AZ54

I'd prefer to keep Jeffrey but if this went down, at 1-20 give me Josh Doctson to replace Jeffrey. Kid's going to be a stud WR and i'm not sure why there aren't more people talking about him. He just catches the ball no matter where it is. At the Combine he answer all the questions about his athleticism. There's better value with Doctson IMO than either Hunter Henry or Nkemdiche. Yes this would be very Matt Millenesque. There's probably a half dozen other DTs I'd prefer over Henry or Nkemdiche at 1-20 too. I"m just not a fan of great athletes that can't convert it to production on the field, at least not in the 1st round. I don't get to interview these players and their coaches but something isn't right. Whatever it is, it usually doesn't get better with $15-20 million in the bank.

Reports are Andre Ellington is close to being shown the door in AZ. He has been injured every year. That's no surprise because that's what happens when you run a little guy 20-25 times a game. AZ knew they had to invest somewhat early to get a RB last season. Chris Johnson was a desperatation move after they had RBs go down with injury (including Ellington again). If Ellington does get cut I'd consider adding him to the Bears. He's done some KR but I don't see any PR history. It wouldn't hurt to bring him in for a tryout to see if he can catch punts. As a part time RB he's very good but I don't think he can handle more than 10 carries a game and make it through the season.

I would say he's being brought back to compete for a roster spot. Cam Meredith will be back as well. I don't his name on the roster but the KR we had at the end of the season, Deonte Thompson, I'd also expect to be back. He's got some open field speed and considering how late he was added to the roster he did some good things at WR. I'm in favor of drafting Tyler Ervin on day 3. Not sure if he rates as a 4th or 5th Rd pick. I've seen mostly 5th Rd for him but that was before he ran a 4.4 forty. I love his versatility at some many positions from RB, slot WR, KR, and PR. It's valuable to have a guy like that on game day. I wouldn't be upset at all if we used a 4th Rd pick on him. Saw him on NFL Network he seems like a class act, and knows he'll have to work to make it at the next level but he's willing to do it all. A "Darren Sproles" role fits him well.

..and in other news Jerry Jones will not be selecting a QB at #4 so nobody who wants a QB needs to trade up ahead of his pick.

This is also a way to prove to him his market value isn't what he thinks it is. If they can't find a reasonable trade partner, meaning if all we can get for him is a 6th Rd pick, then his agent will know that and Marty will come to realize he might be getting that huge payday.

I agree with your thinking for the most part. We hear it all the time about finding playmakers and on the surface it makes sense to hear that. Of course Pace wants guys that can play and fit the scheme but I really think Pace's goal in FA is finding depth on the roster. It's a different perspective and puts the team on the hook for less money per player and gives him more darts to throw at the board. Then when he misses big on a guy like Alan Ball ($3mil last year for nothing) it doesn't hurt so much because Tracy Porter was there to pick up the slack. How well did that work? Nobody talks about Alan Ball, not now and not much last year. When Antrel Rolle went down we put in some rookies. They did ok but most importantly, now nobody is worried about cutting Rolle because there is nothing but cap savings off what looked at the time to be a way overpaid contract. Pace guaranteed the $3mil all up front because he wanted the flexibility to get out of the deal this year. In FA you will always overpay in the first wave, and somewhat in the 2nd wave. In the 3rd wave you can find value but, like showing up late to the Black Friday sales, you get what's left on the shelf. Just accept the overpayment portion of the first wave if that's what you must do to fill a critical need. Last year I think Pace identified finding a true 3-4 OLB to fit Fangio's scheme as the most critical need for the defense coming out of that transition from a 4-3. That worked out well. This year, I think across the entire team our most critical need is ILB. We have 2 openings for starters, and anyone currently on the roster is nothing more than a backup, if that. We can't really sit back and see what's left over so over-pay we must, and that likely means we go hard after Trevathan. I think he's an average good player but I can't deny the desperate need at the position. Behind Trevathan we don't really have a lot of 2nd wave FAs? Unfortunately I think the need makes this like the QB position where a team has to pay a Sam Bradford more than he's worth because if they don't have him you won't win anything. So I think, despite our misgivings about it, Trevathan gets the big payday. On Malik Jackson I'd take him for a decent 2nd wave type salary but when a DT is getting $10mil plus he better be capable of commanding and beating (at least sometimes) double teams. I don't see that from Jackson. There is less of a need at this spot than ILB and there's great depth here in the draft as well so we have options. I just don't see a reason to throw silly money at this position. CB is more challenging because we have Fuller, who struggled at times last year, Porter, who has had durability issues in most of his career, and Callahan. Add in that it will be one of the highest paid FA positions for what is 2nd wave talent. It's hard for me to guess which way Pace will go here: Big contract for a guy like Jenkins or Sean Smith? Or stay the course, sign a mid-level CB or two (Porter being one), and build through the draft? I think he stays the course. I think OG falls in the find depth category along with a good prospect via the draft. Same with Safety.

