The Tribune’s Brad Biggs answers your questions weekly. Looking around the league it seems this might be a draft where QBs are devalued. The free-agent market is flooded: A.J. McCarron, Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater, Blaine Gabbert, Trevor Siemian, maybe Nick Foles — and only a couple teams are still looking. Maybe no QB is drafted in top 10? — @nybearfan There is a far better chance three quarterbacks come off the board in the top 10 than zero. In my opinion, quarterbacks are overvalued in nearly every draft. You left off the biggest quarterback headed to the open market and that is Kirk Cousins, who is almost certain to sign a head-spinning contract. Siemian remains under contract to the Broncos and Foles is under contract to the Eagles. Of the team with picks in the top 10, the Browns, Giants, Broncos and Jets have acute need for a quarterback. Provided Foles is not traded by the Eagles, and I have no idea if Philadelphia would even entertain that idea, I don’t believe a quarterback on your list would satisfy an organization with an acute need. Cousins will. There are teams outside the top 10 with serious quarterback needs, too, and that list includes the Cardinals (No. 15) and Bills (Nos. 21 and 22). There could be other teams lurking for a quarterback, similar to how the Chiefs moved up to draft Patrick Mahomes 10th overall last April. It’s easy to poke a hole in some of the elite quarterback prospects in this draft, but there are some clubs with dire needs and you see quarterbacks overdrafted every year. I think most observers would be stunned if none came off the board in the top 10. Obviously, the more passers drafted in the top seven, the better for the Bears, who are drafting No. 8. Why don't teams use multiyear options much like Russell Okung in Denver? Seems like that would be a good way to sign a question mark like Kyle Fuller. One year at $14 million with a three- or four-year team option at $40 million to $50 million. Give Fuller his own void option at one year to incentivize it. The one-year commitment also saves you from having to use the franchise tag. If Fuller voids or his value drops but they still want him, they can tag him without being stuck with the second-year price bump. — @mnemonikos82 That’s a great idea from the team perspective, but the Okung deal isn’t something any agents with in-demand clients are ever going to use as a blueprint for a deal. Okung represented himself in negotiating his contract with the Broncos and by doing so kept the agent commission — which maxes out at 3 percent — in his pocket. But Okung the agent didn’t do Okung the player many favors when that deal was done in March 2016. There were zero guaranteed dollars in the deal and he wound up earning a total of only $5 million in the first season. Agents will point to the Okung deal in explaining to players that his contract is exactly why they need professional representation. If Fuller reaches the open market, he’s going to be seeking considerably more than $14 million in guarantees. He’s going to want guarantees that cover at least the first two years of a new deal. Unfortunately, I don’t think the Okung contract is very practical to set as a goal for players who will be coveted in free agency. What is more likely: Bears sign two wide receivers in free agency or draft two in the upcoming draft? — @_jeff_hicks_ I’ve said it before and I will say it again: I believe the Bears need to have a multi-pronged plan in place to completely overhaul the wide receiver position. That starts with seeking help via free agency and continues with finding a wide receiver in the draft. Whether that’s two free agents and one draft pick, one free agent and one draft pick, one free agent and two draft picks, three free agents and one draft pick, I don’t know. We could come up with all sorts of combinations, but the bottom line is the Bears need new players at this position and it only makes sense to find a draft pick that can be developed. If top-tier wide receivers receive the franchise tag, which second-tier wide receivers will the Bears target? — @kashbunker The expectation right now is the Rams won’t allow Sammy Watkins to leave and the Jaguars will keep Allen Robinson in place and if that happens, I think it’s fair to say the two best options have been removed from the market. Another potential top-tier receiver was prevented from departing Tuesday night when the Dolphins announced they have secured Jarvis Landry with the franchise tag. Options thin out even more and it becomes a situation where you have to determine what flavor you’re looking for. Do you want an outside speed threat to stretch the field? If so, maybe Paul Richardson or John Brown are good fits, but if you’re not going to incorporate a lot of vertical routes in your offense, what’s the point? Maybe you’re seeking a twitchy guy who can work the middle of the field? In that instance, someone like the Chiefs’ Albert Wilson, whom coach Matt Nagy knows well, might be a good fit, and he’d certainly come cheaper than Landry. I don’t know that there will be a future Pro Bowl option for the Bears in free agency, but they have to make moves and they can get better at the position in free agency.

