The 2014 season was the Chicago Bears' 95th in the National Football League (NFL), and their second and final season under head coach Marc Trestman. The Bears failed to qualify for the playoffs after being eliminated from contention in week 14, their fourth consecutive season without making the postseason.
The Bears entered 2014 with hopes of improving their 8–8 record in 2013. After losing the season opener to the Buffalo Bills, the Bears won their next two games. However, this would be the only week of 2014 that the Bears had a winning record, as they fell to 3–5 upon reaching the bye week. The Bears lost three of those games by more than one touchdown, and allowed more than 50 points in consecutive games against the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. The Bears won two straight games after the loss to the Packers, but ended the season with five consecutive losses, all but two (in the second games against the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings) by more than two scores. The Bears ended the season 5–11, their first losing season since 2009 and first season with more than ten losses since 2004.
General manager Phil Emery was fired on December 29, and Trestman was fired later in the day.
Offseason
Organizational changes After the defense set franchise worsts in points (478), total yards (6,313) and rushing yards (2,583) allowed, defensive line coach Mike Phair and linebackers coach Tim Tibesar were fired by the team on January 12. Head coach Marc Trestman stated, "We need to improve in all areas defensively and that will be a focal point for us this offseason. The process starts with me as the head coach. Our search for a defensive line and linebackers coach has begun and we will be looking for the best candidates whose experience can bring the most out of our veteran and young players in both areas." On January 22, Houston Texans linebacker coach Reggie Herring was hired to take Tibesar's place, while former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and Connecticut Huskies head coach Paul Pasqualoni became the defensive line coach. On January 25, assistant defensive line coach Michael Sinclair was replaced by Louisville defensive line coach Clint Hurtt. On February 12, assistant offensive line coach Pat Meyer was promoted to offensive line, while martial artist Joe Kim was hired as assistant strength/skill development coach.
On February 7, assistant head athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation Bobby Slater joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 15 years of service with the Bears.
Roster changes Position Player Free agencytag Date signed 2014 team QB Jay Cutler UFA January 2 Chicago Bears QB Josh McCown UFA March 12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jordan Palmer UFA March 9 Chicago Bears C Roberto Garza UFA February 27 Chicago Bears OG Matt Slauson UFA January 2 Chicago Bears OG Taylor Boggs ERFA February 24 Chicago Bears OT Eben Britton UFA April 3 Chicago Bears OT Jonathan Scott UFA – – TE Dante Rosario UFA February 27 Chicago Bears DT Henry Melton UFA March 18 Dallas Cowboys DT Landon Cohen UFA – – DT Nate Collins UFA March 9 Chicago Bears DT Jeremiah Ratliff UFA March 5 Chicago Bears DE Corey Wootton UFA March 20 Minnesota Vikings DE Cheta Ozougwu ERFA May 18 New Orleans Saints LB James Anderson UFA June 4 New England Patriots LB D. J. Williams UFA March 11 Chicago Bears LB Blake Costanzo UFA June 3 San Francisco 49ers CB Charles Tillman UFA March 14 Chicago Bears CB Tim Jennings UFA January 2 Chicago Bears CB Zack Bowman UFA March 31 New York Giants CB Kelvin Hayden UFA February 28 Chicago Bears CB Derrick Martin UFA February 24 Chicago Bears CB Sherrick McManis UFA March 19 Chicago Bears S Major Wright UFA April 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers S Craig Steltz UFA March 18 Chicago Bears S Anthony Walters RFA May 14 Arizona Cardinals ST Devin Hester UFA March 20 Atlanta Falcons ST Patrick Mannelly UFA June 20 Retired The Bears enter the offseason with 27 players set to become free agents, 17 of whom are on defense, with safety Anthony Walters being a restricted free agent, while guard Taylor Boggs and defensive lineman Cheta Ozougwu are exclusive rights free agents. CBS Sports writer Joel Corry projected the Bears' salary cap to be $41,632,799, with an adjusted cap of $128,013,800, which ranked fourth in the league, behind the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. By February 22, the Bears' salary cap was approximately $2.7 million.
Acquisitions The first acquisition of 2014 occurred on February 17, when defensive end Austen Lane was signed. The following day, cornerback Derricus Purdy was signed. On March 6, the Bears signed defensive end Trevor Scott. On March 11, the first day of free agency, the Bears signed defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, safety Ryan Mundy and linebacker Jordan Senn. On March 12, the Bears signed cornerback M. D. Jennings. On March 13, defensive end and wide receiver Willie Young and Domenik Hixon, respectively, were signed. Five days later, former Bears defensive end Israel Idonije and safety Danny McCray were signed. On March 26, the Bears signed Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Jared Allen. On April 6, center Brian de la Puente was signed. The following day, Chicago signed former Canadian Football League long snapper Chad Rempel. Washington Redskins receiver Josh Bellamy was acquired via waivers by the Bears, and tight end Matt Mulligan was signed, both on April 8. Thirteen days later, wide receiver Josh Morgan was signed, followed by running back Shaun Draughn three days after. On June 3, receivers Armanti Edwards and Micheal Spurlock were signed, and two weeks later, Chicago signed quarterback Jimmy Clausen. On June 19, defensive lineman Jamil Merrell and linebacker Conor O'Neill, both being undrafted free agents, were signed. Four days later, five-time Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson and tight end Jeron Mastrud were acquired, and were the final acquisitions by the Bears prior to Training Camp.
