This the sixth part of our series breaking down each team’s needs (by division)  headed into the draft tomorrow evening. In case you missed our previous posts, feel free to take a look here.

As always, we want to hear what you think, so don’t hesitate to leave us your thoughts in the comment thread.

Chicago Bears (7-9)

Analysis: Last year was a major disappointment, for both Jay Cutler and the Bears as a whole, as both struggled immensely right from the start and only seemed to right the ship with the season coming to a close. In response, Chicago sent most of their coaching staff packing, and then proceeded to strike out on just about every candidate they brought in to fill those roles, before hiring Mike Martz to be their offensive coordinator. Changing coaches isn’t always the solution for a team that is having difficulties on the field, but in this case, it was definitely warranted. The Bears still have several key holes to fill but are lacking the ammunition to do so, with just five picks to work with, and none before round three. Read the rest of this entry »

When the Eagles released longtime starting running back Brian Westbrook earlier in the off season, it was assumed by many that the veteran would receive at least a moderate amount of interest. However, there were no significant indications of teams intending on adding him to their roster or even negotiating with him for a contract. That changed recently, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper released a report suggesting that the Green Bay Packers are exploring the possibility of acquiring the 30-year-old back.

The Packers already have a quality starter in Ryan Grant, but their reserve RB spots remain a bit of a question. The aging Ahman Green saw the majority of the repetitions for the backup runners, but he is clearly not going to be able to carry a load (even if it’s limited) for much longer. Westbrook, on the other hand, isn’t that much of an improvement over Green Bay’s current backups seeing that he’s had trouble with severe injuries lately; however, he certainly has the potential to play close to the same level he did a few years ago. His skills as a receiver would also benefit the Packers’ offensive unit.

Before they dumped a pile of cash on safety Nick Collins’ doorstep earlier this evening, Green Bay gave another key defender a stack of his own to play with.

According to Jason LaCanfora of NFL.com, the Packers resigned defensive tackle Ryan Pickett to a new four year contract worth an estimated $28 million, with $10 million in guaranteed money on its way for next season.

Pickett established himself as one of the league’s best big men up front last year, notching 33 tackles and tying up loose blockers in an effort to free up his teammates to zero in on the ball. At 6’2″ 240 lbs, Pickett is a mountain of a man, and is essentially immovable from his position at nose tackle. Pickett is also very skilled in his own right at shedding would be blockers to stop opposing running backs in their tracks, often behind the line of scrimmage.

One of the biggest strengths for the Packers in recent years has been their defensive secondary, with playmakers roaming the field at all four spots. With that in mind, Green Bay locked down the youngest of that group earlier this evening, agreeing to a three year contract extension with safety Nick Collins.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers deal with Collins will reportedly pay him $24.4 million over the three seasons and includes $14 million in guaranteed money that will be paid out next season.

Just 26 years old, Collins had a strong 2009 campaign, racking up 53 tackles, one sack, and six interceptions and was selected to represent the NFC squad in the Pro Bowl for the second straight season.

While Julius Peppers has been removed from the free agent pool after signing a lucrative deal with the Chicago Bears, there are still some quality Defensive Ends who remain available for hire. Among them is Aaron Kampman, an 8-year veteran who has drawn some interest from several teams but has reportedly not been involved in any serious negotiations yet. A solid pass rusher who has played his entire career for the Green Bay Packers, Kampman would provide his 2010 club with an immediate threat from the defensive line, but is also dealing with some durability issues.

The Eagles were considered to be in the running for Kampman’s services, and at one point there was even a rumor that he was on his way to Philly for a visit with the team, but lately it seems as if they’ve backed away because of his knee injury history. However, the Seattle Seahawks might still be intrigued at the possibility of acquiring him. They were among the initial front runners expected to pursue him, and there is still plenty of time for them to work out a deal.

