raw

damn it took you this long? i think he grew up a huge bears fan too. i saw some story where it was the 2006 season that inspired him to take up football. It's always funny to me when the father/son are like completely different body types. Like different positions is not a big deal. But when you have big offensive lineman dad and the son is a WR (granted, DK is freaking huge as well) and a huge athletic difference, it kinda blows my mind. Like Ironhead and Cam Heyward. Ironhead was 5'11", Cam is 6'5". And then he has a brother in this draft (10 years younger) that's 5'11" like the dad. Like where the hell did Cam come up with 6 extra inches (pause).

Bates still seems like a swing IOL guy at best. Think they need a solid swing T and then maybe a cut candidate at G before the draft. That would allow them to focus on one big OL draft pick, but with position versatility Jenkins, Whitehair, Patrick, Bates, Borom Swing T, Vet G, Rookie, Mustipher That's barely an acceptable top 9 I guess. But could have made a bigger investment above the Bates role and tried to let Whitehair get beat out. They signed Dakota Dozier yesterday, so that's probably your Vet Guard for the bench. He gave up 6 sacks and committed 6 penalties when he started in 2020 for the Vikings (he's terrible). Lot riding on Patrick and Bates being able to play and Jenkins/Borom developing into really good players, really fast.

When you look at elite QBs they know where to place the ball to receivers who are not necessarily open. They seem to have the ability to throw the ball so that only the WR has the opportunity to catch it. Fields needs to be hyper-accurate with his throws if he's going to be an elite QB. Obviously, you need sticky-handed WR to make those catches too. While I don't want to discount Fields ability to grow into a more anticipatory passer I think the best version of him is gonna be more a see open throw passer than an anticipatory guy. If he miraculously becomes Rodgers, getting the ball out quickest in the league and creating separation with timing, that's amazing, but for all his talent that isn't his game right now. That's never going to be his game, and it doesn't really matter either. Mahomes isn't an anticipation thrower. Watson is not. I think they will focus a lot on him getting rid of the ball in camp, just so that he can develop that skill. But his bread and butter will be the ability to hang in the pocket (or escape the pocket) and waiting for the big play to happen.

Hope the Bates thing happens. He's young enough (25) that he could be a long-term option at RG. I'd love for them to add a Will Fuller for cheap. I believe Browns have interest w/ Watson there, but I heard 5M+ incentives. And of course, I'm still down to trade for Brandin Cooks or Tyler Lockett (DK seems like a pipe dream).

Yeah, I didn't want to imply that if Fields is good it won't matter. They are stacking the deck against him, big time. Putting a lot of stock into the coaching and scheme. I understand going with upside around the upside of Fields, but I'd like at least 1 sure thing on the line. That's why I wanted them to go hard after Laken Tomlinson. They seem to value people that "know the system" and he's become a guy that you put in the lineup and you don't have to worry about that spot. Even if they get Ryan Bates from Buffalo, you're still looking at tackles you aren't sure about, Whitehair who has been mediocre for a couple years, Lucas Patrick and Bates who have upside and tenacity you look for, but neither has ever been a full-time starter. Then you throw in the weapons and while Mooney is probably a sure thing with 1000 yards last year and working out with Fields all winter, I'd love a guy that could give them some solid reps if a rookie isn't ready to play right away. But as of now, this is probably the least talented offense in the NFL, outside of Houston, and they have the best lineman and WR of the 2 teams.

A lot of WR have still taken time to adjust (guys like Deebo or Pittman) Theres too major win now teams with multiple 1st round picks before the Bears who badly need WR. Worst thing they can do is pigeon hole themselves. But right now there needs are pretty numerous so I guess it's not a concern? Deebo had 57-802 yards as a rookie. Pittman 40-503. Mooney was right in the middle of that yards-wise as a rookie. And I don't think a rookie has to be Justin Jefferson and JaMarr Chase right out the gate. I mean, it would certainly help and is sorely needed, but I think Mooney can give you a legit 1000-1200. If you can get a modest 500+ each out of Pringle and a rookie, you're already more productive than all of Robinson, Goodwin and Byrd were all of last year. Plus, I think part of performance is out of necessity. If Fields is good, someone will catch those passes. Of course, the issue is how good can Fields be with question marks at like 8 of the other 10 spots on offense with him.

