Playing GM/FAgency

[Stinger226]

The only history we have to look at is Paces moves last year and what he is saying about this years FAgency

 

Last year he signed 15 free agents. McPhee got 5 year 39 mil. ( the only large money deal)

 

I think he does the same situation this year. One big money guy and several 3 year 15 mil. type deals.

 

I think he grabs Trevathan for like 5 year 40 mil deal.

 

I think he grabs Jeff Allen for 4 year 20 mil.

 

I think he grabs David Burton/SS/Den ( he played under Fox and has played well in a backup role, a ascending player)

 

I think we resign Jenkins as a rotational DE player.

 

I think we sign Robert Ayers/DE ( he played under Fox and can be gotten for low end money)

 

I think we resign Jeffery and with White and Royal being healthy, we just end up drafting a Wr in later rounds.

 

I think we end up trading Bennett on draft day and get a 4th round pick from Atl for him.(Pace and Fox aren't much into players with issues)

 

I think we resign Miller to a team friendly deal and draft one in later rounds.(remember we traded for Lee in midseason)

 

I think we resign Porter to a team friendly deal.(also sign Brandon Browner/CB/No)

 

We fill some needs with FAgency and will support other weaknesses with the draft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mongo3451]

My question to the group is this: how many starters need to be added in free agency to upgrade our team to playoff status? My thoughts are 6. 4 on D, 2 on offense.

[scs787]

My question to the group is this: how many starters need to be added in free agency to upgrade our team to playoff status? My thoughts are 6. 4 on D, 2 on offense.

 

IMO

 

1 DE (preferably 2 but I think they could live with Ego/Sutton)

2 ILBs (I could live with Timu if they think he can grow but prefer 2

1 safety

1 corner

 

1 OG or OT depending on what they do with Long.

 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

My question to the group is this: how many starters need to be added in free agency to upgrade our team to playoff status? My thoughts are 6. 4 on D, 2 on offense.

I think my question or thought is, if we add FA's now, how will it effect the cap years down the road? Will it put the Bears in a situation were they cannot pay Kyle Long, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Goldman, etc. Right now, we are looking good at signing some talent, but we are only looking at this years cap. That may be why Pace has said he will not go big in FA. Maybe similiar to last years class as Stinger lays out. As a GM, you have to gage this draft before FA begins if you are going to spend. Is there a talent at a position of need they won't be able to draft? CB is one I do not see as getting a starter and Tracy Porter may fill that need, but his health has to be a concern. DT seems deep, so they may go draft there. LB has some interesting prospects, but round 1 may be a reach, so Trevathon may be a good investment too. Offensive line has one red flag at RG and I am starting to like Allen or they could go big with Osemele. Should be another fun offseason.

[Stinger226]

I think my question or thought is, if we add FA's now, how will it effect the cap years down the road? Will it put the Bears in a situation were they cannot pay Kyle Long, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Goldman, etc. Right now, we are looking good at signing some talent, but we are only looking at this years cap. That may be why Pace has said he will not go big in FA. Maybe similiar to last years class as Stinger lays out. As a GM, you have to gage this draft before FA begins if you are going to spend. Is there a talent at a position of need they won't be able to draft? CB is one I do not see as getting a starter and Tracy Porter may fill that need, but his health has to be a concern. DT seems deep, so they may go draft there. LB has some interesting prospects, but round 1 may be a reach, so Trevathon may be a good investment too. Offensive line has one red flag at RG and I am starting to like Allen or they could go big with Osemele. Should be another fun offseason.

I think if Pace addresses free agency as last year, he wont be with heavy laden contracts that cost us down the road.

 

So if a scenario pans out similar to what I laid out: We resign Jeffery say an average of 11 per year

We subtract Bennetts contact and resign miller for an average of 3 per year that picks us up 2 mil.

Tervathon goes for 8 mill

You should get by for the rest of the names I mention for around 18 to 20 mil so that would only cost against our cap maybe 38 mil which leaves us in good shape.

