Chicago Bears: Fixing special teams unit is a top priority for 2018

Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears need to aggressively address the special teams unit this offseason.

Special teams is commonly an overlooked area of football, but as the Chicago Bears know, it can be an integral part of a team’s success. When Devin Hester, Brad Maynard, and Robbie Gould were at the top of their respected games, the Bears had a major advantage over nearly every team they played. Some games were even won solely because of special teams.

Those days, however, are over, and the Bears are entering a critical offseason for the future of their special teams unit. Kicker Cairo Santos (signed after Connor Barth was released in November) and punter Pat O’Donnell are both free agents, as are special team aces Sherrick McManis, Josh Bellamy (restricted) and Sam Acho.

The teams’ long snapper entering the season, Patrick Scales, is coming off a torn ACL, and his replacement, Andrew DePaola, is a free agent as well.

The sad thing about the state of the Bears special teams is that none of these free agents are classified as a “must re-sign” type of player. Santos is an intriguing kicker but still has some questions; O’Donnell was solid but not spectacular in 2017; and McManis, Bellamy, and Acho are all replaceable.

The only positive is that the Bears appear to be set at punt/kick returner with Tarik Cohen. While some of his decisions were questionable, his explosion and big-play ability are sorely needed. If the Bears block better, Cohen could even make the Pro Bowl next season as a returner.

No one wants to talk about special teams until a game is won or lost because of it (see Connor Barth’s miss against Detroit in Week 11), but the phase is still a critical part of a team’s success.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Post-Combine 3-Round projection

With a lot of money to spend, Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears need to be aggressive in making the special teams unit one of the strengths of this team. Signing or drafting special teams players in March and April may not get much publicity, but they can make huge impacts once the season kicks off.