There is no need to make that decision until after the draft, unless or until there is a free agent player out there we really want to sign and we need more cap space.

I prefer to trade back in the 1st Rd but not out of the 1st Rd. Values might be relatively the same with players but I prefer to be in a spot where we get the player who fits our scheme and needs best.

Stopping the run is top priority this offseason. There are other needs but RB falls way down the list as we have players who are productive in that spot. There are plenty of other spots where we can't say that.

1c. Too early to know. It was just 6 or 7 weeks after his surgery. What they find in the April checkup will determine the risk factor but nerves heal slowly so no matter what that won't entirely go away at that time. Teams will just be projecting that the nerve damage will all heal ok. I find too much value in the 1st and 2nd Rd along with our numerous needs to take the risk.

I like him. He's aggressive, has a little violence to him when he hits people and he usually wraps up on tackles and not afraid to square up on a guy when he can. His hustle on plays away from him, even breakaways all the way down field, is nice to see. Having been moved around quite a bit on his college team he's probably not solid at either CB or FS but he should offer some good versatility in coverage with TEs or RBs with that 4.46 speed. While CB might not be his best fit, fact is he can be an emergency backup at CB and that kind of vesatility is nice to have on the roster. He plays gunner on special teams too so the Bears can feel like he'll contribute early while he learns how to play in the NFL. Give him a couple years under Fangio and Co. and I think he can become a pretty good FS. Taking him with our 3rd wouldn't bother me at all. I like him a lot more than Killebrew. Here he is against better competition: http://draftbreakdown.com/video/sean-davis-vs-michigan-2015/

Agreed, the Bears are quiet negotiators. I don't think they'll put off the Jeffrey negotiations. I think Pace would rather close on that deal so his cap hit is fixed, and lower than the franchise tag, so he can go forward into FA with the rest of his plan.

Looks like we get a $35-37mil budget. Here's my guess at what the team will do: ILB Trevathan $8mil too many questions around ILB and the club says they like SMC but, as far as I know, they haven't offered a contract. Money talks and the Bears aren't talking to Shea. I don't think they want to enter the draft with two question marks at ILB. I think they want SMC back but at a price below starter money, well below starter money because they want him to be the 3rd option to compete as a starter with a rookie. CB: I was going to say we'll sign Trumaine Johnson or Sean Smith but the money thrown at FA CBs is ridiculous. http://overthecap.com/2016-nfl-free-agency...backs-overview/ CB: Patrick Robinson $3mil/yr Depth signing, good all-around veteran CB, re-sign Porter to a similar deal that allows us to get out after 1 or 2 years. RG Osemele $6mil Fix RG, team keeps Long at RT DT Ian Williams $4mil S George Iloka $3mil S/ST David Bruton $2mil (replaces Prosinski) TE: Dwayne Allen $3mil Not sure he's done enough to warrant a $5mil deal. He hasn't done enough to earn $3mil either. If we trade Martellus I think we can get more than a 5th Rd pick given the weak TE draft class. Teams have cap space, his deal is affordable, and he's still young enough to play well for a few years. Maybe a 4th or 5th plus later pick. If anyone throws a 3rd Rd pick at us. Total $29mil. I'm cheap so I'm probably off on the contracts by about 10%. Let's call it $32mil. Plus I'd cut Antrele Rolle if we sign both those safeties because we still have HJQ and I like his potential. That adds $2.7mil to the $23mil remaining so we'd have $26mil left. Team can re-sign Jeffrey, Zach Miller, Porter, and maybe do an extension on Kyle Long's contract (with some bonus pushed into 2017). If we trade Bennett it frees up around $5mil. Use the change leftover to sign better depth players along the Oline, Dline, or CBs as some veterans usually end up lowering their price quite a bit by the 3rd week of FA. Last year we were bargain basement shoppers (see Ducasse), this year we can work the 2nd/3rd waves of FA a bit more aggressively. Plus we need to reserve $7.3mil for the rookie pool.

Chris Jones ran a 5.03 forty, with a more-relevant-to-the-DT-job 10yd split of 1.70. Joey Bosa's 10yd split was 1.69. Last screen shot I can recall on NFL Network, Jones' 10yd split was ranked top 10 among all Dline although there 5 or so players tied for 10th. He has some burst off the line, enough that a good coach should be able to get a decent pass rush out of him especially with his strength. He does not offer a ton of lateral movement so he's not like Sheldon Rankins but if he's got a single blocker in front of him he'll be able to push the pocket. A quick search of a few top 50 lists post combine have him anywhere from 25th to high 30's. I still like him for our 2nd Rd pick if we only sign one FA DT.

