Bears head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo are fully aware that their jobs are on the line this year. Prior to last season, Sports Illustrated predicted Chicago would play in the Super Bowl. However, those expectations quickly evaporated into a pipe dream as the team never looked better than average. Quarterback Jay Cutler - the prize of the '08 offseason - led the NFL with 26 interceptions, while throwing the ball to a converted defensive back and a group of inexperienced wide receivers. The Bears finished third in the NFC North with a very disappointing 7-9 record and many questioned whether Smith and Angelo would be handed their walking papers.
Chicago's owners opted to give the duo one last shot at turning the Bears into contenders. They also provided Angelo with a large budget to allow the general manager to pursue immediate impact players. The Bears quickly pounced on Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers on Friday, the first day of free agency. The feared sack artist made Chicago the first visit on his free-agent tour and the Bears gave him 42 million guaranteed reasons to make it his last. Before the ink could dry on Peppers' new six-year/$91.5 million contract, the Bears signed versatile tight end Brandon Manumaleuna and stole veteran running back Chester Taylor from the rival Vikings.
As international spy Austin Powers would say, "Whoopdeedoo. What does it all mean, Basil?" Well for one, it gives the Bears their most formidable pass rusher in recent memory. Peppers has been one of the best at knocking down the quarterback for a decade, but you've got to wonder how many productive years the 30-year-old has left.
I could see this playing out much like Jevon Kearse's tenure in Philadelphia. "The Freak" was 27-years-old when he signed a lucrative contract with the Eagles in 2004 and he didn't disappoint - at first. Kearse totaled 15 sacks during his first two years in Philly - solid, but not great numbers for a guy who averaged close to 10 sacks per season during his five years in Tennessee. Over the span of his final two campaigns with the Eagles - 2006 and 2007 - Kearse picked up just seven QB takedowns and was beset by injuries. The 1999 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year only displayed his potential greatness in flashes during his four-year stay in Philadelphia and was released by the team following the '07 season.
Nothing against Peppers - the man has 25 sacks in the past two years - but defensive ends can lose their edge very quickly. Once a speed rusher gets a step slower, particularly on their initial explosion, offensive tackles can begin to catch up.
The addition of Manumaleuna makes sense because of his ties to new Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz. The tight end was a member of the Rams when Martz was guiding the team's offense during the "Greatest Show on Turf" era. Martz's scheme almost exclusively features three receivers and restricts the tight end to pass protection duties on most plays. This sets up an interesting situation with incumbent starting tight end Greg Olsen, who was Chicago's first-round draft choice in 2007 and is coming off the best season of his career. Rumors have circulated that the Bears could be dangling Olsen as trade bait, but it's hard for me to believe Martz isn't clever enough to develop a game plan that incorporates one of the team's top playmakers.
Chicago is banking on Taylor to bolster its backfield and help take some of the load off third-year running back Matt Forte's shoulders. Forte is fresh off a sophomore slump and the Bears are desperate for offensive help, so acquiring the 30-year-old running back is a slick maneuver. He's been a quality No. 2 back for most of his career and should be a solid mentor to Forte. When Taylor left Baltimore to join the Vikings in 2006, he became a featured running back for the first time in his professional career. He was very productive as the go-to guy - rushing for over 1,200 yards, while carrying the ball an average of 20 times per contest in '06.
Just months after his breakout season, the Vikings nabbed Adrian Peterson when he slid to them on draft day. Taylor's starting gig in Minny was quickly yanked away but he adjusted and became a terrific supplemental back to Peterson. Taylor proved to be both an effective blocker and reliable pass catcher - two attributes you look for in a third-down back. I expect he'll assume similar duties in the Windy City, while keeping his eye on the starting job should Forte falter.
The Bears spent over $100 million for their three newest players on the first day of free agency and have officially gone 'all-in'. Unfortunately, Angelo has yet to address the team's two most glaring needs - offensive line and wide receiver. The franchise has invested a lot in Cutler. Now it needs to provide him with the pieces to be successful or he could ultimately join the lineage of failed Bears quarterbacks. 
Cutler owns arguably the best throwing arm in football - his decision making may be in question, but his talent never is. Now in Martz's pass-heavy offense, Cutler could develop into one of the game's premier passers with the right weapons. The ridiculously speedy Devin Hester remains a rather raw talent at receiver. Hester was a cornerback and kick kick returner for the Bears until last season, when he had 57 receptions for 757 yards and three touchdowns. Martz believes Hester is best suited to fill the role of slot receiver, where Az-Zahir Hakim flourished as the No. 3 target behind Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce in St. Louis. If Chicago hopes to have a legitimate championship-caliber offense in 2010, the team needs to find at least two receivers that are better than Hester.
The Bears are without a first- or second-round pick in April's draft (casualties of trades for Cutler and the late Gaines Adams) so they'll have to find productive wideouts on the free agent market or hope that someone on the current roster emerges. Devin Aromashodu, a four-year veteran out of Auburn, looked promising toward the end of the 2009 campaign. He developed into one of Cutler's favorite targets, hauling in 22 of his 24 total receptions and scoring all four of his touchdowns after November. Chicago's coaching staff is high on Aromashadu and he will likely enter training camp as a starter.
Left tackle Orlando Pace was just a shell of his former All-Pro self last season and was cut by the Bears this winter. It's imperative that Angelo upgrades the tackle position to keep Cutler's jersey clean and locates a receiver who provides the quarterback with a reliable weapon. Veteran receivers Terrell Owens and Derrick Mason could do the trick, but former Buccaneer Antonio Bryant is a more suitable fit.
Unless Chicago addresses these two pivotal positions, its spending spree will likely be all for naught. The Bears' air attack will remain grounded and the team will stay squarely behind division foes Minnesota and Green Bay. For a franchise that has dominated the headlines early in free agency, there is still much to be done.
More on the NFL to come...
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