AZ54

Strategy time. Seeing the Panthers give Jaelan Phillips $120mil after a 5 sack season certainly makes me feel better about Dayo's contract. They have a good DT in Derek Brown and they run a 3-4 front. They will be starting rookie Lee Hunter, one of the pundits draft targets for the Bears at DT. They have some good DBs but that LB group seems like the place to attack. Between Phillips and the other starting OLB Patrick Jones II they don't have much pass rush off the edge. Trevis Gipson (remember him) is a backup and his best year statistically was as a Bear in 2021. At ILB they signed Devin Lloyd and he's good but next to him starting is Bobby Okereke who just signed the last week of training camp. I'm thinking we're going to attack the edge of the defense on runs and kick those OLBs out with a TE or pulling OG. None of these OLBs seem like they are the athletic type to be any good in coverage either. If we run the DBs off by sending someone deep then who fills in that intermediate gap on the sidelines 10-20 yards downfield? Loveland destroyed the Packers in the playoffs in that exact location on numerous plays. I don't have a strategy for the defense other than hoping they can stop the run. Then Jordan VDB can get in Bryce Young's face on 3rd and long.

Cheap: Based on AAV this puts him 14th in the NFL among RBs this year. But he's a year early in signing so of course that doesn't include any inflation in RB salaries next offseason. Players like Rhamondre Stevenson of the Patriots, who has only exceeded 1000 yards once, makes $9mil/yr. Just below that tier sits players like Chubba Hubbard, who we get to see tomorrow, and Montgomery both making around $8mil/yr. Before next season starts and this contract extension kicks in he's likely going to have a top 15-20 RB salary. IMO that fits very well for a mid-tier starting RB. For reference Kenneth Walker III, who is pretty much in the same category statistically, just signed for $14mil/yr in FA. Except I think Swift is a better receiver. https://overthecap.com/position/running-back

we got two rookies that will make plays this year. Loving will need more time to get ready but it’s not hard to see him taking snaps from Gallimore later this year.

This is CHEAP! With the recent contract explosion at RB I expected he'd get closer to $15mil/yr. Which is in the neighborhood of Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker. I'm good with the extension because I think he's a good versatile player for us and really fits what Ben wants out of the backfield. I expect Poles went heavy on the guarantees which is big for a RB and before the season even started. Swift eliminates the risk of an injury affecting his next deal. From a team building standpoint we can now head into next years draft with no need to use a Day 2 pick on a RB. Poles has basically locked up the entire offense and this offseason should be almost entirely defense. I can see one Olineman being drafted early if they really like someone to replace Thuney at LG in the future, or perhaps a LT falls to us for some odd reason.

https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/panthers/2026/09/10/nfl-week-1-panthers-prediction-upset-bears/91673848007/

3,INT to close out the game. Last one with the team in position for a field goal to force overtime. He played this defense in the Superbowl and has had all offseason to get ready for this game. I’m not putting Caleb in the same category as Brady but the one trait that stood out early in Brady’s career was his ability to win games late. I believe you’ve either got it or you don’t.

7 come backs is enough data to not be a statistical anomaly. Of course nobody wants to have to win games that way. The flip side is that nobody wants to play a team that can win games like that. What I don’t understand is why so many pundits think this offense and defense will be worse than last year. We haven’t lost a single key player. Most of the key players are now in year two of the scheme on both sides of the ball. The real question is if you’re the Packers do you still feel confident you can carry a 16pt lead into the 4th quarter? Because last year that wasn’t enough.

Ha. Now I think the rest of the world agrees.

1 min left and don’t know who will win tonight but I do know that I’m glad we have Caleb over Drake Maye.

Just 5 but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them reward a game day captain as we get into the season https://bearswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bears/2026/09/08/chicago-bears-captains-2026-caleb-williams/91650479007/

The Kyler Gordon revival tour continued today now with national press coverage compliments of Ian Rappoport. Why Rappoport is carrying water for Gordon is an unknown other than he wants access to that doctor. Windy City GridironKyler Gordon Injury Update: He ‘should’ be back with the...While the Bears didn’t address the Kyler Gordon situation, we still got an update on Chicago’s nickelback. Details here from @wiltfongjr.“Bears standout CB Kyler Gordon, who is on IR with a calf injury, is away from the team working with his own trainer to accelerate recovery, sources say,” Rapoport shared on social media. “The plan is for Gordon to return a few weeks into the season and begin practicing shortly thereafter. Some optimism here.” He had a follow-up post saying, “This has been a challenging recovery, and sometimes players work best honing in with their own people. That seems to be the case here. Barring a setback, Gordon should be back sooner rather than later.”

If I were a betting man I'd take that. First un-official depth chart released by the Bears. Whatever un-official means there's not much to note here that is surprising. Cam Lewis is listed as first team NCB. We'll see how long that holds up. Jonathan Hardy is listed as 2nd team Dline with Kromah on 3rd team. I felt that would be the other way around but maybe they are making Kromah earn it on special teams. Kentavious Street replaced Dexter and Dayo is still listed as first team. Only 2 first team LBs listed with Edwards and Bush. Backups are Sanborn and D'Marco Jackson. Other oddity is that we have 2 First String TEs in Loveland and Kmet.

Well said. We need to go win another superbowl so the remaining 85 Bears can celebrate with us.

Rome will play because he’s healthy enough to play not because he’s afraid of losing his job. Coaches screwed up last year letting him play through the broken foot injury. We had no depth to speak of and Burden was still working his way back from his injury. Therefore we already know Rome is tough and will play through injury. With the depth we have this year and against Carolina if he needs another week give it to him. The division game against Minn is more important.

Kyler Murray will just be Kyler Murray. A QB good enough to beat you, bad enough to lose you the game (depends on which side you’re on). He’ll be with a very good offensive coach who can mask deficiencies but as a defense you have to force Murray to read things and bypass the first read. I don’t know what other make of Detroit but I don’t see them as tough as the rest of the NFL predicts they will be. They don’t worry me but also won’t be an easy game. Green Bay without Josh Jacobs they have a problem. He’s a very talented RB they know they will need him for the playoff run. Beating them comes down to interior pass rush because their QB gets nervous. Jared Goff has improved a lot in this regard and will stand in the pocket. You can still disrupt Love’s entire game with some pressures early on.