Best edge rusher in the draft is probably still correct. I still don't think that puts him in the top 10 overall, or in our case the best fit for our needs at #11.

The problem or concern I had with Lee is that he is almost always lined up outside. OSU used him to counter the spread offenses and he's good in coverage. I'm just not sure how his game will translate to playing inside. Yes, Fangio needs ILB who can cover but they still have to be physical and able to move through the trash around the LOS. Considering the 11th overall pick I'd like to feel more confident in who we choose. I think the pundits on TV have it right when they say his best fit is at WLB and Lee might be great in Brigg's old-role. Who impressed me in the LB drills was the slimmed down Ragland. We all focus on the forty time, I think he ran a 4.7, but when watching him in drills his lateral movement was very quick. He'll have some limitations in coverage because he can't turn and run like Lee, but he's going to give you the negative plays that a defense needs in order to get off the field and our run defense immediately goes up a couple notches. Among the 1st Rd LB I still prefer Myles Jack overall but if it were a choice between Lee's speed or Ragland I think I'd take Ragland. IIRC, Chris Borland played well in his single season under Fangio and he was slower than Ragland, definitely more quick than fast. Pair Ragland up with Trevathan and we'd be much better in the middle.

Had to get out the search party to find much about him. He looked good against Ohio State on some plays but I'm at a loss as to why his coaches had him playing DE in 3-4 alignment. Must have been a case of getting their best players on the field. He's not built to battle inside against OG/OTs but all things considered (like his 235lbs) he held up well. When he gets lined up outside and can use his speed he's tougher to block. Seems like a good prospect for day 3 in the draft.

Spence didn't impress me today. What he did at the combine matched what I saw on his tape, he's just not that explosive off the line.

There are your targets in FA. I don't mind signing two of those preferably Howard and Williams. Then add an early draft pick to the mix. The rest of the group Ferguson, Sutton, Unrein/Jenkins (if we bring either back), and Cornelius Washington compete for a job.

I was just thinking Fairley would compete to be part of the rotation. I couldn't guarantee him a starting job, nor starting money.

I don't know what his market will be in FA but Bruce Irvin might be an interesting player to add at OLB. I think he's too one dimensional and I'm not interested in over-paying him.

Some good words on Doughty... http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/02/27/NFL-combi...ghty-Jared-Goff

Vitale impressed me with his performance at the combine. He has a lot more short area quickness than I expected and that vertical leap for a big FB is impressive. The 4.6 forty doesn't hurt either. Adding him into the mix with Langford and Carey would make a nice versatile group of RBs. The opposite end of the spectrum is a guy like Tyler Ervin who can also return kicks. Do we want to add speed or power?

I was able to watch some of the early group of QBs. I agree with your observations on Hackenberg and Adams. Combine stuff for QBs is a small piece of the puzzle so I don't put much stock into. As a late round QB Adams intrigues me. He'd be ranked much higher if he were taller but other than that he can do it all. The only caveat for me about his size is that he's not particularly fast or evasive. You'd like to have that in a QB who might have to get out of the pocket to find a passing lane. I'm just not a fan of Connor Cook. Briskett is just slow at everything he did, running, throwing, walking. Cardale Jones arm strength and accuracy are good but more and more it seems he can't handle the mental aspects of the QB position. When we narrow it down to day 3 prospects there was one other QB who caught my eye and that was Jeff Driskel. He's fast, very good athlete overall. I thought he threw the ball well. Reading up on him shows he's had some struggles but it would be interesting to know if those were maturity based (i.e. not putting in the time/effort) or just limits on what he can read on the field. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players...45/jeff-driskel

Buckner, Washington, Butler, and of course Jones I think would be immediate help on the Dline. Kaufusi doesn't appear to be strong enough to hold up inside and isn't quick enough on the outside. At least on the outside he's not offering anything we don't already have in our current crop of OLB. He's a good versatile player and has the size to add more bulk for 3-4 DE I just think that'll take a year or two see on field. But why is he so slow off the snap? He wants to stand up right away instead of moving forward with good body lean. A coach should be able to help with that but if not, in the NFL OG's will just move him backwards off the line. I'm not big on A'Shawn Robinson in the first round but if he were there with our 2nd pick that'd be a good pick. I like his teammate better, Jaran Reed who hustles all over the field. If we get Robinson in the 2nd Rd, even if he's not providing much pass rush he's got the talent to eat up blocks and get some push up the middle. The tools are there for him to be more productive so maybe Fangio and Co. can help him reach his potential. Oakman is a paper tiger. I want nothing to do with him. Carl Nassib gets pushed around too much for my liking. Dodd is a good football player, I like him, but, much like Kaufusi, with the Dline talent in this draft why grab someone that isn't a perfect fit for what we need (3-4 DE) when there are better options available in the first couple rounds?