’s favorite gadget guy, while also getting 8-12 snaps at receiver and kick returner. Nall is likely to be the odd man out again after spending last season on the practice squad, but he showed far too much in the preseason last year to be ignored.

OL DEPTH CHART • Charles Leno Jr. LT • Cody Whitehair LG • James Daniels C • Kyle Long RG • Bobby Massie RT • Ted Larsen G/C • Rashaad Coward T • Cornelius Lucas OT • T.J. Clemmings OT • Alex Bars OG/OT • Sam Mustipher C

WR DEPTH CHART • Allen Robinson • Anthony Miller • Taylor Gabriel • Riley Ridley • Marvin Hall • Javon Wims • Emanuel Hall There is no question going into training camp that Robinson, Miller and Gabriel are WR1, WR2 and WR3, respectively. Robinson’s best game as a Bear was his most recent, against the Eagles in the playoffs, and another year removed from his torn ACL and still just 25 years old, the sky is his limit. Miller showed tremendous promise as a rookie, leading the club in TD receptions with seven while battling a chronic shoulder dislocation. Gabriel is coming off a career-best

AP PHOTO

Kyle Fuller

67 receptions in his first season as a Bear but a disappointing 10.3-yard average per catch because he was forced to fill the No. 2 possession role as Miller wasn’t always available. With Gabriel’s elite speed, the Bears hope he will be a dangerous weapon as their field-stretcher this year. It gets interesting after those three. Patterson could realistically be the No. 4, but because we also have him listed with the backs, we find a dynamic battle for two or three roster spots among rookies Ridley and Emanuel Hall, the sophomore Wims and Marvin Hall, the veteran special teams demon.

TE DEPTH CHART • Adam Shaheen • Trey Burton • Ben Braunecker • Dax Raymond • Bradley Sowell This is the most interesting position on the depth chart, with real questions regarding whether the Bears are good enough. Shaheen was having an excellent preseason last year before a foot/ankle injury in the second exhibition game

Pace made re-signing Bobby Massie his first priority, before the new league year even started. “I think continuity with our offensive line is critical,” he said. “And especially with the offensive tackles. Bobby’s done nothing but get better and better with each year, and I think especially under Harry Hiestand’s guidance. “So we’re encouraged to have him back and just have continuity on our offensive line.” What Pace, Nagy and Hiestand are even more encouraged by is a healthy Kyle Long coming off his first full offseason with no surgeries in two years, and the flipping of Cody Whitehair to left guard and James Daniels to center, their more natural positions. With Leno and Whitehair coming off their first trips to the Pro Bowl, this is the most settled the Bears have been up front since Pace arrived. The flexibility of Larsen, Whitehair and Daniels to play guard or center gives Chicago great depth inside. Hiestand is also very high on the converted defensive lineman, Coward, beginning his second season at tackle.

See DEPTH, page 11

• DEPTH The competition for the backup spots here will be fierce, and Hiestand has two of his former college pupils — Bars and Mustipher — who are undrafted rookie free agents from Notre Dame. Bars is likely to earn a spot on the 53, and Mustipher has a real shot at the practice squad.

DL DEPTH CHART • Akiem Hicks DE • Eddie Goldman NT • Bilal Nichols DE • Roy Robertson-Harris DE/NT/ EDGE • Jonathan Bullard DE • Nick Williams DT Hicks has developed into one of the best five-techniques in all of football, a game wrecker against the run and one of the NFL’s better interior pass rushers, and he has taken over games for significant stretches over the past two seasons. Goldman is left to do all the dirty work inside, often absorbing two or three blockers, and he had his best season after signing an extension last summer. As a fifth-round rookie last year, Nichols may have been the biggest surprise on the team. His upside is immense.

more is expected with a full offseason under his belt. “You talk about football character and football IQ,” said new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, “he’s one of the brightest, smartest guys I’ve been around for just a second-year player. He’s phenomenal. He’s very quiet. He doesn’t say much. But he’s absorbing everything. He takes everything in. The guy doesn’t make mistakes. Out on the football field, he does a lot of things you can’t coach.” Kwiatkoski is limited in coverage, while Iyiegbuniwe’s opportunities were few last year with Trevathan’s good health, but both are special teams warriors and capable of stepping in on defense and making a play. Pierre-Louis just might push those two for the No. 3 job inside.

ILB DEPTH CHART

OLB DEPTH CHART

• Danny Trevathan • Roquan Smith • Nick Kwiatkoski • Joel Iyiegbuniwe • Kevin Pierre-Louis This group appears set for at least one more year with one of the leaders of the defense, Trevathan, coming off his first season playing all 16 games in a Bears uniform and entering a contract season. Smith was their leading tackler and an All-Rookie pick last year, and even

• Khalil Mack • Leonard Floyd • Aaron Lynch • Isaiah Irving • Kylie Fitts • Chuck Harris • Matt Betts Mack has already won a Defensive MVP Award, and might have won a second last year were he not out for two games and limited in two more with a bum ankle. It seems likely he could win

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a couple more as a Bear. Floyd played the best football of his life the second half of last season after recovering from a broken hand, and Lynch was a key free agent re-signing after playing his best football since his rookie year in San Francisco (last season was his first with the Bears). Irving has shown great natural pass rushing ability, while Harris and Betts are two very interesting undrafted rookie free agents that were outstanding pass rushers in college. New OLB coach Ted Monachino thinks Floyd could very well be ready to take flight. “I think Leonard as a pure natural pass rusher has a bigger toolbox than anybody else I’m coaching right now,” he said. “I want everybody to understand what I just said, right? The better rusher right now is 52 [Mack]. But the natural pass rush ability, the pass rush gene, 94 [Floyd] has it.”

S DEPTH CHART • Eddie Jackson • Ha Ha Clinton-Dix • Deon Bush • DeAndre Houston-Carson • Sherrick McManis As a first-team All Pro in just his second season in the NFL, Eddie Jackson

See DEPTH, page 12

11 FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

Continued from page 10

Robertson-Harris is a playmaker who can impact the game from three different positions, and those four will make it tough for Bullard and Williams to claim snaps. D-line coach Jay Rodgers is thrilled with the versatility this group offers. “You don’t want a bunch of guys that are 6-5, 290 pounds. You’ve got to be able to move pieces of the puzzle around because you don’t know what you’ll need them for,” he said. “If we had an outside rusher go down for a certain game, you’ve got to have an answer for who the next guy is. “So what you try to do is get a different collection of good football players with different body types, so it’s not just the same guy going against the same offensive line all the time.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

• DEPTH

roster spot.

Continued from page 11

SPECIALISTS DEPTH CHART

has folks wondering just how good he can be. Neither he nor Chicago’s new, fellow starter Clinton-Dix are quite as physical as you might like, but the Bears had the No. 1 run defense in the league last year, and they have the best pair of coverage safeties in the league. Bush and Houston-Carson are solid if not spectacular, providing depth, and McManis can play safety, or cornerback, but he’ll make the team for what he brings on special teams. Pagano also coached Ed Reed, who is just waiting to be eligible to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and the coordinator said of Jackson, “From a talent standpoint, (they’re) very, very similar. Great instincts, great range, great ball skills (and) he’s only three years into it. “He’s got a lot of the same traits. He loves football, he’s a football junkie and the sky’s the limit for a guy like that.”

CB DEPTH CHART • Kyle Fuller • Prince Amukamara • Buster Skrine • Kevin Toliver • Michael Joseph • Duke Shelley

• Eddy Pineiro PK • Elliott Fry PK • Patrick O’Donnell P • Patrick Scales LS • Tarik Cohen PR • Cordarrelle Patterson KR

AP PHOTO

Stephen Denmark

• Stephen Denmark • Jonathon Mincy Fuller went from a longshot to make the team coming off a third season as a Bear lost to a mysterious knee injury, to responding with a 2017 campaign in which he was robbed of a trip to the Pro Bowl. Of course, he earned that honor and a nod as a first-team All Pro last season, and still just 27 years old, Fuller’s best football may be in front of him.

