The Bears had little choice but part ways with defensive lineman Ray McDonald yesterday, for reasons that had nothing to do with football.
But they also have a football problem to solve now.
McDonald was penciled into the starting lineup of the 3-4 defense which new coordinator Vic Fangio’s installing, and now with the draft over and the bulk of free agency finished, they have to find another.
According to John Mullin of CSNChicago.com, the two most likely on-roster options are veteran Jeremiah Ratliff and Ego Ferguson.
The 33-year-old Ratliff doesn’t have the size of a traditional 3-4 nose tackle anyway, and he has the experience to fill multiple roles.
Ferguson, last year’s second-round pick, is also a player they think they can shift outside.
“We’ve talked about that a lot,” General Manager Ryan Pace said earlier this year. “We project [Ferguson] as really nose and end. He can be both for us. So we don’t have him set at one position right now. He can be a nose or an end. He has position flexibility there, too.”
The Bears signed former Washington lineman Jarvis Jenkins this offseason, but need to add depth there, which they should have done anyway when they signed a player standing at the plate with two strikes.