Photos of the Bears general manager Ryan Pace. How much will Ryan Pace’s plans change for addressing WR if Allen Robinson/Jarvis Landry don’t make it to market? — @mr_tomparis Landry is out of play and I doubt Robinson makes it to the open market. Pace and the Bears are going to have a comprehensive plan that accounts for every option. It’s a jigsaw puzzle, and you’re considering tiers of players and you place values on them and you look for the right fit for your roster at all of the positions. The Bears are not going to be focused solely on wide receivers in free agency. They have to account for a lack of players at cornerback, the shelves aren’t lined deep at outside linebacker and there are other positions of need too. The Bears have been meeting for weeks and will be meeting up until the scouting combine opens next week, so they will have a good idea of the multitude of directions they could go in free agency. Can the RPOs be used to actually reduce the number of hits Mitch Trubisky will get by simplifying his reads and getting the ball out faster? — @popereaper In theory, getting the ball out of Trubisky’s hands would reduce hits, but let’s remember a central aspect of run/pass options: The quarterback keeps the ball and runs it himself. Every time Trubisky pulls the ball down and heads upfield, he’s exposing himself to a hit even on the plays he slides to give himself up. Will Christian Jones get a lot of attention from other teams as an unrestricted free agent? I’m hoping the Bears bring him back and even sign him to a multiyear deal. — @nickstiglic I think it’s fair to say Jones enhanced his value a little bit in 2017 when he started 11 games and finished second on the roster with 84 tackles. Jones adapted to the inside linebacker position, something that took some time, and helped fill the void when Jerrell Freeman was lost for the season in the opener and when Nick Kwiatkowski was sidelined. A former undrafted free agent, Jones has shown real growth, and the Bears brought him back last season on a one-year contract that paid him $1.5 million, slightly less than the tender would have cost as he was a restricted free agent. Considering Jones was also a core special teams player, he added value and he also proved versatile in the final month of the season when injuries decimated the team at outside linebacker and he was shifted there, likely ending his bid to lead the defense in tackles. It’s a little hard to tell how the Bears value Jones right now because the sense I get is they like Kwiatkowski a little bit better as an option to start next to Danny Trevathan on the inside. Jones will be in that middle class of free agents that often finds itself squeezed in the marketplace. He’s been a good player in the locker room and it would make sense to bring him back, but I’m not sure what the market will hold for Jones. This is a chance for him to get some security and surely he’ll be seeking the best deal possible. It’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility that he could land a multiyear contract. Who do you like in the draft or will you just sit on the fence and not answer as usual? — @garykuppers It doesn’t matter who I “like” in the draft. My goal is to determine how different scenarios will play out and best gauge how things will unfold for the team. After that, my job is to lend analysis as to why certain moves were made and how they might play out for the franchise. I understand fans have their favorites when it comes to the draft, free agency and everything else, but that’s not how my job works. Will the NFL ever consider switching the order so that the draft comes before free agency? — @terrence_j_naus This idea has been thrown out before and there is no question teams would love the order to be reversed so the draft came first. But the players would never go for that. The NFLPA wants players to have the opportunity to earn as much money as possible, and therefore their goal is to have free agency arrive as soon as possible. From a practical standpoint, I don’t know how this could be done with the timing of events in the offseason. The draft would have to be moved up and that would be a little difficult considering the space needed between the end of the Super Bowl to events like the scouting combine, pro days and time needed to private workouts and predraft visits. If free agency wasn’t until May, that would put players and teams behind in the offseason program. There are a couple free agents that will be available to replace Bobby Massie. What will the Bears do? — @william20852834 I believe the Bears have a greater appreciation for Massie than most of the folks who submit questions about him to the mailbag. Massie has a $1 million roster bonus due on March 16, on the third day of the league year, and is under contract for $5.6 million in 2018. That’s a reasonable amount for an experienced right tackle who was much better last season than he was in 2016. How did every Bears player fare this season? And what is their contract status? A position-by-position look at the 2017 roster. (Colleen Kane, Rich Campbell) (Colleen Kane, Rich Campbell) What’s a reasonable expectation for wins and losses next season? — @georgesloan6886 You’d be taking a complete stab in the dark at a 2018 record right now with only 51 players under contract. There’s so much up in the air as the team prepares for free agency and the draft. The primary starters at wide receiver, the tight end with the second-most snaps (Zach Miller), a defensive end, an outside linebacker and the top three cornerbacks in terms of playing time are all coming out of contract. Add in the fact that the team has to make a decision on the contract option for left guard Josh Sitton and the primary replacement for inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman (Christian Jones) is also an unrestricted free agent and the team needs to make a call on or replace what amounts to roughly 10 starters. Let’s wait and see how things play out. What happened to Terrelle Pryor? He went from a solid WR looking for a payday to not even playing before going on injured reserve. Is he still worth a look for the Bears? — @masonmdubbswest

