7 key off-season decisions for Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace are a year into their mission to create a culture change at Halas Hall, and it appears they've made strides.

But a winning attitude only goes so far. In the NFL, you still need talent.

The Bears have some, but not enough to reach the postseason.

Pace says the off-season will be focused on acquiring the talent necessary to contend. But the personnel department and the coaching staff also must identify some building blocks they already have that can be part of a winning foundation.

Just as important is identifying players who don't fit the profile the Bears are looking for or are too expensive for a team that needs help across the board.

The Bears don't have many difference-makers, but they have several productive players who were keys to the limited success they had in 2015.

We'll skip quarterback Jay Cutler because he's entrenched for at least another year. But here's an alphabetical look at the others:

• Martellus Bennett: He's one of the best all-around tight ends in the game, capable of protecting the quarterback, blocking for the run game and providing another option in the passing game. But he's not a gifted receiver and won't stretch a defense.

Bennett's yards per catch dropped from 11.7 in 2013, to 10.2 in 2014, to 8.3 in 2015. He plays hard and made the Pro Bowl after the 2014 season, but he will never be a team guy.

When Pace was asked if Bennett fit the culture the Bears are looking to create, his response spoke volumes in what he didn't say.

“I think we got a pretty complete picture of him as a player and as a person,” Pace said. “We had enough time with him to make those decisions.”

Notice Pace didn't say what those decisions were.

Best guess: He's gone.

• Matt Forte: “Obviously a very accomplished player,” Pace said. “Very productive this year. Does a lot of different things really good.”

Spot-on scouting report. Pace also praised Forte for his work with understudies Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey.

But Forte is just one of the Bears' 18 unrestricted free agents.

“We've got to be real thorough and honest with that assessment,” Pace said. “But we like the idea of a rotational group of running backs. I thought that was one of our better rooms.”

The problem for the Bears is that the Indianapolis Colts gave Frank Gore $12 million for three years last off-season with $6.5 million guaranteed. Forte is the better all-around player and two years younger than Gore.

Best guess: Forte gets a good offer from the Bears but a better one from another team.

• Kyle Fuller: The 2014 first-round pick was identified early on by the coaching staff as a building block, but he got off to a rocky start before playing better in the second half of the season and making more plays on the ball.

“He gained confidence,” Pace said. “He'll get even better this off-season. He really learned how to study his opponent and anticipate things better. I think he's an ascending player, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”

Best guess: Fuller might never make the Pro Bowl, but he's just 23 and will be an above-average starter for several years.

• Alshon Jeffery: The production is undeniable. But the motivation to stay in Chicago is questionable, as is his health after some soft-tissue injuries that began before the preseason and continued off and on through the regular-season finale. And there are questions regarding Jeffery's commitment to his fitness.

The Bears can keep Jeffery for a year with the franchise tag and let him prove his level of commitment before they allocate close to $10 million a year for several years to lock him up long term.

“It's a tool that we have at our disposal,” Pace said of the franchise tag. “It's a case-by-case basis. Normally, it's in the best interest of the club and the player to come to a longer-term agreement.”

Best guess: Tag, Jeffery's it.

• Kyle Long: After two Pro Bowl seasons at guard, he took one for the team and switched at the last minute to right tackle, where he struggled.

“He's extremely athletic (and) normally you're putting your most athletic guys on the edges at tackle,” Pace said. “That was a real testament to him, the teammate that he is, because that wasn't easy.

“He got better as the season progressed with his technique. We were proud of how he handled that and how he got throughout the season.”

Best guess: Long is the opening-day left tackle.

• Pernell McPhee: The emotional defensive leader and an impact player when healthy, McPhee hobbled through the second half of the season on a bad knee. He had 5 sacks in the first seven games but 1 in the last nine.

“He showed a lot of toughness, and he's obviously one of our leaders,” Pace said. “His production dropped off, but he was an asset for us.”

Best guess: Double-digit sacks in 2016.

• Kevin White: He didn't play as a rookie and only practiced for three weeks, but White learned the offense and got an idea of what it's like to be a pro. Expectations are already high for next season.

“He's really intelligent; he's a really hard worker and we treated him like player 54 (on the 53-man roster), traveling with us, being in the meetings, going through that practice period,” Pace said. “That was beneficial. I think he's going to hit things full speed. I'm really excited to unleash Kevin and let everybody see his progress.”

Best guess: 50 catches, 800 yards.