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2014 Chicago Bears season

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2014 Chicago Bears season
OwnerThe McCaskey Family
(Since 1983)
General managerPhil Emery
(Since 2012)
Head coachMarc Trestman
(2nd season)
Home fieldSoldier Field
(Since 1971)
Local radioWBBM · WCFS · WLEY · WSCR

The 2014 Chicago Bears season will be the franchise's upcoming 95th season in the National Football League, as well as the second under head coach Marc Trestman.

Offseason

Organizational changes

After the defense set franchise worsts in points (678), total yards (6,313) and rushing yards (2,583) allowed, defensive line coach Mike Phair and linebackers coach Tim Tibesar were fired by the team on January 12. Head coach Marc Trestman stated, "We need to improve in all areas defensively and that will be a focal point for us this offseason. The process starts with me as the head coach. Our search for a defensive line and linebackers coach has begun and we will be looking for the best candidates whose experience can bring the most out of our veteran and young players in both areas."[1] On January 22, Houston Texans linebacker coach Reggie Herring was hired to take Tibesar's place, while former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and Connecticut Huskies head coach Paul Pasqualoni became the defensive line coach.[2] On January 25, assistant defensive line coach Michael Sinclair was replaced by Louisville defensive line coach Clint Hurtt.[3] On February 12, assistant offensive line coach Pat Meyer was promoted to offensive line, while martial arts expert Joe Kim was hired as assistant strength/skill development coach.[4]

On February 7, assistant head athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation Bobby Slater joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 15 years of service with the Bears.[5]

Roster changes

Position Player Free agency
tag		 Date signed 2014 team
QB Jay Cutler UFA January 2[6] Chicago Bears
QB Josh McCown UFA March 12[7] Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB Jordan Palmer UFA March 9[8] Chicago Bears
C Roberto Garza UFA February 27[9] Chicago Bears
OG Matt Slauson UFA January 2[10] Chicago Bears
OG Taylor Boggs ERFA February 24[11] Chicago Bears
OT Eben Britton UFA April 3[12] Chicago Bears
OT Jonathan Scott UFA
TE Dante Rosario UFA February 27[13] Chicago Bears
DT Henry Melton UFA March 18[14] Dallas Cowboys
DT Landon Cohen UFA
DT Nate Collins UFA March 9[8] Chicago Bears
DT Jeremiah Ratliff UFA March 5[15] Chicago Bears
DE Corey Wootton UFA March 20[16] Minnesota Vikings
DE Cheta Ozougwu ERFA
LB James Anderson UFA
LB D. J. Williams UFA March 11[17]
LB Blake Costanzo UFA
CB Charles Tillman UFA March 14[18] Chicago Bears
CB Tim Jennings UFA January 2[10] Chicago Bears
CB Zack Bowman UFA March 31[19] New York Giants
CB Kelvin Hayden UFA February 28[20] Chicago Bears
CB Derrick Martin UFA February 24[11] Chicago Bears
CB Sherrick McManis UFA March 19[21] Chicago Bears
S Major Wright UFA April 4[22] Tampa Bay Buccaneers
S Craig Steltz UFA March 18[23] Chicago Bears
S Anthony Walters RFA
ST Devin Hester UFA March 20[24] Atlanta Falcons
ST Patrick Mannelly UFA
RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent

The Bears enter the offseason with 27 players set to become free agents, 17 of whom are on defense,[25] with safety Anthony Walters being a restricted free agent, while guard Taylor Boggs and defensive lineman Cheta Ozougwu are exclusive rights free agents.[26] CBS Sports writer Joel Corry projects the Bears salary cap to be $41,632,799, with an adjusted cap of $128,013,800, which ranks fourth in the league, behind the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders.[27] As of February 22, the Bears' salary cap is approximately $2.7 million.[25]

Acquisitions

The first acquisition of 2014 occurred on February 17, when defensive end Austen Lane was signed.[28] The following day, cornerback Derricus Purdy was signed.[29] On March 6, the Bears signed defensive end Trevor Scott.[30] On March 11, the first day of free agency, the Bears signed defensive lineman Lamarr Houston,[31] safety Ryan Mundy[32] and linebacker Jordan Senn.[33] On March 12, the Bears signed cornerback M. D. Jennings.[34] On March 13, defensive end and wide receiver Willie Young and Domenik Hixon, respectively, were signed.[35] Five days later, former Bears defensive end Israel Idonije[36] and safety Danny McCray were signed.[23] On March 26, the Bears signed Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Jared Allen.[37] On April 6, center Brian de la Puente was signed.[38] The following day, Chicago signed former Canadian Football League long snapper Chad Rempel.[39] Washington Redskins receiver Josh Bellamy was acquired via waivers by the Bears,[40] and tight end Matt Mulligan was signed,[41] both on April 8. Thirteen days later, wide receiver Josh Morgan was signed,[42] followed by running back Shaun Draughn three days after.[43]