Pryor didn’t find the riches he was seeking in free agency last year when he signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Redskins. He played 378 snaps in Washington and produced only 20 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in nine games. Pryor was placed on injured reserve in November with an ankle injury. Pryor turns 29 in June and someone is going to give him a shot, but his star isn’t nearly as bright as it was at this time last year when he was coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Browns. When I’ve talked to pro personnel scouts about available wide receivers, his name doesn’t even come up. You can’t rule Pryor out, but I also wouldn’t be super-excited about his prospects in 2018 either. I’m not sure he projects as a fit for the Bears. Should the Bears look at picking up Sebastian Janikowski? With the exception of kicks over 50 yards last year, there has not been any dropoff in his numbers. — @wsoxfnjoel Janikowski is one of a handful of veteran kickers on the market. He turns 40 in March and I tend to think the Bears will seek a younger option. I’ve gotten multiple questions about the longtime Raider, but I have to imagine he will be a fallback plan for most clubs. 2018 is not the Bears’ year. Are you hearing they are open for business with the 8th pick? They need more quality picks to build for the future. Mitch Trubisky needs O-line help and wide receivers. Not to mention the defense is gonna need some adds sooner than later. — @austing183 There is no doubt in my mind general manager Ryan Pace will be open to all possibilities when the draft arrives, but there aren’t phone calls being made at this point in regards to movement in the first round. It’s way too early. I hear what you are saying, but it’s also important to point out that the higher a team is in the draft, generally the better chance of landing an impact player. No one can argue the fact that the Bears are in need of impact players on both sides of the ball. Why does Kyle Fuller not want to come back? — @ghostlyeditshq I don’t believe Fuller has ever closed the door on a possible return to the Bears and, of course, he doesn’t have complete control of that as the Bears have the collectively bargained option of placing the franchise or transition tag on him. What’s the Bears plan for backup QB? — I see free agent Josh McCown as a fit, a good locker room guy, dependable pro who prepares. Can’t see Ryan Pace keeping Mike Glennon around. Or do they seek a solution in the draft? — @jusorrell As I have said before, my best guess is the Bears seek a veteran player to serve as the backup to Mitch Trubisky in 2018. You’re right that you won’t find a better guy or more professional player than McCown. He should command a solid payday in free agency and I wonder if McCown will seek a situation where there will be a better opportunity for playing time than he would have with the Bears. I do not expect Glennon to be with the Bears in 2018. A look at key members of Matt Nagy's Bears coaching staff for 2018. Is Chris Long an option for the Bears to target as depth for the pass rush? Maybe his energy can help the locker room. — @gallo07 Long, who turns 33 next month, produced five sacks and four forced fumbles for the Eagles as a situational pass rusher this past season and made a huge impact in the postseason, particularly in Philadelphia’s NFC championship game victory over the Vikings. He was on the field for 496 snaps, 48.2 percent of the playing time for the Eagles defense. That was 181 less snaps than he played the year before when he also won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots. I tend to think Long would be a long shot for the Bears. As Patriots coach Bill Belichick noted last month, the veteran was probably a better fit in the 4-3 scheme Jim Schwartz runs in Philadelphia than he was in New England. The Eagles defense is more similar to what Long was accustomed to earlier in his career with the Rams. “Chris has a lot of good skills, but his overall skill set and experience is definitely more in the system that he’s in than it was in our system,” Belichick said. Long is a high-character guy and the kind of player the NFL needs more of, but I don’t know that he’d be the best fit for the Bears, who employ his brother Kyle Long as their right guard. What are the different transition tags? What are the options short of the franchise tag? A first-round pick as compensation for Kyle Fuller would be nice. I would want a draft pick compensation for losing him vs. saving a couple million and just having rights to match. — @ackattackack There is only one type of transition tag and there are two types of franchise tags. The non-exclusive franchise tag is by far the most popular of the three and that is what the Bears used with wide receiver Alshon Jeffery in 2016. The exclusive franchise tag is generally only used on quarterbacks or the elite players in the game. For instance, the Broncos used that tag on outside linebacker Von Miller in 2016. What distinguishes the three tags? The exclusive franchise tag makes the club using it the only one permitted to negotiate with the player. The player is guaranteed a one-year tender that is the average of the top five salaries at his position for that current season or 120 percent of his previous season’s salary, whichever figure is higher.