The Bear’s Den - February 1, 2017 - Christian Jones?

Welcome to The Bear’s Den. Today I will be presenting the last of the series of "should the Bears re-up this free agent player". I’m ending the series not because we are out of players, but rather because this is the last person with any real name recognition that isn’t an "automatic yes" (like, for example, should Chicago re-up Exclusive Rights Free Agent Bryce Callahan... obviously, that’s a yes).

Today’s player is Restricted Free Agent Christian Jones out of Florida State.

According to the pre-2016 bio on ChicagoBears.com, in two seasons, Jones appeared in 31 contests with 18 starts all with the Bears (2014-15)... He owns 196 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 TFLs, 2 fumble recoveries and 4 pass breakups... He adds 15 STTs... Jones finished third on the Bears in both defensive tackles (98) and special teams tackles (11) in 2014 and placed second in defensive tackles (98) in 2015... 196 tackles leads the Bears over the previous two seasons (2014-15).

In 2016, Jones switched from inside linebacker to outside, but during the season he moved back inside when both Danny Trevathan (knee) and Jerrell Freeman (PED suspension) were out. Jones was a core special teamer, playing in all 15 games, starting 5. He had 42 tackles, 27 assists and 2 sacks.

If you care about things like PFF ratings, Jones was 45.1, which slots him directly above Sam Acho in effectiveness, below average but better than such names as Muhammad Wilkerson & Clay Matthews.

Do I want the Bears to bring Jones back? Yes, but I want them also to bring in somebody better than he has played so far, and make him earn a roster spot with a higher level of play.

Do I think the Bears bring Jones back? Probably, minimum salary only for camp, but they will be looking to upgrade the position via the draft and/or FA. They drafted Nick Kwaitkoski in 2015 to fill the position Jones played in 2015.

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS

Mullin: Difficult to find common thread in departures of multiple Bears assistant coaches - CSN Chicago - Since the NFL regular season ended, five Bears assistant coaches have left the staff. Why?

Infante: Five worst moves of the Phil Emery era - Cover32 - The Phil Emery era in Chicago is one that most Bears fans would like to forget. Here are the five worst things he did as the Bears' general manager.

Finley: Patriots TE Martellus Bennett on why he and the Bears broke up - Chicago Sun-Times - It’s easier to be magnanimous during Super Bowl week.

Mullin: For Bears, Super Bowl teams provide templates for multiple franchise quarterback decisions - CSN Chicago - The two participants in Super Bowl LI provide a template for the Bears to look to when making a decision on the quarterback position this offseason.

Infante: What is the Bears' long-term plan at kicker? - Cover32 - The Chicago Bears currently don't have a long-term solution at the kicker position. What can they do this offseason to fix that?

Biggs: WRs coach Curtis Johnson becomes 3rd assistant to leave Bears staff - Chicago Tribune - Curtis Johnson told the Tribune last week at the Senior Bowl that he was in discussions with the Bears, who hoped to retain his services.

DRAFT / PROSPECTS / FREE AGENCY

Emma: Bears Can Bolster Front Seven With Another D-End - CBS Chicago - Alabama's Jonathan Allen could be the Bears' target with the No. 3 pick.

Lance Zierlein mock draft 1.0: Browns get Garrett, Fournette - NFL.com - In his first mock of the year, Lance Zierlein has the Cleveland Browns making a splash by landing two players widely considered the best on defense and offense in the entire draft.

Easterling: Chicago Bears 7-round 2017 NFL mock draft - The Draft Wire - Check out our full seven-round 2017 NFL mock draft for the Chicago Bears

2017 NFL Mock Draft 1-31-17 - The Sports Bank - It's 2017 NFL mock draft time. Lots of changes as numerous decisions, regarding declaring early, and returning to school have been made recently.

NFL mock draft 2017: Myles Garrett, Reuben Foster - SI.com - The order of the 2017 NFL draft is all set except for the final two teams—the Patriots and the Falcons, squaring off in Super Bowl LI.

Boden: Bears Mobile-ize efforts to identify, acquire players via draft - CSN Chicago - John Fox and his coaching staff got a closer look at possible draft picks this week, as they led the North team at the 2017 Senior Bowl.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Finley: Oak Forest's Tevin Coleman embraces Super Bowl-worthy RB tandem - Chicago Sun-Times - Running back Tevin Coleman didn’t think all this would happen so fast.

In The Loop: Puppies play football in Shelter Bowl - CSN Chicago - Puppies play football in CSN's Shelter Bowl.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Reisman: Nevin Lawson was most penalized player in 2016, but with a big asterisk - Pride Of Detroit - Nevin Lawson was technically the most penalized player in 2016, but that’s very misleading.

Gates: How Much Cap Space Can The Vikings Free Up? - Daily Norseman - The Vikings don’t appear to have much room under the cap now, but that could change quickly.

Western: Packers 2017 Free Agent Running Backs, Should Eddie Lacy & Christine Michael return? - Acme Packing Company - The Packers have decisions to make about five players in the offensive backfield who have expiring contracts.

Maske: 49ers take a huge gamble by choosing John Lynch to be their GM - Chicago Tribune - The 49ers' plan for attempting to recapture that glory is to pair a first-time NFL head coach with a novice NFL general manager. Will it work?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Zeglinski: Throwing money at problems, can these Bears contend with free agency? - Windy City Gridiron - Ryan Pace has a lot of holes to fill on Chicago’s roster this offseason. Can he spend a path back to relevance?

Wiltfong: Why do you hate the ‘85 Bears? - Windy City Gridiron - In this Super Bowl edition of Lester’s T Formation Conversation podcast, he reflects back on the 2 Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl teams and wonders; Why do some of you hate the ‘85 Bears?

Wiltfong's Chicago Bears 2017 Roster Turnover: How big of a need is tackle? - Windy City Gridiron - In this 13 part series we'll take an in depth look at each position group for the Chicago Bears with an eye towards the 2017 season. We'll speculate on who stays, who goes, and some potential...

FANPOSTS

FanPosts - Recent - Windy City Gridiron - Here's a link to our FanPost section, where YOU have the opportunity to contribute to Windy City Gridiron. Take a few minutes and write a post about what you are thinking about regarding the Chicago Bears, and there'a chance it will be linked right here in the Den.

THE RULES

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