The 2016 season was the Chicago Bears' 97th in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under head coach John Fox. This was the Bears' first season since 2007 that Matt Forte was not on the opening day roster.
The Bears looked to improve upon their 6–10 record from 2015; however, they suffered a second consecutive 0–3 start and were plagued by injuries with an NFL-high 19 players on the injured reserve list by the end of the season. Multiple injuries to quarterback Jay Cutler resulted in backups Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley playing much of the season. They finished with a 3–13 record, the worst record for the team since the NFL's move to 16-game seasons in 1978 and the second-worst record in franchise history after a 1–13 campaign in 1969. The Bears also went 0–8 on the road for the first time in franchise history. After the season, Cutler was released, and initially announced his retirement from the NFL, but he later signed with the Miami Dolphins.
Offseason
Organizational changes After only one season, offensive coordinator Adam Gase was hired as the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins on January 9, 2016. Two days later, quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains was promoted to offensive coordinator. On January 22, Washington Redskins' offensive quality control coach Dave Ragone, who had been a former assistant of Loggains with the Tennessee Titans, was hired to fill the vacancy at quarterbacks coach. On February 12, the Bears hired former Rutgers' offensive coordinator Ben McDaniels as an offensive quality control coach.
On January 22, assistant special teams coach Derius Swinton joined the San Francisco 49ers as their special teams coordinator. Three days later, wide receivers coach Mike Groh left the team to become the wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, while assistant strength and conditioning coach Jim Arthur followed Gase to the Dolphins. 49ers' assistant special teams coach Richard Hightower was hired to replace Swinton on January 26. The wide receivers coach position was filled by former Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson on February 15.
Roster changes Position Player Free agencytag Date signed 2016 team LB UFA March 28 Chicago Bears CB UFA August 4 Arizona Cardinals OT RFA March 9 Chicago Bears WR ERFA April 18 Chicago Bears G UFA May 16 Baltimore Ravens RB UFA March 9 New York Jets TE UFA March 14 Chicago Bears WR UFA March 8 Chicago Bears DE UFA March 16 New York Jets LB UFA March 16 New England Patriots CB UFA March 10 Chicago Bears WR UFA March 12 Chicago Bears S UFA – – TE UFA March 14 Chicago Bears C UFA – – S UFA – – G RFA June 2 Jacksonville Jaguars CB UFA March 9 Chicago Bears S UFA March 25 Chicago Bears LB RFA March 16 Atlanta Falcons RB UFA March 9 Chicago Bears WR RFA March 24 Chicago Bears DT UFA March 12 Chicago Bears Free agency officially began on March 9.
Acquisitions The first transactions of the year occurred shortly after the conclusion of the 2015 regular season on January 4, 2016, when the Bears signed cornerback De'Vante Bausby, quarterback Matt Blanchard, center Cornelius Edison, fullback Paul Lasike, wide receivers Marcus Lucas and Nathan Palmer, linebacker Danny Mason, tight end Gannon Sinclair and guard Martin Wallace to reserve/futures contracts. A week later, former Houston Texans' defensive end Keith Browner was also signed on a reserve/futures deal.
On the first day of free agency, the Bears signed a four-year contract with Denver Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan and a three-year contract with Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Bobby Massie. On March 12, inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman of the Indianapolis Colts signed a three-year contract. The next day, the Bears signed New England Patriots defensive lineman Akiem Hicks to a two-year deal. Three days later, Chicago signed Broncos long snapper Aaron Brewer to a one-year contract. Afterwards, the Bears began signing players to one-year deals; on March 30 and 31, two offensive linemen were signed: Bronco Manny Ramirez and Cardinal Ted Larsen. Also on March 31, a fourth Bronco was signed in defensive back and return specialist Omar Bolden. On April 30, the Bears agreed to sign former Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer. On June 2, the team signed former Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Nate Chandler. Two weeks later, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki and Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Marquis Jackson were signed. On July 3, Cleveland Browns quarterback Connor Shaw was claimed by the Bears off waivers. On July 20, the Bears signed former Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Amini Silatolu. On July 27, the Bears signed defensive back Brandon Boykin and wide receiver B.J. Daniels. On July 29, the Bears signed undrafted rookie offensive lineman Dan Buchholz. On August 3, the Bears signed defensive back Joel Ross after he was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on July 27. The next day, the Bears signed former Washington Redskin fullback Darrel Young. On August 4, 2016, the Bears signed linebacker Danny Mason and offensive lineman Garry Williams.
Departures On February 16, the first departure of 2016 was left tackle Jermon Bushrod to the Miami Dolphins. On March 16, tight end Martellus Bennett, along with a sixth-round draft pick, was traded to the New England Patriots for a fourth-rounder. On May 1, safety Antrel Rolle and guard Matt Slauson were released. On June 1, offensive tackle Tayo Fabuluje was released, the first member of Ryan Pace's draftees to be released. On June 8, the Bears announced that center Manny Ramirez had retired. On July 22, safety Omar Bolden was released. On July 23, the Bears announced that offensive tackle Nate Chandler had retired. On July 29, the Bears released punter Ben LeCompte.
