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Roquan Traded to Ravens


AZ54

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I wanted more - and this hurts - cause he is one of the few elite talents we have. That said - you don't win paying big bucks to a linebacker (especially one that doesn't get after the pass rush).  The downside is - this is a middle of the 2nd round pick - so would have really liked 2 2nd rounders. But I get it - Poles is making some hard choices and taking a true reset which I truly appreciate.  

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Meh.  
 

Sucks as I see him as a “core player” but that’s just me as a fan speaking.  Oh well.  
 

Along with the draft picks the Bears also get LB AJ Klein.  He was a 5th round pick for Carolina in 2013.  In his career he’s totaled 15 1/2 sacks.  His one season high # of tackles was in 2018 where he totaled 70 while playing for the Saints.  Since then he went on to play for the Bills and Ravens.  Double ‘meh’.

 

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I am very happy with this. Id hoped for a first rounder, and we might have gotten that for Quinn and Smith before the season started, but I know they wanted to see what they had in these players. We saw. Good move.

I love David Montgomery, but he has to be wondering if he is next right now. He has to wait 26 hours to find out.

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Just now, BearFan PHX said:

I am very happy with this. Id hoped for a first rounder, and we might have gotten that for Quinn and Smith before the season started, but I know they wanted to see what they had in these players. We saw. Good move.

I love David Montgomery, but he has to be wondering if he is next right now. He has to wait 26 hours to find out.

I am guessing Ejax goes and likely Montgomery. Would be more surprised if Ejax didn't go than Montomgery as I could see Poles not wanting to mess with the offense (i.e., just keep Montgomery). But I wouldn't be shocked if a team like the Rams didn't offer up a pretty good pick for David that might be too good to pass up.  

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16 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

At this point - highly likely Bears are picking top 7, likely top 5. I am hoping Fields continues to grow and emerge and the Bears are sitting in a spot where a team loves a QB and makes a big move up with the Bears accumulating even more picks.  

That is my goal from the beginning.  Fields terrible start to the season had me thinking we might need that high pick to grab another QB1, but he has ascended and worth building around. 

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Just now, ASHKUM BEAR said:

That is my goal from the beginning.  Fields terrible start to the season had me thinking we might need that high pick to grab another QB1, but he has ascended and worth building around. 

Completely agree - and with that said - if Fields regresses - Poles is making sure team is bad enough that you could take a QB early if you need to. But I hope that isn't what happens - cause it sure would be nice to see Fields just keep making strides forward and really looking like a dude by end of the season.  Would be a massive accelerator to this rebuild.  

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1 minute ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

Completely agree - and with that said - if Fields regresses - Poles is making sure team is bad enough that you could take a QB early if you need to. But I hope that isn't what happens - cause it sure would be nice to see Fields just keep making strides forward and really looking like a dude by end of the season.  Would be a massive accelerator to this rebuild.  

If I'm Poles, I'm all in with Fields for next season.  Build around him and if he fails, we are stacked for the next QB and in great financial shape.

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23 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

If I'm Poles, I'm all in with Fields for next season.  Build around him and if he fails, we are stacked for the next QB and in great financial shape.

for sure. you can afford to build around Fields, and if for some reason he dies in the offseason between 2023 and 2024 in a bizarre gardening accident, youre still in perfect shape to draft a new QB and have a team with depth.

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29 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I am guessing Ejax goes and likely Montgomery. Would be more surprised if Ejax didn't go than Montomgery as I could see Poles not wanting to mess with the offense (i.e., just keep Montgomery). But I wouldn't be shocked if a team like the Rams didn't offer up a pretty good pick for David that might be too good to pass up.  

interesting. I was thinking they might like what they have with EJax, but he is still not the player he was, and if you can get a 2nd rounder for him, do it.

At that point next years cap would be insane. The problem then would be that there simply wont be enough blue chip free agents in one year to be worth all that money. And you dont want to make long term deals with players who dont warrant their cap number.

Poles is being bold. If he really is a superior talent evaluator, then we are going to be a much different team than weve been in decades. If not, this could be a tough ride.

A lot is riding on Poles, you cant say it isnt his team next year.

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AJ Kline is probably good enough to let Adams move back over to Roquan's spot.  

The other option is to let Morrow slide over to WLB, a role that might fit him better than MLB and see what he does.  We have other options including Kline at MLB.   Weatherford is an intriguing prospect but a position change from DB to LB 

I don't think Eddie Jackson is going anywhere.  He was just named a new team captain I'd hope that was done with some input from the GM.   

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19 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

AJ Kline is probably good enough to let Adams move back over to Roquan's spot.    EDIT:  I'm aware Adams is on IR, not sure if it's season ending or if he'll be back soon.  

