Chicago Bears Offseason Thread (the tank must payoff)

[minnesotacubsfan]

Looks like Edmunds to the Bears

Is he a Edge in Eberflus defense?

He's the Brian Urlacher

Sorry, I was being more sarcastic than literal. I don't get all the LBs and no DL IN FA so far

[David]

[UMFan83]

Not that I don't also value the input from Wrigley and several others here, but I really need raw in here and provide his input to complete the NSBB analysis of the Bears moves. Hurry up raw!

[UMFan83]

 

Forgot that Edwards grew up in the Chicago area and unlike other potential Bears additions that grew up in the Chicago area (*coughSkoronskicough*), was a big Bears fan

[WrigleyField 22]

Not that I don't also value the input from Wrigley and several others here, but I really need raw in here and provide his input to complete the NSBB analysis of the Bears moves. Hurry up raw!

No worries! I add value where I can, but raws x and O feedback is valuable here.

[NOLA]

I know this is a Bears thread, but anyone else feel like the Bills are about to take a step back?

[UMFan83]

I know this is a Bears thread, but anyone else feel like the Bills are about to take a step back?

 

They're kind of in a tough spot I think. They maxed out their roster to contend but keep coming up short. As long as they have Allen and Diggs and an adequate defense they'll be good I think but may take a small step back to retool and maybe be 10-7 good instead of 13-4 good. We'll see...

[NOLA]

I know this is a Bears thread, but anyone else feel like the Bills are about to take a step back?

 

They're kind of in a tough spot I think. They maxed out their roster to contend but keep coming up short. As long as they have Allen and Diggs and an adequate defense they'll be good I think but may take a small step back to retool and maybe be 10-7 good instead of 13-4 good. We'll see...

Well, they keep having defections, Diggs just might be a problem and the division is only getting tougher. Plus, I wonder if Josh Allen has sorta been figured out.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I know this is a Bears thread, but anyone else feel like the Bills are about to take a step back?

 

I kinda wonder if the Bills/Allen are gonna become this era's Chargers/Rivers, with the Chiefs and Bengals playing the part of Pats/Brady and Colts/Manning. Feels like maybe an overreaction to a couple very close playoff games, but Allen may be a little more mistake prone(plus his running increases injury risk) and his division looks a bit tougher going forward too.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I know this is a Bears thread, but anyone else feel like the Bills are about to take a step back?

 

I kinda wonder if the Bills/Allen are gonna become this era's Chargers/Rivers, with the Chiefs and Bengals playing the part of Pats/Brady and Colts/Manning. Feels like maybe an overreaction to a couple very close playoff games, but Allen may be a little more mistake prone(plus his running increases injury risk) and his division looks a bit tougher going forward too.

Your missing the Steelers and Broncos or Ravens. in that analogy. Bills could easily end up the latter

Edited March 13, 2023 by minnesotacubsfan

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Bears sure are spending a lot for LB's to back up Sanborn.

 

I know that you're memeing, but I can never tell what percentage of the Bears fanbase is memeing at this point and what percentage actually thinks Sanborn is a useful starting linebacker.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I know this is a Bears thread, but anyone else feel like the Bills are about to take a step back?

 

I kinda wonder if the Bills/Allen are gonna become this era's Chargers/Rivers, with the Chiefs and Bengals playing the part of Pats/Brady and Colts/Manning. Feels like maybe an overreaction to a couple very close playoff games, but Allen may be a little more mistake prone(plus his running increases injury risk) and his division looks a bit tougher going forward too.

Your missing the Steelers and Broncos or Ravens. in that analogy. Bills could easily end up the latter

 

I thought about the Steelers, but the Bills are much more offense/QB driven so it didn't feel like a great comparison(even moreso with the Ravens). The Broncos are basically the Colts replacement since it's about Manning, so they can be grouped together for this overly simplistic view.

[UMFan83]

[UMFan83]

I haven't heard much about Marcus Davenport as a name for the Bears at DE. I think he had a down year last year in terms of pass rushing (0.5 sacks in 15 games is something, but he had 9 the year before), but he's only 26 and graded decently on PFF. Is he someone the Bears should be going after?

