2010 Bears

[Wesson44]

This is how the roster could look next summer:

 

Quarterback

 

Here: Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie, Brett Basanez. Cutler's the franchise, Hanie continues to mature in the system, and Basanez is a solid No. 3. With a limited number of draft picks, the Bears might not have the luxury of adding a young arm, but they already have three.

 

Running back

 

Here: Matt Forte, Kahlil Bell, Garrett Wolfe.

 

Forte had a down year, but he's versatile and can be a workhorse, which he proved as a rookie. Bell is a more patient runner who appeared to have better quickness than Forte in limited but impressive duty.

 

Wolfe averaged 5.5 yards per carry and can factor as a pass catcher. He will be completely recovered from a lacerated kidney in the off-season and has become a special-teams standout.

 

Gone: Adrian Peterson, Kevin Jones. Peterson is reliable, a consummate pro and a longtime standout on special teams. But he's a free agent, and there never seem to be enough touches for him in the offense. Injuries have rendered Jones a nonfactor.

 

Wide receiver

 

Here: Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Devin Aromashodu, Johnny Knox, Juaquin Iglesias. No position showed more improvement, and the arrow still points up on all of them, even though Iglesias essentially was redshirted this year.

 

Gone: Rashied Davis. If he's back it will be for his special-teams play.

 

Tight end

 

Here: Greg Olsen, Kellen Davis. Olsen didn't demonstrate the improvement that was expected, and he may never be an elite player, but he's still a weapon in the passing game. Davis caught just 9 passes, but 3 were for scores.

 

Gone: Desmond Clark. His 11th season was unproductive because of injuries, and the handwriting may be on the wall.

 

Offensive line

 

Here: Chris Williams, Frank Omiyale, Olin Kreutz, Robert Garza, Kevin Shaffer, Josh Beekman, James Marten, Lance Louis.

 

Williams is better at left tackle than he was at right, which is good news. Omiyale played his best game of the season against Minnesota, finally looking like the player the Bears expected.

 

Kreutz has declined physically, but he's too smart and too valuable as a leader not to get another year. He has earned the right to speak his mind after 12 seasons.

 

Garza might have to fight off Louis to keep his job, and Marten could be the right tackle of the future, leaving Shaffer as the top backup.

 

Gone: Orlando Pace. Strictly a one-year bridge to Chris Williams.

 

Defensive line

 

Here: Alex Brown, Israel Idonije, Marcus Harrison, Anthony Adams, Gaines Adams, Jarron Gilbert, Henry Melton. The Bears gave up too much for Gaines Adams not to give him a chance to prove he was worth a second-round pick.

 

Uncertain: Tommie Harris, Mark Anderson. Harris is due a $2.5 million roster bonus in June, which seems exorbitant for his sporadic production, although the Bears don't have anyone better at the vital three technique. Anderson goes from unrestricted to restricted if there's no new collective- bargaining agreement. The Bears won't get into a bidding war for a player who's only shown occasional productivity since a great rookie season.

 

Gone: Adewale Ogunleye. He's 32 and a free agent. He's solid and has something left in the tank, but he won't get another big payday from the Bears.

 

Linebackers

 

Here: Lance Briggs, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Nick Roach, Tim Shaw. Roach is restricted, so he will be back, and Shaw is too valuable on special teams not to keep.

 

Uncertain: Brian Urlacher, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Jamar Williams. Is Urlacher worth $6.825 million after the Bears took a $10.2 million cap hit for the one game he played this season? If Williams is unrestricted, he's gone. Tinoisamoa is unrestricted, but he's a good fit who might not cost much to bring back given his injury-plagued season.

 

Gone: Darrell McClover. Good special-teams player. Period.

 

Defensive backs

 

Here: Charles Tillman, Zackary Bowman, Kevin Payne, Al Afalava, D.J. Moore. Moore probably gets a second year since he was a draft pick.

 

Uncertain: Danieal Manning, Josh Bullocks, Craig Steltz, Corey Graham. Manning and Bullocks are unrestricted if there's a new CBA. Manning is more valuable because he's more versatile and is an excellent kickoff-return guy. Graham also has value as a utility man.

 

Gone: Nate Vasher. No way he gets $2.95 million next year to barely play at all.