AZ54

I was most surprised by the Ravens signing Weddle for $26mil, $6.5/yr. That just doesn't seem like something that organization would ever do. On another note: Malik Jackson's deal has him with a cap hit of $10mil this year but after that it's about $15mil/yr. Next year Trevathan's deal has a cap hit of just $3.5mil. Therefore in 2017 for the price of Malik Jackson the Bears will have acquired the services of: Trevathan, Hicks, and Massie. Or if we prefer to stay on defense: Trev, Hicks, Freeman, and kept McManis around.

I think this is ok. It starts out well the first two days but in the 4th Rd I don't like Zack Sanchez at all. Skinny CB and he's not that quick. Looking at 4th RD CBs I prefer DJ White who plays with some attitude, will get up on the LOS and press. He's small too but plays more competitively. 6th Rd: Jalin Marshall....what are we going to do with a 5'10" WR who runs a 4.68 forty and has trouble fielding punts? Looking over late round WRs there just isn't much worth looking at. Maybe if Cody Core is there we take him but he's got a 5th Rd grade. Better to go with BPA and take that kicker here although Aguayo now has a 2-3rd Rd grade.

Those charts are interesting. Early in the first (top 10) it's clear teams have needs and you see a strong vote for one or perhaps two players. As you move toward 10-20 it becomes more of a BPA with numerous players listed somewhat evenly in the votes. Then in the last picks 20-31 it becomes more need driven again.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000064...ses-on-the-rise Some more love for our ILB and FA overall.

They have been structuring contracts so the cap hit is relatively balanced. Most except Trevathan can be cut after 1yr without a massive dead money hit. Freeman has $2mil in dead money in 2017 but just $500k in 2018. http://overthecap.com/salary-cap/chicago-bears Trevathan 2016 = $6.3, 2017 = $3.3, 2018 = $7.1, 2019 = $7.6 Massie 2016 = $5.8, 2017 = $6.0, 2018 = $6.1 Freeman 2016 = $4.0, 2017 = $4.0, 2018 = $4.0 (by the way he's getting $4mil/yr not $3mil/yr as reported earlier) Hicks 2016 = $4.5, 2017 = $5.5 Porter 2016 = $3.8, 2017 = $4.0, 2018 = $4.0 (can be cut after 1yr leaving $600k in dead money with $3.45mil in cap savings)

If I'm going with an Ohio State player at #11 right now it's Eli Apple. Physically he has all the tools you want in Fangio's system, and he plays tough around the LOS both in press coverage and run support. From what I've read he's got some things to learn but he's young and a bit inexperienced with only 2 seasons played in college. Reportedly he has a good work ethic and with good coaching should turn into a good player. Plenty of recent mocks now have Apple being taken in the middle of the 1st RD so a few spots early isn't a big reach especially when he fits the scheme so well (meaning he'll grade higher than Hargreaves for our roster). Coaches weren't too high on Fuller last year for valid reasons. Porter is a stop gap veteran with a bad injury history. I feel there is a big need at CB on our roster. Re-signing McManis means he's likely our 5th CB, and of course Callahan seems ok in the slot. Put Apple on the roster gives some insurance against Fuller not panning out, or a Porter injury. Mackensie Alexandar and Vernon Hargreaves are both 5' 10" corners. I don't see them as good fits for what Fangio wants on the outside.

http://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space According to this we had almost $30mil in cap space after signing Trevathan and Massie, plus a few of our others like McMannis who it appears got around $500k in bonuses in his deal. I don't see Unrein nor Mariani in there yet. Figure a couple million off the top for those deals and we have $28mil left. From there we likely have a hit of $3mil for Freeman and Hicks, on a WAG, maybe $3-4mil. If correct that will leave us with $21mil. Take away the $9mil needed for rookie pool and Pace still has $10-12mil to spend. Our primary targets now move to Zach Miller and possibly Bruton but those are both likely $1-2mil/yr deals. Considering what we gave McManis as special teams ace I'm not sure we'll still be after Bruton but it's entirely possible if they liked his play at SS. If they choose, there is room for another big signing up to $5mil/yr, or Pace has plenty of room to fill out the depth chart with several veterans. Reportedly that $5mil is around the value we offered CJ Anderson. http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/available/

I agree, both players are students of the game and that's really going to help get people aligned. Plus it will give Fangio the flexibility he needs to really mix up the defensive calls. On Freeman's highlights he's an effective pass rusher, both inside and outside.

More importantly is that he can push the pocket, as can Goldman. Get one more piece that can do the same and we have a good rotation on the defensive front. I don't see that being Ego or Sutton although they might be backups who can contribute. Competition for a job in training camp is going to be at a very high level.

