AZ54

I understand the SLB position gets few snaps and at a minimum IMO Sanborn could play well enough but who steps in if Roquan or Morrow are injured? Like any roster rebuild there are depth questions all over the place but this might the biggest question. Even on the Oline we can sort of figure out top depth players even if they might be rookies. Caleb Johnson is very athletic and could be a backup ILB but we'll see if he's ready to play. He was lost on the field last year.

It seems there was a little bit of bodies banging around in a couple of the first practices but it appears it was nothing too serious. They've adjusted. I don't want players injured especially in practices where it is more about learning the schemes. Other teams have had much bigger fines than this in recent years and I think if we had crossed that line we'd have already received a similar penalty. These new coaches definitely have these guys hustling and that's a good sign.

He should be ok, very similar to Roquan in coverage which is not a bad thing but I think Roquan is more physical around the LOS. It is the 3rd LB and NB where the questions start. And we really know nothing about our depth at LB.

Maybe my biggest surprise is how skinny Kyris Tonga looks to be. https://www.chicagobears.com/photos/otas-week-2-practice-snaps-x9794

Not all 4-3 are created equal. We've had 4-3 schemes in the past that were purely 2-gap schemes on the Dline. I don't know what version of 4-3 Quinn played in but yes he's always been focused on finding the QB.

What you list is why I feel like the floor or the WR group is higher than what we ran with last year. We have similar athleticism but with bigger bodies and just a touch more consistency in production in Moore, Pringle, and then Jones is a much better prospect than Dazz. To match ARob, all St Brown has to do is give us 400yds and 1 TD and I think we already know he's a better blocker than ARob. Is it a big step up overall, no, but I feel confident the WR corps is better than last year. They just need someone who can distribute the ball well.

It's hard to say how much impact this could have on our offense but the supporting data in this article gives several reasons for hope. We hear a lot of noise about our WR corps but looking at this year's version it's not really much different from last year at worst, and there's good reason to think the floor is higher. https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/how-bears-have-made-it-easier-for-justin-fields

This scheme, if similar DE assignment to what Lovie ran, should fit Quinn's desire to hit the outside rush lane and pick up the runner along the way. He'll just have to reserve his occasional inside moves for passing downs.

Biggest surprise on defense will be Eddie Jackson making an open field tackle. Naturally that's some of my typical sarcasm but for me I do think that the surrounding cast of DBs (Johnson, Brisker, Gordon, and then players fighting for starting roles in Cruikshank and Graham) help Jackson return to form. Add in the coaches who are much better enforcing on-field discipline (know-your-job do-your-job stuff) and the simplified scheme. Along with that is the fact Brisker is much more likely to provide the leadership Jackson needs to have supporting him on the field. As in "you go do this...I got your back".

That's fine but it doesn't address the fact he's been a FA since the beginning of it. Nobody has signed this guy, and so while he's been on the market we went about signing Pringle, St. Brown, Pettis, and Sharpe and drafting Velus Jones. Fuller had a 1yr deal in 2021 for $10mil and caught a total of 4 passes, so he's likely to just get another 1yr deal. His contract demands might be the reason we've stayed away but if it's past production you value, no GM goes and signs Pettis over Fuller. That includes both having injury histories. As it's getting late in the offseason for Fuller, I'll throw this out and it's pure speculation. He's already had 1 PED suspension. In the past we've seen other big name players sitting around in FA only to find out later teams knew of a pending suspension for something but that doesn't get announced until that player signs. If not that, his injury history and contract demands are not aligned with how team's value him. Teams have evaluated the rosters a bit in OTAs and are moving to fill needs so he should be signed soon. FWIW Fuller was drafted 26th overall mostly because of his 4.32 forty time. He had, and still has, poor hands and can create just as much heartache as celebrations. https://sportsnaut.com/watch-texans-will-fuller-drops-three-would-be-touchdowns/

If we were considering Fuller why wouldn't they have done that before signing Pettis? Seems to me they are similar receivers although Fuller's resume is clearly better.

He's definitely bulked up from last year. It's say at least 10 to 15lbs. Well have to wait for reports out of camp to see if he still moves well.

When looking at WRs it feels like run blocking is a big deal for Getsy. Mooney gives effort but given his size he's not much of a blocker. Velus and Pringle are both good blockers and reportedly so is St Brown and maybe Sharpe. I'm not sure about David Moore, Dazz, or Pettis. When looking at someone like TY Hilton Eberflus knows what he's bringing to the table and we chose to skip it so far. Where would Beasley fit in? https://kckingdom.com/2020/10/21/kc-chiefs-byron-pringle-needs-more-snaps-in-the-offense/ "Pringle may not be as athletically gifted as say Demarcus Robinson, but he is a very hard worker who is looking to prove he is an NFL caliber receiver. He has good hands, is a good blocker, is decent in route running, and is pretty good after the catch. The only thing he has over Robinson is the hands and blocking."