[Mongo3451]

I think my question or thought is, if we add FA's now, how will it effect the cap years down the road? Will it put the Bears in a situation were they cannot pay Kyle Long, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Goldman, etc. Right now, we are looking good at signing some talent, but we are only looking at this years cap. That may be why Pace has said he will not go big in FA. Maybe similiar to last years class as Stinger lays out. As a GM, you have to gage this draft before FA begins if you are going to spend. Is there a talent at a position of need they won't be able to draft? CB is one I do not see as getting a starter and Tracy Porter may fill that need, but his health has to be a concern. DT seems deep, so they may go draft there. LB has some interesting prospects, but round 1 may be a reach, so Trevathon may be a good investment too. Offensive line has one red flag at RG and I am starting to like Allen or they could go big with Osemele. Should be another fun offseason.

Glad you brought that up. It made me review my post and I found that I did not include the draft. I meant to. Hopefully we can get 3 starters like last year.

[jason]

IMO

 

1 DE (preferably 2 but I think they could live with Ego/Sutton)

2 ILBs (I could live with Timu if they think he can grow but prefer 2

1 safety

1 corner

 

1 OG or OT depending on what they do with Long.

 

Agree; except it's OT AND OG, because regardless of what Long does, his one OT position will be weak, and Slausson can't play forever.

[scs787]

Agree; except it's OT AND OG, because regardless of what Long does, his one OT position will be weak, and Slausson can't play forever.

 

I for one think Leno was solid. They shouldn't hand him the job, but I wouldn't invest heavily in a replacement.

[AZ54]

I think my question or thought is, if we add FA's now, how will it effect the cap years down the road? Will it put the Bears in a situation were they cannot pay Kyle Long, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Goldman, etc. Right now, we are looking good at signing some talent, but we are only looking at this years cap. That may be why Pace has said he will not go big in FA. Maybe similiar to last years class as Stinger lays out. As a GM, you have to gage this draft before FA begins if you are going to spend. Is there a talent at a position of need they won't be able to draft? CB is one I do not see as getting a starter and Tracy Porter may fill that need, but his health has to be a concern. DT seems deep, so they may go draft there. LB has some interesting prospects, but round 1 may be a reach, so Trevathon may be a good investment too. Offensive line has one red flag at RG and I am starting to like Allen or they could go big with Osemele. Should be another fun offseason.

 

According to Overthecap http://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space we have cap space of

 

2016 $51mil

2017 $84mil

2018 $125mil

2019 $151mil

 

 

Pace has plenty of room to maneuver and build the roster he wants.

 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

According to Overthecap http://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space we have cap space of

 

2016 $51mil

2017 $84mil

2018 $125mil

2019 $151mil

 

 

Pace has plenty of room to maneuver and build the roster he wants.

That is some good news. That space there says they should spend. That is money to put into Shea's, Long's, and Fuller's draft classes and to think any of those guys should break a bank besides AJ. . I think two good players won't hurt the future seeing that.

[AZ54]

That is some good news. That space there says they should spend. That is money to put into Shea's, Long's, and Fuller's draft classes and to think any of those guys should break a bank besides AJ. . I think two good players won't hurt the future seeing that.

 

That cap space comes with a lot of needs but it gives Pace plenty of flexibility to mix in some good players on their 2nd contract while his draft classes come up to speed over the next few years. In the meantime, he can secure players like Jeffrey and Long for the next 4-5 years.

[Stinger226]

That cap space comes with a lot of needs but it gives Pace plenty of flexibility to mix in some good players on their 2nd contract while his draft classes come up to speed over the next few years. In the meantime, he can secure players like Jeffrey and Long for the next 4-5 years.

I did a draft on Fanspeak (Matt Millers ratings) that is based on what I put forth in Free agency:

 

1------Buckner/DE/Ore-----I drafted on the base of PBA and he consisting gets high draft ratings on most mock drafts

 

2------Jaylon Smith/ILB/OLB---Smith was still there and even thou injured a top 5 player in the second round,I had to take him

 

3------Scooby Wright/ILB/OLB--Wright can play either position and going with the BPA position I felt the need to draft him ( With Trevathan-McPhee-Smith(when healthy) and Wright we have the makings of a great group of versatile LBs

 

4------Xavier Howard /CB/Bay--A big corner to add to the mix in case we dont retain Porter

 

4b-----Tyler Higbee/TE/WK--- this is the pick I traded with Atl for Bennett-a big TE with blocking skills

 

5------Miles Killebrew/S/SU--- another S in the fifth round with upside

 

6------Aaron Burbridge/WR/MSU-now I am trying to add depth to our WR corp

 

6b----Wendall Smallwood/RB/WVU---With the news on Forte, I feel we will draft another RB to add the mix

 

