Chicago Bears Offseason Thread (the tank must payoff)

[raw]

I'm believing more and more that Barkley will end up on the Bears. I like Montgomery, but money needs to be spent, and the Bears just aren't going to pluck all of the best free agents out there. Barkley is an upgrade at that position and if you were going to spend money keeping Monty, how much more really would it be to just sign Barkley?

 

There are 3 tiers of 2nd contracts for RBs.

 

The elite tier is 15-16M/year = McCaffery, Elliott, Kamara

The 2nd tier is 12-12.6M/year = Aaron Jones, Henry, Mixon, Chubb

Then the 3rd tier is all the way down at 7-8M/year = Conner, Fournette, Ekeler

 

Now there's a guy in each tier that probably shouldn't be their (Elliott down 1, Henry and Ekeler up 1), but I think Montgomery would rightly value himself in that 2nd tier. Maybe he's not on Derrick Henry's level, but he's clearly better than Fournette and James Conner. And Barkley obviously belongs in that elite tier. So, you're talking about 12M for Montgomery vs. 15M for Barkley. Barkley is worth that difference.

 

Now to be fair, Montgomery may not get 12M on the open market as all those guys re-signed to avoid hitting the market, so there may not be an open market to pay a guy that much. But that's besides the point for the Bears who would be paying for him NOT to hit the market. I guess there's a scenario where he hits the market, realizes he's not valued in that 2nd tier and signs back with the Bears for like 7-8M/year, but that's risky for the Bears to let him hit the market. And still, if the Bears miss out on Barkley, they could go much cheaper than 7-8M for a backup RB and give the reins to Herbert.

 

I was surprised when you got to the part of Montgomery being in the second tier. I do not think the broader public views it that way. I just looked at a few different lists for the top FA RB's for example, and Montgomery is usually 5th on those lists. That would be a stunning contract for me if he got 12 million a year.

 

I didn't really say that, though. I said that he would value himself in the 2nd tier, because there are only 3 tiers and he's clearly better than those guys in the 3rd tier. He won't get paid in 2nd tier for the reasons I said above and I even conceded that he will likely get 7-8M.

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah, I thought that was clear. The player is going to overvalue himself, and that makes it difficult to bring a guy back after allowing him test the market.

[JeffH]

If anyone cares, I'm going to list players at the combine each day that I will be watching, and what I'm actually looking for.

 

Take a look at Colby Wooden. I'm very interested.

[knoblejr]

So with the league constantly changing we have seen mobile QBs have a purpose. I don't really want to trade fileds but if we do this is the only way id be okay with it. We trade with Houston and get their number 2 and 12 pick. Houston takes a QB like young or stroud and we still get either Carter or Anderson at 2. Then at 12 we get Another Mobile QB with major upside in Anthony Richardson. Check out all my guys below

https://www.draftdive.com/anthony-richardson-scouting-report/

https://www.draftdive.com/will-anderson-jr-scouting-report/

[CubinNY]

So with the league constantly changing we have seen mobile QBs have a purpose. I don't really want to trade fileds but if we do this is the only way id be okay with it. We trade with Houston and get their number 2 and 12 pick. Houston takes a QB like young or stroud and we still get either Carter or Anderson at 2. Then at 12 we get Another Mobile QB with major upside in Anthony Richardson. Check out all my guys below

https://www.draftdive.com/anthony-richardson-scouting-report/

https://www.draftdive.com/will-anderson-jr-scouting-report/

There are only a handful of guys at each position that are game changers. I'm not sure this draft is deep enough at QB to draft a non-QB at 2 and expect to get a true NFL quarterback. Tom Brady is unicorn. They have to give Fields a decent chance to show if he's capable and the only way to do that is to get him the support he needs. Matthew Stafford languished in Detroit for years. Archie Manning did the same and it's a reason why he told Eli not to sign with the Chargers when he was drafted.