[cwood218]

I haven't heard much about Marcus Davenport as a name for the Bears at DE. I think he had a down year last year in terms of pass rushing (0.5 sacks in 15 games is something, but he had 9 the year before), but he's only 26 and graded decently on PFF. Is he someone the Bears should be going after?

 

No Way!! Unless he is really cheap.

 

He can't stay on the field ... always injured

[raw]

So, I'm kind of indifferent on the moves so far.

 

TJ Edwards is a fine signing. And hella cheap. I would have paid double digit million AAV for him and they got him for 6.5M per. He's a solid Mike LB who takes on blockers really well. If you remember, I called this signing in my mock offseason! Good, not great, player who has worked his ass off to get better every year. I'll give this signing an A.

 

Nate Davis is an OK signing. 3 years, 30M is a little high for him. He's a better run blocker than pass blocker, but IIRC he has gotten better pass blocking every year. He hasn't really played in zone blocking scheme and Tennessee was a big power/gap team. Didn't see him play much this year since my nephew was no longer there. But he's always been solid. Can't complain about solid OL help, but I can't help but think this contract would have been better for Isaac Seumalo or Dalton Risner, both of whom I like better. Davis is younger than both though, has only played RG. I give this signing a C

 

Tremaine Edmunds is interesting. I'm going to guess he's going to be the Will LB. He's fun. He's big, fast and makes flashy plays. He hasn't quite lived up to his draft billing, and I honestly preferred him to drafting Roquan 5 years ago. IDK how he's still only 24 for a couple months with 5 years experience. He could shine in this defense. That being said, I feel like this moves shows a bit of panic that they had to spend big for cash floor purposes and am going to guess this means no big money players at OT or DT are being signed, which is where I would have rather spent 19M AAV. I give this signing a C+

 

Obviously, I don't know if players are even interested or if the Bears had offers out there. I don't hate that they didn't spend those contracts on Jawaan Taylor or Mike McGlinchey, but could have justified if they grossly overpaid like those other teams did. It sounds like Dre'Mont Jones is going to get 20M AAV as well between the Browns and Broncos. Maybe the Bears can get in on that as well. The Bears are better than they were when we all woke up this morning, but the needle isn't moved enough yet, IMO. A long way to go, so no big deal, but the trenches are still very bad.

[jersey cubs fan]

So much for spending on the important positions. That’s a lot of money for linebackers.

[Bertz]

I haven't heard much about Marcus Davenport as a name for the Bears at DE. I think he had a down year last year in terms of pass rushing (0.5 sacks in 15 games is something, but he had 9 the year before), but he's only 26 and graded decently on PFF. Is he someone the Bears should be going after?

 

Whether it's Davenport specifically or another edge guy in that tier, I am hoping that this is the other side of the coin if we do punt on signing a big RT.

 

Something like Dre'mont Jones and Marcus Davenport as the last two big FA adds, make sure to grab a corner among the day 2 picks...suddenly that defense is pretty damn fun.

[UMFan83]

So, I'm kind of indifferent on the moves so far.

 

TJ Edwards is a fine signing. And hella cheap. I would have paid double digit million AAV for him and they got him for 6.5M per. He's a solid Mike LB who takes on blockers really well. If you remember, I called this signing in my mock offseason! Good, not great, player who has worked his ass off to get better every year. I'll give this signing an A.

 

Nate Davis is an OK signing. 3 years, 30M is a little high for him. He's a better run blocker than pass blocker, but IIRC he has gotten better pass blocking every year. He hasn't really played in zone blocking scheme and Tennessee was a big power/gap team. Didn't see him play much this year since my nephew was no longer there. But he's always been solid. Can't complain about solid OL help, but I can't help but think this contract would have been better for Isaac Seumalo or Dalton Risner, both of whom I like better. Davis is younger than both though, has only played RG. I give this signing a C

 

Tremaine Edmunds is interesting. I'm going to guess he's going to be the Will LB. He's fun. He's big, fast and makes flashy plays. He hasn't quite lived up to his draft billing, and I honestly preferred him to drafting Roquan 5 years ago. IDK how he's still only 24 for a couple months with 5 years experience. He could shine in this defense. That being said, I feel like this moves shows a bit of panic that they had to spend big for cash floor purposes and am going to guess this means no big money players at OT or DT are being signed, which is where I would have rather spent 19M AAV. I give this signing a C+

 

Obviously, I don't know if players are even interested or if the Bears had offers out there. I don't hate that they didn't spend those contracts on Jawaan Taylor or Mike McGlinchey, but could have justified if they grossly overpaid like those other teams did. It sounds like Dre'Mont Jones is going to get 20M AAV as well between the Browns and Broncos. Maybe the Bears can get in on that as well. The Bears are better than they were when we all woke up this morning, but the needle isn't moved enough yet, IMO. A long way to go, so no big deal, but the trenches are still very bad.

