Jeff Dickerson, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Firing John Fox wouldn't solve all of Bears' problems

MINNEAPOLIS -- Chicago Bears wide receiver Kendall Wright cracked a smile on Sunday when reporters asked him about the fate of coach John Fox.

“This might be my last game as a Bear. I don’t know,” Wright said.

The veteran receiver’s assessment was spot on.

The Bears are expected to undergo another massive overhaul in the offseason. The current group won five games in 2017. In 2016, the Bears had three victories.

There are some untouchables -- Mitchell Trubisky, Tarik Cohen, Eddie Jackson and Akiem Hicks, to name a few -- but the Bears must take an honest look at the roster.

There are a couple notable players with expiring contracts, including Wright, who led the Bears with 59 receptions.

Fellow wideout Dontrelle Inman, who finished with a respectable 23 catches, is set to be a free agent. So is veteran tailback Benny Cunningham, who played a larger-than-expected role as Chicago’s primary third-down back. Veteran quarterback Mark Sanchez -- rookie Trubisky’s mentor -- was playing on a one-year deal.

On defense, starting cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara are both unrestricted free agents. So is special-teams ace Sherrick McManis.

The Bears also need to examine some of their contracts beyond 2017.

Barring a miracle, quarterback Mike Glennon will be elsewhere next year. Glennon was an expensive, $18.5 million mistake, and the Bears will open up $9 million in cap space next season after he is released. Glennon’s only guarantee for 2018 is $2.5 million.

Wide receiver Markus Wheaton ($6 million) and cornerback Marcus Cooper ($6 million) were also free-agent busts who were paid good guaranteed money in 2017. The Bears also didn’t get much bang for their buck with tight end Dion Sims ($6 million), who caught only 15 passes.

Safety Quintin Demps ($5 million) spent almost the entire season on injured reserve. The Bears easily could decide that Demps (out of guaranteed money) is no longer in the future plans because Chicago has younger and cheaper safeties -- Adrian Amos and Jackson -- already in place.

The Bears hold an expensive team option on veteran guard Josh Sitton ($8 million total). Oft-injured linebacker Pernell McPhee is set to collect $7.575 million next season. Willie Young is due $4.5 million and Jerrell Freeman $3.5 million, though Freeman hinted that his career might be over because of concussion issues. Freeman is looking at another PED suspension if he were to play again.

All of these contracts must be examined. The Bears can feel good about their 2017 draft class, but they’ve wasted a lot of money in free agency and extending the contracts of some of their own players.

Sure, the Bears have a few pieces in place, but the offseason changes need to extend way beyond the head coach and his assistants. Fox isn’t solely responsible for the Bears’ current mess. Firing him won’t fix everything.

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