Bears Preseason 2026 thread

[gflore34]

28 minutes ago, BigSlick said:

I imagine with the more we understand about CTE, with the more players will get paid in college and earlier in their careers, we're going to see a lot more Drew Dalmans. 

Recent NYT report said that more than 1/4 of former players who died in a 20 year span had CTE, and the number is almost certainly much higher than that (because they couldn't test every former player's brain who died). Football exacts an incalculable toll on player's bodies and minds, and if you end up getting a generational payday (like Kyler's 40 million extension) it can be very hard to justify continuing to ruin your body. 

I don't love it, as a fan, but also, as a human being, it makes a ton of sense. 

Wholeheartedly agree, don't hold against the players who desire to be functional after football.  I do have a problem with what Gordon appears to be doing. Dude, if you appreciated the Bears, you should have retired well before the draft.

Edited Wednesday at 04:27 PM by gflore34

[The_Achiever]

30 minutes ago, BigSlick said:

I imagine with the more we understand about CTE, with the more players will get paid in college and earlier in their careers, we're going to see a lot more Drew Dalmans. 

Recent NYT report said that more than 1/4 of former players who died in a 20 year span had CTE, and the number is almost certainly much higher than that (because they couldn't test every former player's brain who died). Football exacts an incalculable toll on player's bodies and minds, and if you end up getting a generational payday (like Kyler's 40 million extension) it can be very hard to justify continuing to ruin your body. 

I don't love it, as a fan, but also, as a human being, it makes a ton of sense. 

I agree with the analysis here, but doesn't Kyler's contract kick in this season?  He was a second round pick so has already made some money, but I wonder how this would work with his new deal.  Is he trying to sit out while being "injured" so he can get paid for the season and then quit?  It really doesn't seem like he's making a good faith effort on anything (a la Nate Davis) so I wouldn't be opposed to the team at least making it hard on him to collect any of the contract.  

[Banedon]

9 minutes ago, The_Achiever said:

I agree with the analysis here, but doesn't Kyler's contract kick in this season?

[The_Achiever]

I see the dead cap hit, but couldn't they sue for breach of contract?  Just be a man and retire.  Lordy!  

[Banedon]

3 minutes ago, The_Achiever said:

I see the dead cap hit, but couldn't they sue for breach of contract?  Just be a man and retire.  Lordy!  

If he's in the building, rehabbing and doing what the doctors are telling him to do, I think they're kinda stuck.  They can't say he's lying about how he's feeling.

[Banedon]

Bears got a #1 vote from an exec...

 

NFL execs rank NFC teams: Rams, Seahawks clear favorites. Can the Bears keep rising? - The Athletic

[The_Achiever]

Man the NFC is such a meat grinder.  Even teams way down the list like NYG, Minn, Carolina and New Orleans could be real tough.   

[gflore34]

1 hour ago, BigSlick said:

Also, how did this guy fall to the 6th round? 

Even if it's all a high motor against fringey NFL guys, uhhhh I want that! 

Despite the highlights being against NFL-lite players he appears to have a quicker burst than Dexter.  I liked Dexter, just think he may be too slow, think its why 2-teams were so effective and why he has problems stopping the run.

Edited Wednesday at 05:51 PM by gflore34

[WrigleyField 22]

2 hours ago, BigSlick said:

I imagine with the more we understand about CTE, with the more players will get paid in college and earlier in their careers, we're going to see a lot more Drew Dalmans. 

Recent NYT report said that more than 1/4 of former players who died in a 20 year span had CTE, and the number is almost certainly much higher than that (because they couldn't test every former player's brain who died). Football exacts an incalculable toll on player's bodies and minds, and if you end up getting a generational payday (like Kyler's 40 million extension) it can be very hard to justify continuing to ruin your body. 

I don't love it, as a fan, but also, as a human being, it makes a ton of sense. 

Yea of the players tests in that sample it was like 95%. So basically at least 25% of former players have CTE because... 25% were tested.

 

Now granted, the tested sample probably is the sample more likely to want to be tested because they experienced notable symptoms.  But we've officially had positive CTE results for teens who've only played youth/HS. It's a major risk factor.

[Banedon]

45 minutes ago, gflore34 said:

Despite the highlights being against NFL-lite players he appears to have a quicker burst than Dexter.  I liked Dexter, just think he may be too slow, think its why 2-teams were so effective and why he has problems stopping the run.

Well the blatent holding helped slow him down too.

[gflore34]

Just now, Banedon said:

Well the blatent holding helped slow him down too.

Yeah, he's held quite a bit, doesn't get the calls, had his name been Garrett, Parsons, Hutchinson, etc. he'd probably get more calls.

[BigSlick]

1 hour ago, The_Achiever said:

Man the NFC is such a meat grinder.  Even teams way down the list like NYG, Minn, Carolina and New Orleans could be real tough.   

I'm not afraid of those guys 

 

Obviously every year you're going to lose some games you should have won (Ravens game, I'm looking at you), and the Bears will most certainly drop one game against those chuckleheads, but I'm not afraid of them. 

Edited Wednesday at 07:35 PM by BigSlick

[Soul]

2 hours ago, gflore34 said:

Yeah, he's held quite a bit, doesn't get the calls, had his name been Garrett, Parsons, Hutchinson, etc. he'd probably get more calls.

Overall the refs have let holding become a nearly optional call except in blatant cases.  It does seem like there’s bias involved too.

