Could anyone have predicted that the Chicago Bears would finish 2011 with an 8-8 record and on the outside looking in of the NFL playoffs?  Yep.  I did.  The Bears came into the season with question marks on the offensive line and at wide receiver.  Oddly enough, those were some of the same questions that plagued them throughout 2010 and little was done in the abbreviated off-season to correct them.    

Chicago will pick 19th in the upcoming NFL draft.  Mock drafts are all over the place with the Bears right now.  Some have them taking Luke Kuechly, LB out of Boston College.  The logic behind this would be to bring in an eventual successor to Brian Urlacher, especially given the way his season ended.  Another mock has the Bears taking Kendall Wright, WR out of Baylor.  As a senior, Wright was the primary target for Heisman winner Robert Griffin III as he caught 108 passes for over 1600 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.  Wright would immediately bolster Chicago’s pedestrian receiving corps.   

Both Kuechly and Wright would be solid picks but if the Bears learned anything this past season it’s that they’ve become overly dependent on quarterback Jay Cutler.  He is the Bears’ franchise and as the saying goes, “you need to protect the franchise.”  The past two seasons for Chicago have ended with an injured Jay Cutler.  Keeping him on the field and upright must be a top priority for the Bears coaching staff and front office in 2012.  Getting back 2011 first round draft pick offensive tackle Gabe Carimi will help, but adding another key piece to that offensive line via the draft would be huge.  So expect the Bears to use their first round pick on an offensive lineman.

So how do the Bears fix the issue at receiver?  The answer is free agency and there is a plethora of talent coming available at that position in 2012. For starters both Roy Williams and Earl Bennett are free agent receivers for the Bears.  Where the Bears should declare the Roy Williams experiment an epic failure and part ways with the journeyman, Earl Bennett without a doubt should be retained.  Bennett is one of Cutler’s favorite targets and is a nice complimentary No 2.  Now to find a No. 1.

DeSean Jackson is one of the more attractive free agent wide receivers out there.  Jackson is a freakish talent who is capable of stretching the field and making explosive plays.   At 5’10, 175 lbs, what Jackson lacks in stature, he more than makes up for in big play ability.  The general consensus is that Jackson had a down season in 2011 but his 58 receptions and 961 receiving yards were just slight of his career averages.  The biggest questions with Jackson are of course those regarding his character.  The 2011 season started with Jackson holding out for a new contract and things never really seemed right with him after that.  He dropped passes,  missed team meetings for which he was suspended for a game, and even appeared to quit on his team at times.   The fact of the matter remains that if the Eagles decide not to use their franchise tag on Jackson or re-sign him he is going to land somewhere.  Why not make that somewhere Chicago?

If the Eagles don’t bring Jackson back the Bears need to take a hard look at bringing him in.  Imagine the explosive potential of an offense with DeSean Jackson and Devin Hester.  That type of fire power is exactly what the Bears need to field each and every Sunday in order to keep pace with the offensive track meet that the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers bring to the NFC North. 

We’ll have to wait and see whether or not it actually happens but without a doubt the Bears need offensive playmakers to compliment Cutler, and Jackson may be the perfect answer. Let’s keep our finger crossed but until then…Bear Down!

Aaron Moon is the CEO and a Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. An active duty Navy Chief and avid writer, Aaron is a lifelong Bears’ fan who writes about his team from a critics’ point of view. You can contact Aaron on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @DA_Bear_Truth. Contact Aaron directly by emailing him at amoon@thepenaltyflagblog.com.

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