Top priorities for the Bears next season:
QB – What round they pick a QB will likely be determined by whether Rex or Kyle have a good or bad season will determine whether the Bears are looking for a long term guy or a backup. If Rex does well and gets a new contract, Kyle Orton will not likely sign with the Bears, but is still under contract for one more year. If Kyle does well they will immediately need to find a backup because Rex will be gone immediately. If both do bad, they will be drafting a first round QB and better trade up to get the best guy.

OL – This line is getting old very fast. They lost two starters (RT and RG) this year and Tait is on the decline. Unless they got very lucky with some of the late round picks, they should be drafting for a future starting lineman in the first two rounds next season.

WR – Don’t look for the Bears to draft this position early, but don’t be surpised if they continue to upgrade their WR corp. Jerry Angelo has determined he is not good at drafting offense so, he will continue to take offensive picks in the middle of the draft and try to get lucky there. Assuming that Bookers numbers aren’t magical, the Bears will continue to look for a starting WR.

DT – The Bears are committed to having a dominant defense and it starts with DL that gets pressure on the QB. One of the areas that are still of concern depth going into this year is DT. Tommy Harris played all of last year at less than full strength due to a weak hamstring. Although Dusty Dvorcek and he has played very well in pre-season games, he has only played in 1 regular season game in 2 years. They drafted Marcus Harrison in the 3rd round and this should help, but he may not be dependable because of character issues. Don’t be surprised if the QB situation were resolved if the Bears were to draft a DT in round one or two to pair with T. Harris.

A pass rushing DT to play nose tackle is the only thing that didn’t get checked off my 2007 draft wish list.

Starters that are free agents after the season are (in order of importance):
C Jeff Saturday
CB Kelvin Hayden
DT Ed Johnson
OLB Tyjuan Hagler

Key backups that become FAs
RB Dominic Rhodes
S Matt Giordano
DE Josh Thomas
DT Darrell Reid

Jeff Saturday will be a Colts for as long as he’s a starting caliber center. The Colts haven’t paid corners in the past but Hayden is perfect for the cover two and they showed willingness to invest resources into CBs by spending a 1st and 2nd round pick on Hayden and Marlin Jackson in 2005. If Hayden doesn’t return Dante Hughes might be able to step up, he was close to winning the nickelback spot last year before an injury ended his season. Ed Johnson is the definition of solid. He isn’t great or awful at anything. He’ll do and he’s obscenely cheap for now. Clint Sessions looks like he’ll be a great LB for the Colts so losing Hagler wouldn’t be a huge blow, but the Colts spent 1.4million on Hagler for this season. That’s a lot for a team that has only kept one starting LB past his rookie contract in the last 5-6 years. The Colts are set for starters on the O-line and now have great depth on the interior, but Charlie Johnson is not a good OT, Dan Federkiel was injured just before the Colts needed him last year and Micheal Toudoze is a practice squad guy that stepped in and played one good half at tackle before returning to the bench. It’s hard to guess the Colts needs since the current roster has few holes that weren’t addressed in this draft. All of the rookies might not work out, but it’s impossible to tell which rookies will be the Antoine Betheas and which will be the Vincent Burns at this point.

Needs
1. Pass Rushing NT
2. Depth at O-Tackle
3. Depth at CB
4. Depth at LB
5. Backup QB

I’m not Rexx, so he may post as well, but these are my thoughts.

1) 3-4 DE – Starter Trevor Pryce is signed through 2010, but no-one thinks he’ll actually be in the NFL by then. When Trevor Pryce went down, our pass rush turned to crap. It’s not really Suggs’ fault, as it’s tough being the only established pass rusher. It was enough of a problem that we were only playing one defensive lineman on passing downs (Usually we would play at least Pryce and Kelly Gregg). Behind Pryce, there are only mediocre run-stuffers, and we didn’t draft a single defensive lineman, so that leaves a 3-4 DE that can rush from the interior as our biggest unfilled need.

After that, our needs are wishy-washy, as they depend on how young players develop or whether older players leave.

2) CB – Some would argue that this was our single biggest need heading into the draft, and of course we failed to draft one corner in 2008. This just goes to show you what Ozzie Newsome thinks about drafting for needs (ie. he hates doing it). However, we did trade for Fabian Washington, who played very well in 2005 and 2006, before getting benched after the second game in 2007. It’s unclear whether he will be able perform well as a starter, but the Ravens have high hopes for him, as Washington will be moving into a similair scheme he used with the Raiders (Rob Ryan to Rex Ryan) and reuniting with his 2005-06 DB coach in Chuch Pagano. Samari Rolle may very well retire at the end of this season, and Chris McCallister is getting older as well, so even if Fabian rebounds, we may need another corner to develop in 2009.

3) C – I smiled when you had us draft Alex Mack in the 2009 mock. If we really are that low in the draft (or trade down there), a center may not be a bad idea. Presumptive starter Chris Chester has yet to prove he’s worthy of a roster spot, let alone a starting job. G Jason Brown is the best offensive lineman on our team (assuming Ogden retires), and he might be moved to Center, which would allow us to move G Ben Grubbs to LG, and then place Marshall Yanda, Oniel Cousins, or David Hale at RG and RT. Brown is a good enough LG, however, that we may just prefer to leave him where he is. Marshall Yanda is also getting snaps at C, but he’s considered less likely to move there (he’s about the right size for it though). If Chester is crap again, and Yanda and Brown stay where they are, then expect the Ravens to look for a Center in the next draft.