[WrigleyField 22]

The very highest I think Poles can justify a QB would be like 3rd round for say Hendon Hooker. Any picks before that (64) should be going to find immediate starters/rotation guys with a good chance of being impact players.

 

And even then I probably wouldn't want to burn 64 if they don't get a big trade haul for #1.

[raw]

If anyone cares, I'm going to list players at the combine each day that I will be watching, and what I'm actually looking for.

 

LB-

Jack Campbell- how fast is he? how well does he move laterally?

Daiyan Henley- one of my favorite players, I know he's fast and long and can move. Does the former WR make a run for off ball LB1?

Cam Jones- my IU brethren, how fast/explosive is he? Has shown 0 coverage ability, but is there something there?

Anfernee Orji- Vandy LB, haven't really watched him, but heard some good things earlier in the season. Seems like a late pick, but if he shows up athletically, could move up to earlier Day 3.

Ivan Pace Jr- Flies all over the field and showed also at Senior Bowl, can he hit sub 4.5? Similar to Jones, can he show any coverage potential?

Trenton Simpson- my current LB1, can he solidify it? If you squint, he may have some pass rush potential ala Micah Parsons, can he show any of it?

Dorian Williams- Tulane LB, can really run. Strength will be key. Explosion numbers will also be important.

Owen Pappoe- he will probably run fastest 40 of the day, he's undersized, but length measurements will be interesting

 

DL-

Adetomiwa Adebawore- short, but extremely long arms, looks like a 3T, but is he explosive enough to play edge as well?

Felix Anudike-Uzomah- raw, but looks very athletic. Measurements, strength, speed, bend are all worth watching here

Bryan Bresee- supposedly really athletic, interested to see just how much because I'm not a big fan. Also arm length will be key

Isaiah Foskey- how athletic is he? Explosion numbers? Pretty raw pass rusher

Zach Harrison- supposedly a freak athlete similar to last year's #1 pick, 6'6, 275 never put up big numbers at Ohio St

Calijah Kancey- extremely quick, but severely undersized, does he have the length to make up for lack of height? Is he truly only 6'?

Will McDonald- looks like a great athlete, can he back it up? played out of position at Iowa St, can he bend the edge consistently?

Mike Morris- bit of a tweener, but strong holding the edge. Is he athletic enough to stay on edge or is he a 3-4 DE?

Myles Murphy- if Harrison isn't Travon Walker athletic, Murphy may be. Another who's numbers don't match athleticism.

Moro Ojomo- played HS ball with my nephew in Katy, TX. played DE, but more likely a 3-tech in NFL. Has length, how's atheticism?

Lukas Van Ness- power rusher off the edge, but how athletic is he? How much length? Dating Cole Kmet's sister, so could be a fun pick

Tuli Tuipulotu- another guy that played edge in college, but likely moves inside in NFL. Quickness and length are to watch

Nolan Smith/Tyree Wilson- are they healthy enough to work out?

 

Campbell had an insane 3-cone and showed lateral agility at his size similar to Brian Urlacher

Henley disappointed a little with his speed, but looked fluid in drills

Orji looked amazing, ran really well and is a guy that will take on blocks. Definitely gotta find what I can on him the next few weeks.

Simpson solidified LB1 for sure.

Williams was super fast and explosive.

Pappoe did get fastest 40, length wasn't very good at sub 32" arms

 

Adebawore definitely showed he's explosive enough for the edge. Ran a 4.49 which I saw a joke that he's faster than any WR that Northwestern had

Bresee was fast, didn't really do drills as well as I expected. Short arms

Foskey had a pretty good day, potential for late day 1

Kancey doesn't have the length, but he didn't stop those Aaron Donald athleticism comparisons.

Morris is NOT athletic enough to be an edge player.

Van Ness was super fast and great in agility drills. He's probably a top 15 pick

Tuipulotu I didn't really see much, but what stood out to me was him weighing at 262 when he was listed at 290 for USC. Going all in on the edge position, which I think is a bad move.

Boy was Nolan Smith ever healthy enough to work out! Better combine than Stefon Diggs and Saquon Barkley, who are obviously NOT 240lb pass rushers.