Maybe that just proves that Mariana can't get open 1/3 of the time?

I sure hope QB-needy teams are thinking like you are. Once you get past the elite prospects in the top 10, and none fall to us then the talent at 20 is just as good as what we'll get at 11. Make the trade down so someone can come on up and take Paxton Lynch. He's the last of the 3 likely starting QBs in this draft. Nobody will want to trade into the top 10 to get him as the price is too high but at 11, it's a reach to pick him but it's not crazy, and the cost to move up a few spots to take him isn't exorbitant.

He'd be a nice addition and give us some security at CB but with the money we spent on Porter I'm not sure we'll continue to go after Robinson. Bears were reportedly talking with Robinson early but when things didn't progress its because the terms each side wanted were too far apart. I think we offered him something similar to what Porter got, maybe a bit more, and when he didn't bite we felt we should just stick with the devil we know and signed Porter. Of course the longer he's on the market the more his price drops. Bringing back McMannis, who will sort of hold the last CB roster spot affirms this in my mind. Also see Callahan as a keeper at NB. Fuller, Porter, Callahan, rookie, McManis, and then we'll bring in some other bodies, mix of vet FA and UDFA, to compete for the bottom spots on the roster.

I'm not advocating for an OLB with our first pick but if we were to go that route I much prefer Leonard Floyd. He's quicker, faster, and more bendy around the corner than Spence. He's also more boom/bust than Spence.

If they can pull this off we will have done very well in FA.

I'd say it puts ILB into a take BPA slot. We no longer have to get one in the Rd 1/2 but we still need to add a rookie to the mix. I also think this means goodbye to SMC but I could see him coming back on a short term deal if he doesn't get much interest elsewhere.

This I like. Good guy to have at the bottom of the Dline rotation. Not sure if we gave him any bonus but he got 2yrs on his deal.

I don't mind the signing at all as this is how you fill out the bottom end of the roster but I put him in the same group I put Ducasse last year. I hope he gets cut because it will mean we have someone better on the roster. Mariani said WR is what he wants to be so with some other teams interested in him my guess is that the Bears agreed to keep him there to compete for the last spot. There is always the chance another year in the system helps him play better.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0311-story.html "The Bears also are being proactive on the pre-draft front. A source said they put Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland through a private workout on Friday. " Seems like we have some serious interest. Now the question is who from the team attended that workout?

Bruton's best chance to be a starter is likely in Chicago. I could see him coming here on a 1 or maybe 2yr deal with a small bonus. Gives him a shot to prove it, and if he's holds his ground as a starter, in 1-2 years he'd be 29/30 FA and still able to get a decent contract.

No. Not even if we trade down in the 1st Rd. He's too small and doesn't fit the scheme that well. In the 2nd Rd perhaps but I don't have to go far to find other prospects at other positions I like and we need more than Floyd at OLB.

This list of team visits looks more like what an agent would do when there isn't much interest in his client: Have him visit many teams to show he's healthy and so they can get to know him personally. When you think of all the day 1 and day 2 FA signings most of those players never left their home to make the deal, and some went to 1 or perhaps 2 visits with a team. Laurinitis is visiting 8 teams. There is no reason we shouldn't visit with him. I'm sure we have some interest but probably far below early FA prices. It is also unknown if he wants a starting job guaranteed or if he's willing to come in and compete with SMC or a rookie. Trevathan has the guaranteed starting job but I view Laurinitis as player that should compete to earn it. That should be reflected in a much lower salary. I think the Bears prefer SMC if they can agree on a terms but I'd doubt we sign both SMC and Laurinitis. Makes more sense to get one or the other and then add a good rookie. to develop. Let the others (Jones, Timu, etc.) compete for the last spot.

My work schedule doesn't allow me time to watch Cardinals games as much as I used to, mostly because to watch a Bears game means not sleeping after work. I was curious about Massie and what he brings to the table. I remember him from his rookie year and the struggles he had and eventually corrected. I found this video of him working out in Arizona last month with LeCharles Bentley, the same place where Kyle Long works out. This doesn't tell me much other than he takes his offseason training seriously, and perhaps that he's a bit more nimble in his lower body and movement skills than I remember him being. From reading a bit it seems Jeff Allen, Massie, and Boone all worked out at this place. I suspect Pace asked Kyle for some input on the players the Bears went after. It can't hurt to have some input from a player you trust on a how hard a guy trains on his own in the offseason.

Dan Vitale SB = Super Back?

We have a winner!

I expected we'd move on. He wasn't that good on special teams last year and he wasn't any good on defense. The transition to the new scheme didn't fit him well. Maybe he'll improve on that but he's going to see some competition in case he doesn't.