The other option is to let Morrow slide over to WLB, a role that might fit him better than MLB and see what he does.  We have other options including Kline at MLB.   Weatherford is an intriguing prospect but a position change from DB to LB 

I don't think Eddie Jackson is going anywhere.  He was just named a new team captain I'd hope that was done with some input from the GM.   

 

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48 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

If I'm Poles, I'm all in with Fields for next season.  Build around him and if he fails, we are stacked for the next QB and in great financial shape.

That would be my preferred plan - with that said - another half season. If Fields doesn't stack up games and show something - and you like a QB early in the draft - you have that flexibility. But I agree - if Fields gives you a 50/50 hope by end of the season, you just keep building around him knowing you can get another bite at the apple the following year (if Fields doesn't end up being that guy).

Either way - while it means this season will be tough to watch (from a W-L perspective), we at least have a young QB to watch grow (hopefully) all while being in a really good position from a cap perspective and starting to stack up some picks. With that said - this team is still really devoid of young talent.  So hopefully we see Velus start catching those (he got open) and emerging and similarly we see Mooney and others take steps forward (along with Gordon / Brisker continuing to grow).  

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3 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

 

On the Adams part - I believe I read that he will come back as soon or right after he becomes eligible (so one more week type of a deal). We also get a chance to see Sanborn and whether he is a preseason guy or if maybe he's a decent player (he looked great in the preseason - that said - athletically he isn't anything special so are his instincts / football iq enough to offset being a bit slower).  

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I don't trust Eddie Jackson.  He still only hits when it is absolutely necessary.  Yes, he has improved this year, but he's 28 and doesn't seem like a leader.  I'd rather have Jaquon Brisker as my tone setter.  I haven't looked who would be a good fit for him, but would love to get something.

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33 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

We also get a chance to see Sanborn and whether he is a preseason guy or if maybe he's a decent player (he looked great in the preseason - that said - athletically he isn't anything special so are his instincts / football iq enough to offset being a bit slower).

I’ve been hoping to see more of him.  Maybe with Smith gone we will? So far he’s been slow on the uptake with a total of 4 (?) tackles, 2 of which he got yesterday.  He was 3rd in snap counts for LB with 13 yesterday to Roquan (58) and Morrow (58) and edging out Thomas who had 8.  Given he’s an UDFA I suppose we can’t expect a miracle cut maybe with more playing time he’ll improve? 

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I like it and dont like it. Being at 3-5 my thoughts of us having a winning record are over. If we pay someone 20 mil a yr I prefer it be a LT or #1 WR., not an off LB. For next yr, I dont think they would have gotten together on a contract, so they would have had to tag him (18 mil). and have a possible hold out situation, so this was probably the best thing to do. 

The next in line after Roquan  is  Joe Thomas. It could be Weatherford, or move Morrow there. I think they end up looking at Sanborn, Weatherford and Thomas to see what they have going forward. Matt Adams could be in play once he comes back off IR. I think A. J. Klein ends up playing SAM. He's our biggest LB at 245. 

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We have so many holes to fill. Even next year, with a huge infusion of talent, we are still going to have to roll with 5 or 6 of these guys. We need to identify which ones those are, and that means giving younger guys more reps. That's the hidden gem in losing the two best players on this years defensive team.

You gotta give Poles credit for having balls. He's tripled down on his ability to win the offseason. If he does it, we will be on the way to being a team that's competitive every year. And we really deserve that.

If they can get a 2nd for Ejax, I'd take it. Montgomery is a tougher call because I am a huge fan of his, so Im biased. I just try to imagine wearing a wristband that says WWBBD (what would Bill Belichick do?). lol

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This article really nails it, I think. And they don't mention the game week he didn't show up for still undisclosed reasons. Or his rookie holdout.

But most damning are these lines :

"Truth be told, he is closer to Briggs than Urlacher at this stage of his career — more of a highly potent tackle machine than a destructive game-changing Hall of Fame[r]."

and

"Smith had every reason to think he should be the highest-paid inside linebacker in football —he’s accomplished and still young. And Poles has a case for not splurging on an off-the-ball linebacker who — even if he is the best inside linebacker in football — is not a dominant, destructive, $20 million-a-year force."

$20 Million a year players are game changers. Whatever Roquan is, and it's a lot, it isn't that. And in the end, that's what matters at that price, or you've overpaid.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2022/10/31/23433861/bears-never-fell-in-love-with-roquan-smith

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13 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I am guessing Ejax goes and likely Montgomery. Would be more surprised if Ejax didn't go than Montomgery as I could see Poles not wanting to mess with the offense (i.e., just keep Montgomery). But I wouldn't be shocked if a team like the Rams didn't offer up a pretty good pick for David that might be too good to pass up.  

Both the Rams and 49ers have traded a lot of their future draft capital so I'm not sure what they could offer that would be worth anything.

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