AZ54

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.

Yeah, seems like a lunch pail type. Just show up and work, and do it the right way. He should fit in with Fields, Mooney, and Kmet very quickly. If Claypool had issues with route running or maybe not focusing on football as much as we'd like, I think this group is going to pull him up to their standard. A rising tide lifts all ships.

He got Foreman and Billings for the same price as Montgomery. I'm watching some highlights of Foreman and he still has a little burst in his step. We'll be alright at RB. One thing to add: Last year nobody wanted to come to Chicago. This year, especially after the DJ Moore trade, I think it's easier to sign good depth FAs on these smaller deals. Those guys are usually looking for a winning organization that will put them in a good spot to get another deal.

This is a good depth signing. He should fit in quickly in the offense and on his good years he's put up 50+rec for ~500yds. Little bit of an upgrade over the backups we had last year. This year we're going to have a little bit of depth on the roster. Last year we had none at most positions.

Depression or anxiety can affect people in different ways. Sometimes that might appear as work ethic issues but can be helped with treatment (see Darren Waller). It could be immaturity or attitude as well but it's worth trying to find out. After celebrating a national championship he watched two friends get killed in a car accident in which he had some role. Then the arrest on day 1 of the combine and all the press coverage and questions from teams. It would be a lot for anyone to deal with let alone the top pick in the draft and all the media attention. Due diligence is warranted.

So no more experienced QB needed to help mentor Fields. That says a lot about how they feel about him.

I figured Walker was going to be exclusively a DT for us but Poles said they liked him on the edge to press the edge and then he can kick inside on some passing downs. In one of the film studies I've come across they said that Flus wants bigger DEs who can set the edge and keep that between G and T as small as possible on run plays. Maybe that is the plan for Walker and our first real DT signing is in fact Billings.

We're trying to replace Mike Pennel as the 4th DT. It's not a high bar to get over to find someone better. Hopefully he's done that.

Smart move and have those mental health professionals sit in on the meetings.

In that context Herbert won't get a new deal either and RB might be a much higher priority for Poles in the draft than we suspect. If this is your MO then you must always keep good young backs in the pipeline.

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.