Wow. Good for him and he has a shot at getting a ring. Teams that are close are looking for the missing piece. Missed games aside he does affect the ones he plays in and that can get you home field advantage in the playoffs. Looks like they had $12mil in cap space.

I'm not sold that going big on a FA or two is the only path forward. If Poles chooses he can do several extensions for our own players and front load their deals. This could all be done in a creative way so that if you think Fields will be ready to take us deep into the playoffs in years 4 and 5 then we'd have more room to make that big splash signing or two to put us on top. Near term there are only 4 players deserving of big contracts in the next 2 years: Roquan and Montgomery after 2022 season. Jaylon Johnson, Mooney after 2023 season, and possibly Kmet could join them. You would think Roquan and Johnson are keepers and Montgomery's story plays out over the year. Behind them are a host of short term or expiring in 2023 deals they could choose to extend early: Morrow, Pringle, Angelo Blackson, AQ Muhammed, Cruikshank, Trevis Gipson, and Kmet (signed thru 2023). If they see enough good from a few here they could choose to do early extensions and save cap space for 2025 when Fields might get his new deal. Poles and Eberflus have done enough to raise the talent floor to where they can evaluate the roster, including Fields, this year. Bright stars among this cast (ala Mooney last year) will stand out. They will also know who is bought into their program and is a leader they want to keep.

You sure that wasn't a whole season off?

That also assumes he's capable of building through the draft. Early returns are good but we'll see what we get from the Day 3 picks.

It is interesting that Montgomery was averaging 4.2ypc until the last 4 games, and that includes his return after the knee injury. The last 4 games were MIN, SEA, NYG, and MIN where he averaged just 3.0ypc. He had bad games in other 4 game stretches but this is only time frame where he had no games over 4ypc. I don't recall what was going on during the last 4 games of the season but something changed other than everyone knowing the coach was getting fired. During those games Herbert ran 8 times for 41 yds, or 2.13 ypc. 8 carries is not necessarily statistically significant but it is interesting that both had a significant drop off in the last 4 games. FWIW in 15 games Aaron Jones rushed for just 800yds, just 391yds receiving behind the MVP QB and he's making $12mil/yr. Monty: 12 games rushed for 849yds, 301yds receiving While he might not be the ideal lead RB he's a guy you want in your team's rotation and he'll find work easily if he's a FA. At what price it's hard to say. James Conner had a similar year as did Austin Ekeler and although each have different styles I put Montgomery in that group. They make ~$7mil/yr. If he repeat's with a similar year Montgomery will easily get that and likely at least $8mil/yr. If he does better in the new offense his value goes up (call it the Nagy bounce) but I can't see him worth $12mil/yr like Jones is getting.

How about "judicious" with his spending?

They'd have to come out of the gate playing well. I'd be surprised if that happens with the new scheme and 2 rookies starting in the secondary, plus I have concerns about DTs. The same things go for the new offense with a 2nd yr QB having to learn all that with a nearly new WR corps, 2 new TEs, and some new Oline pieces. Fields getting used to how all these guys run the new routes is going to take longer than just training camp.

Let's just say no to Deebo and let SF (or someone else) make that crazy investment. He's a good football player but he's not a generational talent. We have Cliff Stein back on contracts so I'm expecting Roquan's deal to be front-loaded and maybe have a crazy cap hit of $30-40mil next year and then let it drift back down in the time frame when Fields next deal comes due. We need two legit Dline starters not these rotational players we have now, and we might need to replace Quinn. I like the DE backups but they are just that until proven otherwise. I also like AQ at DE he's really a stop-gap hustle player who fits into the rotation. Oline seems a likely choice for at least one 2nd tier FA addition (LT/LG/C/RG) but we'll see how the young guys play.

I have no idea how fast Montgomery is now but whatever he is doing in the offseason on his speed he's definitely faster than he was in college. He's not a burner by any means but he's likely closer to 4.5 now. In wide zone he's got be decisive because too often he will bounce twice before pushing forward. The defense will reading and flowing right along with the Oline. If there's a crease with this new Oline it probably won't last long.

I like Herbert but was less enamored with his performance than others. IMO he has room to grow but he does seem like a better outside zone fit than Montgomery. OTOH inside zone, which it appears we'll run ~30-40% of plays, is a better fit for Montgomery. The surprise I want to see is that everyone knows where to go and what to do on each play. Then we can better evaluate how well players perform.

The rookie Dom is quietly getting some first team reps and his athleticism had stood out. But there’s nobody blocking him and I really doubt he has the strength to bend around the edge. On the positive side coaches are saying he’s picking up the defense and is working hard on his new craft. At this point it seems he’s not going to the practice squad without a fight.

It's hard to say a practice squad player is being overlooked but I do think he has a great opportunity to find a role as a backup. If you've seen his photos from OTAs he's bulked up quite a bit and looks more prepared to contribute at DE this year. If he can earn the backup role behind Quinn I like our rotation at DE.