AZ54

We need to see him get more snaps to evaluate the consistency but watching Leatherwood's improvement in such a short practice time gives me more confidence in the coaches. Getting Braxton Jones ready to play this year is also a huge plus. We already know they've been kicking around changes at Center a few times this season so something will happen there. Borom struggled and they moved to Reiff and now working in Leatherwood. They are not married to the old adages about Oline play and have been creative and successful rotating players in, and making performance based decisions. For now I trust the decisions they'll make.

I've seen the rumors on Claypool and Tomlin isn't one to give up on a player easily. The ceiling on these 2 is relatively matched IMO although they win in different ways on routes. I prefer the young man with some maturity/work ethic issues who is still a good teammate versus the young man who has been a selfish prick everywhere he's played. Most people focus more on their career as they reach their mid-20s. That could happen to both players.

I'm not sure where to put this but seeing Pickens already cussin' out his QBs for not getting the ball sure seems like a strong indication of why we didn't draft him. First with Trubisky now with Pickett. I sure don't want to see that on our sidelines as we rebuild a winning culture. In the meantime, we used a 2nd Rd pick to take Claypool away and you have to think Pickens early success was part of the equation for the Steelers.

I think Leatherwood is already better than Borom. He might not be ready to start yet but he needs more reps. Aside from his obvious pass protection concerns, I thought the run game might suffer with Leatherwood having missed so much practice. Somehow they've been able to get him to improve his pass protection mechanics and have him ready to play, or as Swifty says that part comes to him more naturally.

ESB has actually done more than I expected but my hope was always to see someone rise up and take his snaps as the season progressed. He fit in well early especially with the run game which we really needed as Fields and the WRs got comfortable in the passing game. Not to mention the Oline concerns early on. Looking back on it quarter by quarter I don't have a problem with the way they've brought the offense along. Injuries to Pringle and then Harry definitely slowed down things. That we've relied on ESB and Dante Pettis, two guy who are 5th/6th WRs, so much is crazy.

Thomas Graham and I did think he had potential to be a good player but work ethic, which he himself admitted was part of his problem, is not something we can easily discern. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Graham_Jr._(American_football)

https://bearswire.usatoday.com/lists/bears-pff-grades-best-and-worst-performers-in-week-13-loss-packers/ FWIW Leatherwood graded out well as per the always questionable PFF.

I didn't notice it during the game but Leatherwood got 10 snaps (according to Pro Football Reference). It seems he rotated in with Reiff. Did anybody see how he performed? Swift is going to do an All-22 breakdown later this week.

He's just getting Roquan's money. With Sanborn working behind Payne that would be a win-win IMO.

I'm not that clever but watching the play calling later in the game it sure felt like we were content to stay right where we were on the scoreboard.

He's fast, not sure if that's 4.27 speed but his burst and agility are exceptional. I was surprised to see how well he navigates traffic and has some contact balance.

I don't know if I posted this before but this summarizes the Commanders' situation with Payne. I agree, I can't see them putting so much cap space into one position especially with big contracts coming due at DE. https://www.profootballrumors.com/2022/12/commanders-aiming-to-keep-dt-daron-payne Complicating matters for the Commanders’ aim to retain Payne: their defensive line contract situation and a D-tackle market potentially set to spike. Of Washington’s four first-round D-linemen, only longtime Payne teammate Jonathan Allen is signed to a veteran contract. In addition to the prospect of Chase Young and Montez Sweat paydays, the Commanders keeping Payne would force them to allocate NFL-high money to their D-tackle spot.

I like the top end of this draft. I simply don't know enough about the late picks yet. Rashee Rice looks like a good 2nd RD WR prospect and I like Xavier Hutchinson there as well. Iowa State has had a bad season but he's been the one consistent threat on that offense. He can get you a little of everything as a route runner and is a player a QB can "throw open" because he'll adjust to the ball.

FA. He's not going to be much more than a minimum-deal type of player so if we want him I'm sure he'll be back.

