The Chicago Bears are on the clock! OFFSEASON OPEN THREAD!

[BearFan PHX]

4 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

Depends on how you define "risk".  If you simply look at it as a numbers game then yes there are more failures in later rounds.    If you look at it in terms of investment, not just money but also opportunity cost then the miss on a top ten pick is really bad.  

true. but you also have a lesser chance of hitting a home run too with lower picks, so it's like buying insurance against a bust, but you lose on the premiums?

[Stinger226]

If we need to grab  a WR late , why not Tahj Washington? Him and Caleb already have a connection and he has game.

https://youtu.be/EUDJtCcAJXg?si=zALfLD5IXTHs9EzJ

[adam]

14 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

If we need to grab  a WR late , why not Tahj Washington? Him and Caleb already have a connection and he has game.

https://youtu.be/EUDJtCcAJXg?si=zALfLD5IXTHs9EzJ

I would not mind that at all. 

[Pixote]

1 hour ago, adam said:

I would not mind that at all. 

If nothing else, I'm sure he knows the scramble drill. LOL

Let's hope Caleb can stay in structure and not have to resort to hero ball.

 

[BearFan PHX]

Given how Kmet has been coming on, I've sort of been sleeping on our new TE Everett.

Here are two plays, out of context, totally cherry picked I'm sure. The first one shows that he is smart and his style of understanding what's going to happen next on a broken play should make him a great option for Williams when regular plays break down.

It feels like our offense isn't just a collection of players with talent, but a system where each player's strengths are a multiplier with the other players strengths too. Finally the Bears are building an identity the way the Packers have for years.

When you're a scout or a young player for the Packers (and some other teams too) you can look at tape of the last 5 guys that played your position, and they'd be doing pretty much the same techniques and plays as you're being asked to do. They will have similar strengths and weaknesses, so you know how a player fits into the scheme, whether youre scouting him, or you are the player learning your place.

Not every player is a blue chip first rounder, so your roster will generally have guys that are incomplete players. They are good at one thing and less good at another. But if youre in a system that asks you to play to your strengths, then it's a lot easier.

Finally we are building a system of Bears football. The result of that will speak for decades. Long past when all the current players are retired. If you build an identity, then the 3 next coaches will know exactly how to use the players the GM got them, and the scouts will know exactly what to look for.
 

 

[Pixote]

There is an article on bearswire.usatoday that lists what they believe are the 20 best remaining free agents the Bears should target after the 2024 NFL draft.

I definitely disagree with many they prioritize. I see no need to worry about WR, TE, or QB now. I am far more concerned with Edge, DT, OC, and OG. The trenches. Here is the list they gave:

EDGE Yannick Ngakoue
EDGE Carl Lawson
EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah
EDGE Calais Campbell
EDGE Charles Harris
EDGE Jerry Hughes
EDGE Dawuane Smoot

DT Fletcher Cox
DT Hassan Ridgeway

C Connor Williams

OG Dalton Risner
OG Mark Glowinski

WR Tyler Boyd
WR Hunter Renfrow
WR Michael Gallup
WR DJ Chark
WR Jalen Guyton

TE Marcedes Lewis
TE Logan Thomas

QB Ryan Tannehill

 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

1 hour ago, Pixote said:

There is an article on bearswire.usatoday that lists what they believe are the 20 best remaining free agents the Bears should target after the 2024 NFL draft.

I definitely disagree with many they prioritize. I see no need to worry about WR, TE, or QB now. I am far more concerned with Edge, DT, OC, and OG. The trenches. Here is the list they gave:

EDGE Yannick Ngakoue
EDGE Carl Lawson
EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah
EDGE Calais Campbell
EDGE Charles Harris
EDGE Jerry Hughes
EDGE Dawuane Smoot

DT Fletcher Cox
DT Hassan Ridgeway

C Connor Williams

OG Dalton Risner
OG Mark Glowinski

WR Tyler Boyd
WR Hunter Renfrow
WR Michael Gallup
WR DJ Chark
WR Jalen Guyton

TE Marcedes Lewis
TE Logan Thomas

QB Ryan Tannehill

 

I would okay if they did one year team friendly deals with:

Yannick Ngakoue DE- I'd give him another shot if nothing else. He wouldn't be the main focus with Sweat.

CALIS Campbell DE- solid vet who can set an edge and still be a good rotational player. 

Mercedes Lewis TE-another solid vet who enjoyed the team.

Connor Williams C - I'd do longer if the docs feel a full rehab was in process. 