City Wide

Amukamara actually had his best of eight seasons as a pro, and Skrine arrives as a solid replacement for departed nickel corner Bryce Callahan. Kevin Toliver showed promise on the outside last year, and the Bears are very high on Michael Joseph, who spent last year on the practice squad. Shelley looks like a lock as the No. 2 nickel, where Toliver and Joseph don’t currently factor in, but Denmark will have his work cut out for him to claim a

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Pace elected to re-sign O’Donnell, coming off his best pro season, rather than try and retool both kicking positions. Cohen and Patterson are both Pro Bowlers at their respective return positions, giving the Bears a crack at the most dangerous special teams in the league, and you all know the story at placekicker. Both Pineiro and Fry have NFL potential. Pineiro has the bigger leg, better resume and is the leader in the clubhouse for the job heading to Bourbonnais. Some continue to predict the Bears kicker isn’t here yet and that they will bring in a veteran to compete, but remember they are eating $4 million of dead cap space from Cody Parkey, while Pineiro and Fry both could earn near the league minimum. The Bears would like one of the current challengers to claim the job.

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2019 MARK

CHRIS

BRAD

Nagy

Pagano

Helfrich

Tabor

Childress

HEAD COACH

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR

SENIOR OFFENSIVE ASSISTANT

SKINNY: From his trademark “boom” following post-win “Club Dub” celebrations and refreshing candor, to his cutting-edge scheme and trick plays, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year quickly energized the Bears and their fan base during a wildly successful 12-4 debut season in Chicago. After developing Mitch Trubisky into a Pro Bowl alternate and transforming a charter NFL franchise mired in mediocrity into one of the most entertaining and competitive teams in the league, Nagy could be well on his way to joining mentor Andy Reid among the NFL’s top coaches.

SKINNY: The former Indianapolis Colts head coach replaces reigning Assistant Coach of the Year Vic Fangio, who earned the head coaching job with the Denver Broncos. Prior to his six-year run in Indy, Pagano worked with Fangio for two years in Baltimore and brings a similar, if more aggressive 3-4 scheme to a unit that allowed the fewest points and rushing yards in the league and generated the most takeaways last season. The inspirational Pagano’s “Chuckstrong” foundation has raised millions of dollars for cancer research since his winning battle against leukemia in 2012.

SKINNY: Helfrich enters his second season after joining Nagy’s staff following a collegiate coaching career spanning 21 years, most recently a four-year run as head coach of the Oregon Ducks (2013-16). A proponent of up-tempo spread offense, he helped Nagy install his QB-friendly hybrid scheme interspersed with RPOs (run-pass options) and other elements to help maximize young Bears QB Mitch Trubisky’s talents. The 45-yearold Helfrich, who blossomed in the college ranks under Chip Kelly, was a valuable sounding board for Nagy in his maiden head-coaching voyage.

SKINNY: Tabor’s second season overseeing Chicago’s third phase after a seven-year stay in Cleveland with the same title will certainly be under the microscope. Yes, Tabor’s kicking game was among the NFL’s worst, but he coaxed an All-Pro campaign from punt returner Tarik Cohen and welcomes fellow All Pro kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson to his mostly renovated units. Tabor will also receive additional help steadying Chicago’s wobbly kicking game beyond assistant special teams coach Brock Olivo, from the release of Cody Parkey and addition of new kicking consultant Jamie Kohl.

SKINNY: The former Minnesota Vikings head coach, longtime NFL assistant and Aurora native joins Nagy’s staff after they worked closely together under Andy Reid for five seasons (2013-17) with the Kansas City Chiefs. Childress will oversee all facets of the team’s weekly preparations, Nagy said, focusing not only on developing the Bears players on offense but coaches, too, by leaning on his nearly two decades of NFL coaching experience. Childress, who briefly consulted Nagy’s Bears last offseason, guided the Vikings to a pair of division titles in four-plus years at the helm.

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

CHUCK

MATT

2019

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

JAY

DESHEA

HARRY

MIKE

TED

Townsend

Rodgers

Hiestand

Furrey

Monachino

SECONDARY

DEFENSIVE LINE

OFFENSIVE LINE

WIDE RECEIVERS

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

SKINNY: The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back and two-time Super Bowl champion Townsend is in his first year in Chicago, after developing Pro Bowlers Landon Collins and Kevin Byard over the past two seasons. Townsend played 13 years in the NFL, earning a reputation as a fearless and versatile defender and finishing his career with 428 tackles, 21 interceptions, 15.5 sacks and three return touchdowns. The former Alabama team captain and four-year starter begins his sixth year as an NFL assistant and inherits a pair of All Pros, CB Kyle Fuller and S Eddie Jackson.

SKINNY: Rodgers and Sean Desai (safeties) are the lone remaining members of John Fox’s defensive staff – and it’s easy to see why. Rodgers has overseen Akiem Hicks’ ascent to a Pro Bowler and perhaps the NFL’s most underrated defender. The 10-year NFL coaching vet also helped Eddie Goldman earn a lucrative second contract with the team last summer and developed 2018 fifth-round Delaware product Bilal Nichols in his unexpectedly strong rookie campaign. Rodgers, who began in the NFL coaching ranks with the Denver Broncos, is the brother of Arizona Cardinals special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers.

SKINNY: The revered Hiestand’s first season in his second Bears stint saw him develop one of the NFL’s top pass-blocking offensive lines (No. 7 in Football Outsiders’ pass pro rankings). Hiestand’s group struggled blocking the run (28th in adjusted line yards) but is one of only a handful across the league poised to return all five starters. Hiestand also gets former Notre Dame disciples Alex Bars and Sam Mustipher among Chicago’s talented UDFA crop, and will oversee a position switch between incumbent C Cody Whitehair and LG James Daniels.

SKINNY: In only his first season as an NFL assistant in 2018, Furrey quickly earned a reputation for his tough-love approach, interesting attire and yoked-up physique, but even more for his careful attention to detail in turning one of the league’s worst WR corps into a reliable unit brimming with upside. Furrey’s coaching path to Chicago was as circuitous as his route as a player to the Los Angeles Rams, but Nagy’s former AFL teammate has firmly established himself as a valuable asset on the Bears staff. How valuable? Furrey said he oversees 10 WRs who can have long NFL careers.

SKINNY: Monachino and Pagano reunite after the 12-year NFL coaching vet — and most recently a senior defensive analyst at Missouri — served as defensive coordinator for Pagano’s Indianapolis Colts (2016-17) and coached the Baltimore Ravens linebackers when Pagano was the coordinator. Monachino was the position coach in Baltimore in future Hall of Famer Terrell Suggs’ Defensive Player of the Year season and when C.J. Mosley — now the NFL’s highest-paid inside backer — was a rookie Pro Bowler. Now, Monachino inherits Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd on a ‘D’ that ranked 9th in sack percentage.

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2019

Deleone

CHARLES

London

JASON

Loscalzo

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

RUNNING BACKS

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

SKINNY: Deleone arrives in Chicago following a sixyear stint with the Kansas City Chiefs inheriting one of the game’s best ILB pairings in 2018 top pick Roquan Smith and seasoned veteran Danny Trevathan. Deleone, who was promoted by Andy Reid to Chiefs ILB coach last season, also previously worked under some of the game’s most accomplished collegiate coaches, including Kirk Ferentz at Iowa as a defensive student assistant and Urban Meyer at Florida as quality control coach. Deleone replaces Glenn Pires, Chicago’s ILB coach from 2015-18.

