Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy will meet with the media on Tuesday ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, and there are sure to be no shortage of questions directed at them.
Pace will meet with reporters at 9:00 a.m. CT and Nagy is scheduled to talk to the media at 11:15 a.m. CT.
While reporters will come out firing with questions, it’s unlikely that Pace or Nagy will give away any information that could tip off any teams. Still, there are important questions that will be asked — and then those questions will be answered without answering at all.
Still, here are five questions we have for Pace and Nagy heading into the NFL Scouting Combine:
1. How are the Bears going to continue to clear salary cap space?
The Bears have already freed up $13.5 million in salary cap space with the release of cornerback Prince Amukamara and receiver Taylor Gabriel. But those are just the first cap-casualties of this offseason, and Pace is expected to make some more roster cuts to free up more cap space.
Pace needs to make a decision on outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who is due to make $13.2 million this season. The Bears have until the start of the new league year to release Floyd and save an additional $13.2 million guaranteed by his fifth-year option.
Other players that Pace will need to make some decisions about include at the tight end position with Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker. While Braunecker is a valuable special teamer, Shaheen is at the greatest risk of being cut this offseason.
2. What are their plans for addressing the quarterback position?
It’s hard to talk about the Bears’ offseason plans and not wonder about how they’re going to address the quarterback position. While Pace has publicly backed Trubisky as the Bears’ starter in 2020, that promise doesn’t mean much so early into the offseason.
Even if that’s true, Chicago is expected to bring in a veteran to replace free agent Chase Daniel — one that can legitimately challenge Trubisky for the starting job, unlike Daniel. The Bears could also choose to draft a young prospect to develop behind Trubisky and a veteran free agent.
Then there’s the matter of Trubisky’s fifth-year option, which the Bears have until May to pick up. Will they? Won’t they? Not likely that we’ll get a definitive answer from these press conferences, but there’s no doubt the question will be asked.
3. What is the plan with Leonard Floyd?
Like Trubisky, the Bears have a decision to make about Leonard Floyd. The only thing is, his is more pressing at the current moment given Floyd is due to make $13.2 million in conjunction with his fifth-year option.
Floyd was able to stay healthy, and he had a career-high 12 quarterback hits in 2019. But he’s struggled converting those into sacks, which the Bears pass rush struggled with overall last season. After starting the season with two sacks against the Packers, Floyd managed just one sack in the final 15 games.
Chicago needs to ask themselves if they’re content with Floyd opposite Khalil Mack. While the Bears insist they’re confident in Floyd, are they willing to bet $13.2 million on that confidence? Not likely they’ll answer, but it’s a fair question at this point.
4. What is Matt Nagy’s vision for this offense in 2020?
There’s no doubt that fixing the offense is the main focus for the Bears this offseason. Matt Nagy kickstarted that with the hirings of four new coaches, each of which brings experience to the areas of concern.
Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone are all tasked with fixing these areas that made Chicago one of the worst offenses in the NFL in 2019.
But what exactly does that entail? What does that mean for the vision of the Bears offense in 2020? What will be done to address concerns at quarterback, tight end, offensive line and run game? This might be one of those questions that Nagy will actually elaborate on during his press conference.
5. What are the expectations for the offensive line?
One of the biggest areas of concern for the Bears heading into 2020 is the offensive line. Mainly because this is going to be the core group through at least 2020, considering the amount of money invested in the likes of Charles Leno, Bobby Massie and Cody Whitehair.
Chicago also has a hole at right guard, which was left vacant by Kyle Long’s retirement. The Bears have a candidate for that starting role currently on their roster in Alex Bars, who Chicago paid more money to remain with the team rather than join the Patriots. The Bears could also turn to the NFL Draft to address guard.
The Bears made a change at offensive line coach replacing Harry Hiestand with Juan Castillo, who has a reputation as an effective running game coordinator, which remains one of the Bears’ biggest offensive concerns. Will a change in coach — and philosophy — be enough to turn Chicago’s run blocking woes around? Or are we doomed for another season where the Bears can’t run the football?
