Our good friends at Pro Football Focus ranked the entire rosters
of each team in the NFL and placed the Chicago Bears 25th overall.
PFF had the Bears' roster at No. 15 in the 2014 offseason.
Based on PFF's grades, the top-five players on the Bears are wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, tight end Martellus Bennett, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, right guard Kyle Long and defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff.
But it's at the all-important quarterback position where the Bears tumble when PFF ran through the date.
PFF writes: “The Bears' roster has seen a ton of turnover, but it's perhaps most defined by the quarterback who stuck around: Jay Cutler. He is a talented but hugely flawed passer who can range from awful to very good, depending on his ability to fit within the offense and jive with the coaching staff.”
Surprisingly, PFF is down on second-year cornerback Kyle Fuller, despite Fuller's 73 tackle, four interception rookie year. PFF even feels the Bears need to upgrade Fuller's spot in the secondary. Only fellow starters Jordan Mills and No. 2 tight end Dante Rosario received such a slight.
My belief is that Fuller's future is a bright one. The Bears have talked at length in the offseason about how Fuller represents one of the few defensive building blocks leftover from the previous regime.
However, I strongly agree with PFF's final assessment that Chicago is only midway through a rebuilding project. As it stands, I have a difficult time envisioning the Bears as a true playoff contender until 2016, at the earliest.