I went into this game expecting a total Mel Tuckeresque coverage disaster. Instead they all seemed to know their job. We have to credit Houston-Carson and Jaylon Johnson for keeping the young guys lined up properly during the game. Plus the coaches deserve a ton of credit getting them ready. It's one game so I'm not trying to go overboard but it certainly feels like this rookie group of DBs is giving us a solid depth/foundation for the future. We already know what we have in Brisker and Gordon has been coming along well lately. Now today we see Jaylon Jones and Josh Blackwell play well along with Elijah Hicks at safety. Earlier in the season Jaylon Jones was playing too soft but he certainly looks more comfortable in the role now. Blackwell might have been the biggest surprise for me playing at NB. There were issues with run defense at times but he didn't get overwhelmed and stayed in contact in coverage all game long. Vildor has struggled so it will be interesting to see if one of these young DBs take his reps when he's healthy. For sure we need to address that starting CB position for next year. If Poles and the coaches want to see more of the youngsters as a potential starter that'd be fine by me. I'd rather know what we have and don't have before the offseason begins. Even if neither Blackwell or Jones are starter level, it feels like they can be good depth for next season.

Arrive very late to training camp in a trade, get injured and miss the first quarter of the season. Add in that ESB is in more or less the same offense he's been in for the last 4 or 5 years. These two WRs both offer run blocking as their first and best asset. Beyond that you have to go with the guy who is most comfortable with the routes, and who Fields has the best rapport with. I hope that changes over the last quarter of the season. I think Harry is more likely to at least box out a DB on a route like what ESB ran leading to the first INT. He certainly showed he's more capable of going up and winning on a contested catch.

Standing strong at #2 after the early games this week. If Tankathon.com is correct, at this point, we have the highest strength of schedule in the entire NFL.

I've seen enough. We have our future QB. This game was perfectly played for 3 quarters and then we just did enough at the end to retain the higher draft pick. Some young DBs really surprised me with how well they played. I was expecting a lot of breakdowns and while there were a few at the end they forced GB into multiple 4th down plays throughout the game. Might be far more depth here than expected going into the offseason. Hicks gave up a TD by hesitating and not closing on the ball to Watson. With more experience and he might be able to time that better because there was no reason he couldn't have defended that pass. Oline was poor today and the Dline was worse. Rodgers had all day to throw. These are all pieces we know about so I don't think there were any surprises to the negative side.

Haven't seen a sack like this before.

It seems clear we are now in a full on tryout mode. Signing a QB to the active roster for 3 weeks means they are going to protect Fields at all cost. Signing a DT means the off-season search for talent has begun. I agree we get leatherwood on the fields now before Fields returns. As far as I’m concerned make the change at OC too. I wouldn’t mind seeing Carter get some reps too but if a new OC is out there I think the best way to evaluate him is keeping whitehair and Jenkins on the field. No need to win the games we need to win the draft.

Maybe a broken bone on the arch of the foot where all the stress is supported. It is odd though because you'd think that would be so obvious that we wouldn't be sitting here still speculating on the severity.

Watching Pickett last night throw numerous passes into the dirt, or nearly so, was almost as enjoyable as watching Pickens dropping them. Ryan Clark afterward calling them perfect passes that only the WR could catch. Sure, because every DB loves seeing a pass so low there is not a chance of any RAC.

Actually leading the NFL in solo tackles since Week 9. Interesting discussion here among former players and HC.

That is the role I see for Velus, 4th/5th WR, occasional jet sweeps, WR screens, work out of the slot where everyone else clears out some space for him and see if he can make the first man miss, and an occasional deep route like Cohen used to get. We know he can contribute big plays on KR. Hopefully he can get back to being a PR in the future.

Agreed. Once DEs knew Borom's weakness and attacked it regularly he lost his rhythm. I'm am miles away from an expert on blocking but when he was in the game Sunday he looked out of sync as in upper body/lower body not in line with each other.