AZ54

Worth watching for insights on the plan.. https://www.chicagobears.com/video/ryan-poles-discusses-dj-moore-free-agent-signings-press-conference He holds to his valuations/performance as well as scheme fits (i.e. Orlando Brown) Ok to pay top dollar for young high performers (relative to their peers) who fit scheme and needs and that's why we signed the two LBs. Also explains backing out of negotiations for McGlinchey when price got too high. He is on a multi-year plan to build a sustainable winning organization. (translation - fans might be in more of a rush) Therefore avoid overpaying for the quick "need" fix. This will leave some gaps (i.e. DT) but he's confident over time between this year and next we can close those gaps. He seems open to trading up in the 2nd Rd for the right player. He also appeared to be open to trading down again from 9. Whitehair is first option at Center (my words). Poles' cited Cody's past performance at Center as being pretty good. Based on that it appears Davis goes to LG, Jenkins RG. My concern here is can Whitehair snap the ball well enough and at 31 is he able to handle that switch back to the middle? This experiment gets carried out in the spring/summer. Explains letting Musty go and keeping Patrick as backup for now but I wouldn't rule out a rookie taking over the backup role. If they like what they are seeing maybe they renegotiate Whitehair's contract, if they like the rookie maybe he gets cut in camp. This seems like a reasonable plan.

Saw that with his WRs. Michael Robinson on NFL Network ripped into him saying it was the fastest way to burn bridges with his new teammates.

I saw some draft rankings tonight that have the top OTs in order: Paris Johnson Jr., Skoronski (although most likely OG), Anton Harrison, Darnell Wright, then Broderick Jones. They said Broderick Jones has some fatal flaws with his feet and balance that will hurt him in the NFL. Just something to consider should we make another trade back from 9. If we stay Paris Johnson Jr. has to be the top target. He played RG in 2021 so I don't think it'd be a big deal to switch back to RT. Plus he has traits similar to Braxton Jones. We ran a lot better to the left side last year behind Jones and if we can replicate that on the right side defenses will struggle to stop our run game. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/paris-johnson-jr-8c5b738d-aa9d-4e28-bbc9-800a41968975/ "Johnson is an explosive athlete with easy movement skills. He has exceptional range as a run blocker and can be trusted to execute longer pulls. He pairs top-end mobility with an impressive frame that features an athletic build with long limbs."

I'm pretty sure he's replacing Peterman but I could be wrong. He was terrible in the one Panthers game I watched last year. In terms of finding a 3rd QB who can execute read-option plays he can do some of that and he has a good enough arm. Just don't ask him to read a defense.

And we don't have to live through all the rookie learning curve issues.

I post all my fake stuff right here. Go look at my FA predictions. On a different note Mustipher didn't even get tendered an offer. Poles didn't think it was even worth hanging onto him "just in case" as a backup plan.

It's official... and he seems happy to be here. He's already met up with Fields and Mooney for dinner. https://www.chicagobears.com/news/dj-moore-on-joining-bears-justin-fields-it-going-to-be-real-special-trade

According to this article Travis Homer is good in pass pro. Definitely got our 3rd down RB and Ebner has to fight for a job. 3rd RB don’t make headlines but that’s a definite upgrade over last year. https://bearswire.usatoday.com/lists/bears-sign-travis-homer-nfl-free-agency-breakdown/

He's old and slow. Just a shell of what he used to be. if they keep Pollard as their #1 he'll be that way very quickly. They are a likely landing spot for Bijan.

My FA forecast was all wrong.

Gladly take the top 3. I’m not that high on Mazi. At 61 I think there will be better players probably a good TE to help Fields or a DT better suited for the 3 tech or OC. Can’t see Spears getting out of the 3rd Rd.

You don’t remember this? He is a 3rd down RB type. Better fit for our wide zone runs and good receiver. I like him for that role.

He's demanding $25mil/yr but Poles won't pay that (hopefully). Reports are out there that we have interest. Of course what agent who wants top dollar wouldn't be spreading that rumor. Word is that Poles only sees him as a RT which I agree with but I'm also not sure he's a good scheme fit for the running game. That said pass pro is the priority. To help him save face he'd have to get the biggest contract this offseason among the OTs and to be fair, relative to the others he's worth that. Jawaan Taylor got 4/80 with 40 guaranteed a signing, 60M total guaranteed. Top that. If Poles does this deal I'd expect him to leave himself a way out after 3 seasons. That might cost more money but aside from work ethic concerns (mine since Brown started out poorly the last two seasons) we have the looming contract extension for Fields after 3 seasons. It would also sync with the new deal for Braxton Jones. I don't see this happening. Poles has been firm on McGlinchey and othes and I can't see him changing his MO now when he holds the 9th pick in the draft.

Wow was this contract forecast spot on. This will explain why we paid him so much money and also why he's likely staying in the middle of the defense.

First, I'm glad to see Montgomery get a good deal and get it done early. A team full of players like him will always be better than the sum of it's parts and I appreciated watching his effort no matter the score or record. For sure Poles has seen his options at RB and refused to match what seems like a reasonable deal. That opens the door to what? .... and just like that my son sends me a message that we just agreed to terms with Travis Homer.

Maybe more money overall but less guaranteed, we likely will never know. While he's a good player who definitely would have helped us he's not a show stopper. Payne was a guy I'd break the bank for. Fact is you can find good DTs later in round 1, Rd 2, or even the 3rd Rd as Jones was. We have enough money to sign guys who can at least shore up the run defense. Those are cheaper than the DTs who can do both ala Jones. Last year we couldn't stop the run nor rush the passer. So fix at least one aspect via FA and use the draft for the pass rush where there is good depth.

With that deal it’s cLear we didn’t want him.

Swift was saying that Eberflus wants his WLB and MLB interchangeable i never heard Flushing say that but if true we may see them switch around depending on match-up or just to mess with the offense

We can get some reps out of him at 3-tech but he's far from a starter. At least I hope he is.

Per OTC we still have $50mil in cap space so we're not done yet. 2023 Cap hits for the new guys: Edwards $5M Davis $7M Edmunds $14.7M. They do not have Demarcus Walker listed yet so figure worst case on a 2yr deal it's $7M. leaves us with $43M to spend and if we choose we can still cut players like Whitehair $10M, Patrick $4M, and Vildor $2.7M to free up another $16.7M. Maybe we sign one DE or a RT for 10-15M then we're probably done with big deals. However, I wouldn't be surprised if we're done with those and we start working the bargain bin in the $5-10M area like we did with Walker.

https://overthecap.com/player/t-j-edwards/8427

https://overthecap.com/player/nate-davis/7873

https://overthecap.com/player/tremaine-edmunds/6901

He's a DT in our scheme. Very short highlights but seems to offer a bit of versatility in alignment. I'd say he's similar to Justin Jones so figure those two are our backup DTs. At this point I'm just expecting another place holder DT, likely an older vet who has a higher floor for a year or two, versus taking a flier on a younger guy who might have more upside but still needs development. Then we go to the draft. Seems like a certainty that we'll be drafting 2 DTs.

We're going to like Nate Davis... a lot.