6c----Kevin Hogan/QB/Stan----I think at some point we add another QB prospect-Hogan averaged 66% completion percentage through his college career and great size

 

7-----Tyker Mathews/OT/BYU-- roll the dice on a large OT in our last pick

 

 

what the team looks like with FAs and the draft

 

QBs------Cutler-Fales-Hogan-------I think they may consider bringing in a veteran backup but will not pay much money for him(Matt Moore) a former Fox backup

 

RBs------Langford-Carey-Smallwood-Perry-------Perry can play special teams so he may make the team again as the 4th rb

 

WRs-----Jeffery-White-Royal-Wilson-Burbridge----This is a strength if we can keep everyone healthy

 

TEs------Miller-Lee-Higbee------This is still an area we could use an upgrade but if they repair damage with Bennett it would benefit team

 

OTs------Leno-Long-Fabuluje-Becton---Leno needs to take a step forward to make this unit up to par

 

OGs-----Slauson-Allen-Omameh---I think we still bring in another low cost guard to add to the depth (Troutman) (Bernadeau)

 

OCs-----Grassu-Montgomery----I think we may bring back Montgomery to give Grassu more time to grow

 

DEs------Jenkins-Buckner-Ayers-Ferguson- Washington---This is a spot where I think they may have Houston fall back to this position

 

OLBers---Young-McPhee-Houston-Smith( if he ends up coming back this year)

 

ILBers----Trevathan-Wright-Timu-Anderson---this may be an area where we add another low end free agent (Joe Mays) (Audie Cole)

 

NTs------Goldman-Gaston-Unrein-----I think Unrein may make the team playing both DE or NT

 

CBs-----Fuller-Porter-Callahan-Howard-Browner---I think this starts to become a strength for our team

 

S--------Amos-Killebrew-Burton-Prosinski ---I think they move on from Rolle and Mundy

 

conclusion: I dont think we can address all of our weaknesses in one off season but with a good draft, I think we are well on our way to a big upgrade

 

If we can get Trevethan and draft Smith and Wright, this could end up being a huge stength

[adam]

I can't see the Bears putting that many resources into LB (signing Trevathan and drafting two LB's in the top 3 picks). I also think we will draft OL in the first few picks, we can't ignore that position of need early in the draft.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I for one think Leno was solid. They shouldn't hand him the job, but I wouldn't invest heavily in a replacement.

Ryan Clady may be a cap casualty if he does not restructure. One, would the Bears be tempted in his services? Two, Cladys contract would help Denver keep some of there younger talent like Jackson or Trevathon. They may also cut Talib and Ware to keep as much of the core.

 

[jason]

I for one think Leno was solid. They shouldn't hand him the job, but I wouldn't invest heavily in a replacement.

 

I think you ALWAYS need to invest in OL. If OL is good, invest weakly. If OL is average, invest a lot or more. If OL is bad, invest heavily. It's the key to the entire offense. Right now Leno is average at best. Maybe a year under his belt he's average. In my mind that warrants mid-round (3-5) competition/replacement/depth.

[jason]

I did a draft on Fanspeak (Matt Millers ratings) that is based on what I put forth in Free agency:

 

1------Buckner/DE/Ore-----

2------Jaylon Smith/ILB/OLB---

3------Scooby Wright/ILB/OLB--

4------Xavier Howard /CB/Bay--

4b-----Tyler Higbee/TE/WK---

5------Miles Killebrew/S/SU---

6------Aaron Burbridge/WR/MSU-

6b----Wendall Smallwood/RB/WVU---

6c----Kevin Hogan/QB/Stan----

7-----Tyker Mathews/OT/BYU--

 

I could only hope it played out that well. I wouldn't mind seeing Higbee replaced with OL; that would be damn near a dream draft.

[Mongo3451]

I think you ALWAYS need to invest in OL. If OL is good, invest weakly. If OL is average, invest a lot or more. If OL is bad, invest heavily. It's the key to the entire offense. Right now Leno is average at best. Maybe a year under his belt he's average. In my mind that warrants mid-round (3-5) competition/replacement/depth.

Check, check, check and check!

[bradjock]

According to Overthecap http://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space we have cap space of

 

2016 $51mil

2017 $84mil

2018 $125mil

2019 $151mil

 

 

Pace has plenty of room to maneuver and build the roster he wants.