Departures On March 5, the first departure of the year was punter Adam Podlesh. Five days later, running back Michael Bush was waived. Eleven days after signing, tight end Dante Rosario was released on March 10. On March 11, defensive end Julius Peppers was released after the Bears were unable to trade him. He later signed a deal with the Green Bay Packers. On March 18, receiver Earl Bennett was waived after refusing to have his salary reduced. On April 15, the Bears released defensive end Cheta Ozougwu. On June 3, linebacker Tana Patrick was waived. On June 19, quarterback Jerrod Johnson, tight end Fendi Onobun, defensive lineman Israel Idonije and safety Sean Cattouse were waived.
On March 12, unrestricted free agent quarterback Josh McCown signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Six days later, defensive end Henry Melton joined the Dallas Cowboys. On March 20, special teamer Devin Hester and defensive lineman Corey Wootton were signed by the Atlanta Falcons and Vikings, respectively. Cornerback Zack Bowman joined the New York Giants on March 31. On April 4, safety Major Wright was signed by Tampa Bay. In May, Anthony Walters signed with the Arizona Cardinals and Ozougwu joined the New Orleans Saints on May 14 and 18, respectively. From June 3–4, linebacker Blake Costanzo was signed by the San Francisco 49ers, followed by James Anderson with the New England Patriots. On June 20, long snapper Patrick Mannelly retired after 16 seasons in the NFL, all with the Bears.
2014 draft class
The Bears did not receive any compensatory picks for the draft. Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith wrote Chicago needed to draft players at four positions for the first round: defensive back, with first-round possibilities including Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Justin Gilbert; linebacker, such as C. J. Mosley and Ryan Shazier; defensive tackle, like Aaron Donald. Additionally, Smith wrote the Bears could target a running back or quarterback with mid- to late-round draft picks, such as De'Anthony Thomas and James White, and Tom Savage, respectively.
With the 14th pick in the draft, the Bears selected Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller, who recorded 173 tackles, 4.5 sacks, six interceptions and 21 deflections during his college career. In round two, with the 51st pick, LSU defensive lineman Ego Ferguson was drafted; Ferguson had started only one full season in 2013, recording a sack, but had his season end due to an injury, which had prevented him from participating in the NFL Scouting Combine. In the following round, Chicago drafted defensive tackle Will Sutton of Arizona State with the 82nd pick; Sutton recorded 20.5 sacks in his college career, while leading the Pac-12 Conference with 10.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2012. The Bears held two fourth-rounders: the 117 and 131, the latter being acquired after a trade with the Denver Broncos. The former was used on Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey, the school's career-leading rusher, and was considered as the best running back available by numerous experts. The 131st pick was used on Minnesota safety Brock Vereen. As a result of the trade with Denver, the Bears did not have a fifth-rounder. In the sixth round, with the 183rd pick, San Jose State quarterback David Fales was drafted, who holds every passing record in school history. The next round, with the 191st pick, Miami punter Pat O'Donnell was drafted; O'Donnell led the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranked second in the nation in punting average with 47.1 yards. The Bears' final pick, the 191st pick in the seventh round, was Boise State offensive lineman Charles Leno, who started 36 consecutive games since 2011.
Analysts gave above average grades for the draft class. James Neveau of WMAQ-TV graded the offensive selections as an "A", considering Carey as the "best value pick" by the Bears. On defense and special teams, Neveau gave the picks a "B+", praising Sutton's selection, but doubted the decision to take Ferguson in the second round. NFL.com's Bucky Brooks wrote Carey was the biggest steal of the draft among NFC North draft picks, ultimately giving the Bears' class a "B". Foxsports.com, who gave the Bears a "B", praised Carey, while stating that despite playing well in 2012, Sutton had been too heavy in 2013, and must be "at the right playing weight in 2014 to make a difference in the big leagues". Chris Burke and Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated considered the Sutton and Carey selections as "a win for the team's Southwest area scout"; the two gave the class an "A−". ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. awarded the class a "B", believing the team performed well in focusing on team needs, and stating he is fine with Fuller's selection, as Gilbert is not "superior to Fuller", though Clinton-Dix would've been a good selection; Todd McShay, another ESPN analyst, considered Vereen as the best NFC North selection.
All eight rookies were signed to four-year deals. Two days after the draft, on May 12, Vereen and Fales were signed. Ferguson, Carey, Fales, O'Donnell, and Leno were signed the following day, followed by Fuller the next day, and concluded with Sutton on May 15. The Bears were the first team to sign a draftee in 2014, and the first to complete signing their class.
After the draft, the Bears signed nine undrafted free agents: quarterback Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois, who was listed as a running back; defensive tackles Brandon Dunn (Louisville) and Lee Pegues (East Carolina); guards Ryan Groy (Wisconsin) and James Dunbar (TCU); tackle Cody Booth (Temple); and linebackers Tana Patrick (Alabama), Christian Jones (Florida State) and Devekeyan Lattimore (USF).
Notes The Bears acquired an additional sixth-round selection (No. 183 overall) in a trade that sent offensive tackle Gabe Carimi to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bears traded their seventh-round selection (No. 229 overall) to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for tight end Dante Rosario.