Of the Bears' unrestricted free agents, running back Matt Forte was the first to leave, signing with the New York Jets on March 9. A week later, on March 16, defensive end Jarvis Jenkins also joined the Jets, while linebackers Shea McClellin and LaRoy Reynolds signed with the Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, respectively. On June 2, offensive lineman Patrick Omameh signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
2016 NFL draft
Pre-draft Entering the draft, general consensus had the Bears' main need at linebacker; NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein believed the Bears' priority was a pass rusher, while Bears ESPN.com writer Jeff Dickerson added quarterback as a need. Prior to the draft, the Bears held visits for 50 players; 25 had private visits, 14 players visited during the NFL Scouting Combine, 6 apiece met during the Senior Bowl and the East–West Shrine Game, 6 had private workouts, while 2 had local visits. Of the 50, 11 had met with the team on multiple occasions.
Draft The Bears used their first-round draft pick to select Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd. At Georgia, Floyd led the team in sacks during his final season with 4.5, while also recording a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss. On the second day of the draft, Chicago selected Kansas State offensive lineman Cody Whitehair, who started all four years at the school and was a first-team All-Big 12 Conference member in 2015, and defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard of Florida, who recorded 17.5 tackles for loss in 2015, the most for a Gator since former Bear Alex Brown's 18 in 1999. With the three fourth-round draft picks, the Bears selected West Virginia linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, who led the Mountaineers in tackles during the previous three seasons, including 80 tackles and three sacks in 2015; Miami safety Deon Bush, who recorded 50 tackles, six pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, a sack and an interception in 2015; and Northern Iowa cornerback Deiondre' Hall, who recorded 28 pass breakups, 13 interceptions, six pick-sixes and four forced fumbles, three of which came last season. In the fifth round, the Bears drafted Indiana running back Jordan Howard, who was one of three running backs in school history to record 1,000 yards in a season in two years, while also recording 1,213 yards and nine touchdowns in 2015 despite a knee injury. In the following round, William & Mary safety DeAndre Houston-Carson was selected; the third player in team history to earn consensus All-American honors, Houston-Carson recorded 293 tackles, 10 interceptions and nine blocked field goals. With the final pick in the draft, the Bears selected Western Michigan receiver Daniel Braverman, who ranked second in the country with 109 receptions, 1,367 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Notes The Bears acquired two additional sixth-round selections (Nos. 204 and 206 overall) – one in a trade that sent defensive end Jared Allen to the Carolina Panthers, the other in a trade that sent Jon Bostic to the New England Patriots. The Bears later traded one of the extra sixth-round selections (No. 204 overall) along with Martellus Bennett back to the Patriots in exchange for the Patriots' fourth-round selection (No. 127 overall). The Bears traded their first-round selection (No. 11 overall) and their fourth-round selection (No. 106 overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their first-round selection (No. 9 overall). The Bears traded their second-round selection (No. 41 overall) to the Buffalo Bills for second- and fourth-round selections (No. 49 and No. 117 overall) and a fourth-round selection in the 2017 NFL draft. The Bears then traded the newly acquired 49th pick to the Seattle Seahawks for second- and fourth-round selections (No. 56 and No. 124 overall). The Bears traded a fourth-round selection (No. 117 overall) and a sixth-round selection (No. 206 overall) to the Los Angeles Rams for a fourth-round selection (No. 113 overall).
Undrafted free agents After the draft, the Bears signed the following undrafted free agents:
Position Player College OT Adrian Bellard Texas State TE Ben Braunecker Harvard G Dan Buchholz Duquesne CB Taveze Calhoun Mississippi State LB Don Cherry Villanova KR Derek Keaton Georgia Southern OT John Kling Buffalo DE Nate Meier Iowa WR Darrin Peterson Liberty CB Kevin Peterson Oklahoma State DE Roy Robertson-Harris UTEP TE Joe Sommers Wisconsin-Oshkosh Source:
Offseason activities From May 14–15, the Bears hosted a Rookie Minicamp. Afterwards, they signed UConn defensive lineman Kenton Adeyemi, CSU Pueblo receiver Kieren Duncan and North Dakota State punter Ben LeCompte and Louisiana–Lafayette offensive lineman Donovan Williams. To relieve space on the roster for the rookies, defensive lineman Bruce Gaston, Marcus Lucas, Nathan Palmer and Dan Buchholz were released. On May 25, Notre Dame linebacker and undrafted rookie Jarrett Grace was signed, while Danny Mason was released. On June 10, Dartmouth quarterback Dalyn Williams was signed, with Matt Blanchard being released. On July 22, the Bears signed cornerback Charles Tillman to a one-day contract, letting him end his 13-year career as a Bear. On June 27, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list (PUP) while recovering from knee surgery. On July 30, the Bears signed linebacker Willie Young to a two-year extension, keeping him in Chicago until 2018. On August 8, center Hroniss Grasu was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Two days later, offensive tackle Nick Becton was released and former Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Mike Adams was signed.
Bears Training Camp was held at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais from July 27–August 9. The team hosted the Family Fest at Soldier Field on August 6, while participating in joint practices with the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium from August 15–17.
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
Transactions
Schedule