Bears are re-signing Mecedes Lewis

[BearFan PHX]

Bears are re-signing Mecedes Lewis

This is a really good move. He is still an excellent run blocker.

One step closer to a completed roster...

[adam]

Yeah very smart move, TE3 and true blocking TE was a hole, now filled.

 

 

[Stinger226]

Me think we may expect a pass rusher but they may like Austin Booker-Jacob Martin- Dom Robinson-Jamree Kromah-Khalid Kareem-Daniel Hardy more than we realize. 

[BearFan PHX]

I think they will definitely keep Booker as a high option. Getting him snaps and helping him be ready to play DE3, and challenge for DE2 eventually.

The rest are rotational players, and Martin and Bobinson are battling to be DE2 for now.

That screams an opening for another free agent at DE. Whether we get that guy in cuts during camp, or at the trade deadline. Having 2 2025 second rounders makes it even more likely a trade is in the offing.

There are also some decent free agents still available too. Older guys, no need to overpay for them now, but one of them may be our DE2 as well if the right long term answer doesnt materialize.

One way or another, I think there is going to be another DE on the roster by November 2nd (the day after the trade deadline), if not earlier by opening day.

[BearFan PHX]

Ive been thinking about what i just wrote here above ^^.

*IF* they think Booker can really be a DE2 by the second half of the season, and given the Bears' past of starting Brisker, Gordon and Stephenson as rookies, is it possible they let Booker be DE2 right away to play into his position?

Maybe. I didnt think people did that as easily on the line where experience really matters, but maybe they are gonna throw him into the fire, and then youd be right Stinger.

[adam]

4 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

Ive been thinking about what i just wrote here above ^^.

*IF* they think Booker can really be a DE2 by the second half of the season, and given the Bears' past of starting Brisker, Gordon and Stephenson as rookies, is it possible they let Booker be DE2 right away to play into his position?

Maybe. I didnt think people did that as easily on the line where experience really matters, but maybe they are gonna throw him into the fire, and then youd be right Stinger.

I would think Walker gets the first shot at Edge across from Sweat with Booker rotating in as the first rotational guy, and Booker would be in as Edge 2 for known passing downs like 3rd and long. Walker is solid against the run, and Booker will need to show that he can set the edge on running plays.

[Stinger226]

7 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

Ive been thinking about what i just wrote here above ^^.

*IF* they think Booker can really be a DE2 by the second half of the season, and given the Bears' past of starting Brisker, Gordon and Stephenson as rookies, is it possible they let Booker be DE2 right away to play into his position?

Maybe. I didnt think people did that as easily on the line where experience really matters, but maybe they are gonna throw him into the fire, and then youd be right Stinger.

We have two starting DEs as of now. Walker was disappointing but showed more once Sweat showed up. Booker will only play as a situational edge to start so one more edge would be nice. With a new D-line coach we may have upgrades to all the DL. This stage of practice only shows a players quickness and not full spectum of strengths. Yannick is an option but he wasnt special. Not sure any special players in Free agency are left. Give the young guys the reps and maybe by midseason they can start rolling. I think more importantly is there a player on the roster that can hold up the run defense on a regular base and then run in the rookies. Yannick wasnt that good at holding the point and with the run defense.

[BearFan PHX]

All Im saying is that we dont have anyone special at DE2 (meaning the starting DE opposite Sweat). Maybe Booker will be special, but until he is there is a potential hole there.

I would expect someone new to fill it unless they are going to let Booker play into it as a rookie, which they have done with other positions,

I agree that a special DE is likely a trade, but there may be a stop gap free agent better than what we have right now in Robinson and Walker.

[Stinger226]

20 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

All Im saying is that we dont have anyone special at DE2 (meaning the starting DE opposite Sweat). Maybe Booker will be special, but until he is there is a potential hole there.

I would expect someone new to fill it unless they are going to let Booker play into it as a rookie, which they have done with other positions,

I agree that a special DE is likely a trade, but there may be a stop gap free agent better than what we have right now in Robinson and Walker.

Just having a vet body isnt going to change the situation. There are 3 that might improve the position but , if tha's the case, why are they still available? Last year bringing in a 9 sack guy was suppose to be a great move, it wasnt. Money isnt a problem but there must be work ethic flaws or they would be here. Now if they deem none of the young guys can handle it, then they will bring a guy in. The fact they havent brought in a vet yet tells me someone looks good enough to be the third DE. Maybe Booker and Jacob Martin gives you sopmething we just havent seen yet. If they bring in someone it will be right around now. Soon we will know.