[Banedon]

 

 

[gflore34]

4 hours ago, BigSlick said:

I'm not afraid of those guys 

 

Obviously every year you're going to lose some games you should have won (Ravens game, I'm looking at you), and the Bears will most certainly drop one game against those chuckleheads, but I'm not afraid of them. 

Neither am I, bring them on, the whole dread of a possibly hard schedule is load of horsefeathers.  There's way too many variables, a team can literally go from good to bad, bad to good, there's no way, for the most part, team X is going to bad or good before the games are played.

Edited Wednesday at 11:34 PM by gflore34

[Tryptamine]

1 hour ago, Banedon said:

 

 

Guys playing with dislocations,  fractures and tears meanwhile he's good enough to be doing sprint drills and yet can't practice.  History might prove me wrong, but it just feels like he's a guy who is either 100% healthy or he sidelines himself. 

[gflore34]

I believe I see what the Bears are doing, financials aside, they've effectively cut Gordon by putting him on the PUP list.  Apparently he cannot practice for the first two weeks and play in the first four games.  This is the key part - after two weeks the Bears have a 21 day window to activate him and move him to the 53 man roster.  If not activated within the 21 day window he'll not be able to play in 2026.  Yeah, he's done as Bear, they didn't out right release him but, they did the next closet thing.

Edited Thursday at 12:08 AM by gflore34

[Bobson Dugnutt]

1 hour ago, gflore34 said:

I believe I see what the Bears are doing, financials aside, they've effectively cut Gordon by putting him on the PUP list.  Apparently he cannot practice for the first two weeks and play in the first four games.  This is the key part - after two weeks the Bears have a 21 day window to activate him and move him to the 53 man roster.  If not activated within the 21 day window he'll not be able to play in 2026.  Yeah, he's done as Bear, they didn't out right release him but, they did the next closet thing.

They did not effectively cut Gordon by putting him on the PUP list lol what are you talking about

 

and no, they have the option to open a 21-day practice window as early as week 3, positioning him to play as soon as week 5. But they do not have to open the 21-day practice window that early. Formerly, it was a 5 week period during which a team could begin the 21-day practice window for a player, but im not sure how the rule changes allowing PUP players to begin their window as soon as week 3 changes this (I.e is it still a 5 week period or is it now 7?). but presumably they have until at least week 8, maybe week 10, to open his window.

Like it or not, Gordon is almost certainly here for the next two seasons, so ya just gotta hope he gets healthy and sees the field as much as possible.

[gflore34]

10 hours ago, Bobson Dugnutt said:

They did not effectively cut Gordon by putting him on the PUP list lol what are you talking about

 

and no, they have the option to open a 21-day practice window as early as week 3, positioning him to play as soon as week 5. But they do not have to open the 21-day practice window that early. Formerly, it was a 5 week period during which a team could begin the 21-day practice window for a player, but im not sure how the rule changes allowing PUP players to begin their window as soon as week 3 changes this (I.e is it still a 5 week period or is it now 7?). but presumably they have until at least week 8, maybe week 10, to open his window.

Like it or not, Gordon is almost certainly here for the next two seasons, so ya just gotta hope he gets healthy and sees the field as much as possible.

I was thinking in terms of not activating the window, not moving him to the 53 man roster thereby, him not playing in 2026.  Which is the same effect as cutting him.

[We Got The Whole 9]

His career has to be over. What player would want to sacrifice themselves for this guy anymore? The community should shun him for the way he handled this. 

[gflore34]

1 hour ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

His career has to be over. What player would want to sacrifice themselves for this guy anymore? The community should shun him for the way he handled this. 

With the Bears? Yes.  I believe the Bears are not going to activate him regardless of his "health".  Had he retired up front, it would have been better for everyone.

We don't Gordon' side of the story, this is true.  I have to think had he been working his ass to get healthy and still, having set backs.  The narrative coming from the Bears would have been different.

Edited Thursday at 02:26 PM by gflore34

[Bobson Dugnutt]

4 hours ago, gflore34 said:

I was thinking in terms of not activating the window, not moving him to the 53 man roster thereby, him not playing in 2026.  Which is the same effect as cutting him.

He may never play another snap for the Bears again, and what we’re hearing from Poles and Johnson speaks volumes about their frustration levels, but putting him on the PUP list doesn’t signal anything either way. It was the obvious move to make.
 

They get no benefit from cutting him and he’s clearly not ready to go on the active roster.  If they IR’ed him before the release of the initial 53-man, he’d be out for the whole season.

 

If they took a similar approach as they did with Bryant and included him on the initial 53-man roster and then IR’ed him, someone else would’ve gotten squeezed off the initial 53, if only for a day, and other teams would have had the opportunity to sign or claim that player. He’d still have to miss a minimum of 4 games and they have to burn one of their 8 designations to return.

 

Because he 1) entered camp with an injury 2) did not participate in any practices or preseason games, they are able to place him on the PUP list, leaving the door open for him to return and saving a DTR for another injured player.

 

Thats it. The Bears made the obvious move because it was the obvious move. We learned nothing new about their feelings toward him or their plans for him.

[Tryptamine]

Seeing an oddly large amount of articles that think the Bears are going to be making a significant trade for an edge/Dlinemen in the near future. I have extreme doubts, but I've seen like 4 or 5 in the last 2 or 3 days.