I like Jones a lot, actually. And this move may end up better than Ogunjobi in the long run anyway....because they should be looking to draft the most important positions anyway. In this defense, the important positions are: DE- they spend an early pick on when Quinn is gone LB- think they'll add a potential long term Mike in this draft DT- should look for a 3T early and Jones makes it so you don't have to thrust the rookie into the starting lineup right away, while Ogunjobi meant ignoring the position for 2-3 years. Now go spend money on OL. Sent from my SM-A115AZ using Tapatalk

The 2 WR moves don't really move the needle for me much. I actually like Pringle a lot. He worked his way up the KC depth chart and was essentially their 3rd/4th weapon behind Hill/Kelce late in the year. But we have to put in perspective that his "breakout" season in 2021 was at at 28 and still less than 600 yards for a team that had like 2000 more yards passing than the 2021 Bears did. He's OK as a 3rd WR, but more ideal as a 4 WR who has a chance to work his way to a 3 like he did in KC. But it's a 1-year deal, so he's clearly not being looked at as a building block. Just a spot on the 53 in a rebuilding year. St. Brown is frankly, not good. He's a bottom of the roster player. He was the 5th WR and like the 9th or 10th option (behind RBs and TEs) in GB. While they were a good offense, remember this is a team that people have said "doesn't have enough weapons" for years with St. Brown on the roster that he couldn't crack the rotation of. He's a special teamer at best, who should not get reps over Dazz Newsome at this point.

Love that move for him. The Bears should have traded him there at the deadline before they got Odell. I just personally felt bad for this dude playing on bad teams w/ bad QBs and Detroit was the team with the most interest. Wonder if they'd trade us Bobby Trees.

Daniels got 3/26.5 and the guy they signed to replace him got 2/8. And he's supposedly a more nasty type of lineman, which Poles made clear he prefers. I think saving money and getting the type of player you prefer makes sense here. Daniels should have been a good got athletically for the scheme. I guess attitude (or even consistency) are being prioritized. This guy got ARob extension wrong last year, but I feel like maybe he has called other things and is maybe connected? He posted a video of Ogunjobi being blocked to the ground in last year's game vs. the Bears and captioned it with something like "getting bodied by the worst C in the league". Meanwhile, he completely ignored the fact that Daniels and Whitehair also gave him hits at the same time to knock him off balance helping Mustipher put him on the ground.

I figured Grant for a Cordarrelle Patterson Bears deal. He got 2/10 from the Bears a few years ago (1/3 from Atlanta). I was expected 3/15 and would have been willing to go there to keep him in Chicago. Liked him as a gadget/speed player, but not a big loss if he's going to not consistently make it back to the 25 on kickoffs he runs deep out of the endzone.

I love Tyrann Mathieu as a player/leader, but I can't get behind trading Mack because you wanted to allocate more resources to the offense then probably spend 25M annually on Ogunjobi and Mathieu.

JC Tretter cut, probably top 5 Center in the league. La'el Collins likely going to be cut, a good starting RT (has G experience, could conceivably play LT too) The Bears could still put together a really good OL and do it while getting multiple comp picks. Could also be going after Terron Armstead as well, maybe waiting for the market to come down a bit. I actually like the approach at WR. Like I said earlier, Cooks could come available via trade or perhaps a cut. I love Will Fuller as a cheap 1-year flier guy, who's a great fit with Fields (game similar to Olave). There's also some cheap slots available in the 2nd/3rd tier that I like. I will say that I wish Poles' 1 big signing in Tier 1 was OL. A couple guys I wanted were cheaper than Ogunjobi, who I like, but don't love. I love a couple guys in the draft (Wyatt, Winfrey), but understandable if Poles thinks those guys are too far out of reach at 39 (or is focused on WR/OL early in the draft).

3-tech is really important in this defense. I didn't know it was 13M+ per year important in Year 1 though! Ogunjobi can play though and has been durable.

Lot of money being thrown around early between the re-signs and the first signings of FA. 4/40 for Alex Cappa to Bengals. Rams paid Noteboom 3/40 to stay. Chase Edmonds just got over 6M/year as a backup RB type. Rumors on Bears going after Valdez-Scantling and Rams C, Brian Allen who's a Chicagoan

I'd be OK with it. I'd be willing to go along with most logical moves Poles makes, as he deserves benefit of the doubt. I don't think Borom necessarily is better suited at OG though. He's never played it. He's already a projection at OT (thought he played well last year until Week 18 which was really bad), so he'd be more of a projection at OG. But Brown on a short term deal and Borom as the swing OT and potentially backing up OG as well would be fine. It doesn't make sense to me to go get a Duane Brown because you want a sure thing at LT, just to put said player you're unsure about at guard, where it doesn't change you comfort level with him.