 

That's awesome we have 51 mil in cap space. You can't put too much stock in the following years since it will change depending on this year's signings.

 

You look at what Pace did last year he signed one major player (McFee) and two starters (Rolle & Royal) and then a ton of guys with one year deals. I look for him to do something similar this year. We'll still have plenty of $$$ to sign Jeffrey this year and Long next.

 

 

[scs787]

I think you ALWAYS need to invest in OL. If OL is good, invest weakly. If OL is average, invest a lot or more. If OL is bad, invest heavily. It's the key to the entire offense. Right now Leno is average at best. Maybe a year under his belt he's average. In my mind that warrants mid-round (3-5) competition/replacement/depth.

 

And I've agreed with that 3-5 round distinction. I've said before, in an ideal world they sign a starting OG (Preferably Osemele) and draft competition for Leno in the mid rounds.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

And I've agreed with that 3-5 round distinction. I've said before, in an ideal world they sign a starting OG (Preferably Osemele) and draft competition for Leno in the mid rounds.

I like that scenario unless somehow Stanley is there at 11. But I really don't see him dropping past Baltimore or NYG either. If they can sign Osemele, then taking someone like Johnstone late would be great. He needs a year to rebuild strength I think, but he is why Oregon had Long as a G, he was the better player.

[scs787]

I like that scenario unless somehow Stanley is there at 11. But I really don't see him dropping past Baltimore or NYG either. If they can sign Osemele, then taking someone like Johnstone late would be great. He needs a year to rebuild strength I think, but he is why Oregon had Long as a G, he was the better player.

 

A guy I really like is Cole Toner out of Harvard in the 4th. His stock is low into 4th due to lack of competition, but he really had a strong showing against a really solid DL group at the Senior Bowl. I forget who it was he took on, but they did a "best of 3" 1v1 challenge and Toner won all 3. I know it was one of the top DLineman at the Senior Bowl.

 

I wouldn't hate Stanley at all, but I prefer defense in the 1st 2 or 3 rounds.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

A guy I really like is Cole Toner out of Harvard in the 4th. His stock is low into 4th due to lack of competition, but he really had a strong showing against a really solid DL group at the Senior Bowl. I forget who it was he took on, but they did a "best of 3" 1v1 challenge and Toner won all 3. I know it was one of the top DLineman at the Senior Bowl.

 

I wouldn't hate Stanley at all, but I prefer defense in the 1st 2 or 3 rounds.

Turner is a new name to me. I will have to look him up.

I would also prefer to go D, but Stanley is a player that should be top 5. If he drops, I don't think you pass him even if they sign Osemele.

[jason]

Turner is a new name to me. I will have to look him up.

I would also prefer to go D, but Stanley is a player that should be top 5. If he drops, I don't think you pass him even if they sign Osemele.

 

Agreed. However, Slauson and Osemele have only played LG exclusively. I wonder how much moving to the right side would affect either?

 

[stanley - Osemele - Grasu - Slauson - Long] would be NASTY. Offense is probably top ten.

[scs787]

Agreed. However, Slauson and Osemele have only played LG exclusively. I wonder how much moving to the right side would affect either?

 

[stanley - Osemele - Grasu - Slauson - Long] would be NASTY. Offense is probably top ten.

 

A top 10 offense would be nice, but defense wins championships. Bears had about 150 less yards than the Broncos did last season and look what they did.

 

Give me an above average line with a great defense and I'll be a happy man. A great offensive line with just an above average defense probably gets you no where.

[AZ54]

Agreed. However, Slauson and Osemele have only played LG exclusively. I wonder how much moving to the right side would affect either?

 

[stanley - Osemele - Grasu - Slauson - Long] would be NASTY. Offense is probably top ten.

 

Not sure where you got your info from but Osemele has played a full season at RT and I don't think he did too badly.

 

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/team/roster...eb-f8227de0cb25

2012: (16/16, 4/4) Started all 16 games at RT as a rookie and helped the Ravens score the second-most points (398) in franchise history (409 in 2014) and gain the third-most total yards (5,640) in team history, including a then-career-high 3,817 passing yards by QB Joe Flacco and 1,143 yards and 9 TDs rushing by RB Ray Rice

 

That versatility is one of the reasons I'd really like to sign him. Not only has he played RT but I would think that experience would aid him in transitioning to RG. He might not be starter quality at OT but on game days he could be the backup OT. At Iowa State he played LT and LG.