[raw]

Day 2: I don't really have a lot of DBs I'm looking to solidify their spots or move up draft boards. If you are able to watch CBs in particular, you can really tell if a guy can cover, run, move, etc. And frankly, I haven't really looked at safeties as I think that's about the only position (besides QB) the Bears are probably OK with not drafting, especially before like the 5th round.

 

Alex Austin- Oregon St CB, didn't know he was even in the draft until 2 days ago. Didn't appear in mock draft simulators but on combine participant list. Now projected as a 3rd round pick on a few things I've read. 6'1", 190lbs. Someone I need to watch

 

Kelee Ringo- he's one of the guys I do have agility/speed questions about. I honestly think he may be an NFL safety, but if he can show athleticism he can stay a guy that has Round 1 aspirations.

 

There's a lot of CBs with size that will have pique my interest just because of the success of guys like Sauce Gardner and Tariq Woolen this past season. And I think NFL teams that don't have a 6'2"+ CB will be in the market if some guys really stand out athletically.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Kancey ran a 4.67! he basically is Donald

[jumbo]

I love "shelter in place for the combine" raw

[UMFan83]

Strange and funny that reporters keep asking Ohio State players at the combine about whether Justin Fields is just a RB playing QB:

 

 

 

Stroud tells the Bears not to draft him and stick with Fields lol

 

Probably my favorite group of Ohio State players ever. Sure mostly because they were all unable to beat Michigan, but also because they are defending Fields.

[minnesotacubsfan]

yea, I was coming here to post the Stroud snippet. pretty telling that Field's former teammates are basically telling Poles to give him a supporting cast

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Stroud also says things like….

[raw]

I actually think there is a large contingent of Bears reporters there for the combine. A) it's a pretty short drive and B) Bears have #1 pick so people are trying to get some intel about potential trades. I'm pretty sure all the Fields questions have been asked by Bears people.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I actually think there is a large contingent of Bears reporters there for the combine. A) it's a pretty short drive and B) Bears have #1 pick so people are trying to get some intel about potential trades. I'm pretty sure all the Fields questions have been asked by Bears people.

It's an off-season that will either make a legend of Poles or knock his career to smithereens, but here we are and he got us here.

[raw]

For tomorrow's combine:

 

Not really looking at QBs, but who and who doesn't throw or run will be interesting.

 

At WR

Jordan Addison- measurements and speed are pretty important for him, in running for WR1, had some drops so how he catches the ball I'll be watching as well

Kayshon Boutte- speed and hands, his interviews will be most important, but before the off field stuff, he had questions about speed and concentration drops

Derius Davis- guy I liked all year at TCU. Tiny, but can fly, believe he's a track guy

Tank Dell- extremely quick, but how fast is he? Also tiny, so blazing a good time will be key

Josh Downs- not a huge fan of his tape, needs to run mid-to-low 4.4s IMO. Route running will also be worth watching

Zay Flowers- in running for WR1 as well, I think he'll fly, and have 0 questions about his speed, route running or hands, can he solidify?

Bryce Ford-Wheaton- big WR, how fast is he? Made a great 1st impression in the opener for WVU vs Pitt

Xavier Hutchinson- agility will be key, I also think he's faster than people think. Can he push himself into the 2nd round conversation?

Quentin Johnston- I think he will run very fast, like low 4.4s or better fast, has to show he can hands catch and high point the ball

Rakim Jarrett- former 5* prospect, issues at Maryland w/ QB play, injuries and drops. Speed and gauntlet drill will be interesting to see

Puka Nacua- lot of people's sleeper, I'm not sure he's fast or agile enough to separate consistently at the next level

Trey Palmer- supposedly has Olympic level speed, can he get in the 4.2s? Haven't really watched because Nebraska football bores me

AT Perry- I don't love him. Poor man's Johnston, who I don't think is very fast or explosive, can he prove otherwise?

