The Bear Off-Season Report Part 1: OT

     Now that Phil Emery has hired Marc Trestman, he can now focus on the roster. Emery will still have to lock down a DC with the exit of Rod Marinelli, which will affect player depth on DEF, however the picture is clear on what Bears team needs are.

Team Needs: OT, OG, TE, WR, MLB, CB, DE

OT: Phil Emery ignored the offensive line last year, that clearly will not be the case again. The Score's Dan Bernstein reported Bears brass are still high on OT Gabe Carimi while confirming his knee never fully recovered from surgery last off-season. Essentially Carimi played on one leg last year. However, he will have to compete with Johnathon Scott (who did a decent job securing the right side) at RT. J'Marcus Webb on the other hand has proven to be nothing more then a BN player. Able to play in a pinch, but not a long term answer. Drafting the 4th or 5th best LT in the 1st RD of the 2013 NFL Draft would be gambling next season. The wise move here is to find a professional OT in free agency. Here are the top free agents:

• LT Ryan Clady, DEN: Highest rated OT by Pro Football Focus, protects Peyton Manning's blindside, most likely to get tagged if not extended.
• RT Andre Smith, CIN: Smith was drafted as an LT with the 6th overall pick in 2009 from Alabama and immediately turned into a big tub of goo. His first two years in the NFL were awful. He was out of shape, had a bad attitude, and didn't seem to exhibit any toughness. Going into the 2011 season CIN rightfully passed on extending Smith's contract which would've inflated his rookie deal to 6 years. That's when the light turned "ON". Andre Smith has been dominating the last two years at RT and has finally displayed the skills which netted him a Top 10 Draft Grade. He now enters free agency as a UFA. If CIN chooses to use the Franchise Tag on Andre Smith, it'd be hard to justify paying that kind of money to an RT with Andrew Whitworth firmly entrenched at LT.
• RT Sebastian Vollmer, NE: Vollmer is a massive Tackle (6'8 320lbs) who will be marketed as an LT (which he has played sparingly in NE) and that may push him out of the Patriots' price range. He has dominated at RT, filled in at LT, and transitioned between both positions smoothly.
• LT Jake Long, MIA: Ah, the controversial Jake Long. Was the best LT in the game 2 years ago; My oh my how the mighty have fallen. His play has dropped off significantly the last two years, likely because of injuries. After not missing a game his first 3 years, Long missed time in 2011 with a back ailment and was eventually put on IR with a torn right biceps injury. He struggled this season and ended up back on IR with a torn left triceps. He's still very talented but has caught the injury bug. The arm injuries shouldn't scare anybody, but that back aliment is another story.
• LT Jermon Bushrod, NO: Drafted in the 4th Round of the 2007 draft, the Saints developed Bushrod overtime and he's turned into a Pro Bowl LT. Had a down year in 2012, but with so much going on with NO, not a complete shock. NO is desperate to resign him but they have serious cap issues.
• Branden Albert, KC: While playing OG at Virgina, the Cheifs committed early to switching Albert to LT. Baptized by fire his rookie season, but held his own. Had a down year in 2010 but has shown himself to be professional LT the last two years. KC is in a bind. Their cap space is limited and have two monster free agents to sign, Dwayne Bowe and Branden Albert.

Best of the rest: LT William Beatty-NYG, LT Sam Baker-ATL, RT Gosder Cherilus-DET