Chicago Bears Offseason Thread (the tank must payoff)

[BigbadB]

So if not McGlinchey, is it Orlando Brown or Jawaan Taylor that the Bears go after next?

[UMFan83]

[minnesotacubsfan]

Poles is getting schooled

[bjam12]

Poles is getting schooled

 

LOL

[David]

 

SHEESH

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

SHEESH

Good for Denver!

 

 

Let's steal their DT

[WrigleyField 22]

DT market is insane right now. Poles needs to pay big if he wants to improve the front 7

 

[UMFan83]

Will probably get lost in the shuffle of FA moves, but some inside reporting on how the Bears-Panthers trade came together. Gives you a feel for how Poles operates:

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/03/13/bears-panthers-trade-first-draft-pick-dj-moore-nfl-draft-mmqb

 

-Bears were trying to get Texans to trade from 2 to 1 so the Bears could trade down again, but they didn't seem ready to pull the trigger

-Bears were talking with Panthers, Texans and at least one other team but the Panthers talks progressed the quickest

-Panthers solidified their decision to go for a QB in the draft when the Daniel Jones and Derek Carr contracts set the bar for veteran QBs high

-Panthers were also in heavy talks with Arizona but the price difference between what Arizona was asking and what the Bears were asking as close enough that it made sense for them to secure number 1 overall

-Bears price started at 3 1sts but as we discussed, DJ Moore was basically substituted for the 3rd number 1.

-Once Moore was on the table, the Bears wanted to work quickly to make the trade before FA opened.

[UMFan83]

 

Posting Gabriel rumors with trepidation but he's not reporting anything official this time just a rumor

[UMFan83]

OL options are flying off the board. Wondering if this may solidify us going for OL at 9

[gflore34]

OL options are flying off the board. Wondering if this may solidify us going for OL at 9

 

Thinking this as well but, would really like if they took JSN at 9.

[Tryptamine]

OL options are flying off the board. Wondering if this may solidify us going for OL at 9

 

Even if they're going OL at 9, they still need to add one impact lineman in FA.

[WrigleyField 22]

 

OT market also hot apparently.

[Tryptamine]

Still early, but what a disaster it would be if Poles completely whiffed on the OL market. Any positive feelings from the trade would be completely wiped out.

[UMFan83]

I wonder if Poles is the type of GM obsessed with not overpaying in FA. Based on what he’s said I think that’s accurate and I’m generally on board with that. But I’d also like him to be able to adapt to the market and his needs. Given the Bears cap situation heading into FA I’d expect him to overpay at least one guy to fill a big hole

[Bertz]

IMO DT is the only place where you've absolutely got to get a top of the market option

 

Poles can go more mid-market at RT, it just means he ought to take one of the top guys with #9

[UMFan83]

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Good news Kyle

 

 

I'm not unhappy

[WrigleyField 22]

IMO DT is the only place where you've absolutely got to get a top of the market option

 

Poles can go more mid-market at RT, it just means he ought to take one of the top guys with #9

I tend to agree.

 

He should be shoring up inside OL too though. If they go into draft with Whitehair-Patrick-Jenkins as the plan, it's not enough.

[UMFan83]

IMO DT is the only place where you've absolutely got to get a top of the market option

 

Poles can go more mid-market at RT, it just means he ought to take one of the top guys with #9

I tend to agree.

 

He should be shoring up inside OL too though. If they go into draft with Whitehair-Patrick-Jenkins as the plan, it's not enough.

 

Based on the ringers list of FAs.

 

OL:

1. Orlando Brown Jr - Still available

2. Jawaan Taylor - Gone

3. Mike McGlinchey - Gone

4. Dalton Risner- Still available

5. Jason Kelce - Still available (likely going back to Philly)

6. Isaiah Wynn - Still available

7. Kaleb McGary - Still available

[Bobson Dugnutt]

IMO DT is the only place where you've absolutely got to get a top of the market option

 

Poles can go more mid-market at RT, it just means he ought to take one of the top guys with #9

I tend to agree.

 

He should be shoring up inside OL too though. If they go into draft with Whitehair-Patrick-Jenkins as the plan, it's not enough.

 

Yep. I’m fine if they want to address T in the draft, but if that’s the case, IMO, neither Whitehair nor Patrick should be starting for the Bears next year.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I wonder if Poles is the type of GM obsessed with not overpaying in FA. Based on what he’s said I think that’s accurate and I’m generally on board with that. But I’d also like him to be able to adapt to the market and his needs. Given the Bears cap situation heading into FA I’d expect him to overpay at least one guy to fill a big hole

I worry a great deal that he's trying to be frugal in a year where the market is taking a big jump, AND Poles actually has the money to do what he needs to do. He's stated he is concerned with value, but holding cash has zero value for the Bears at this point

[WrigleyField 22]

IMO DT is the only place where you've absolutely got to get a top of the market option

 

Poles can go more mid-market at RT, it just means he ought to take one of the top guys with #9

I tend to agree.

 

He should be shoring up inside OL too though. If they go into draft with Whitehair-Patrick-Jenkins as the plan, it's not enough.

 

Based on the ringers list of FAs.

 

OL:

1. Orlando Brown Jr - Still available

2. Jawaan Taylor - Gone

3. Mike McGlinchey - Gone

4. Dalton Risner- Still available

5. Jason Kelce - Still available (likely going back to Philly)

6. Isaiah Wynn - Still available

7. Kaleb McGary - Still available

Kelce said he's going back to Philly.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I wonder if Poles is the type of GM obsessed with not overpaying in FA. Based on what he’s said I think that’s accurate and I’m generally on board with that. But I’d also like him to be able to adapt to the market and his needs. Given the Bears cap situation heading into FA I’d expect him to overpay at least one guy to fill a big hole

I worry a great deal that he's trying to be frugal in a year where the market is taking a big jump, AND Poles actually has the money to do what he needs to do. He's stated he is concerned with value, but holding cash has zero value for the Bears at this point

 

If he's that concerned with value, it will be a multi-year tank. There's not going to be good value in free agency.

[UMFan83]

I wonder if Poles is the type of GM obsessed with not overpaying in FA. Based on what he’s said I think that’s accurate and I’m generally on board with that. But I’d also like him to be able to adapt to the market and his needs. Given the Bears cap situation heading into FA I’d expect him to overpay at least one guy to fill a big hole

I worry a great deal that he's trying to be frugal in a year where the market is taking a big jump, AND Poles actually has the money to do what he needs to do. He's stated he is concerned with value, but holding cash has zero value for the Bears at this point

 

If he's that concerned with value, it will be a multi-year tank. There's not going to be good value in free agency.

 

Yeah that's a problem. I don't mind the strategy to build through the draft and to try to find good value in FA, but he is also making win now moves to some degree, he has a massive amount of money to spend, and he just traded away multiple impact defensive players. He is not going to cobble together an adequate defense or OL on value FA signings and midround draft picks. If I were him I'd suck it up and break the bank for an impact player at a huge position of need and then focus on value signings.