Also, pulled off the perfect mock draft yesterday. 39- Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma. Love his fit at 3-tech. He's kind of raw as a former JUCO guy, but he has the length that Eberflus looks for on the DL. 35" arms, quick get off. I do wonder if his big Senior Bowl week and combine might push him into the 1st, but was able to snag him here. 48- George Pickens, WR, Georgia. Potential WR1 in this draft if he didn't tear his ACL in the spring. Bears are said to love him as a prospect. 71- Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia. This is kind of the sweet spot for LBs. Colts and Chiefs like LBs on Day 2. Chiefs drafted LBs in the 2nd round each of the last 2 years. Colts got both their LBs on Day 2 as well. Both Colts and Chiefs have a history of going after speed/length at LB. Nobody has the great length of Darius Leonard in this draft class (except for Brandon Smith, who sucks), but the hot spot for speed guys is in the 3rd-4th round range. With no 4th, the Bears have to go for a long-term answer at LB at 71. 5th- Domonique Robinson, DE, Miami (OH). May be out of reach here, but consistently available here on mocks. Long, raw DE who played WR in Miami as recently as 2019. Looks like a pass rush specialist early. Good option for 4th DE to spell guys on long 3rd downs. 6th- Cade Mays, OG, Tennessee. I made this pick in the 5th on my mock, but he was ranked 182nd on the site I was using. This would be pick 183 if I made the pick swap for Cooks (also makes sense, Texans have no 5th and have two 6ths). Chiefs drafted his teammate Trey Smith last year, who I LOVED last draft. Started every game for them I believe. Fell due to heart issues in the past. But both UT guards were ballers together in 2020. Mays was highly recruited and transferred from UGA. G/C versatility 6th- Kalon Barnes, CB Baylor. Guarantees in life are death, taxes, and Chiefs going for speed. Chiefs have drafted guys with a top 5 40-yard dash at the combine in all but 2 years since 2015, and one of those years they didn't Tyreke Hill ran 4.29 at his pro day because he wasn't invited to the combine. I don't love the player, but Poles will undoubtedly love the speed.

I'd also look to trade for Brandin Cooks from Houston. He's no stranger to being traded, and is said to be available from a Houston team that appears to be selling off any big salary assets. I'm guessing after the Watson domino falls, you'll see Tunsil and Cooks traded as well. I don't think the Amari Cooper trade is a really a good starting point because he had 60M left on his deal. Cooks has 1 year and 12.5M left for anyone who trades for him. I'm thinking a 4th round in 2023 and maybe a swap of picks (Bears 5th for Texans 6th?) may get it done. Cooks is a perfect fit IMO. He has outside/slot versatility. He fits in the speedy WR who separates category as well (like they tried to get from Byrd and Goodwin). He provides a veteran presence who has put up 1000 yards wherever and with whoever throwing him the ball. He also allows the Bears go get that size in the draft with Pickens/Watson or even Alec Pierce from Cincinnati.