SKINNY: London, like Tabor and Hiestand, is in his second stint with the Bears after serving on Lovie Smith’s staff as an offensive assistant (200709). After the ground game struggled in 2018, London gets reinforcements in rookies David Montgomery and Kerrith Whyte and vet Mike Davis. They replace the departed Jordan Howard alongside Tarik Cohen, who emerged in Year 2 as one of the NFL’s deadliest receiving backs. Previously, London was the RB coach for the Houston Texans, where he oversaw Arian Foster’s final Pro Bowl campaign and Lamar Miller’s most productive season with the team.

SKINNY: After holding the same title for six seasons at Washington State, Loscalzo’s first year running an NFL strength program ended with only four players on I.R. — one-quarter of Chicago’s average from 2015-17. “I want to give a lot of credit to Jason, to [sports-science coordinator] Jen Gibson and [head athletic trainer] Andre Tucker,” Matt Nagy said in October. “… I don’t think it’s luck. It’s a constant communication and making sure we’re treating each individual the right way, and what that does ultimately is it helps us win.”

DAVID

TARIK

MITCHELL

Trubisky QUARTERBACK

CHASE

Daniel QUARTERBACK

AGE: 25 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 222

AGE: 32 | HT: 6-0 | WT: 225

EXPERIENCE: 3 years

EXPERIENCE: 11 years

COLLEGE: North Carolina

COLLEGE: Missouri

SKINNY: As a sophomore, he was a Pro Bowl alternate who more than tripled his rookie passing TD total, upped his passer rating more than 10 points, his completion percentage over seven points and his adjusted yards per pass attempt improved from 6.1 to 7.3. Trubisky also emerged as one of the NFL’s most dangerous running quarterbacks.

SKINNY: In going 1-1 while Trubisky was out with a bum shoulder and providing critical mentorship to the young quarterback on and off the field, Daniel proved to team brass he’s someone they “expect to be a Bear for a long time.” The 10year veteran from Missouri is smart, steady and always ready when his number’s called.

2018 STATISTICS

CMP ATT CMP% YDS Y/A TD INT RTG

289 434 66.6 3223 7.4 24 12 95.4

53 76 69.7 515 6.8 3 2 90.6

| CHICAGO BEARS |

MIKE

| CHICAGO BEARS |

KERRITH

ALLEN

Montgomery

Cohen

Davis

Whyte

Robinson

RUNNING BACK

WIDE RECEIVER

AGE: 21 | HT: 5-10 | WT: 222

AGE: 23 | HT: 5-6 | WT: 181

AGE: 26 | HT: 5-9 | WT: 217

AGE: 22 | HT: 5-10 | WT: 200

AGE: 25 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 211

EXPERIENCE: R

EXPERIENCE: 3 years

EXPERIENCE: 5 years

EXPERIENCE: R

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

COLLEGE: Iowa State

COLLEGE: North Carolina A&T

COLLEGE: South Carolina

COLLEGE: Florida Atlantic

COLLEGE: Penn State

SKINNY: The Bears think they found “the complete package” after trading third-, fourthand fifth-round draft choices in exchange for a sixth-round pick and the right to move up 14 spots in the third round for Montgomery, who was a backto-back 1,000-yard rusher and FBS leader in forced missed tackles the past two seasons.

SKINNY: Chicago’s “human joystick” and first-team All Pro punt returner ascended in Year 2 to one of the game’s premier pass-catching running backs. Cohen paced all qualifying NFL running backs with a 10.2-yard per reception average and his 78 percent catch rate trailed only Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott among backs with 70-plus grabs.

SKINNY: The ex-Seahawk appeared to parlay his career year in 2018 into a starting opportunity — at least prior to the selection of Montgomery. Davis’ rushing average has increased in each of his four seasons, and he has a lot more tread on his tires than the departed Jordan Howard, if not Howard’s Pro Bowl credentials.

SKINNY: The lesser-known half of Florida Atlantic’s RB tandem, Whyte averaged 7.1 yards and totaled 10 touchdowns on his 144 touches from scrimmage last season. He has elite 4.38 speed for a running back and, like his pro day 40-yard dash time, Whyte’s 42” vertical leap and 132” broad jump would have paced his position at the NFL Scouting Combine.

SKINNY: In signing A-Rob, the Bears ended their long search for a WR1. He didn’t dominate in the regular season, as he did in the playoffs with his franchiserecord 10-catch, 143-yard performance. But Robinson led the Bears with 36 first down catches and a 13.7 YPC, and he should be better this season, two years removed from ACL surgery.

2018 STATISTICS

| NCAA / IOWA STATE |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

| SEATTLE SEAHAWKS |

| NCAA / FLORIDA ATLANTIC |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

ATT YDS AVG TD TAR REC YDS TD

ATT YDS AVG

TD TAR REC YDS TD

ATT YDS

AVG

TAR REC YDS TD

ATT YDS AVG TD TAR REC YDS TD

TAR REC

257 1216 4.7

99 444 4.5

112 514 4.6

42 34 214 1

134 866 6.5 8 N/A 10

94 55 574 13.7 4 58.5 58 4.2

13 N/A 22 157 0

71 725 5

160 2

YDS AVG TD REC% YPG CG

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

MARK

2019

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

ANTHONY

CORDARRELLE

TAYLOR

JAVON

RILEY

Miller

Gabriel

Patterson

Wims

Ridley

WIDE RECEIVER

AGE: 24 | HT: 5-11 | WT: 190

AGE: 28 | HT: 5-8 | WT: 165

AGE: 28 | HT: 6-2 | WT: 228

AGE: 24 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 215

AGE: 22 | HT: 6-1 | WT: 199

EXPERIENCE: 2 years

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

EXPERIENCE: 7 years

EXPERIENCE: 2 years

EXPERIENCE: R

COLLEGE: Memphis

COLLEGE: Abilene Christian

COLLEGE: Tennessee

COLLEGE: Georgia

SKINNY: Few Bears showed their toughness more than Miller, who as a rookie led the team in receiving TDs despite battling through a recurring left shoulder dislocation and torn labrum requiring offseason surgery. Call it gritty. Call it the “Memphis Grind.” We’re calling for an even bigger encore performance from Miller.

SKINNY: Everyone knew Gabriel had track speed “you can feel,” to borrow a Ryan Pace-ism, but it was his impressive ball skills and ability to separate that stood out the most in Gabriel’s navy and orange debut last season. He’ll need to show even more to stick out again in a vastly improved WR corps this year.

SKINNY: Listed as a receiver, Patterson is really a triple threat who will also line up at running back and has two Pro Bowls under his belt as a kick returner, where his 30-yard career average trails only one player in NFL history, Bears legend Gale Sayers. The former Vikings firstrounder boasts the speed and versatility Matt Nagy craves.

SKINNY: He led the NFL in preseason receiving as a rookie and maximized his only extensive regular-season opportunity in the last game of the year. Wims is the biggest receiver on the roster, and his size and physicality will be his biggest selling points as he attempts to emerge in an increasingly crowded roster battle.

SKINNY: Georgia’s leading receiver last season and the little brother of the Atlanta Falcons 2018 All Rookie wideout, Calvin Ridley, Riley was a terrific value in Round 4 and clear evidence of Pace’s best-player-available draft approach. His route running and competitiveness shine on film and could give him a shot at making meaningful contributions as a rookie.

