The Bears Den: March 27, 2015 - Offseason Chicago Bears news & notes

Pace knows what he's doing - Is-Hub Arkush: Ryan Pace is using free agency to give himself a ton of flexibility to draft BPA. Before even getting to the draft, the Bears are clearly a better football team than they were when he arrived.

Restoring Bears culture will be John Fox’s biggest impact - Moon Mullin: Fox has seen and established "environment" in multiple venues that have been part of teams reaching Super Bowls over the course of his career. It is part of what can make the whole greater than just the sum of the parts.

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Fox eager to start working with defense - Larry Mayer: John Fox is eager to get on the practice field to begin working with a retooled defense that struggled the past two seasons.

Bears defensive depth chart still a work in progress - Chris Boden: Ryan Pace and John Fox have presumably added five new starters for Vic Fangio's base 3-4, but who fits where is still something that will take time to resolve. [Lester's thoughts.]

Bears eye 'big jump' from Jared Allen in 2015 - Adam L. Jahns: John Fox and Vic Fangio will often employ four-man fronts in which Allen can man his usual right-end spot; the decreased playing time could increase his per-snap productivity.

Mason Foster confident he'll thrive in Bears' 3-4 - Rich Campbell: Bears' new scheme should accentuate his strengths as a downhill run defender who can make game-changing plays in the passing game.

Jarvis Jenkins out to prove Bears 'got a great steal in me' - Brad Biggs: The Bears have reason to believe there is developmental growth ahead of Jenkins, who is hungry and motivated after attracting less attention in free agency than expected.

[Video] - Not-Hub Fishbain and Son of Hub discuss the signing of players to one-year "prove-it" deals by Ryan Pace, and two of their recent signings, Vladimir Ducasse and Jarvis Jenkins.

[Video] - Is-Hub Arkush shares his thoughts on the controversial signing of Ray McDonald, explains why the Bears should potentially get credit for the acquisition and not so much criticism.

[Audio] [Jen Lada sighting = Video!] - Ian Rapoport analyzes Bears' signing of Ray McDonald.

Cutler the starter, but competition open - Michael C. Wright: It's clear John Fox and the Bears plan on placing their bet first with Jay Cutler, and while Jimmy Clausen seems to have the best chance of unseating him, such a scenario isn’t likely.  Steve Rosenbloom: Explaining Jay Cutler to John Fox [disclaimer: I skipped it, 'cos: Rosenbloom].

Team notes - Rich Campbell: Fox says Bears have overhauled strength and conditioning program; expected that Matt Forte will share the load of a return to a run-oriented offense; players to vote for five of six team captains.

Draft preview - Dan Durkin: Michigan State’s Trae Waynes is the top top press cornerback prospect in the 2015 draft class, which would fit what Vic Fangio’s scheme asks of the position.

Draft preview - James Neveau: The Bears are looking for a receiver to replace Brandon Marshall, and if Amari Cooper ends up falling down to the number seven spot, they could have an interesting decision to make.

Photos - ChicagoBears.com wishes Roberto Garza a very happy 36th birthday.

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Draft preview - Greg Gabriel takes a look at Louisville’s Charles Gaines and Tulane’s Lorenzo Doss, two corners who could go in the first three rounds.  Lance Zierlein: Top 10 cornerback prospects.

Know thy enemy: Lions - Michael Rothstein: Who takes Reggie Bush's touches and how it changes the offense are a few of the questions Jim Caldwell has to figure out this offseason.  Jared Dubin: Expects improvement, but not 'meteoric jump' from Matthew Stafford.

Know thy enemy: Packers - Rob Demovsky: Back to normal for the Packers, with the team only having signed a street free agent safety since free agency began on March 10.

Know thy enemy: Vikings - Kenneth Arthur: Adrian Peterson is running out of time, and he knows it. The Vikings hold all the cards, and he will eventually relent.  Ben Goessling: Mike Zimmer happy with Matt Kalil's health, outlook.

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