 

I was worried that was going to be your take. I would have said going into the off season that the Bears biggest holes were in the trenches, even more than WR. So far we haven't done a ton to change that. While they could focus heavily on this in the draft, I don't want the Bears to be in a position where they have to take OL and DL instead of BPA.

[WrigleyField 22]

Ebukam and Key were my two edge targets. Both young with decent upside play and some good pressure stats. Key probably more a specialist.

 

And definitely need help up middle. Even at NT, if not 3T (maybe Poles wasn't lying when he praised Jones)

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I would describe myself as whelmed so far. Neither over- nor under-.

 

It's all kind meh, but free agency is usually going to be meh, even when we have eighty-bajillion dollars in cap space. The NFL structure is designed to chew people up on their rookie contracts and give teams an inside track on keeping anyone who still has some worth entering their late-20s.

 

It seems like we're placing a lot of faith in our ability to internally develop our existing offensive linemen to be better than what they were last year. I hope we're not looking at the line that gave up the highest sack rate in history and only giving it one mediocre, run-blocking guard.

 

I don't think Poles' rebuild will ultimately be defined by which mediocre free agents he gives $15m/year to, it'll be defined by how well he drafts and whether or not Justin Fields can quicken his processing and smooth out his mechanics.

[NOLA]

I haven't heard much about Marcus Davenport as a name for the Bears at DE. I think he had a down year last year in terms of pass rushing (0.5 sacks in 15 games is something, but he had 9 the year before), but he's only 26 and graded decently on PFF. Is he someone the Bears should be going after?

If ever there was a boom or bust, it is Davenport. When he’s healthy, he’s All-Pro. An absolute beast. But he’s not been healthy since he’s been drafted. I have zero doubt someone will sign him and he’ll miraculously stay healthy and win DPOY.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I ....

 

It seems like we're placing a lot of faith in our ability to internally develop our existing offensive linemen to be better than what they were last year. I hope we're not looking at the line that gave up the highest sack rate in history and only giving it one mediocre, run-blocking guard.

 

I don't think Poles' rebuild will ultimately be defined by which mediocre free agents he gives $15m/year to, it'll be defined by how well he drafts and whether or not Justin Fields can quicken his processing and smooth out his mechanics.

 

I don't think Poles is trying to internally develop what they have on the O-line, I think he got punked by the market and lost on FAs because he was unable to react fast enough to it. Call it sticker shock.

 

And Poles is already being defined by his uninspiring FA periods, both last year and this year. Fields not developing would be 50% JF, and 50% Poles inability to support him should JF fail in the future, imo

[raw]

So, I'm kind of indifferent on the moves so far.

 

TJ Edwards is a fine signing. And hella cheap. I would have paid double digit million AAV for him and they got him for 6.5M per. He's a solid Mike LB who takes on blockers really well. If you remember, I called this signing in my mock offseason! Good, not great, player who has worked his ass off to get better every year. I'll give this signing an A.

 

Nate Davis is an OK signing. 3 years, 30M is a little high for him. He's a better run blocker than pass blocker, but IIRC he has gotten better pass blocking every year. He hasn't really played in zone blocking scheme and Tennessee was a big power/gap team. Didn't see him play much this year since my nephew was no longer there. But he's always been solid. Can't complain about solid OL help, but I can't help but think this contract would have been better for Isaac Seumalo or Dalton Risner, both of whom I like better. Davis is younger than both though, has only played RG. I give this signing a C

 

Tremaine Edmunds is interesting. I'm going to guess he's going to be the Will LB. He's fun. He's big, fast and makes flashy plays. He hasn't quite lived up to his draft billing, and I honestly preferred him to drafting Roquan 5 years ago. IDK how he's still only 24 for a couple months with 5 years experience. He could shine in this defense. That being said, I feel like this moves shows a bit of panic that they had to spend big for cash floor purposes and am going to guess this means no big money players at OT or DT are being signed, which is where I would have rather spent 19M AAV. I give this signing a C+