2018 STATISTICS

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TAR REC

YDS AVG TD REC% YPG CG

TAR REC YDS

AVG TD REC% YPG CG

54 33 423 12.8 7 61.1 28.2 2.2

93 67 688 10.3 2 72

TREY

43 4.2

ADAM

TAR REC YDS

AVG TD REC% Y PG CG

28 21 247 11.8 3 75 16.5 1.4

KYLE

| NCAA / GEORGIA |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

| NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TAR REC

YDS AVG TD REC% YPG CG

TAR REC YDS AVG TD REC% YPG CG

32 8

N/A 44 570 13 9 N/A 40.7 N/A

0 80 8

CODY

Burton

Shaheen

Long

Whitehair

TIGHT END

OFFENSIVE LINE

JAMES

Daniels OFFENSIVE LINE

AGE: 27 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 235

AGE: 24 | HT: 6-6 | WT: 270

AGE: 30 | HT: 6-6 | WT: 316

AGE: 26 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 310

AGE: 21 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 295

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

EXPERIENCE: 3 years

EXPERIENCE: 7 years

EXPERIENCE: 4 years

EXPERIENCE: 2 years

COLLEGE: Florida

COLLEGE: Ashland

COLLEGE: Oregon

COLLEGE: Kansas State

COLLEGE: Iowa

SKINNY: His first year as a fulltime starter, when he nearly doubled his career receiving stats in all categories, was almost as good as advertised. Burton’s mysterious groin injury that popped up on the eve of the wild-card loss to his former team was disappointing — for Burton as much as anyone — and left unfinished business as he comes off sports hernia surgery.

SKINNY: He appeared to be coming on strong last August when a preseason ankle/ foot injury largely derailed his sophomore season. The Bears say the former Ashland University product’s arrow remains pointed up entering his third season, when he’ll be expected to emerge as the twoway threat at the “Y” position he was drafted to be.

SKINNY: The longest-tenured homegrown player started only eight regular-season games for the second time in the past three seasons and the third straight in which he played nine games or less, but for the first time in three years he didn’t require any offseason surgery. Long agreed to a contract revision to ensure his return for his seventh season.

SKINNY: The most consistent blocker last season, the Pro Bowl alternate will pivot from center to left guard in this, his contract year. He has played more than 99 percent of the total reps on offense since entering the league — including 100 percent for the first time last season, when he cut down on his penalties and bad snaps.

SKINNY: He became the fulltime LG starter shortly after his 21st birthday, making 11 consecutive starts to end the season and flashing his immense athletic upside as a pulling run blocker. Daniels will switch in his second season to center, where he was among the best in the country as a 23-game starter at Iowa.

2018 STATISTICS

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TAR REC YDS AVG TD REC% YPG CG

TAR REC

YDS AVG TD REC% YPG CG

GS SNAPS

GP GS SNAPS

76 54 569 10.5 6 71.1 35.6 3.4

16 16 1075

16 10

9.6

1 83.3 8 0.8

511

762

2019 CHARLES

BOBBY

BRADLEY

TED

Leno Jr.

Massie

Sowell

Larsen

OFFENSIVE LINE

TIGHT END

OFFENSIVE LINE

AKIEM

Hicks DEFENSIVE LINE

AGE: 31 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 323

AGE: 29 | HT: 6-5 | WT: 332

AGE: 27 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 306

AGE: 29 | HT: 6-6 | WT: 317

AGE: 30 | HT: 6-7 | WT: 312

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

EXPERIENCE: 8 years

EXPERIENCE: 10 years

EXPERIENCE: 8 years

COLLEGE: Boise State

COLLEGE: Mississippi

COLLEGE: North Carolina State

COLLEGE: Regina (Canada)

SKINNY: The long and athletic Leno reduced his penalties from a team-high 13 two seasons ago to seven last year, while starting every game for a third consecutive season. He continues to improve his game after signing a four-year, $37 million extension two offseasons ago and went to the Pro Bowl last year as an alternate.

SKINNY: Re-signed before the new league year opened to a five-year extension that can reach $40 million, Massie can be a road-grading run blocker and usually holds his own in pass protection but will struggle with wide speed. His team-friendly deal allowed the Bears to focus on other key offseason freeagent decisions.

SKINNY: Chicago’s experienced swing tackle and the recipient last season of a gift from “Santa’s Sleigh,” the trick play call by Matt Nagy in the Bears signature victory over the Rams, with 10 lineman on the field including Sowell, hauled in his first TD catch since 2008 at Ole Miss. Nagy was so impressed Sowell will attempt a switch from tackle to tight end this year.

SKINNY: The salty 10-year vet begins his second stint with the Bears, following a two-year run in Miami, where he made 21 starts, running his career total to 86. The utility interior blocker’s return to Bourbonnais should increase the intensity on the practice fields he’s tussled on before.

SKINNY: A few months after earning his first and overdue Pro Bowl nod, Hicks was the veteran recipient of Chicago’s Brian Piccolo Award. And with 16 sacks and 27 TFLs combined over the past two seasons, the linchpin of the Bears D-line also just might be one of the most underrated defenders in the league.

2018 STATISTICS

| MIAMI DOLPHINS |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

GP GS SNAPS

16 16 1067

16 16 1070

EDDIE

BILAL

Goldman

Nichols

DEFENSIVE LINE

AGE: 25 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 320

AGE: 22 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 290

EXPERIENCE: 5 years

EXPERIENCE: 2 years

COLLEGE: Flordia State

COLLEGE: Delaware

SKINNY: The Bears wouldn’t have fielded the NFL’s stoutest run ‘D’ in 2018 without Goldman, who averaged 42 tackles over the past two seasons and tallied 3 sacks a year ago, marking his highest total since 2015. Goldman’s four-year, $42 million extension last offseason might wind up being a bargain.

SKINNY: No one came farther, quicker out of last year’s rookie class to make a significant impact than Nichols. The former Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hen (also Matt Nagy’s alma mater) earned a starting job by season’s end with his knack for creating havoc in the backfield from different alignments and was named an All Rookie member by ESPN.

2018 STATISTICS

2018 STATISTICS | CHICAGO BEARS |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH PD FF

40 5

28 5

3 0 0

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TAR REC YDS AVG TD REC% YPG CG

2 1

1 50

55 12 7.5 65.5 16 5 3

751

N/A N/A

ROY

RobertsonHarris DEFENSIVE LINE AGE: 25 | HT: 6-7 | WT: 294 EXPERIENCE: 3 years COLLEGE: Texas-El Paso SKINNY: A long and powerful defender, the exclusive rights free agent could cash in this year with another strong campaign on the heels of his career 2018 season. Robertson-Harris defends the run, provides an inside push, and will even occasionally drop into coverage, flashing the versatility to spell Chicago’s front-line stars in a variety of ways.

2018 STATISTICS | CHICAGO BEARS |

3 29.5 7 0 2

15 13

JONATHAN

ROQUAN

Bullard

Smith LINEBACKER

AGE: 25 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 296

AGE: 22 | HT: 6-1 | WT: 236

EXPERIENCE: 4 years

EXPERIENCE: 2 years

COLLEGE: Florida

COLLEGE: Georgia

SKINNY: Though he fell behind Nichols and Robertson-Harris on the depth chart, Bullard has the best draft pedigree of the three and plenty of untapped potential entering what ultimately could be his walk season. However, he must find more ways to use his length and get-off to affect the quarterback while others attract more attention.

SKINNY: The Bears rookie Piccolo Award recipient was also another NFL All-Rookie performer last season, leading the team in tackles and recording the first of his five QB sacks on his first-ever NFL snap. A fast and physical sideline-tosideline playmaker, Smith should be a leader and Pro Bowler on this unit for years to come.