Departures

On March 5, the first departure of the year was punter Adam Podlesh.[44] Five days later, running back Michael Bush was waived.[45] Eleven days after signing, tight end Dante Rosario was released on March 10.[46] On March 11, defensive end Julius Peppers was released after the Bears were unable to trade him.[47] He later signed a deal with the Green Bay Packers.[48] On March 18, receiver Earl Bennett was waived after refusing to have his salary reduced.[49] On April 15, the Bears released defensive end Cheta Ozougwu.[50]

On March 12, unrestricted free agent quarterback Josh McCown signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[7] Six days later, defensive end Henry Melton joined the Dallas Cowboys.[14] On March 20, special teamer Devin Hester and defensive lineman Corey Wootton were signed by the Atlanta Falcons[24] and Vikings,[16] respectively. Cornerback Zack Bowman joined the New York Giants on March 31.[19] On April 4, safety Major Wright was signed by Tampa Bay.[22]

2014 draft class

Main article: 2014 NFL Draft

The Bears did not receive any compensatory picks for the draft.[51] Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith wrote Chicago needed to draft players at four positions for the first round: defensive back, with first-round possibilities including Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Justin Gilbert; linebacker, such as C. J. Mosley and Ryan Shazier; defensive tackle, like Aaron Donald. Additionally, Smith wrote the Bears could target a running back or quarterback with mid- to late-round draft picks, such as De'Anthony Thomas and James White, and Tom Savage, respectively.[52]

With the 14th pick in the draft, the Bears selected Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller, who recorded 173 tackles, 4.5 sacks, six interceptions and 21 deflections during his college career.[53]

2014 Chicago Bears draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 14 Kyle Fuller  Cornerback Virginia Tech
2 51 Ego Ferguson  Defensive tackle LSU
3 82 Will Sutton  Defensive tackle Arizona State
4 117 Ka'Deem Carey  Running Back Arizona
4 131 Brock Vereen  Safety Minnesota from Denver
6 183 David Fales  Quarterback San Jose State
6 191 Pat O'Donnell  Punter Miami
7 246   from Denver
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career
Notes

Offseason activities

The Bears began their offseason program on April 22.[57] Training Camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois will begin on July 24, with the first practice the following day.[58]

Preseason

Schedule

The Bears' preseason opponents were announced on April 9, 2014.[59]

Week Date Kickoff (CDT) Opponent Results Game site TV NFL.com
GameBook		 NFL.com
Recap
Final score Team record
1 August 8 7:00 p.m. Philadelphia Eagles Soldier Field
2 August 14 7:00 p.m. Jacksonville Jaguars Soldier Field ESPN
3 August 22 9:00 p.m. at Seattle Seahawks CenturyLink Field
4 August 28 7:00 p.m. at Cleveland Browns FirstEnergy Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

The schedule was announced on April 23.[60] ESPN ranked the Bears' schedule as the 15th strongest in the league, with opponents having a combined winning percentage of .496.[61] The Bears will open the season with six away games from weeks 2-10,[62] due to three conflicting events in the Chicago area: week 2 is unavailable due to a NASCAR race and PGA golf tournament, week 6 due to the Chicago Marathon utilizing Soldier Field as a start/finish line, and week 9 due to a rugby union game at Soldier Field on Saturday night. To resolve the situation regarding week 9, league schedulers created a bye week for the Bears.[63] The Bears will also play five prime time games, the most allowed by the league scheduling,[63] and a Thanksgiving Day game during the season.[64] Although CBS, which airs AFC games against the Lions on Thanksgiving, held the rights to the game for 2014, the league's new "crossflexing" policy, which allows CBS and Fox to switch seven games, permitted the Bears to play Detroit.[62]

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Results Game site TV NFL.com
GameBook		 NFL.com
Recap
Final score Team record
1 September 7 12:00 p.m. Buffalo Bills Soldier Field Fox
2 September 14 7:30 p.m. at San Francisco 49ers Levi's Stadium NBC
3 September 22 7:30 p.m. at New York Jets MetLife Stadium ESPN
4 September 28 12:00 p.m. Green Bay Packers Soldier Field Fox
5 October 5 12:00 p.m. at Carolina Panthers Bank of America Stadium Fox
6 October 12 12:00 p.m. at Atlanta Falcons Georgia Dome Fox
7 October 19 12:00 p.m. Miami Dolphins Soldier Field CBS
8 October 26 12:00 p.m. at New England Patriots Gillette Stadium Fox
9 Bye
10 November 9 7:30 p.m. at Green Bay Packers Lambeau Field NBC
11 November 16 12:00 p.m. Minnesota Vikings Soldier Field Fox
12 November 23 12:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Soldier Field Fox
13 November 27 11:30 a.m. at Detroit Lions Ford Field CBS
14 December 4 7:25 p.m. Dallas Cowboys Soldier Field NFLN
15 December 15 7:30 p.m. New Orleans Saints Soldier Field ESPN
16 December 21 12:00 p.m. Detroit Lions Soldier Field Fox
17 December 28 12:00 p.m. at Minnesota Vikings TCF Bank Stadium Fox
Notes: All times are Central. Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Networks and times for Sunday games from Weeks 5–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.[65]