Jayden Reed- I do love him. Can he show enough to be the consolation prize to those who miss out on Zay Flowers? Very similar, IMO

Rashee Rice- long speed is questionable, needs a good 40. Separation was questioned at Senior Bowl, can he show agility, route running?

Tyler Scott- another really fast dude who will hit low 4.3s. How big is he? Deep ball threat that needs to show route running and agility to run full route tree from the slot in the NFL

Cedric Tillman- he's the in-between of Johnston and Perry. Big WR, not a burner, but strong hands. Can anyone from Tennesee run routes?

Parker Washington- he's kind of fun to watch. Short, RB like WR who I'd be much more interested in if didn't have Velus Jones. Quietly a solid day 2 option for some other team, IMO

Didn't include JSN (not running 40) or Jalin Hyatt (he's also 4.2 fast, routes? hands?)

 

At TE- not really going to focus on the earliest guys because I don't think they will go TE super early

Payne Durham- how fast is he? Had an impressive Senior Bowl, can he build on that?

Sam LaPorta- think he's underrated, may be late day 2 guy, who I think has top TE in the class potential

Noah Gindorff/Tucker Craft- small school guys from the Dakota schools. Haven't watched either, but heard good things

Will Mallory- one of my favorite potential late picks, looks like he has good speed hands, in-line TE despite a little undersized, good compliment to Kmet with seam ability

Brayden Willis- big fan of this guys, h-back/FB hybrid type, think he'll run pretty fast and can block just enough to be an asset there as well

[UMFan83]

 

Hmm

[WrigleyField 22]

 

Hmm

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

Hmm

 

you'd have to be all in on the idea that Poles can make this happen and Fields is putting up numbers, meaning its more a matter of XP than FG. I mean...that could happen

[raw]

For tomorrow's combine:

 

Not really looking at QBs, but who and who doesn't throw or run will be interesting.

 

At WR

Jordan Addison- measurements and speed are pretty important for him, in running for WR1, had some drops so how he catches the ball I'll be watching as well

Kayshon Boutte- speed and hands, his interviews will be most important, but before the off field stuff, he had questions about speed and concentration drops

Derius Davis- guy I liked all year at TCU. Tiny, but can fly, believe he's a track guy

Tank Dell- extremely quick, but how fast is he? Also tiny, so blazing a good time will be key

Josh Downs- not a huge fan of his tape, needs to run mid-to-low 4.4s IMO. Route running will also be worth watching

Zay Flowers- in running for WR1 as well, I think he'll fly, and have 0 questions about his speed, route running or hands, can he solidify?

Bryce Ford-Wheaton- big WR, how fast is he? Made a great 1st impression in the opener for WVU vs Pitt

Xavier Hutchinson- agility will be key, I also think he's faster than people think. Can he push himself into the 2nd round conversation?

Quentin Johnston- I think he will run very fast, like low 4.4s or better fast, has to show he can hands catch and high point the ball

Rakim Jarrett- former 5* prospect, issues at Maryland w/ QB play, injuries and drops. Speed and gauntlet drill will be interesting to see

Puka Nacua- lot of people's sleeper, I'm not sure he's fast or agile enough to separate consistently at the next level

Trey Palmer- supposedly has Olympic level speed, can he get in the 4.2s? Haven't really watched because Nebraska football bores me

AT Perry- I don't love him. Poor man's Johnston, who I don't think is very fast or explosive, can he prove otherwise?

Jayden Reed- I do love him. Can he show enough to be the consolation prize to those who miss out on Zay Flowers? Very similar, IMO

Rashee Rice- long speed is questionable, needs a good 40. Separation was questioned at Senior Bowl, can he show agility, route running?

Tyler Scott- another really fast dude who will hit low 4.3s. How big is he? Deep ball threat that needs to show route running and agility to run full route tree from the slot in the NFL

Cedric Tillman- he's the in-between of Johnston and Perry. Big WR, not a burner, but strong hands. Can anyone from Tennesee run routes?

