AZ54

Maybe he is the reason we didn't re-sign DHC? Our coverage gunners are Velus and Blackwell, with that new LB as the middle-of-the-field special teams ace.

I have similar concerns and while I liked some of what the younger players did last year it wasn't enough to be confident in them going forward. I have been hoping we'd just sign a vet FA on a one year $5-7mil deal so we could take this off the to-do list and focus on the trenches in this draft. That may still happen as Poles is patient enough to wait until after the draft to see what his options are. However the big question is where do they see Gordon at next year? If he moves outside it's much easier to find a NB on day 2 or 3 as teams tend to grab the outside CBs earlier. The top player on the board at 9, and remaining blue chip, could be a CB. From a long term budget perspective you bring in that guy and let Jaylon Johnson walk next year. That would still leave big gaps in the trenches and I don't like that. Plus, in any defense if you have a strong Dline/pass rush you need less talent in coverage. Point here is that we shouldn't draft a CB at 9 but that player could be good bait for a trade down. Given that we have some potential solutions on the roster I think we draft one on Day 3 who fits the NB profile and let them all compete for a job. That moves Gordon outside. Johnson hasn't been mentioned much in the contract extension rumors, typically we hear about Mooney and Kmet. It's hard to gauge what value the team sees in him. What value does Jaylon see for himself too and how close are the two sides? Does the team want to see another year before making a decision? It may also be that Poles has already reached out to agents for all 3 and they are closer in valuation for Kmet and Mooney so they just want to start there. All I know for sure is that this team has been really quiet about the DBs so far.

100%. Given the risk with Carter I’d say the alternate player wouldn’t have to hit elite level of play but reaching a few Pro Bowls is still expected of a player in the top ten. Get that while avoiding the risk Carter has and I’m ok. The odd thing is Poles already walked away from Carter when he dropped out of the top 4. It’s Carter who fell back into the discussion.

Yeah that’s a mess I wouldn’t want to be dealing with.

I think he’s a good fit for our culture. Early in his career he used to appear lost on the field but it’s hard to comprehend being just 19 when you are drafted. He was so young and I’m certain he has a lot to learn. His last couple years have been much better. I think he’s still ascending and we bought at the right time.

We both know that if Poles has the option he better make the right decision.

I'm not in either category (draft/ don't draft) because this is simply one player where the interviews are incredibly important and there is no way for me to know. I can say that IMO his on the field performance warrants being drafted at 9.

Great article but I wish he detailed a little more on the DT traits. Nonetheless I trust his scout's eye on talent and their fits. I thought he'd mention Gervon Dexter as a 3-tech but I was wrong. I was surprised to see him list Van Ness as a 3-tech but I can see that in him with his quick first step and brute force style as long as he adds a few pounds. For this thread I think Anton Harrison needs to be an option at 53. I also don't think Anudike lasts until 61 but this is a deep draft for DEs and sometimes scheme fit and depth at a position leads to a guy dropping more than we expect. I have considered if we should just take Skoronski knowing he'll be really good inside but might be good enough at RT this year for us to get by. If you're drafting in the top 10 you want to come away with a Pro Bowl caliber player and I think he fits that. He won't be worse than Reiff and definitely will be better than Borom. I doubt Poles takes that chance especially since he just signed Davis and think he'll just prefer the guy who fits his OT profile in Paris Johnson. One thing I'll be watching for as the evaluation process drags on.... Will we have another visit with Jalen Carter? Last year we met with Braxton Jones 3 times including a position coach working him out close to the draft. If Carter's recent visit helped allay some concerns then I could see the Bears trying to take the same under-the-radar approach with Carter to see where he's at in a few weeks. That could be as much to take him off the board as it is to keep him on it so they can be firm and confident in their strategy for draft day.

Watch it again. If we hadn't signed Davis I'd gladly take Avila in the 2nd Rd to be our LG of the future. I think he's a stud and he's very strong but Jalen Carter can walk him straight back into the QB.