2018 STATISTICS | CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH PD FF

22 3

18 3

25 11 2 0

DEFENSIVE LINE

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH PD FF

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH PD FF

GP GS SNAPS

1 2 0

2018 STATISTICS | CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH PD FF

121 8

5 5 0

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

2019

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

DANNY

JOEL

NICK

Trevathan

Iyiegbuniwe

Kwiatkoski

LINEBACKER

AGE: 29 | HT: 6-1 | WT: 239

AGE: 23 | HT: 6-1 | WT: 230

AGE: 26 | HT: 6-2 | WT: 242

EXPERIENCE: 8 years

EXPERIENCE: 2 years

EXPERIENCE: 4 years

COLLEGE: Kentucky

COLLEGE: Western Kentucky

COLLEGE: West Virginia

SKINNY: Starting every game for his first time as a Bear, Trevathan finished second on the team in tackles and played a primary role in helping develop Smith following the rookie’s lengthy preseason holdout. One of the veteran leaders on the NFL’s top-rated ‘D,’ Trevathan sets the tone as a three-down linebacker with his consistency and physicality.

SKINNY: “Iggy,” as his teammates call him, quickly locked down a core special-teams role, in which he led the Bears in snaps and tied for first in tackles. After barely playing on defense as a rookie, Iyiegbuniwe’s growth there will be important to monitor with Trevathan in a contract year.

SKINNY: He trailed only Iyiegbuniwe in snaps and tackles on special teams and filled in as a Week 1 defensive starter while Smith was getting his feet wet. The hard-hitting Kwiatkoski brings plenty of energy and toughness to the field but lacks a little in coverage, as he is best as a downhill run thumper and special teamer.

2018 STATISTICS

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH P D FF

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH PD FF

102 8

9 1

15 0 0

4 6 1

0 0 0 0

1 0 0

Mitch Trubisky

KEVIN

KHALIL

LEONARD

AP PHOTO

AARON

KYLIE

Pierre-Louis

Mack

Floyd

Lynch

Fitts

LINEBACKER

AGE: 27 | HT: 6-0 | WT: 230

AGE: 28 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 252

AGE: 26 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 251

AGE: 26 | HT: 6-6 | WT: 270

AGE: 24 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 260

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

EXPERIENCE: 4 years

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

EXPERIENCE: 2 years

COLLEGE: Boston College

COLLEGE: Buffalo

COLLEGE: Georgia

COLLEGE: South Florida

COLLEGE: Utah

SKINNY: The Bears signed the journeyman Pierre-Louis this offseason after he enjoyed his best work with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 when Matt Nagy was their offensive coordinator. Originally a fourth-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks, the fast and athletic PierreLouis will try to earn his keep on special teams.

SKINNY: Mack’s first year in Chicago, after becoming one of the biggest trade acquisitions in franchise history, began with Defensive Player of the Month honors and ended in his third First-Team All-Pro nod since 2014. Mack was inactive for two games and limited in two others (high ankle sprain) or he would have pushed Aaron Donald for Defensive MVP honors.

SKINNY: Despite breaking his hand last August, Floyd played a full season for the first time, logging career highs in tackles and passes defensed and recording his first defensive touchdown. The Bears exercised their 2020 fifth-year option on Floyd and now he gets a full, healthy offseason working opposite Mack.

SKINNY: After missing most of his first offseason with a balky hamstring issue, Lynch parlayed his reunion with Vic Fangio into his best season since 2015 and another oneyear deal, positioning him for another crack at free agency next offseason at age 27. He was among the team’s most productive defenders on a persnap basis.

SKINNY: Strictly a reserve outside linebacker as a rookie, Fitts’ path back to the 53 could hinge on his ability to contribute more on special teams, where his size and speed are potential untapped resources. If he can become a professional pass rusher in spot duty — which is what he was drafted for — it’d be a bonus.

2018 STATISTICS

| NEW YORK JETS |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH PD FF

7 1

47 10 12.5 78 18 4 6

47 9

16 4

0 0 0

2 0 1

32 11 4 0

8 1 0

0 0 0 0

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

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2019

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

ISAIAH

KYLE

PRINCE

Irving

Fuller

Amukamara

LINEBACKER

DEFENSIVE BACK

AGE: 24 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 254

AGE: 27 | HT: 5-11 | WT: 190

AGE: 30 | HT: 6-0 | WT: 204

EXPERIENCE: 3 years

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

EXPERIENCE: 9 years

COLLEGE: San Jose State

COLLEGE: Virginia Tech

COLLEGE: Nebraska

SKINNY: Irving has been one of the team’s better pass rushers in each of the past two preseasons, but he is still attempting to carve out a more established regularseason role. His effort and quickness off the ball are assets, but Irving doesn’t have the size and strength of Chicago’s other edge rushers.

SKINNY: His career-best seven interceptions tied for the league lead and vaulted Fuller to his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. It came on the heels of a 12-month period in which the Bears first declined his fifth-year option, and then had to use the transition tag prior to retaining him by matching an offer from the Packers of one of the NFL’s biggest CB contracts.

SKINNY: He might not have reached his lofty 10-INT goal, but Amukamara picked off three passes — two more than in his previous three seasons combined — while starting at least 15 games for the first time since 2013. Feisty vs. the run and pass, the former Giants first-rounder is enjoying a nice second act after floundering with the Giants and Jaguars.

2018 STATISTICS

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK YDS QBH PD FF

10 1

3 0 0

TKL TFL SACK

55 0

0 21 7

PD INT

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK FF PD INT

66 3

2 12 3

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2019

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

BUSTER

Skrine DEFENSIVE BACK

SHERRICK

McManis

DUKE

Shelley

DEFENSIVE BACK

AGE: 30 | HT: 5-9 | WT: 185

AGE: 31 | HT: 6-1 | WT: 193

AGE: 22 | HT: 5-9 | WT: 180

EXPERIENCE: 9 years

EXPERIENCE: 10 years

EXPERIENCE: R

COLLEGE: TennesseeChattanooga

COLLEGE: Northwestern

COLLEGE: Kansas State

SKINNY: The longest-tenured player is one of the league’s steadier special teamers. With increased CB compeition, he spent time this offseason at safety after performing ably at nickel in Callahan’s stead last season. However, McManis was in coverage in the slot on the Eagles wild-card game-winning TD. His best role is special teams.

SKINNY: A four-year starter at Kansas State, Shelley broke up 39 passes — including eight interceptions — playing outside for the Wildcats but now is transitioning to nickel. His quickness and energy earned him praise from Matt Nagy throughout the offseason program, and his athleticism is off the charts.

2018 STATISTICS

SKINNY: Bryce Callahan’s replacement has long had a fan in Ryan Pace, in part because of an aggressive and rugged style reminiscent of Callahan’s. Skrine has been a lot more durable than Callahan, missing only five games with injuries over eight seasons, albeit all in the past three years, but he hasn’t been as disciplined or dynamic.

2018 STATISTICS | NEW YORK JETS |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

| NCAA / KANSAS STATE |

TKL TFL SACK FF PD INT

58 4 0.5

26 7

33 1

8 0

4 1

9 3

Roquan Smith

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EDDIE

Jackson

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Clinton-Dix

DEFENSIVE BACK

AGE: 23 | HT: 6-3 | WT: 220

AGE: 25 | HT: 6-0 | WT: 202

AGE: 26 | HT: 6-1 | WT: 208

EXPERIENCE: R

EXPERIENCE: 3 years

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

COLLEGE: Valdosta State

COLLEGE: Alabama

SKINNY: One of the more impressive physical specimens on the roster, Denmark logged a 4.48 40-yard dash and 43.5inch vertical at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds. That unique size and athleticism helped compel him late in Valdosta State’s 2017 season to transition from receiver to corner and makes him among the Bears more intriguing rookies.