Just throwing some (a lot) thoughts out there ahead of the start of legal tampering tomorrow. I think the Bears should focus on OL heavily in free agency. OL ages well, whereas WRs don't. The WR names out there don't exactly inspire much confidence in me that if the Bears sign any of them that Justin Fields would then have a reliable target. Granted, I do think Mooney is pretty reliable for Fields at this point, but guys like Chark and Valdez Scantling don't exactly instill confidence that the WR corps is improved. I do like both of those players, but another issue I have is guys that fit that profile (tall, long, deep threat) are in the Bears range in the draft for much cheaper (Watson and Pickens), and one of those draft picks could still be a #1 X WR, which we know Chark and MVS will never be at this point in their careers. The ideal WR corps to me is a good slot guy to work the underneath and a big play guy to take the top off the defense. All need to be able to separate. I don't like the Juju interest rumors at all. He just doesn't separate. Kirk would be fun, even though he's not really an underneath guy. He'd be a slot guy in a track meet offense where every position can get behind the defense. But rumors are he'll have a big market and could get up to 15M per year. No thanks if that comes true. So, it should work out perfectly for Poles to hit the OL hard. This is a pretty top heavy OL class in the draft. Could have like 8 OL go in the first round, and with the Poles saying they want smaller, athletic OL....it's not too many of those that will be there 39 or later who can come in and make me feel the OL is improved. If guys fall (Zion Johnson, Kenyon Green) then run to the podium, but you can't plan on that. So, I'd prefer to just hit FA hard. The dream gets would be either Laken Tomlinson-SF or Austin Corbett- LAR. Bringing back Daniels would be fine as well, and all 3 are kind of in the same boat as early round busts who greatly improved in the last year. But I'd feel more comfortable with those 2 being better going forward, even though they are older. I personally think Jenkins and Borom should get a chance to prove they can't play, though I understand you risk Fields in that case. Armstead will cost too much for his health concerns. Nobody else considered "proven" on the FA market interests me that much. Double digit Ms for 30+ Eric Fisher? No thanks. I do like Joseph Noteboom though from the Rams and Matt Pryor from the Eagles/Colts. Noteboom will likely have an offer to stay in LA and take over at LT for a SB winner (assuming Whitworth retires), but I'd have no issues paying him starter money. He played well in spot duty whenever he got a chance in LA, also has played guard, so gives you versatility. Drafting an OT makes no sense to me. He won't be any more "proven" than Jenkins/Borom. Then you're potentially moving 1 of them to guard, giving you an unproven player at 3 positions, including 1 at a position he's never played before. Then, I'd look to bring in a cheap guy you could start or use as a strong depth piece. Lucas Patrick, ties to Getsy from GB; Austin Blythe, ties to Poles in KC; Ted Karras, Tom Compton and Mike Remmers are older options with G/T flexibility as well. One of them has to start, it's fine, while you develop someone behind him in the draft. I'm moving Whitehair back to C unless the Bears can get an elite C. On defense, the Bears should add a lot of cheap pieces for depth. The Bears have 1 good player at almost every position on D. DE has Quinn, LB has Smith, CB has Johnson, S has Jackson (yes, he's still good). I'm not going crazy at DE, LB, S or CB. I know CB was a disaster last year, but the Bears have young talent there. Johnson, Graham Jr, Vildor and Shelley as well as camp invitees. I think 1 cheap vet here will do, also adding a pick if opportunity presents itself. I'd bring back Bush and DHC on defense, though DHC could have a decent market. DE, probably need a base down DE who can take some run snaps away from Quinn (though he was good vs the run and with a bunch of snaps last year) and possibly move inside some on pass downs (could be Mario Edwards though). At LB, need to find a Mike, but shouldn't break the bank there. Depth needed that can play special teams. 3-tech is a big piece that's missing though. Tonga is a NT. Blackson is a rotational guy can play 3T or NT. Edwards has played 3T, but wasn't great last time in a 4-3. Need to add someone here, but again I would go cheap. In Indy, Eberflus went cheap-ish here until they were able to trade for Buckner. This would be a high priority in the draft for me.

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Up to 146.7M in cap space for 2023 right now. Obviously won't be that high this time next year when you account for whoever they sign to multi-year deals this year and re-signing Roquan. But they could also clear more room by cutting guys like Quinn, Whitehair, and Jackson after this coming season.

Without a doubt your Hoosiers should be in unfortunately, I believe they're going to be obliterated by Iowa. They won't have the luxury of facing another inconsistent mistake prone team like they did in Michigan and Illinois, those piss yellow squawkeyes are playing really well. He's an A&M fan. They should get in IMO. Beating Auburn should be weighed heavily at this point of the season. The question becomes is Michigan still in or do they need to start worry about not making it now? Yeah, A&M has to be in, Auburn is/was a 1 seed. That's a huge win. I don't know what to think about Michigan. They somehow went 1-1 against everyone in the conference. They have plenty quality wins, but I feel like they may punish Howard for his "punch" and keep them home.

I wonder how many of these moves, if any, Pace would have made if he was retained. Trevathan and Cohen probably.

Yeah, Chargers missing the playoffs and Rams winning the SB makes a big difference there. If the Rams had lost to the Niners in the NFC Championship game the Broncos would have picks 60 and 92, which would have literally the same 420 trade value.

I don't even know it was necessarily about that. They had $47Mil cap hit in 2022 tied to the DE position. That's just an irresponsible amount. Having Gipson there certainly helped make the decision easier. But I think it simply came down to wanting to take resources from the defense and put them toward the offense, and the fact that they had limited draft capital. Mack was the best, most realistic player to get them much need draft capital and it just so happened that he was also at the most expensive position on the roster with the best depth.