He is the type of player I'd give a higher bonus to in exchange for a lower AAV

Reportedly he initially told the police he was a mile behind the vehicle that crashed He later changed that and said he was close enough to see their taillights. Without knowing the road I couldn’t guess what that means for distance.

I want being critical this is a valid point for all prospects we see every year where some GM will swing for the fences

flashbacks of Jerry Angelo preferring the higher floor.

You can win games without an elite pass rusher. You can't win them without Justin Fields. That leaves Paris Johnson Jr. as the pick for me. However he has some concerns. If they feel there is a DT/DE talent too good to pass up and I think those would only be Wilson or Carter. I just can't figure out what a stop gap solution would be at RT this year if we don't grab one early. The more I read about the OTs I think there are two that can fit our scheme: Paris Johnson Jr. and Anton Harrison.

Ngakoue is reportedly poor in run defense. If true, that explains the hesitancy to sign him at least at whatever price he was asking early in FA. Spotrac has him valued at $14.8M. Flus know's him and if he really wanted him he'd be here by now like they did with the 2 LBs, or maybe even in place of one of them. It seems rather than pay that kind of money they are content to go forward with Walker, Gipson, and DRob, and add a draft pick or two. Maybe we add a vet after the draft when the price goes way down.

It'll happen. That's about all that is left to do before we start backfilling and improving other spots like FS, or improving depth. He tried to close the RT gap with McGlinchey and the price got too high so he went with the backup plan and improved the LG position (and maybe Center if Whitehair works out). That Center bet has to be hedged with a rookie. If RT in FA had worked out he'd be in a much better spot to fill the depth inside the Oline in Rd 2/3 and go defense early. That kinda forces his hand early towards RT. However, unlike last year we don't need 10 players we need 4-5 good ones to get this roster competitive so I think there will be movement up in the draft as he goes after his targets, especially on day 3. You can package 133 and 138 to move up to 108. Six picks in the top 108 should help build depth and you might catch a second 3rd Rd talent who fell into the 4th Rd (the first one being at 103). Then if he still wants to add more bodies he can trade back from 148 to around 165 and maybe get a late 6th Rd pick in exchange.

Tonyan's deal was for 1yr at $2.6M. Most interesting is that OTC had him valued at $4.9mil. If he was seeing anything close to that from other teams then he accepted a big hometown discount.

I freely admit to usually exploring the outer reaches of the web. This time around I decided to step out of the shadows and see what the popular internet was like so for the first time ever I have scanned Twitter several times. It's utterly worthless. Back to Substack...

Twitter rumor so take it for what little it's worth: According to sources the Chicago Bears are reaching out to DE Michael Sam and Carl Nassib. Chicago is in desperate need of pass rush and guys that can get to the ball. Except a deal done soon.

Been saying the same for the last month. He has better long speed that Tarik Cohen, better jump cuts and quickness. Though he is short at 5'5" he is strong for his size at 179lbs. Chasing him is like chasing a jack rabbit. I'd bring him in and put Ebner to the practice squad in a heartbeat. "Vaughn’s father, Chris, is the assistant director of college scouting for the Dallas Cowboys"

For that reason I prefer to put a WR who has more upside or potential on the roster.

There should be a bit more red on that table. St Bown needs to be replaced by a young WR You’ve got Jenkins at RT but he will remain at RG. Davis goes to LG. Whitebait has to earn a spot but gets first crack at C. Patrick is the backup.

Herbert can’t handle a heavy workload. Everyone here starts he has 3 good games then falls off. He’s. a rotational guy/ backup but we have a good mix of talent now in the backfield.

I think he's prepared to trade up to early 2nd Rd and maybe as high as late 1st to get two of his top players. If you think about it he could draft a top DE/DT (Murphy, Carter, Wilson) and then come back up to get his RT (Duncan, Wright, Harrison). Or he can flip it and grab OT at 9 (Paris Johnson Jr) and then move up early 2nd for Edge (White, McDonald, Uzomah). As Michael Irvin would say... we need some game changers. Two picks in the top 35 sets us up well to do that and then add a DT and OC later.