SKINNY: He’s the only player since the merger not named Deion with three 65-plus yard return touchdowns in a twoseason span, and his five return scores are the most in the NFL since 2015. A Pro Bowler and first-team All Pro in his second season, Jackson is already among the game’s most feared defensive playmakers.

SKINNY: He reunites with Jackson, his former Alabama secondary mate and close friend, on a prove-it deal after the exPackers first-rounder left money on the table to leave Washington and join a contender. Clinton-Dix has 14 INTs and 28 PDs in five seasons, but he must become a more willing and reliable tackler .

2018 STATISTICS

| NCAA / VALDOSTA STATE |

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK

PD INT

TKL TFL SACK

55 8

9 3

51 2

2 15 6

PD INT

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

| WASHINGON/G.B. PACKERS |

TKL TFL SACK

PD INT

93 1

6 3

AP PHOTO

Kyle Fuller

DEANDRE

DEON

Bush

EDDY

Pineiro

PATRICK

O’Donnell

Scales

HoustonCarson

DEFENSIVE BACK

AGE: 25 | HT: 6-0 | WT: 205

AGE: 23 | HT: 6-0 | WT: 185

AGE: 28 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 217

AGE: 31 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 239

EXPERIENCE: 4 years

EXPERIENCE: 2 years

EXPERIENCE: 6 years

EXPERIENCE: 4 years

COLLEGE: Miami, Florida

COLLEGE: Florida

COLLEGE: Miami, Florida

COLLEGE: Utah State

SKINNY: Bush started in Jackson’s injury absence late last season and in the playoffs but will need to make his biggest mark as a reserve safety and on special teams in his contract year. It will be another chance for him to prove he has starter upside, with Chicago’s safety corps unsettled beyond this season.

SKINNY: Pineiro is the presumed favorite entering camp to replace Cody Parkey. He holds the Gators all-time accuracy mark and appeared poised to win the Raiders job as an undrafted rookie last summer before suffering a season-ending groin injury. He and fellow PK Elliott Fry will be the most closely watched new additions in Bourbonnais.

SKINNY: One of four remaining Bears from ex-GM Phil Emery’s regime, O’Donnell tied career highs with a 39.7-yard net average and 28 punts inside the 20, and he holds the franchise record for gross average (44.9 yards). He was mostly great in his playoff debut last season, but he shanked a punt immediately preceding the Eagles gamewinning touchdown drive.

SKINNY: Scales, who returned from a 2017 preseason ACL tear to appear in all 16 games last season, brings four years of experience with the Bears (37 combined games) to a revamped third phase. After beginning his career with the Ravens as a 2011 undrafted free agent, Scales now comprises part of what should be the NFL’s most scrutinized kicking operation.

2018 STATISTICS

AGE: 26 | HT: 6-1 | WT: 205 EXPERIENCE: 4 years COLLEGE: William & Mary SKINNY: He leads the Bears in combined special teams tackles over the past two seasons, and after they initially opted not to tender him as an exclusive rights free agent, DHC returns on a one-year deal. He has a nice blend of size and speed and had a strong 2018 training camp before breaking his right arm.

2018 STATISTICS | CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK

PD INT

10 0

0 0

| CHICAGO BEARS |

PLACEKICKER

| OAKLAND RAIDERS |

PUNTER

| CHICAGO BEARS |

TKL TFL SACK FF PD INT

FGM FGA PCT LNG XPM XPA PCT PTS

TOT YDS AVG

8 1 1

SPENT SEASON ON INJURED RESERVE

62 2791 45 39.7 28 7 20 150

1 0 0

NET IN20 TB RET YDS

LONG SNAPPER

| CHICAGO BEARS |

SNAPS

140

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

WHERE THE BEARS FIT IN Matt Nagy has a whole new arsenal of weapons

hen Hub asked me to write a column about the fantasy prospects of Bears players, something occurred to me: In 2019, the Bears actually have some realistic fantasy options … on the offensive side of the ball! It’s been a while. Since fantasy football began gaining enormous popularity in the 1990s, Chicago has yielded few fantasy options, save for a running back here or there, and a couple of stellar D/ST squads. This season, there are at least six Bears who will be drafted in leagues of all sizes: Mitch Trubisky, Tarik Cohen, David Montgomery, Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, and Trey Burton. And a few more — including Adam Shaheen, Taylor Gabriel, Mike Davis and whoever emerges as the top

placekicker — will be selected in larger drafts. Of course, before we get too drunk on orange and blue Kool Aid, we should keep in mind that outside of a D/ST that finished No. 1 in most fantasy formats, the Bears had only two offensive players (Trubisky and Cohen) in Fantasy Pros’ top 100 scorers of 2018. Only Trubisky finished in the top 50. With those two seemingly conflicting perspectives in mind, let’s take a look at the fantasy potential of some key Chicago Bears.

MITCH TRUBISKY Quarterback

BOOM: Last season, Trubisky fared pretty well for a rookie. Yes, 2018 was technically his second season as

a starting NFL quarterback, but you might as well toss out his actual rookie season. Under head coach John Fox in 2017, Trubisky piloted an offense that Vince Lombardi would have viewed as overly conservative. After throwing just seven touchdowns in that waste of a season, Trubisky threw for 24 touchdowns and 3,223 yards in 14 games last year. The Bears have surrounded Trubisky with offensive talent. The running game will keep defenses honest, as will Trubisky’s ability to take off. In 2018, he contributed 421 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Only four quarterbacks — Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson, and Cam Newton — rushed for more yards than Trubisky last season. BUST: Trubisky finished 20 th in passing yards last season. Even more disappointing, he was 29th in passing yards per game. He was just 14th in TD passes. He missed two starts with a right shoulder injury. He possesses decent size, but he’s no Newton. The

J.C. TALON

hits are going to add up. Trubisky will either cut down on his rushing attempts, or he’ll be susceptible to injury. Neither scenario is great for fantasy purposes. BOTTOM LINE: The bet here is Trubisky is a player on the rise and he will build off his 2018 numbers. There are a lot more positives than negatives. Consider Trubisky a premier backup in smaller leagues and a low-end QB1 in larger leagues. Whether you draft him as your starter or your backup, he offers plenty of upside.

TARIK COHEN

Running Back (eligible at WR in some formats)

BOOM: Cohen was clearly the Bears’

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

• FANTASY Continued from page 24 most valuable offensive fantasy player in 2018. He led the Bears in receptions and was second in rushing and receiving yards He produced 444 yards on 99 rushing attempts (4.5 yards per carry) and three scores. He was even more productive in the passing game, amassing 71 receptions for 725 yards and five touchdowns. Among running backs, only James White of the Patriots and Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey had more receiving yards. Cohen’s 71 catches were good for fifth among NFL RBs, behind only McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, White and Alvin Kamara. He is perhaps the Bears’ greatest home-run threat — he can score from anywhere on the field in any situation. BUST: There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Bears offense. In the passing game, Robinson, Miller, Burton and others are going to get their targets. On the ground, rookie David Montgomery is likely to be the first option. Free agent addition Mike Davis is coming off career bests in rushing attempts (112) and yards per carry (4.6) last season with Seattle. Forty running backs had more carries last season than Cohen. At 5-6 181 pounds, Cohen is not built for heavy-duty usage. Looking ahead, it would not surprise if Cohen’s 170 touches from 2018 wound up being a career high. BOTTOM LINE: Cohen is a useful fantasy weapon in leagues of all sizes. He is unlikely to be one of the first 10, or even 20, running backs drafted. If he’s your RB3 or top flex option, however, your team should be in good shape.

