AZ54

Before I begin I'll preface this stating I don't know enough about Oline blocking and schemes... Regarding Nelson and this new offense, is he the right fit at OG? Everyone is focused on his power (and it is fun to watch) but he's not the most nimble and if we're going to be in a pure ZBS, he'll struggle to reach some of the outside blocks on DTs. Or will we run a similar blocking scheme to what we did last year? I bring that up because there was talk of moving the less mobile Sitton to RG and putting Long at LG where he can pull and block on the run. If we are staying with a similar scheme then it may make sense to put Nelson at RG and move Long to LG. It's not that Nelson can't pull and block, I just don't see quick feet as his forte. Regardless, the fastest and best path for him on the NFL field is likely to be keeping him at LG where he's already comfortable in his stance. In any case, he moves better than Sitton so that's an upgrade right there. Long term does he stay at LG?

We already have Amos in place. I see no need for a guy who is just a run down safety.

For this reason we can't sleep on Marcus Davenport. He may very well be the better edge rushing prospect vs. Edmunds.

I'm surprised nobody commented on how low Stafford was rated. Carson Wentz fit in around where I feel he should based on what I've seen in his play. And that fully guaranteed contract for Kirk Cousin's looks like a good deal from a Bears fan's perspective because having all that money tied up means they can't keep the entire defense together.

Google it...chicago suntimes to hell and back

Some interesting data regarding our young signal caller. "Did you know? Mitchell Trubisky threw 39 seam passes in 2017 and was accurate on 28 of them. Only Aaron Rodgers was more accurate on seam throws than he was." More at the link... http://presnapreads.com/2018/03/25/quarter...he-2017-season/

Lots of speculation but I haven't seen anything from any of the usual "insiders". I liked Hankins last year and wanted us to go after him. My only concern is can he keep his weight in check. If he does he's a beast on run downs and offers enough movement to get some pass rush. My guess is that Pace is waiting him out to see if his contract demands fall enough to fit into his budget. He was paid 3/30 by the Colts a year ago and they just cut him. According to OTC.com we have 28mil in cap space right now. Jerrell Freeman is still on the roster but will definitely be cut at some point adding $3.5mil more. DTs who can't rush the passer don't get the big bucks so if we could get him for a 2-3yr deal at 5-6mil/yr I'd take it. That gives RRH and Bullard more time to develop and in the meantime provide us with pass rush. There is still room for Pace to setup the rumored long term deals with Amos and Goldman and then add his usual group of veteran FAs on minimum salary deals. None of these are considered reliable sources. https://dawindycity.com/2018/03/24/chicago-...nathan-hankins/ http://sportsmockery.com/2018/03/bears-qui...defensive-line/

I don't see how he holds up setting the edge on run downs in this defense. I love his first step quickness but at this point I see him as a pass rush specialist in our scheme, albeit a productive one. I'd take him in Rd 2 but not at #8. If we trade back quite a bit in Rd 1 I'd have his name there on the board too.

I'd say drafting Edmunds will depend a lot on his interviews, and probably a personal workout with the team so they can see how coachable he is. What does he really understand about playing the position and what effort off the field does he put in to improving his game.

Gabriel stretches the defense vertically and Cohen takes them sideline to sideline. We'll have Burton floating about everywhere in between. Last year defenders would challenge Cohen quickly knowing the next level of defenders was right behind them. This year the help defenders won't be able to make that commitment without getting beat deep (Robinson, Gabriel, and even Meredith). The first defender can challenge Cohen early but if they miss it's a big gain of 15-20yds. Or they'll back off him a bit hoping to corral him into a shorter gain of 5-7yds.

Excellent article by Adam Jahns on the Bears coaching search. https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/to-hell...-guy-matt-nagy/

Excellent article by Adam Jahns on the Bears coaching search. https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/to-hell...-guy-matt-nagy/

Those Twitter comments from Gabriel are hilarious.