[adam]

2 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

Just having a vet body isnt going to change the situation. There are 3 that might improve the position but , if tha's the case, why are they still available? Last year bringing in a 9 sack guy was suppose to be a great move, it wasnt. Money isnt a problem but there must be work ethic flaws or they would be here. Now if they deem none of the young guys can handle it, then they will bring a guy in. The fact they havent brought in a vet yet tells me someone looks good enough to be the third DE. Maybe Booker and Jacob Martin gives you sopmething we just havent seen yet. If they bring in someone it will be right around now. Soon we will know.

Where is the bigger need, someone to add to Walker+Booker or someone to add to Dexter+Pickens?

 

[Stinger226]

 I think they can run in Walker to 3 T to add to DT. They added Cowart and drafted Randolph which may fill the forth spot at DT. Everything may be in place we just dont know the quality of the new players. They signed Lewis because the bodies werent good enough. We will see shorty what they think of the DE room by staying pat or adding somen=one will show their hand. 

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

We will see shorty what they think of the DE room by staying pat or adding somen=one will show their hand. 

Maybe, but we got sweat last year at the trade deadline. Maybe they let Booker have the first half of the season to show what he can do, put in over his head, and then make a move before the trade deadline?

Also the DE in Cinci is unhappy, so maybe we are waiting for the price to drop? Or for them to agree that Herbert is a good RB

We have 2 x 2nds next year, and we got Sweat for a 2nd, so a trade is out there if the stars align.

[Stinger226]

The Bears just signed DeAndre Carter. A kick returner, who isnt showing preogress on the team?

[ASHKUM BEAR]

14 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

The Bears just signed DeAndre Carter. A kick returner, who isnt showing preogress on the team?

WR/KR/PR - another body to compete with Velus Jones and Dante Pettis in return/WR duties. They may use 2 deep in the KR, so having a few bodies that can is going to be necessary.  I won't say it means the guys we have are not showing progress but having bodies here when you can will help make the team better. 

[BearFan PHX]

He's fast too, so this may be competition for Velus' roster spot.

[BearFan PHX]

Deandre Carter is also 30 years old. That tells me Poles thinks the window is open now. That tells me he will pick up another DE this year.

[Pixote]

The dude was with the Bears in 2020, easily forgotten, as he was nothing special.

On the Bears in ‘20, he returned four punts for 30 yards and lost a fumble.

I looked up his stats. In his career he has a total of exactly 250 PR + KR

Out of 250 KO + PRs, he scored 1 TD.

Maybe they need extra legs to work out the new KO return schemes in training camp.

Beyond that, I am not excited with this signing.

I think V Jones shines, and we have several good options to pair up with him. Herbert, Johnson, Pettis.

Camp fodder would be his ceiling. ?

 

[adam]

21 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

The Bears just signed DeAndre Carter. A kick returner, who isnt showing preogress on the team?

I like Carter, and from what I am hearing, Special Teams coaches are planning to use two guys back deep. I thought that was not allowed, but I guess it is.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

11 minutes ago, adam said:

I like Carter, and from what I am hearing, Special Teams coaches are planning to use two guys back deep. I thought that was not allowed, but I guess it is.

The new kick off rule allows teams use two deep.  Poles mentioned in an interview, that once it was announced, he put together a "special" team just to learn what they will need to be ready and excel at it.  I am guessing they will have a handful of players to put in those duties. 

[BearFan PHX]

18 hours ago, Pixote said:

The dude was with the Bears in 2020, easily forgotten, as he was nothing special.

On the Bears in ‘20, he returned four punts for 30 yards and lost a fumble.

I looked up his stats. In his career he has a total of exactly 250 PR + KR

Out of 250 KO + PRs, he scored 1 TD.

Maybe they need extra legs to work out the new KO return schemes in training camp.

Beyond that, I am not excited with this signing.

I think V Jones shines, and we have several good options to pair up with him. Herbert, Johnson, Pettis.

Camp fodder would be his ceiling. ?

 

Well hes surely not competing for WR1, WR2, WR3 or WR4. So youre right hes no pro bowler.

But the question is between him and Velus Jones Jr. for WR5.