Parker Washington- he's kind of fun to watch. Short, RB like WR who I'd be much more interested in if didn't have Velus Jones. Quietly a solid day 2 option for some other team, IMO

Didn't include JSN (not running 40) or Jalin Hyatt (he's also 4.2 fast, routes? hands?)

 

At TE- not really going to focus on the earliest guys because I don't think they will go TE super early

Payne Durham- how fast is he? Had an impressive Senior Bowl, can he build on that?

Sam LaPorta- think he's underrated, may be late day 2 guy, who I think has top TE in the class potential

Noah Gindorff/Tucker Craft- small school guys from the Dakota schools. Haven't watched either, but heard good things

Will Mallory- one of my favorite potential late picks, looks like he has good speed hands, in-line TE despite a little undersized, good compliment to Kmet with seam ability

Brayden Willis- big fan of this guys, h-back/FB hybrid type, think he'll run pretty fast and can block just enough to be an asset there as well

 

Addison didn't really distinguish himself. He proved tinier than I hoped. Didn't really run that fast (which isn't a big deal) and just looked solid in drills, not elite. Still a 1st round WR, but not WR1

Boutte tough day for him, though he did look OK in some areas, he bombed explosion drills, with off-field stuff he's definitely Day 3 or UDFA

Dell was more quick than fast, I think he needed to be both. Not of interest to me combined w/ lack of size

Downs was really good yesterday. Showed smooth route running and more speed and hands than I expected.

Flowers, still good. Potentially WR1 depending on the team

Ford-Wheaton- uh, so he might be a dude. 4.38, 41" vert at almost 6'4, 221lbs. Measurements and results similar to DK

Hutchinson had a solid day, saw a Tyler Boyd comparison that seems pretty apt

Johnston didn't run, but showed decent hands and high pointing]

Perry was much faster and agile than I expected based on his game play. Wake Forest runs a terrible offense though, developmental guy IMO

Rice, I thought was good. Speed was solid for his size, explosion drills and 10-yard split were amazing. If he can be taught nuances of getting open at the top of his routes, I think he has as much upside as anyone in this draft

Scott didn't run nearly as fast as I expected which was weird to me. Neither did Hyatt.

Tillman with a solid day.

JSN was beautiful today. If I were him, I'd never run a 40, even at pro day. He doesn't need to. One of the best 3-cone and shuttle times in the history of the world. Change of direction skills are off the charts. Got himself in the WR1 conversation, IMO

 

LaPorta was great for the TEs. He'd be TE1 if this was a normal class. As it is, he may be the best when all is said and done because, Iowa

Mallory was fast, explosive, good hands. One of the best combines of any TE, IMO

Zach Kuntz from Old Dominion was good, 6'8" dude who could move and explosive athlete

Brenton Strange from Penn St I thought was the big pleasant surprise of the TE group, haven't watched, will now

Darnell Washington, he's probably going to high for the Bears (late 1) but had to mention him. Picture any of the NFL guys who were TEs and put on weight to play offensive tackle. Now picture that OT blocking ability but without the weight gain, and with Kyle Pitts level athleticism, that's Washington. Just an absolute freak of nature.

[raw]

And lastly for Day 4.

 

This is a fun OL class. Instead of going player to player, I'm going to put them into groups

 

Athletic OTs- obviously, the Bears like athletic linemen who can move for the outside zone. So how these guys move speed-wise and agility-wise will be key for the Bears brass

 

Broderick Jones

Peter Skoronski- OT/OG?

Paris Johnson

Anton Harrison

Carter Warren- injury issues at Pitt, so not sure what all he'll do

Wanya Morris

Asim Richards

Blake Freeland

Jaelyn Duncan

 

Big Guys- I'm sure the Bears wouldn't shy away from size, but can any of these guys move well enough for the Bears to potentially take a chance on them

 

Darnell Wright- OT

Dawand Jones- OT

O'Cyrus Torrence- OG

Matthew Bergeron- OT/OG?

McClendon Curtis- OT/OG?