ALLEN ROBINSON Wide Receiver

BOOM: Robinson signed a three-year, $42 million contract in the 2018 offseason and responded by leading the Bears with 94 targets last season. He also led the team with 754 receiving yards. He tallied 55 receptions and four receiving touchdowns. Robinson had a monster 2015 in Jacksonville (80/1,400/14) and tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns. BUST: Robinson missed all but one game in 2017 with a torn ACL. In 2016, he experienced a significant drop-off from the previous season (883 receiving yards and six scores). Last season, Robinson finished third on the Bears in receptions and fourth in receiving TDs. His longest reception in 2018 was just 42 yards. BOTTOM LINE: It is highly unlikely Robinson will ever match his incredible performance from 2015. With that in mind, he is a crafty veteran and a reliable target for Trubisky. Improved production from his first year with the Bears is a definite possibility in 2019. On the other hand, there is little doubt Matt Nagy will spread the ball around. A stat line of 65/850/7 receiving seems a decent bet, which makes Robinson a solid WR2 in larger leagues, and a WR3 in more compact leagues.

ANTHONY MILLER Wide Receiver

DAVID MONTGOMERY Running Back

BOOM: Last season, in his junior year at Iowa State, Montgomery toted the ball 257 times for 1,216 yards (4.7 average) and 13 touchdowns. In his three seasons at ISU, he gained nearly 3,000 yards on the ground and produced 26 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 71 passes for 582 yards. He was first-team all Big 12 in 2017 and second team in 2018. In Pro Football Weekly’s 2019 Draft Guide, Greg Gabriel listed Montgomery as the No. 3 back on the board, and compared him in style and traits to Kareem Hunt. BUST: Most pre-draft analysis described Montgomery along the lines of “solid, but unspectacular.” He lacks ideal speed and is unlikely to break off a lot of long runs. He had zero receiving touchdowns in his Iowa State career. Davis and Cohen will siphon carries. It’s possible he’s a slightly more versatile Jordan Howard. BOTTOM LINE: Montgomery is an interesting fantasy prospect, to say the least. If he gets the lion’s share of the carries, including goal-line work, he could be a top-20 fantasy prospect. If the Bears go full running-back-by-committee, he could look more like a RB3 or RB4, depending on how he produces with limited touches. The thinking here is that Montgomery will get the most carries of any Bears back, and that he will produce. We see him as a solid RB2 with upside. Not all will agree, however.

BOOM: The Bears traded up in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft to select Miller. The rookie responded by leading the team with seven receiving touchdowns. Miller is extremely quick and elusive, which makes him a great option at the goal line, despite his lack of ideal size. BUST: Although he answered the bell for 15 of 16 regular season games, Miller was limited by a nagging shoulder injury in his rookie season. At 5-11, 190 pounds, injuries are a real concern, especially considering Miller’s aggressive style of play. He produced less than two receptions in five of 15 regular season games he played in 2018. He finished the year with just 33 catches for 423 yards. BOTTOM LINE: Miller has more upside than Robinson. If he stays healthy, he will undoubtedly improve on his 2018 production in receptions and yards. Considering the number of options in Chicago’s offense, and coupling that with Miller’s potential for injury, Miller projects as a WR3 or WR4 with upside.

TREY BURTON Tight End

BOOM: Burton joined the Bears as a free agent last

season. Given his first opportunity as a starting tight end, he responded with career bests in receptions (54), receiving yards (569) and touchdowns (six). He finished 10th among NFL tight ends in receptions and 13th in yards. Burton is only 235 pounds, and is built for catching and running, not blocking. Multi-talented, he’s the Swiss Army knife in the Bears offense. BUST: Burton underwent sports hernia surgery in the offseason. To make things more problematic, the Bears have been evasive when fielding questions about Burton’s injury. Like everyone else in Chicago’s offense, he plays a role and is not a focal point. His production will be limited by a balanced attack. BOTTOM LINE: The most troubling issue is the injury. Monitor his progress through camp and the preseason. If healthy, Burton is a low-end TE1.

ADAM SHAHEEN Tight End

BOOM: The Bears traded down nine spots to select Shaheen 45th overall in the 2018 Draft. At 6-6, 270, he poses a tough matchup for defenders, particularly near the goal line. BUST: If you decide to draft Shaheen, you should first ask yourself which one of his five receptions last year was your favorite. He has 17 catches in two injury-prone seasons. He played in just six games in 2018. BOTTOM LINE: Once you draft your TE1, it might make sense to take a late-round flier on Shaheen. The Bears must have seen something they liked when they selected him in the second round.

••• Other potential options …

Eddy Pineiro, place kicker: Someone is going to win the kicking job, and whoever it is, they’ll have decent fantasy potential. Pineiro has the inside shot and the biggest leg in the group. Taylor Gabriel, wide receiver: Although he disappeared in stretches, Gabriel actually finished 23rd in receptions among wide receivers last season. The downside: he averaged just 10.3 yards per catch and had only two TDs. With a plethora of emerging options in the Bears attack, it’s hard to imagine him even matching those numbers in 2019. Mike Davis, running back: How you feel about David Montgomery will influence your perspective on Davis. We’re going with the theory that the Davis signing was insurance in case the Bears didn’t get the back they wanted in the draft. They got the back they wanted, which means Davis only has a fantasy impact if Montgomery is injured or unproductive. Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver, running back, kickoff returner: Patterson is a gadget guy, but a really, really fast gadget guy. He’s a nice pick in leagues that allow for individual special teamers. BEARS D/ST: The Bears 2018 defense ranked at the top or near the top in nearly every defensive category. Most importantly, they were the top-scoring defense in nearly every fantasy format. Entering your draft you’ll have to decide how early you want to pull the trigger. We still love the Bears ‘D,’ but they do play a much tougher schedule in 2019. Don’t let your fan love cloud your thinking. Remember, they’ve got nowhere to go (fantasy-wise) but down.

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

First Down Completed Pass

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN By

ARTHUR ARKUSH

Replacing Vic Fangio is a tough task, but easy to think Chuck Pagano is right man for job

“I was energized. I had time to reset, recharge,” Pagano explained in May of his arrival in Chicago. “When what you love, it’s been taken away from you and [you] know you have an opportunity to be back doing what you love, that’s coaching and being around great coaches and great players and guys that love ball — it’s real easy.”

r a d l e y S o w e l l will never forget the last time C h u c k Pagano returned from a f o r c e d

coaching leave. It was late in the 2012 season, roughly three months after the then-Indianapolis Colts rookie head coach was diagnosed with leukemia. Sowell, now a Bears tight end, was a rookie offensive lineman at the time and describes the emotional scene of his head coach’s return following a leave of absence to undergo chemotherapy. “It was a crazy moment,” Sowell recalled. “I’ll never forget when he walked in the locker room, he walked in and everyone just broke down crying. He’s such a genuine person, a player’s coach. He’s easy to converse with. He’s just a cool-ass guy.” The Colts started 1-2 that season, prior to Pagano’s illness, and went 9-3 under the guidance of interim head coach Bruce Arians, welcoming Pagano back to a playoff team. Arians was named the NFL’s first dual winner of Coach/Assistant Coach of the Year honors, but he credits the turnaround to the inspiration the players drew from Pagano. Sowell, who said he couldn’t wait to give his old head coach a hug when the two reunited this spring, agrees. “You look at what he’s been through,” Sowell says. “It can always be a lot worse. We’re very lucky to have him here, to look at that and have it be an inspiration to us.”

vvv Pagano’s latest return is under vastly different conditions. The new Bears defensive coordinator is healthy, in remission for six-plus years, but was out of the NFL last season, his first away from coaching in 33 years, when

vvv

AP PHOTO

he first became a graduate assistant at USC in 1984. After helping guide the Colts to three consecutive 11-5 finishes and playoff berths, Pagano’s club missed the postseason three times, culminating in his firing at the end of the 2017 campaign. That led to a year dedicated to, “the three Rs: it gave me time to rest, recharge and reflect,” Pagano said in January, when he was introduced as

Chicago’s replacement for Vic Fangio, who took the top job with the Denver Broncos. The 58-year-old Pagano bided his time last year consulting for the league, catching up with his wife, three daughters and three granddaughters and making unnecessary trips to the dry cleaners. “I was taking in clean shirts to find something to do,” he said. So much for resting.