At the onset of free agency last night, the chances of Green Bay re-signing offensive tackle Chad Clifton to a new contract seemed to be pretty slim. But after a day of negotiations and a few conversations with the Redskins, Clifton decided that the Packers offer was the best for him and his family, and signed a new deal with the team earlier this evening.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Clifton’s new contract is for three years and $20 million, with $7.5 million guaranteed. This is definitely a big move for Green Bay, as without Clifton they would have been left with almost no one to man the edge against opposing pass rushers next fall. That alone would have ensured a first round pick of a tackle in the draft, but that may still happen given the lack of talent behind Clifton and around him on the line.

In the NFL, winning almost always comes with a cost, in one way or another. Green Bay’s win over the 49ers yesterday was no exception, as the Packers lost two of their best defenders in the process.

According to Tom Pelissero of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, CB Al Harris and DE/LB Aaron Kampman are finished for the remainder of the season after they both suffered major knee injuries. Both will have surgery to repair the damage, and will be placed on the injured reserve list some time this week.

While Kampman has struggled tremendously in adjusting to the new 3-4 style of play being employed in Green Bay this season, Harris has always been a reliable cover corner, capable of playing the man-to-man defense the Packers love to use. His loss pushes CB Tramon Williams into the starting role, with Kampman’s replacement still being determined by head coach Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff.

Vikings CB Antoine Winfield is universally regarded as one of the league’s top defenders, so having him miss a second week of action thanks to a foot injury he suffered earlier in the season isn’t what Minnesota wants to see, especially headed into a big showdown on Sunday against their arch-rivals in Green Bay.

While the Vikings played fairly well defensively last week in Pittsburgh, the outstanding play of Winfield is a major factor behind their success on that side of the ball in recent years, and not having him available against the Packers, who feature several explosive receivers, could cause some difficulty for Minnesota this week. Apparently, Winfield has looked good in practice all week, but the team decided to give him another week off, in light of the Vikings BYE coming up after this contest.

Rob Demovsky, of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, is reporting (via Twitter) that Green Bay has re-signed OT Mark Tauscher, and plan on using him immediately at right tackle in place of OT Allen Barbre.

Tauscher has taken some time to recover from his off-season knee surgery, but he obviously has checked out with the Packers medical staff, so this move makes sense on a number of levels.

If Tauscher returns to form, look for QB Aaron Rodgers to stay healthy and off his back for the remainder of the season.

Packers GM Ted Thompson added a fair amount of fuel to the fires of speculation surrounding former Falcons QB Michael Vick, after he refused to rule out the possibility of signing Vick to a contract earlier today.

Vick has been out of the league for two seasons while he served out his sentence for his role in a major dog fighting ring. He has been conditionally reinstated by NFL commisioner Roger Goodell, but it’s not known if the league will allow him to play in a regular season contest as of yet. Any team that signs Vick is allowed to have him in training camp and he can play in that team’s pre-season games as well.

According to the Associated Press, a Super Bowl and NFC Championship ring from the Packers 1996 and 1997 seasons respectively were stolen from a car at a local park in Green Bay on Sunday. The rings had Reggie McKenzie’s name engraved on them. McKenzie has been Green Bay’s director of football operations since 1994.

Police have yet to state clearly if the vehicle or the rings for that matter were actually owned by McKenzie or not. They were stolen along with a laptop and a wallet from the car, which was parked near a Little League contest being played at a local park.

Vonnie Holliday is an angry man these days. Angry at the Dolphins for cutting him loose and angry at the league for not being loyal to its players anymore.

He may want to rethink those thoughts if things continue to work the way their headed right now.

After Miami let Holliday walk last week, the defensive end found himself to be in high demand, in spite of his age, which was part of the reason that the Dolphins gave him when they set him free. While that demand won’t translate into a major contract offer, Holliday could receive a favorable deal from a team in need of a quality 3-4 defensive end.

Both Denver and Green Bay have pushed to bring the veteran in for a visit, according to Tim Graham (ESPN), and it’s likely that Holliday could decide very soon where he would like to finish up his career.

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