AZ54

There is too much going on in FA so I doubt the Bears would complete a deal for Bennett tomorrow afternoon. After things settle down a bit and teams know what they have in FA and what their likely draft needs are then I could see a trade happening. If we don't get good value just keep him around. He still has to play for his next contract so he can't be too much of a malcontent.

I still like Amos and I think he out-produced a guy like Bruton. Adding Bruton, and likely giving him every chance to earn a starting role next to Amos would be a good move. We will still add a rookie to the mix but Bruton should feel confident he can win a job over a rookie. It will be telling if we sign Bruton and then cut Rolle but I don't see that happening until after the draft, unless we need his cap space.

I wanted Osemele but not at $11mil/yr.

Complete agreement.

Wow. I wanted to stay away when the Broncos offered him $10mil/yr.

I still don't see this widely reported but if true I'm glad to see this deal was done and for a little less than I thought. i'll assume the guaranteed money is better than expected.

We are well into the negotiating period for FA and I haven't found any rumors about Trevathan. I scanned all the usual suspects nfl.com, si.com, cbssports, and Walterfootball and there is nothing out there. That is odd for a player who figures to be the top ILB available in FA, especially considering the media circus surrounding the Superbowl winner's free agents. I did find this: http://beargoggleson.com/2016/03/07/signs-...-chicago-bears/ The silence doesn't add up for such a high profile FA and the quick change of direction by other potential suitors indicates something was said behind the scenes. Tomorrow the media circus, distracted by Manning's retirement on Monday, will wake up and realize there has to be something going on. Certainly Trevathan's agent isn't going to sit by quietly while all the big money deals are negotiated in the first few days of FA. Many teams like to be in the news about their pursuits but at least one, Chicago, doesn't. Agents usually want the rumors out there as well to show there is real interest in their clients. Have we already come to a deal with Trevathan? Did we make him an offer he can't refuse such that he isn't even interested in visiting other teams? He said he liked playing for John Fox so if the money is right it could make sense that he's content to call it a day and go play for Fox and Fangio without talking to any other teams.

Bears are basically in touch with all the 2nd tier FA OG.

I hope the Bears are in the Jackson market solely to add to the frenzy and drive up the price while behind the bright lights they quietly close the deal with their main target, Trevathan. ILB is the one spot I don't mind over-paying because our need is very high and options are few.

I agree. Murray would have been the RB I kept around. The Eagles have also overpaid quite a few of their players this offseason.

This likely means the Colts are moving on from Fleener. I just can't see them paying both players a huge contract but we'll see. If the TE market gets this crazy and we can get a 3rd Rd pick for Bennett then I'm all in.

I think you have the list of primary options down. I'm very curious to see who Pace's first targets are.

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.