At first I thought the original round tender offer Pace put on Meredith was just him being cautious with somewhat unproven WR returning from injury. I now believe his intentions all along were to secure Meredith for a few years on a reasonable contract, perhaps around $5-7mil per year. Meaning he'd like him to sign an offer from another team so he can match it. If he does not, Pace can still offer that kind of a deal for Meredith, perhaps something in the 3 yr range that gets him back to FA when he's still young enough (he's 25 now) to really capitalize on it but also gives him enough now that he's financially secure for life. Cam offers versatility (x, y, and z) and will likely be our starting slot WR this year. Gabriel has primarily operated on the outside in his career but with these two on the field at the same time, and Robinson on the opposite side, defenses will not be able to focus on the defending the run.

Good summary. I like the offensive FAs we brought in as they should fit the scheme we're going to run very well. Now teams have to defend against both Cohen and Gabriel, often at the same time. Neither is a full-time player but each offers enough big play potential to turn a game around. TEs in Shaheen and Burton will also keep LBs and safeties busy. All orchestrated by a very mobile QB. Last year Trubisky was stuck playing chess with only pawns. This year he's got almost the full array of pieces to work with. One thing remains missing and that is a solid starting RB who can handle both running and pass receiving. Howard improved his receiving quite a bit last year but he's not Matt Forte. You may have read the quote from Pace where he said that Nagy was very adamant about how important having a good move TE (the U TE now) is to his offense, and Pace went hard after Trey Burton. Paid a bit more than I expected for him too, but after reading that later on I realize why Pace made the commitment. The question remains: Did Nagy say the same thing about having a RB who can function well as a receiver? I suspect he did and that a rookie RB is headed our way, maybe as high as the 2nd Rd. If not there, likely with one of our 4th Rd picks. I too was surprised we kept Sims around. I realize we already paid about $4mil but I won't be surprised if he's included in a draft day trade to help us move up. This is not a good draft for TEs and for a team needing an inline blocker like Sims he'll now be cheap for them. On the other hand, Nagy likes to throw deep about 7 times per game plus he is helpful to have as the blocker in the red zone while Shaheen handles the receiving duties. Sims won't be here next year. Arizona saw Glennon up close at the preseason game last year (so did I I was a proponent of keeping both Fuller and Amukamara so I can't complain. Fuller did get more than expected once the Packers got involved but finally having some continuity here will be nice for once. Amukamara got paid well too but as is typical Pace, we can get out of his deal after just one year if we choose. Was keeping both part of the deal when we kept Fangio? Cooper coming back was the biggest surprise for me. I like having several of our core special teams player back and that includes Bellamy, Acho, and the recently re-signed McManis. Until we see how the draft plays out, how the rookies and other young players look on special teams in the preseason, having these options on the roster is a very good thing. With Unrein gone I suspect there is some confidence in RRH and/or Bullard improving this year. My money is on RRH. I still think we'll add a vet FA DT to support the rotation up front. OLB remains the top need heading into the draft.

I agree and slowly Edmunds has risen into a top 10 player on many boards. I saw one mock proposal that had us taking Edmunds and then in Rd 2 Lorenzo Carter. 8 weeks ago Carter was listed as a 4th Rd prospect and he too has risen a lot lately. Carter doesn't have a lot of production but his athleticism is outstanding and fits the OLB role well. It is intriguing because adding that much athletic ability to our front 7 would make the D very tough although it will probably take a full season for both these players to settle into their roles. In the meantime we have Lynch to fill in the role McPhee sort of held for us the past few seasons. Pass rush can come from anywhere on the field as can pass coverage. Probably need to find a vet DE/DT to fill out the roster.

There's going to be someone coming in via FA to shore up the depth chart but I sense they like Morgan far more than we know. What else can it be? Kush is coming off a serious injury and while he's looking good working out I still like him best as a depth player. That's not to say Morgan is being penciled in as the starter but they might think he can compete with a tier 2 FA OG for the job. That's the market we're sitting in right now in FA. Best man wins and the other is a backup. https://twitter.com/EricKush64 I like Nelson but I'm still not as sold on him being the right pick for us at #8.

This year was like Christmas when you wake up and find everything you wanted under the tree.

Just glad to be back. I've been reading other boards but none are family like this one.

Just glad to be back. I've been reading other boards but none are family like this one.

