With the 19th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected OLB/DE Shea McClellin of Boise State.

In addition to beefing up the defensive line, the team also proved me completely wrong by not picking a WR like I thought they would.  But I digress.

According to Pro Football Weekly, the 6-3 3/8, 260 lb. McCellin is an extremely diverse player who will come to the aid of a Bears defense that gave up over 4,000 passing yards last season.  McCellin, in his last two seasons at Boise State, registered 16 1/2 sacks.

During Free Agency, the Bears did a good job of addressing the team’s offensive needs by grabbing Michael Bush and adding veteran QB Jason Campbell as a solid backup option (lest we have a repeat of the Caleb Hanie Disaster).

With a healthy Jay Cutler and more offensive weapons, the Bears made a good choice here.

Sean Jensen, columnist for the Sun Times tweeted:  GM Phil Emery: “We’re looking for guys who can contribute right now. Right away.”

Much optimism surrounds the 2012 season, and if McClellin can make an immediate impact, it will be nice to see the team registering sacks rather than me having to wince in pain every time Cutler goes down.

Kahlil Bell will be a Bear through 2013.  After three seasons with the team, he signed a one-year tender offer of $1.26 million Wednesday. 

Unlike another running back in Chicago (*cough* Matt Forte *cough*), Bell seems overjoyed by his situation.  He took to Twitter to express his happiness with the deal.

If only the Bears could squeeze this kind of reaction out of Forte in the near future.  Then they would be the real “blessed” ones.

What games are you most looking forward to?  Week 1 versus the team quarterbacked by the number-one pick in the 2012 draft?  The renewal of the historic rivalry with Green Bay?  A visit to the 80,000-seat Cowboys Stadium?  With five prime-time games scheduled, there’s plenty to pick from.

The Bears begin their off-season workout program Monday at Halas Hall, but Matt Forte is expected to be absent.  He will not report until a long-term deal is in place, according to ESPN.

The team placed the franchise tag on Forte at the end of his rookie contract in 2011, which left the runningback feeling dissatisfied and disrespected.

Hoping to reach a multi-year agreement with Chicago, Forte will likely skip the upcoming voluntary workouts and possibly training camp.  Right now, his only option under the tag is to sign a one-year offer worth $7.7 million.

Bears fans adopted the motto “Pay the man!” in 2011 as “the man” produced a Pro Bowl season before suffering a knee injury.  It’s time the Bears took some advice from the fans and give Forte what he wants.

The Bears signed Lance Briggs to a one-year extension Wednesday.  This comes just a year after the linebacker requested a trade from Chicago if the team could not accommodate a boost in his 2011 and 2012 base salaries. 

Briggs is an integral piece of the Bears defense, racking up seven consecutive Pro Bowl nominations.  The eight-year veteran proved his 31-year-old body can still be a dominant force by leading his team in tackles in 2011.

Now that he’s locked up until 2014, it appears he will finish his career in the Windy City.

“My dream is to retire a Bear. And I know that I will retire a Bear,” Briggs said Wednesday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

While the extension of Briggs is a step forward in the Phil Emery era, the looming question of Matt Forte’s contract situation remains a pressing issue.  It’s nice to know Briggs will likely be a Bear for life, but it would be even better if Forte were to don the Bears blue and orange for many years to come.

Last month, the Bears announced that TE Kellen Davis agreed to re-sign with the team for two years.  As the starter, he fills a key position, however the Bears are not nearly as stacked here as they should be.  Davis only caught 18 passes last season, and as a returning starter in 2012, he should see plenty of  opportunities with new Offensive Coordinator Mike Tice calling the plays.

However, it would do the Bears good to stack up at this position.  With the draft approaching, I would like to see the team balance out its offense.  The Bears did a good job with signing Michael Bush and Jason Campbell.  The team now has two very explosive RB’s and finally gave Jay Cutler a veteran backup.

The offense is going to depend on a few things:  Cutler staying healthy  is #1.  Prior to last season, he was absolutely ripped to shreds by the media for being unreliable in his throws and not as mobile as he could be.  Even when the team won, it seemed like Cutler got little credit.  Then, when he got injured in week 10, and the team proceeded to free fall off a cliff under Caleb Hanie, the media did a 180 and started its Jay Cutler Love Fest.  So, he needs to be 100% all season.  But he also needs WRs & TE’s that will not drop his passes.

We haven’t seen much movement from the Bears in free agency.  I would love to be a fly on the wall as they discuss their draft prospects.  I’m not nearly the expert in ranking prospects as I could be, so with the help of ProFootballWeekly.com, I present to you the best WR & TE options:

TE:

Coby Fleener (Stanford)
Dwayne Allen (Clemson)
Orson Charles (Georgia)
Ladarius Green (Louisiana-Lafayette)
Michael Egnew (Missouri)

WR:

Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State)
Michael Floyd (Notre Dame)
Rueben Randle (LSU)
Kendall Wright (Baylor)
Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)

I would love the Bears to get Justin Blackmon, who caught for over 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns.  But I doubt he will last long enough for that to happen.  

Last year, the team used its first pick on OL Gabe Carimi, a much-needed addition to the porous offensive line that had significant problems protecting Cutler.  In fact, the team didn’t even pick up an offensive player until the fifth round, and that was QB Nathan Enderle, and we all know how well that turned out.

If the team is going to follow last year’s formula, I can only hope it uses it’s first pick for a quality receiver, to help enrich the offensive, and give a healthy Cutler as many passing options as possible.