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The Seahawks have built one of the best top-to-bottom young rosters in the league over the past three or four years. Since General Manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll got to Seattle, they have worked to build a defense that is easily the best in the league with a menacing front seven and a hard-hitting, shutdown secondary.
Their offense, while not as strong as the defense, is balanced and led by the dynamic young playmaker Russell Wilson. In the backfield they have Marshawn Lynch, whose contract was the basis for Matt Forte's (Lynch: 4 years, $31 million, $17 million guaranteed, Forte: 4 years, $30.4 mil, $13.4 mil guaranteed). Their receivers are relatively average but Golden Tate has some speed that the Bears don't necessarily have at the position and when Percy Harvin is healthy, like yesterday, he can be a dynamic force.
The focus for the Bears this offseason will the defense. The unit was the worst in franchise history and it has to be rebuilt if the Bears want to be a contender.
The Bears had horrific safety play, a severe lack of a pass rush, and linebackers who were out of position and undisciplined for much of the year. It's safe to say that most of the players that people will choose for this will come from Seattle's defense.
But not necessarily. There are people who don't think Jay Cutler is the quarterback who can lead the Bears to a championship. Perhaps some of these people think Russell Wilson would be better suited for the Bears. It was reported last week that former Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice "loved" Russell Wilson and wanted to draft him for the Bears.
Now it's easy to play the "what-if" game but consider that Wilson was off the board four picks before the Bears selected Brandon Hardin. Had the Bears taken him in round two they couldn't have drafted Alshon Jeffery and they would have opened themselves up to an uninvited quarterback controversy. If Wilson had been on the Bears roster when Marc Trestman got here, does Cutler get his extension? Trestman recruited Wilson out of high school and by all accounts has a good relationship with him.
But, if you could pick just one player from the world champion Seahawks to play on the Bears, who would it be? Big, hard-hitting safety Kam Chancellor? Free safety Earl Thomas, who some say is the best safety in the game and has uncommon athleticism? Linebacker and Super Bowl MVP OLB Malcom Smith? MLB Bobby Wagner?
Defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril could do a lot of good for the Bears' d-line. Those two combined for 16.5 sacks, more than the Bears' top three DEs had combined (Julius Peppers, Corey Wootton and Shea McClellin 15).
Their cornerbacks are the best in the league, led by Richard Sherman, who may be brash but he is one of the best at his position currently. Brandon Browner was regarded as one of the best in the league before his suspension this year but his fill-ins, Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond are no slouches themselves and I think either one of them could start for the Bears tomorrow.
So who would you pick off from the Seahawks? I'm sure Michael Bennett will be a popular choice because he is a free agent and the brother of Martellus but who do you really think could be a difference maker for the Bears?