Staff

Chicago Bears staff
Front office
  • Secretary of the board of directors – Virginia Halas McCaskey
  • Chairman – George McCaskey
  • President/CEO – Kevin Warren
  • General manager – Ryan Poles
  • Assistant general manager – Ian Cunningham
  • Senior director of player personnel – Jeff King
  • Director of player personnel – Trey Koziol
  • Director of college scouting – Breck Ackley
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Francis St. Paul
  • Director of pro scouting – DJ Hord
  • Director of football administration – Matt Feinstein
  • Director of football analytics – Krithi Chandrakasan
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
  
Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Eric Washington
  • Defensive line – Travis Smith
  • Assistant defensive line – Brian Bing
  • Linebackers – Dave Borgonzi
  • Cornerbacks/defensive passing game coordinator – Jon Hoke
  • Nickelbacks – David Overstreet II
  • Safeties – Andre Curtis
  • Defensive quality control – Kevin Koch
  • Defensive quality control – Kenny Norton III
  • Defensive analyst (advance/special projects) – Matt Pees
Special teams coaches
Coaching administration
  • Director of research and analysis – Harrison Freid
  • Coaching administration manager – Chavis Cook
Strength and conditioning
  • Head strength and conditioning – Jim Arthur
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Noble Landry
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Pierre Ngo
  • Player engagement/strength and conditioning – Isaiah Harris

→ Coaching staff
→ Front office
→ More NFL staffs

Current roster

Chicago Bears roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve


As of October 29, 2024. Rookies in italics.

52 active, 6 reserve, 16 practice squad (+2 exempt)