 

Obviously, I don't know if players are even interested or if the Bears had offers out there. I don't hate that they didn't spend those contracts on Jawaan Taylor or Mike McGlinchey, but could have justified if they grossly overpaid like those other teams did. It sounds like Dre'Mont Jones is going to get 20M AAV as well between the Browns and Broncos. Maybe the Bears can get in on that as well. The Bears are better than they were when we all woke up this morning, but the needle isn't moved enough yet, IMO. A long way to go, so no big deal, but the trenches are still very bad.

 

I was worried that was going to be your take. I would have said going into the off season that the Bears biggest holes were in the trenches, even more than WR. So far we haven't done a ton to change that. While they could focus heavily on this in the draft, I don't want the Bears to be in a position where they have to take OL and DL instead of BPA.

 

I watched a YouTube video from a guy I follow on Twitter (didn't know he had his own YouTube channel until today). He's a Titans fan and he made me feel much better about Nate Davis. He thinks he's still an ascending player and he did say he became a really good pass blocker since midway thru 2021 and had his best PFF pass blocking grade this year, before getting injured late in the season. So, I could make that a solid B with potential to be a B+

[jumbo]

So, I'm kind of indifferent on the moves so far.

 

TJ Edwards is a fine signing. And hella cheap. I would have paid double digit million AAV for him and they got him for 6.5M per. He's a solid Mike LB who takes on blockers really well. If you remember, I called this signing in my mock offseason! Good, not great, player who has worked his ass off to get better every year. I'll give this signing an A.

 

Nate Davis is an OK signing. 3 years, 30M is a little high for him. He's a better run blocker than pass blocker, but IIRC he has gotten better pass blocking every year. He hasn't really played in zone blocking scheme and Tennessee was a big power/gap team. Didn't see him play much this year since my nephew was no longer there. But he's always been solid. Can't complain about solid OL help, but I can't help but think this contract would have been better for Isaac Seumalo or Dalton Risner, both of whom I like better. Davis is younger than both though, has only played RG. I give this signing a C

 

Tremaine Edmunds is interesting. I'm going to guess he's going to be the Will LB. He's fun. He's big, fast and makes flashy plays. He hasn't quite lived up to his draft billing, and I honestly preferred him to drafting Roquan 5 years ago. IDK how he's still only 24 for a couple months with 5 years experience. He could shine in this defense. That being said, I feel like this moves shows a bit of panic that they had to spend big for cash floor purposes and am going to guess this means no big money players at OT or DT are being signed, which is where I would have rather spent 19M AAV. I give this signing a C+

 

Obviously, I don't know if players are even interested or if the Bears had offers out there. I don't hate that they didn't spend those contracts on Jawaan Taylor or Mike McGlinchey, but could have justified if they grossly overpaid like those other teams did. It sounds like Dre'Mont Jones is going to get 20M AAV as well between the Browns and Broncos. Maybe the Bears can get in on that as well. The Bears are better than they were when we all woke up this morning, but the needle isn't moved enough yet, IMO. A long way to go, so no big deal, but the trenches are still very bad.

 

I was worried that was going to be your take. I would have said going into the off season that the Bears biggest holes were in the trenches, even more than WR. So far we haven't done a ton to change that. While they could focus heavily on this in the draft, I don't want the Bears to be in a position where they have to take OL and DL instead of BPA.

 

I watched a YouTube video from a guy I follow on Twitter (didn't know he had his own YouTube channel until today). He's a Titans fan and he made me feel much better about Nate Davis. He thinks he's still an ascending player and he did say he became a really good pass blocker since midway thru 2021 and had his best PFF pass blocking grade this year, before getting injured late in the season. So, I could make that a solid B with potential to be a B+

 

I saw a good video of him climbing off duo to the second level and he was pretty nimble. I think he’ll do well in the zone blocking scheme.

I expect at least a couple DL/Edge signings, at least one more OL

On defense the whole line needs a talent boost, but you could make the case that the back seven only really needs a CB at this point.

Offense obviously still needs some line upgrades, but receivers are there and a RB decision on Montgomery/FA is probably it. Maybe another wr and another te