Taking the reins from the Assistant Coach of the Year, Fangio, or “Evil Genius,” as his players affectionately call him, is no small charge. He parlayed his work overseeing the best defense in football last season into his first head coaching opportunity. Meantime, the Bears have raised the bar significantly to where anything short of another NFC North title and winning a playoff game this season would qualify as a letdown. Yet there are ample reasons to believe that in pivoting from Fangio to Pagano, the Bears are well positioned for the best-case transition with a defense that paved the way for last year’s division title breakthrough by allowing the fewest points and rushing yards, and generating easily the most takeaways in the league. For one, in Pagano’s lone season as a defensive coordinator, in 2011, his Baltimore Ravens had the NFL’s top-rated ‘D’ in terms of Football Outsiders DVOA, same as the Bears last season. And guess who was part of the Ravens staff alongside Pagano in four of the previous five seasons? “There’s a lot of [schematic] carry-over,” Pagano explained of hailing from the same Ravens system as Fangio, a defensive assistant in Baltimore from 2006-08 and the team’s LBs coach in ‘09. “I come from a 3-4 background and system. So we’re not going to try to jam square pegs into round holes. There is a ton of talent here. So we’ll always do the best that we can to put

See PAGANO, page 29

• PAGANO them in the best possible position to be successful and play to their strengths.” Pagano had a ton of talent as the Ravens defensive coordinator, just as he now has and Fangio benefited from in Chicago. But that was rarely the case for the duration of Pagano’s six seasons in Indianapolis, where he received only four top-100 draft picks on defense from 2012-16, with three of them already out of the league. “The team that coach Nagy and [GM] Ryan [Pace] have put together front to back, you’ve got speed, you’ve got athleticism at all three levels. And they work great together, they communicate really well together. … So a lot of parallels, a lot of similarities,” Pagano said of his current personnel and that Baltimore team. vvv Pep Hamilton has been on five NFL coaching staffs, but it wasn’t until his fourth stop, as Colts offensive coordinator in 2013, that he felt that his football team doubled as a family. “It was the first time that I had been into an NFL facility and felt like all the players and coaches really cared about each other,” Hamilton, the former Bears QB coach and current coach of Washington’s new XFL franchise, recalled of replacing Arians on Pagano’s 2013 staff. “I think Chuck’s situation, the adversity that he had to overcome, it really galvanized that organization and everyone rallied around Chuck and wanted to show that we could persevere as a team the same way Chuck did.” In their first two seasons working together, the Colts advanced to the divisional round and conference championship game, respectively, prior to the offense going south in 2015 and Pagano firing Hamilton in November of that year. It’s a fact that makes Hamilton’s unequivocal respect for Pagano even more poignant. “That’s one of his greatest gifts, and that is really to get the players and coaches that work for him to trust him, to open up, to submit to his process, and I think that’s not commonplace in the National Football League,” Hamilton said. And as someone who went from his post at Stanford University, where he worked with the then-Cardinal defensive coordinator Fangio for a season, to Pagano’s Colts, it makes Hamilton uniquely qualified to explain why the Bears can make a seamless transition. “They’re both able to get the players to bend over backwards for them and play hard,” Hamilton said.

American Team head coach Chuck Pagano celebrates with his players after a 10-7 win over the National Team in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl football game in Pasadena, Calif. AP PHOTO

“And they’re both really good coaches, which is why they have had a lot of success in the National Football League and sustained their careers in a league not built for longevity.” Former Bears Defensive Rookie of the Year Mark Carrier, like Hamilton, worked with Pagano and Fangio — on the same Ravens defensive staff — and shares that sentiment as far as his former colleagues’ ability to connect with players. It’s a critical quality for any coach but especially Pagano as he attempts to forge a similarly successful working relationship as the one Fangio spent four years shaping. The Bears return 10 starters to the NFL’s premier defense, making it potentially easy to assign blame — from inside and outside of Halas Hall — to Pagano if any drop-off occurs. Fortunately, Pagano enters an unusually harmonious locker room cultivated by Nagy, and it can’t hurt that he previously flourished managing the various egos on those Ravens

star-laden units. “The thing I loved about Chuck was his relatability to players,” Carrier said. “He knew how to talk to players, from the Ed Reeds to the Haloti Ngatas to Terrell Suggs. He has a great way of communicating with the players where they buy in and he develops trust and relationships with them and guys love to play for him.” vvv The Bears defense is young but fully familiar with Hall of Famer Ray Lewis and two of his former teammates whose Canton callings aren’t far off, Reed and Suggs. It hasn’t shied away from reaching for similar heights, like matching the Lewis-led 2000 Baltimore ‘D’ that won a Super Bowl and was the highest-rated DVOA ‘D’ since last year’s Bears. Pagano, then, can inspire with his winning battle over leukemia and earn trust with his contagious enthu-

29 FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

Continued from page 28

siasm and affable personality, but it’s the successful ties to Lewis and Co. that are likely to build as much if not more cache with his current players. For instance, All Pro S Eddie Jackson’s favorite safety is Reed, whose ties to Pagano span back to their time together at the University of Miami. “When I heard that, that’s all I needed to here, for real,” Jackson said. “To see the things — the type of defense, the style of play he’s put in for us — I feel like we’re going to have a lot of success.” Mind you, Jackson said this even before Pagano first extolled the similarities between his newest ball-hawking safety and arguably the best to ever do it. Pro Bowl alternate Danny Trevathan spent the past three seasons playing under Fangio, who essentially is to linebackers what Arians has been to quarterbacks. So when he calls Pagano’s scheme “linebacker heaven,” it’s notable. “Perfect coach for where we’re at right now,” Trevathan said. “He’s got that swag; he’s got that attitude. It’s a blessing for us to be in the presence of him. … He wants us to fly around. That’s the type of football I love and I enjoy. It’s linebacker friendly, it’s linebacker fun and it’s linebacker heaven with him.” Jackson and Trevathan are two of the numerous Bears players this offseason to note the increased energy and chatter — on football and non-football topics alike — and the heightened positivity and jokes coming from Pagano compared to their previous teacher. Again, it’s not an indictment of Fangio’s proven methods but illustrating how Pagano’s approach, while different, can be equally effective. Suffice to say, the perpetually enthusiastic Nagy approves. “He’s just such a positive human being. He’s about being optimistic, he’s about being real, he’s about being honest, he’s about treating people the right way,” Nagy said. “When you do that, and it’s natural and it’s not fabricated … the trust and the belief that your players have with you as a coach happens so much quicker. He has a challenge. We have a challenge on defense. But there’s nobody in this league that wants to attack something as aggressive as Coach Chuck does.” There also might not be anyone in the league better equipped to accomplish the task at hand. “The culture around here — you’ve got to have energy and you’ve got to have juice,” Pagano said. “And if you don’t have energy and you don’t have juice and you don’t have passion, you’re going to stick out like a sore thumb and probably not be around long.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW | 2019 Season Preview | JUNE 2019

BEARS 2019 SCHEDULE WEEK 1

WEEK 10

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Thursday | November 28 | 11:30 a.m.

Thursday | December 5 | 7:30 p.m.

Sunday | December 15 | Noon

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