[BearFan PHX]

We should pick up Connor Williams on a deal with a 3 year contract as our option next year. Let him heal and see where he is in October.

[AZ54]

17 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

We should pick up Connor Williams on a deal with a 3 year contract as our option next year. Let him heal and see where he is in October.

I'm 100% on board with this and it's possible Poles had an agreement with him to re-visit talks when he was healthier.  (i.e.don't go anywhere without talking to us).    There's no doubt Williams would prefer a longer term deal and most teams likely wanted to give him a 1yr deal or at least less guaranteed money.   Maybe this is why he bypassed the center position in the draft.  He kept enough cap space to make a deal like this.  

[DABEARSDABOMB]

1 hour ago, AZ54 said:

I'm 100% on board with this and it's possible Poles had an agreement with him to re-visit talks when he was healthier.  (i.e.don't go anywhere without talking to us).    There's no doubt Williams would prefer a longer term deal and most teams likely wanted to give him a 1yr deal or at least less guaranteed money.   Maybe this is why he bypassed the center position in the draft.  He kept enough cap space to make a deal like this.  

Plus I think if you wait until after the draft the signing(s) don't count to the comp pick formula, so I presume there is a wave of free agency we will see take off once the comp impacts are gone.  My guess is also the more time you can wait on Connor the better cause you have a better idea of his general health/recovery from the injury.  

[adam]

4 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

Plus I think if you wait until after the draft the signing(s) don't count to the comp pick formula, so I presume there is a wave of free agency we will see take off once the comp impacts are gone.  My guess is also the more time you can wait on Connor the better cause you have a better idea of his general health/recovery from the injury.  

They can also wait to see what they have at Center with Shelton and Bates. 

[AZ54]

4 hours ago, adam said:

They can also wait to see what they have at Center with Shelton and Bates. 

If they signed two vets and don’t know what they have in them then we have bigger problems with this organization. 

[adam]

7 hours ago, AZ54 said:

If they signed two vets and don’t know what they have in them then we have bigger problems with this organization. 

Part of it comes down to the exchange. If you read articles from 2022, Williams had issues with shotgun snaps. So even though he is a plus blocker, if he has issues with snaps, it sort of negates some of the blocking advantages. 

So what I meant was to see which Center Williams felt better with, in terms of snaps, and blocking assignments. You won't really know until you get into the OTAs.

[Mongo3451]

11 hours ago, AZ54 said:

If they signed two vets and don’t know what they have in them then we have bigger problems with this organization. 

This has my inner demons cringing.  Poles better have hit on the center and OG positions.  Otherwise that fourth round weapon he drafted will be an anchor around his neck.  Christian Mahogany and Beaux Limmer were there too at least add bodies to the equation.  Like I said earlier, was he thinking he was the smartest guy in the room or was he that?  The difference makes all the difference.  Damn, I hope he's right, this time.

[BearFan PHX]

31 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

This has my inner demons cringing.  Poles better have hit on the center and OG positions.  Otherwise that fourth round weapon he drafted will be an anchor around his neck.  Christian Mahogany and Beaux Limmer were there too at least add bodies to the equation.  Like I said earlier, was he thinking he was the smartest guy in the room or was he that?  The difference makes all the difference.  Damn, I hope he's right, this time.

it's a good point, but any GM will have their hits and misses. The questions within their control are how quickly they admit they missed on the misses and whether they are able to solve the problem quickly with another solution.

I definitely have hope that one of the two center options will be good, but I don't need Poles to hit 100% for us to be successful.

It's just extra bad if you keep failing at the same position for sure.

Still there is reason to believe one of the two at least will be decent, and perhaps Connor is waiting in the wings.

Or a trade deadline solution.

[Mongo3451]

To add, I am Poles' biggest fan.  However, I have stopped him of his Lordship until the center position is proven solid.  From here on out, it could be coronation or castration...

[Stinger226]

39 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

To add, I am Poles' biggest fan.  However, I have stopped him of his Lordship until the center position is proven solid.  From here on out, it could be coronation or castration...

Unless you were getting JPJ or Frazier, a rookie wouldn't be starting anyway. I have heard many football people say a rookie center and rookie QB is a disaster. It's very difficult to build a team and have 5 1st round picks on the OL in three drafts. 

I get the concern he's building thru the draft for the most part and he wanted Rome and I read Poles was getting nervous and wanted to trade up to get  him so we weren't getting a starter this year anyways. 

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, Mongo3451 said:

To add, I am Poles' biggest fan.  However, I have stopped him of his Lordship until the center position is proven solid.  From here on out, it could be coronation or castration...

that is totally fair!