That is true, Howard fit the run-run-pass offense very well.

I didn't see the entire combine but have it recorded if I want to come back and see any prospects. Starting at the top Tremaine Edmunds is my top target at #8. I think he's a good fit at OLB/ILB for us. Even if he ends up full time at ILB he's a Pro Bowl talent. With his long arms I think he'll fit well into a hybrid role playing both positions for us. Marcus Davenport also was more agile than I expected and he's a realistic target as well. Perhaps if we trade back a couple spots. Lorenzo Carter ran a crazy 4.5 forty. Two months ago his name was squarely on Day 3 but I think he's definitely going somewhere on Day 2. I already posted on the WRs but overall I saw quite a bit of good talent for the middle rounds. I really liked Christian Kirk on film and was surprised he only ran around 4.5 forty. He plays faster than that but if that puts him into Rd 2 for us that's ok. Despite watching a fair amount of the WR drills I never caught DJ Moore who apparently looked pretty good. He definitely was bigger and more explosive than I expected. I still don't see him as a great prospect with a lot of upside but he'll be a consistent chain mover in the NFL. A good 2nd day choice if he's there. Courtland Sutton's 3-cone time was outstanding erasing my concerns about his ability to separate from NFL DBs. He'll rise in Rd 1 and may even be the first WR taken in the draft ahead of Ridley. Oline: Kolton Miller really stood out to me athletically. Now the scouts have to go back to the tape to understand his inconsistencies. I think he's realistic option at OT if we trade back to late 1st or possibly with our 2nd Rd pick. The Center from Iowa looked really good, not that I'm interested in drafting OC early. Will Hernandez looks like he'll be a very good Pro Bowl type guard for a long time.

First, I do like Albert Wilson but I think at his best he can be a legit #3 option. We need a #3 option on our roster anyway so why not bring in a guy who will have a good idea of the offensive concept Nagy runs, and one who Nagy knows how to scheme for? Even if he's our #4 WR we need one of those too. I'm all-in for Allen Robinson. Why not go after a shot at having a legit #1 WR on the roster? The others are all #2/3/4 types, each with their own question marks, and Cam Meredith should be able to fill the role of a #2. Bring in a good rookie option as backup for the #2 role. Keep Kevin White around, re-sign Inman to compete for a roster spot with him.

I'm not completely buying that. If we're going to run a wide open offense then we will need someone like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98HqRF3INqY out of the backfield. I'm not saying it will be Penny but the Bears just spoke with Ronald Jones USC RB and he's equally as explosive when running the ball and I think as a receiver. Between Nagy and Helfrich it's obvious where we're going with the offense. We all know that having a primary RB, and really two RBs, who can run routes and catch the ball are needed. We can probably consider Cohen the #2, and even Cunningham as the #3 (for now) since he has enough versatility. But the guy who is on the field for 60-70% of the snaps not being a good route runner/receiver won't last long. I can absolutely see us drafting someone like Penny, Jones, or a bit later Jaylen Samuels.

First it seems quite likely that we're going to pay Fuller more than anyone on this board thought we would. Put him there instead of Johnson. I think there is little difference between the two so I just prefer to keep who we know. I don't see Pace spending big money on Norwell. I wouldn't necessarily mind if he did but I think that cash goes to signing either a top WR or a 2nd tier FA CB. Right now it seems quite likely that Allen Robinson becomes a free agent given his latest tweets. I think Pace goes all in if he hits the market. He can still bring in Wilson to fill out the WR corps. Robinson, Meredith, Wilson, Inman/White compete for a job, drafted rookie, and #6 on the depth chart Bellamy. Everyone hates Bellamy but he's productive enough IMO for a core special teams player. I don't like Sheldon Richardson and his arrest history. If we're going to gamble lets grab Muhammed Wilkerson in that slot, perhaps on a 2yr deal that pays him well enough guaranteed but leaves him a shot at another big money deal down the road. Trey Burton = yes Among Fuller, Burton, and Wilson all are largely steady good performers. The risk is with Robinson and Wilkerson. If Pace hits on 1 of them we're in good shape. Hit on both and lookout.