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LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Bears wrap up the voluntary portion of the offseason program Thursday and Wednesday was the final OTA practice open to the media.

Here’s a look at what I learned from OTAs and what I expect to see at next week’s mandatory minicamp:

1. The offensive line is still in flux. Manny Ramirez surprisingly retired Wednesday, once again leaving the Bears scrambling at the center position. The starting job is Hroniss Grasu’s to lose, but the Bears signed Ramirez in the offseason to help push/develop Grasu, who struggled as a rookie. Ted Larsen, who has experience playing both guard and center, will now likely have to focus more on center and the recently signed Nate Chandler, who has worked more as a tackle in the past, might have to focus on guard now. Second-round rookie Cody Whitehair could be in the center mix too, but the Bears are hoping he’ll emerge as the starting left guard.

Bears Podcast: Intentional Grounding, Episode 36: Bears OTAs Wrap-Up

The Bears are now 0-for-2 on veteran centers brought in to help push Grasu. Last year, Will Montgomery only played in four games before suffering a broken leg that cost him the rest of the season. He is currently a free agent.

Ramirez’s retirement also makes it tougher to understand why the Bears released Matt Slauson last month. Even if Slauson wasn’t a perfect fit in the scheme, he provided the reliability and consistency that the Bears need more of on the offensive line. Injuries/surprises happen and the Bears didn’t have the depth to justify cutting Slauson loose. Now they have even less depth.

2. The Bears still need Alshon Jeffery. This isn’t exactly a groundbreaking statement, but OTAs confirmed how valuable Jeffery is to the offense. While the Bears hope Kevin White becomes an elite NFL wide receiver, he still has a long way to go and drops were an issue in OTAs. Jeffery’s camp knows this and it’s certainly what they will be arguing as the July 15 contract extension deadline approaches.

3. Speaking of Jeffery, next week will be important for him. He is expected to be present at mandatory minicamp and it is in his best interest to show up in shape and put together three good practices in a row. It’s really his last chance to make an impression on general manager Ryan Pace before July 15. Most importantly, he needs to stay healthy.

4. Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman are bringing some swagger to the Bears’ defense. It’s usually hard for NFL free agents to live up to expectations (and their contracts), but the Bears had such poor play at inside linebacker last season that as long as Trevathan and Freeman stay healthy, they’ll be upgrades. Both of them like to talk before the whistle and after the whistle. Wednesday, they were blanketing tight ends and letting them know about it when they knocked the ball away. It appeared to be frustrating the offense. Even without pads on, their play in OTAs is encouraging.

5. Eddie Goldman has lost weight and looks good. Again, without pads, it’s hard to make any grand conclusions (especially when it comes to line play), but Goldman has lost 10-15 pounds and looks lighter on his feet. His strength hasn’t suffered and he should be a little quicker off the line of scrimmage. Like Grasu on offense, the Bears don’t have a whole lot of depth at nose tackle and they need Goldman to take a big leap in his second NFL season.

6. With the last two points in mind, the entire front-seven looks better. The depth on the defensive line is questionable, but a trio of Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Jonathan Bullard is intriguing, and Mitch Unrein isn’t a bad fourth guy to have. But the Bears have some legitimate depth at outside linebacker and Vic Fangio will be able to unleash a plethora of pass rushers who all have different traits.

“I mean, there’s a lot of good rushers there,” right tackle Bobby Massie said Wednesday. “A lot of good guys who can do a lot of different things. So there’s a good variety pack of pass rushers.”

7. Speaking of the outside linebackers, we should get some clarity on Pernell McPhee next week. McPhee wasn’t seen at any of the three OTA practices open to the media, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been around Halas Hall. He had arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason and is presumably still recovering, but we haven’t had access to head coach John Fox during OTAs. Fox will be available to the media at minicamp.

8. Wide receiver Eddie Royal did not practice Wednesday. He said it was maintenance day, but his health will certainly be something to watch throughout training camp. Royal missed a career-high six games last season with various injuries and could be considered a bubble guy in the training camp, even though he is due $4.5 million guaranteed this season.

9. At this point, the defense seems ahead of the offense. That isn’t all that uncommon, and will likely extend into training camp, but I think there are legitimate concerns about the offense after losing Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett in the offseason. If fans really want to take an honest look at 2015, the offense was actually a bigger issue than the defense. So far, the defense looks improved while the offense has a lot of work to do over the next few months.

10. Ramirez’s retirement is a good reminder that there are always surprises before the regular season. Remember, it wasn’t until minicamp last year when we had any idea Kevin White had a leg issue. And even then the Bears indicated he would be ready for training camp. White has yet to play in an NFL game.

Adam Hoge covers the Chicago Bears for WGN Radio and WGNRadio.com. He also co-hosts The Beat, weekends on 720 WGN. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.