Steve Avila- OG/C?

 

One of the most interesting, underrated story lines of the offseason is what the Bears do at C. Will they give Patrick another chance to play the position he was meant to play? Do they move on to a prospect to start? Prospect for development long-term?

 

The intriguing C's in this draft

John Michael-Schmitz

Luke Wypler

Joe Tippman- big C, so movement skills will be key

Alex Forsyth

Ricky Stromberg

 

More importantly, I think there may be guys that the Bears look at potentially to MOVE to C

 

Cody Mauch- college OT, played everywhere for Getsy in Senior bowl practices

Steve Avila- played everywhere in college, has some C experience, again Getsy played him some there in Senior bowl practices

Braeden Daniels- super athletic guy who played LT in college, sub 300lbs, move to interior likely and C possible

 

RBs

Jahmyr Gibbs- really intrigued by adding a pure speed and pass catching RB, may be more quick than fast though, which is fine

Devon Achane- undersized, but a track guy, so he should be fast.

Zach Charbonnet- not the biggest fan, Matt Forte gliding ability, but don't see that same ability to make guys miss, agility numbers?

Tyjae Spears- can he add to big senior bowl to get into day 2? Small, fast, quick, great receiver

Kenny McIntosh/Eric Gray- both good receiving backs with questionable long-speed, good speed/explosion numbers move them up the board

Chase Brown/Sean Tucker- kind of similar, smaller, faster backs, how fast? how good are they at catching the ball

Kendre Miller- 1-cut and go guy who fits the Bears scheme, IMO. How's his route running and hands? Speed?

Roschon Johnson- one of my favorites, doesn't have the lateral ability but long speed may surprise

Hunter Luepke- FB/RB hybrid, good runner, interested to see how good of a receiver and how athletic.

[UMFan83]

A ton of great info from Poles here, read all the way til the end. He seems convinced that he’s gonna get 1sts in 2024 and 2025 for 1.01 and that there are at least 4 teams he’s talking with. Some of this could definitely be negotiating through the media but I’m super excited to see how this plays out

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/03/06/ryan-poles-chicago-bears-nfl-combine-draft-peter-king-fmia/?cid=fmiatw

[gflore34]

This constant effort by the media to discredit Fields is getting out of hand, it's got to be in part, if not entirely, race related. Asking Stroud and Smith-Njigba, if Fields is just a running back, WTF? Did any potential draftees get asked these sorts of questions about Josh Allen after his first season? I'm certain Fields is letting it roll off his back, to a certain extent he has to but, I have to imagine he's infuriated with this he's just a running back BS. That horsefeathering Poles better make some moves to give Fields a chance.

[CubinNY]

This constant effort by the media to discredit Fields is getting out of hand, it's got to be in part, if not entirely, race related. Asking Stroud and Smith-Njigba, if Fields is just a running back, WTF? Did any potential draftees get asked these sorts of questions about Josh Allen after his first season? I'm certain Fields is letting it roll off his back, to a certain extent he has to but, I have to imagine he's infuriated with this he's just a running back BS. That horsefeathering Poles better make some moves to give Fields a chance.

I hope he's using it as motivation to get better instead of blowing it off as racism. There is a lot of racism in there, but he also needs to work on mechanical and strategic components of the position to get him to where he wants to be.

[gflore34]

This constant effort by the media to discredit Fields is getting out of hand, it's got to be in part, if not entirely, race related. Asking Stroud and Smith-Njigba, if Fields is just a running back, WTF? Did any potential draftees get asked these sorts of questions about Josh Allen after his first season? I'm certain Fields is letting it roll off his back, to a certain extent he has to but, I have to imagine he's infuriated with this he's just a running back BS. That horsefeathering Poles better make some moves to give Fields a chance.

I hope he's using it as motivation to get better instead of blowing it off as racism. There is a lot of racism in there, but he also needs to work on mechanical and strategic components of the position to get him to where he wants to be.

 

I know this, believe Fields does as well.