Listen Ryan, I'm willing to forget about Claypool and Velus, but get that OL good OK?

He's made a lot of moves on the OL, let's see how they look together, I wish I had the kind of confidence on the new guys that I have in Keenan Allen, but maybe theyre gonna be great, and hopefully at least decent.

[Mongo3451]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

Unless you were getting JPJ or Frazier, a rookie wouldn't be starting anyway. I have heard many football people say a rookie center and rookie QB is a disaster. It's very difficult to build a team and have 5 1st round picks on the OL in three drafts. 

I get the concern he's building thru the draft for the most part and he wanted Rome and I read Poles was getting nervous and wanted to trade up to get  him so we weren't getting a starter this year anyways. 

I hope you are joking.  Andre James, Lloyd Cushenberry, Aaron Brewer and Tyler Biadaz all could have been had in free agency.  

[Stinger226]

3 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

I hope you are joking.  Andre James, Lloyd Cushenberry, Aaron Brewer and Tyler Biadaz all could have been had in free agency.  

Cushenberry would have been nice but he got a 50 mil contract. Of those 4 Brewer was supposedly the least talented and he got 3 years at 21 mil. You will have to ask Poles how he rated them, they all got signed before the draft so I'm not sure if he may wanted to get a drafted center.

[dawhizz]

Good comments here from Poles and scouts on the draft picks. Poles has also been on some podcasts this week, including Pat McAfee and Waddle & Silvy. 
 

https://www.chicagobears.com/audio/ryan-poles-bears-scouting-staff-praise-2024-draft-picks-bears-etc-podcast

[adam]

4 hours ago, dawhizz said:

Good comments here from Poles and scouts on the draft picks. Poles has also been on some podcasts this week, including Pat McAfee and Waddle & Silvy. 
 

https://www.chicagobears.com/audio/ryan-poles-bears-scouting-staff-praise-2024-draft-picks-bears-etc-podcast

The title is funny "Scouting Staff praise their own decisions"

I would hope the scouts are happy with the picks that they recommended to the leadership.

Also, with Williams and Odunze no brainers, there were really only 3 picks that took any type of "scouting" and technically Taylor being the best punter in the nation didn't take a lot of effort to figure out. So it really came down to Kiran and Booker.

[BearFan PHX]

7 minutes ago, adam said:

The title is funny "Scouting Staff praise their own decisions"

I would hope the scouts are happy with the picks that they recommended to the leadership.

Also, with Williams and Odunze no brainers, there were really only 3 picks that took any type of "scouting" and technically Taylor being the best punter in the nation didn't take a lot of effort to figure out. So it really came down to Kiran and Booker.

finding those hidden gems is definitely a place where your scouting shines, where they can really help the team.

and while youre right that Odunze is a no brainer pick, youd want to be sure from your scouting that for example Dallas Turner isn't the next NFL sack leader, or Fashanu isn't about to set the league on fire too.

I agree that even with my layman eyes I could see the difference, but even sure things go through a ton of vetting because that bust percentage is so high.

But I feel really good about all these guys too, and some of the unsigned rookie free agents are intriguing as well.

[adam]

10 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

finding those hidden gems is definitely a place where your scouting shines, where they can really help the team.

and while youre right that Odunze is a no brainer pick, youd want to be sure from your scouting that for example Dallas Turner isn't the next NFL sack leader, or Fashanu isn't about to set the league on fire too.

I agree that even with my layman eyes I could see the difference, but even sure things go through a ton of vetting because that bust percentage is so high.

But I feel really good about all these guys too, and some of the unsigned rookie free agents are intriguing as well.

Sometimes it's the no-brainers that are the best moves too. Don't overthink it. Don't try to be the smartest guy in the room (Trubisky over Watson), Shaheen in the 2nd.

The UDFAs are a huge part of the scouting process too like you said, and I have liked what they have tried to do there as well.

[BearFan PHX]

53 minutes ago, adam said:

Sometimes it's the no-brainers that are the best moves too. Don't overthink it. Don't try to be the smartest guy in the room (Trubisky over Watson), Shaheen in the 2nd.

The UDFAs are a huge part of the scouting process too like you said, and I have liked what they have tried to do there as well.

I totally agree. I'm sure to your point that these guys get more data points than they need. On one hand you might uncover hidden problems, but on the other hand you may become overwhelmed with data and get swayed by something that isnt going to have any real impact.

Im sure all the scouts are very close to all the small details, and Poles has to have the large view and put it all into context. he seems to have made a lot of wise moves, and it looks like it's starting to pay off too!