References

  1. ^ Mayer, Larry (January 12, 2014). "Bears make staff changes on defense". Chicago Bears. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  2. ^ Wright, Michael C. (January 22, 2014). "Chicago Bears fill coaching vacancies". ESPN. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  3. ^ Mayer, Larry (January 25, 2014). "Bears add defensive assistant". Chicago Bears. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  4. ^ Mayer, Larry (February 12, 2014). "Bears promote Meyer, hire Kim". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  5. ^ Dickerson, Jeff (February 7, 2014). "Bears trainer joins Smith in Tampa". ESPN. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  6. ^ Smith, Michael David (January 2, 2014). "Bears sign Jay Cutler to seven-year contract". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  7. ^ a b Patra, Kevin (March 12, 2014). "Josh McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers strike contract". National Football League. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Mayer, Larry (March 9, 2014). "Collins, Palmer agree to 1-year deals". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  9. ^ Smith, Michael David (February 27, 2014). "Bears sign Roberto Garza to one-year contract". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  10. ^ a b Mayer, Larry (January 2, 2014). "Bears sign Cutler, two others". Chicago Bears. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Mayer, Larry (February 24, 2014). "Bears ink Taylor Boggs, Derrick Martin". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  12. ^ Dickerson, Jeff (April 3, 2014). "Bears, OT Britton agree on one-year deal". ESPN. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  13. ^ Mayer, Larry (February 27, 2014). "Bears agree to terms with Rosario". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Rosenthal, Gregg (March 18, 2014). "Cowboys add Henry Melton, unlikely to sign Jared Allen". National Football League. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  15. ^ Mayer, Larry (March 5, 2014). "Bears retain veteran Jeremiah Ratliff". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  16. ^ a b "Report: Corey Wootton signs one-year deal with Vikings". Comcast SportsNet Chicago. March 20, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  17. ^ Wiederer, Dan (March 11, 2014). "Bears agree to one-year deal with LB Williams". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  18. ^ Dickerson, Jeff (March 14, 2014). "Bears bring back Charles Tillman". ESPN. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  19. ^ a b Gantt, Darin (March 31, 2014). "Giants continue secondary overhaul with Zack Bowman". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  20. ^ Wright, Michael C.; Dickerson, Jeff (February 28, 2014). "Bears re-sign Kelvin Hayden". ESPN. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  21. ^ Alper, Josh (March 19, 2014). "Sherrick McManis re-signs with Bears". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  22. ^ a b Wesseling, Chris (April 4, 2014). "Major Wright, Tampa Bay Buccaneers agree to contract". NFL.com. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  23. ^ a b Mayer, Larry (March 18, 2014). "Bears add safeties Steltz, McCray". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  24. ^ a b Smith, Michael David (March 20, 2014). "Falcons sign Devin Hester". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  25. ^ a b Bear Heiser (February 22, 2014). "Offseason Forecast: Chicago Bears". National Football League. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  26. ^ Noble, Dan (December 30, 2013). "Chicago Bears 2014 Free Agents: Jay Cutler among biggest questions of offseason". SB Nation. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  27. ^ Corry, Joel (December 27, 2013). "Agent's Take: Raiders top list of teams with best 2014 cap situation". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  28. ^ Campbell, Rich (February 17, 2014). "Bears sign former Jaguars DE Lane". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  29. ^ Mayer, Larry (February 19, 2014). "GM Phil Emery talks NFL Combine". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  30. ^ Mayer, Larry (March 6, 2014). "Bears ink defensive end Trevor Scott". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  31. ^ Biggs, Brad (March 11, 2014). "Bears get better on first day of free agency". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  32. ^ Biggs, Brad (March 11, 2014). "Bears sign safety Mundy to 2-year deal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  33. ^ Campbell, Rich (March 11, 2014). "Bears sign special-teams ace Senn". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  34. ^ Mayer, Larry (March 12, 2014). "Bears add Packers safety Jennings". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  35. ^ "Willie Young gets 3-year deal". ESPN. March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  36. ^ Associated Press (March 18, 2014). "Bears bring back DL Idonije". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  37. ^ Gosseling, Ben (March 26, 2014). "Jared Allen heading to Bears". ESPN. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  38. ^ Biggs, Brad (April 6, 2014). "Bears add veteran center de la Puente". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  39. ^ Boden, Chris (April 7, 2014). "Bears sign CFL's Chad Rempel as snapper insurance". Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  40. ^ Wilkening, Mike (April 8, 2014). "Bears awarded Josh Bellamy on waivers". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  41. ^ Wilkening, Mike (April 8, 2014). "Bears reach deal with TE Matthew Mulligan". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  42. ^ Wright, Michael C. (April 21, 2014). "Bears sign WR Josh Morgan". ESPN. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  43. ^ Campbell, Rich (April 23, 2014). "Bears sign RB Shaun Draughn". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  44. ^ Wiederer, Dan (March 5, 2014). "Bears part ways with punter Podlesh". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  45. ^ Mayer, Larry (March 10, 2014). "Bears cut veteran RB Michael Bush". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  46. ^ Wilkening, Mike (March 10, 2014). "Bears release tight end Dante Rosario". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  47. ^ Farrar, Doug (March 11, 2014). "Chicago Bears release DE Julius Peppers to avoid huge salary cap hit". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 11, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  48. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 15, 2014). "Julius Peppers signs contract with Green Bay Packers". National Football League. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  49. ^ Campbell, Rich (March 18, 2014). "Bears release Earl Bennett after he declines pay cut". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  50. ^ Wilkening, Mike (April 15, 2014). "Bears waive Cheta Ozougwu". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  51. ^ Mayer, Larry (March 24, 2014). "No compensatory picks for Bears". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  52. ^ Smith, Michael David (April 27, 2014). "Draft needs: Chicago Bears". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  53. ^ Wright, Michael C. (May 8, 2014). "Bears pick Kyle Fuller in 1st". ESPN. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  54. ^ Hanzus, Dan (June 9, 2013). "Gabe Carimi traded from Chicago Bears to Buccaneers". National Football League. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  55. ^ Associated Press (September 2, 2013). "Bears get TE Rosario from Cowboys for draft pick". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  56. ^ "2014 NFL Draft trade tracker: Details of all the moves". NFL.com. May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  57. ^ Campbell, Rich (March 27, 2014). "Bears players to begin offseason program on April 22". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  58. ^ Wilkening, Mike (April 29, 2014). "Bears to report to training camp on July 24". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  59. ^ Wright, Michael C. (April 9, 2014). "Bears' preseason schedule released". ESPN. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  60. ^ "Opponents set for 2014 NFL season". NFL.com. December 30, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  61. ^ "2014 NFL strength of schedule". ESPN. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  62. ^ a b Mayer, Larry (April 28, 2014). "When does training camp begin?". Chicago Bears. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  63. ^ a b King, Peter (April 23, 2014). "How the 2014 Schedule Was Made". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 28, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  64. ^ Campbell, Rich (April 23, 2014). "Bears' schedule includes Thanksgiving game". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  65. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (April 23, 2014). "2014 NFL Schedule: Flex games can now start in Week 5". NFL.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
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