4) LB – Starters Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and Bart Scott are all free agents after the 2008 season. The Ravens will try to re-sign Ray Lewis, who is still a dominant MLB, and Terrell Suggs, who Ozzie Newsome called, along with Ed Reed and Haloti Ngata, “the future of this defense.” The Ravens will probably try to re-sign Bart Scott too. Our fourth starter, Jarrett Johnston, is really more of a utility player, and could be improved upon. The Ravens, and I agree with them, think they found a gem in OLB Antwaan Barnes, who may take JJ’s spot. Tavares Gooden is certainly penciled in at MLB if Lewis or Scott leaves. If both leave, the Ravens will definitely need to draft a replacement 3-4 MLB. If Suggs leaves, we will definitely need another pass-rushing DE-OLB.

5) WR – It’s a strange world when your defense is 10 times better than your offense and 3 of your four biggest needs are on the defensive side of the ball. WR isn’t really that big of a need. For one, our new OC, Cam Cameron, doesn’t focus his offense around his receivers. Running Back Willis McGahee and TE Todd Heap figure to see more touches than under the Billick system. Furthermore, Derrick Mason is still quite good, and Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams have a lot of potential. However, if Mason retires, or Clayton and Williams don’t live up to that potential, expect to see the Ravens look for another WR to add into the mix.

In Summary – Team Needs
1) 3-4 DE
2) CB
3) C
4) LB
5) WR
With the bottom 4 possibly moving up or not being needs altogether.
Although, as you probably have noticed, Ozzie generally tries to draft for value, and often makes picks that are not really team needs.

Top 3 Needs:
1. SS – Unless if Roy improves, which I don’t see happening, he is as good as gone after this season.

2. WR – If none of our young project receivers makes the leap this year then this will definitely be a need, especially since its not for certain T.O. will be back.

3. ILB – Thomas may be gone after this season, so will Burnett, and so far Carpenter has been a bust. Hence this is also a pretty big need for us.

4. NT- This is really a minor need. We have Tank and Ratliff, but I want to move Ratliff over to DE where he can make more plays and replace the underwhelming Spears.

I’d say we’ll be looking for a starter-caliber safety in next year’s draft, but all the rest is up to how our reinforcements play in 2008. I could see any of our needs from this offseason (DT, LB, WR) or a couple of others (RB, CB) coming up. Right now, it’s safety in the first (within reason, of course) and best player available at those other positions of need after that. Hope that helps!

Center – Fowler is the weak link and is a free agent.
LB – Angelo Crowell is a free agent and the Bills might not resign him and Lee Evans,
TE – Robert Royal will be gone, and this team needs a good pass catching TE.
QB – J.P. Losman want out, Trent Edwards is injury prone, they will need a capable back-up, who they can groom.
WR – Lee is a free agent, but will be tagged if neccessary, Hardy is a rookie, and after that they don’t have anything special, upgrades would be welcome.
S – The Bills are looking for an elite playmaker at safety, this is only a need if they can get someone spacial, (Mays or Rolle)
DE – Chris Kelsay isn’t a very good pass rusher, Aaron Schobel is getting old. Chris Ellis is a nice start but his team needs a stud.
DT – if Stroud’s ankle doesn’t hold up this could be another problem area for the Bills.
O-line depth – I don’t think that Jason Whittle will be around next yearr, and there isn’t much on the depth chart after him.

1. CB – Eric Wright looks great, Brandon McDonald looked like he was good enough to at least be the 3rd CB on the field, and Daven Holly who has always frustrated me as a Browns fan, will be a FA next year. If any of them go down this year and we don’t find a diamond in the rough, we are screwed.

2. 3-4 OLB – Wimbley is a star in the making, Antwaan Peek is getting old, is hurt all the time, and probably isn’t starting-caliber anyay. Our DL should be pretty good after all the off season additions, but the LBs could use some upgrading.

3. Every down back – Jamal Lewis is still a baller, and probably can play at the same level for another year or two, but we have no one physical enough to replace him.

4. WR – Braylon is great, but Jurevicious is going to retire, Stallworth and others are unproven. It would be nice to have a couple of young guys.

5. OL and DL depth – you can never have enough in the NFL.

Obviously the needs are somewhat dependent on how young players perform this season but I try and project out the young players as I explain the needs.

1. Running Back: Regardless of how successful Tim Hightower is this season, the Cardinals have to address the running back situation. Hightower may prove the be the man but they’ll at the very least need to find a solid #2. Shipp and Arrington are simply underwhelming at best.

2. Inside LB: Dansby should be solid but he’s on the franchise tag and by all accounts he’ll look to get paid in the off season, which means he’s likely gone. The only other ILBs are Monty Beisel and Matt Stewart, neither of which inspire much confidence.

3. Cornerback & Offensive Tackle: Both of these are based on depth although the OT spot could look much better if 7th round pick, Brandon Keith can play up to his potential. DRC should be a solid corner heading into the 2009 draft but in a division with the Hawks and Rams it’s never a bad idea to have three solid options at corner.