The Chicago Bears are at risk of being on the teams left out of the Marcus Mariota race. The trade deal they reportedly offered involving Jay Cutler is garnering no interest from teams like the Tennessee Titans which means the Bears might have to remain at No. 7 and draft from there. If a quarterback is out of the question in the first round, is a wide receiver the top priority?
According to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times the Bears are more poised to draft a wide receiver at No. 7 than move up for a quarterback like Mariota. Head coach John Fox has maintained the idea that Jay Cutler and Jimmy Clausen would compete to be the starting quarterback and the Bears would do what it takes to surround them with talent to help. After trading away Brandon Marshall, the Bears signed Eddie Royal, but that will not be enough in 2015.
The Sun-Times reports that finding Marshall's replacement will happen in the first round and Amari Cooper or Kevin White are the intended targets. The Bears have a good chance at landing one of the wide receivers, but they are at risk of finding a third option. The Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars all draft ahead of Chicago and have all looked at wide receivers. DeVante Parker and Phillip Dorsett could be the next-best options.
According to the Chicago Tribune, getting a running back might also be favored. The team is at a turning point with Matt Forte. While a trade for the running back is unlikely, he is entering the final year of his contract and there is speculation the team will not renew it at the price he is likely to command. That means Chicago needs to start building the position now. If both Cooper and White are taken before the Bears draft at No. 7, someone like Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon could be ideal. Gurley's stock is huge a week out from the draft as many believe he is the best all-around player in this class. He could be a solid replacement for Forte.
The Bears will enter 2015 with both Cutler and Forte on the roster. Trades for both players have gone unnoticed forcing the Bears to stay put. To help at the quarterback spot, players like Bryce Petty or Brett Hundley could be targets in later round to at least give the Bears depth to work with.
