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Coming off a strong 2005 season in which they won the NFC North division title, the Chicago Bears are in a very good position personnel-wise.  In fact, they have very few real needs to address this offseason, and they have a lot of wiggle room under the salary cap to go after the kinds of players that they do need.  And despite having a low pick in the draft (26th), there should still be some very solid selections left at that time.  Overall, the Bears will have the funds necessary to build on last season and make the playoffs again in 2006.  Let's take a look at where they could use some improvements.

Wide receiver
I think it's safe to say that nearly every Bears fan was disappointed with the play of Muhsin Muhammad.  Muhammad was coming off a stellar 2004 season with the Carolina Panthers in which he was the league's leading receiver.  

Yes, the Bears are primarily a running team and the fact that rookie Kyle Orton was under center for most of the season didn't help as far as Muhammad's numbers are concerned, but I don't think anyone expected this much of a dropoff.  He had 93 catches for 1405 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Panthers, then fell to 64 catches for 750 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Bears.  I can understand the yardage and number of catches being lower; however, I am very surprised that Muhammad didn't have more than 4 touchdown grabs all season long.  Some of that can be laid at the feet of the quarterback, but Muhammad had more than his fair share of drops in there.

Nevertheless, the Bears aren't going to part ways with him so soon into his big-money deal.  So that means they need a strong receiver to start opposite Muhammad and draw some defensive cover away from him -- which is why the Bears are looking closely at Antwaan Randle El of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  

Randle El becomes a free agent after this season and would be the perfect candidate to step into the starting role at the number two receiver slot.  His good hands and quick feet make up for his lack of size, and he is gaining invaluable experience as a first-year starter with the Super Bowl-bound Steelers.  The Bears will likely have to give Randle El a rather large contract, especially if the Steelers go on to win the Super Bowl, but they have the means to do so.  Randle El could be missing ingredient that will finally allow the Bears to take the next step and win a playoff game.

Punt Returner
The Bears had major problems with this aspect of special teams last season. Bobby Wade held the job for most of the season before finally being released by Chicago on December 14.  When Wade was in there, the Bears never knew what to expect.  On the one hand, he had his good days where he would make smart decisions and elude defenders.  He was the early-season leader in average punt return yards, and even had a 73-yard touchdown against Detroit.  But his fumbles, muffs, and other mistakes were becoming too frequent for the Bears coaching staff to simply overlook.  

Because the Bears need both a wide receiver and a punt returner, the prospect of signing Randle El becomes even more attractive.  Randle El happens to be an excellent special teams return man, and would really solidify the position for the Bears.  Randle El is dependable, rarely fumbles, and has been returning kickoffs and punts ever since he came into the league four years ago.  It seems like an intelligent move on the part of the Bears personnel director and coaching staff to monitor Randle El and make it be known this early on that they're interested.

Overall, I think the Bears will be in great shape next season if they can sign Randle El and whoever they select with their first round draft pick (which looks to be a tight end or another offensive player).  Then, if everyone can manage to stay healthy throughout training camp and the exhibition games, Opening Day of 2006 should be an exciting one for Bears fans in Chicago and across the entire country.