Carter just turned 31, Jones just turned 27

Carter ran a 4.44 40, and Jones ran a 4.31.

As a WR, Carter has 108 receptions for 1259 yards and 6 TDs.
As a WR, Velus has 11 receptions for 127 yards and 1 TD.

Carter's best WR season was 2022 when he had 46 receptions for 538 yards and 3 TD.
Jones' best WR season was 2022 also when he had 7 receptions for 107 yards and 1 TD.

neither is a WR3 even for sure.

As a kick returner:
Carter has 118 returns for an average of 22.4 yards and 3 fumbles and 1 TD (2.5% fumble percentage)
Jones has 38 returns for an average of 27.4 yards and 0 fumbles and 0 TD (0% fumble percentage)

as a punt returner:
Carter has 132 returns for an average of 9.8 yards and 11 fumbles and 0 TD (8.3% fumble percentage)
Jones has 5 returns for an average of 7 yards and 2 fumbles and 0 TD (40% fumble percentage)

And we remember a lot of Velus fumbles in preseason too.

Neither one looks that impressive. Carter has the clear edge on punts, and then Velus has a slight statistical edge on kick returns.

Maybe they'll put them both back there.
 

[adam]

14 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

Well hes surely not competing for WR1, WR2, WR3 or WR4. So youre right hes no pro bowler.

But the question is between him and Velus Jones Jr. for WR5.

Carter just turned 31, Jones just turned 27

Carter ran a 4.44 40, and Jones ran a 4.31.

As a WR, Carter has 108 receptions for 1259 yards and 6 TDs.
As a WR, Velus has 11 receptions for 127 yards and 1 TD.

Carter's best WR season was 2022 when he had 46 receptions for 538 yards and 3 TD.
Jones' best WR season was 2022 also when he had 7 receptions for 107 yards and 1 TD.

neither is a WR3 even for sure.

As a kick returner:
Carter has 118 returns for an average of 22.4 yards and 3 fumbles and 1 TD (2.5% fumble percentage)
Jones has 38 returns for an average of 27.4 yards and 0 fumbles and 0 TD (0% fumble percentage)

as a punt returner:
Carter has 132 returns for an average of 9.8 yards and 11 fumbles and 0 TD (8.3% fumble percentage)
Jones has 5 returns for an average of 7 yards and 2 fumbles and 0 TD (40% fumble percentage)

And we remember a lot of Velus fumbles in preseason too.

Neither one looks that impressive. Carter has the clear edge on punts, and then Velus has a slight statistical edge on kick returns.

Maybe they'll put them both back there.
 

If you go off fumbles lost, it is a huge gap.

Carter has 5 career fumbles lost on 374 touches (1.3%), Jones has 3 fumbles lost on 71 touches (4.2%). So Jones is 3 times more likely to lose a fumble than Carter. 

[BearFan PHX]

3 hours ago, adam said:

If you go off fumbles lost, it is a huge gap.

Carter has 5 career fumbles lost on 374 touches (1.3%), Jones has 3 fumbles lost on 71 touches (4.2%). So Jones is 3 times more likely to lose a fumble than Carter. 

and that doesnt count all the preseason fumbles weve seen from Jones.

I also think that Jones makes a lot of dumb mistakes too.

But Pixote is right too, that Carter is no world beater.

I think they battle it out for WR5 until we can get someone better - maybe next year.

But neither one is very good.

[Pixote]

2 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

and that doesnt count all the preseason fumbles weve seen from Jones.

I also think that Jones makes a lot of dumb mistakes too.

But Pixote is right too, that Carter is no world beater.

I think they battle it out for WR5 until we can get someone better - maybe next year.

But neither one is very good.

Yeah, both are wild cards, unknowns, when it comes to the new KO rules. Who knows, both may find success they have yet to experience. I have also read elsewhere that players like R Johnson and Herbert might actually be ideal for the new system, and on a personal note, I thought Pettis looked good on returns.

If nothing else, it will be fun to watch games this year to see what different teams come up with for this new wrinkle. And no, IMO, this does not muddy the waters when it comes to its contribution to game results. No more than when the forward pass rules for the NFL changed in the 1930s, or Ditka revolutionizing the role of the TE, or George changing defenses by becoming the first true MLB. I sure didn't find it cheap to watch Hester win a few games for us with his crazy-good return ability, although some fans from other teams may have complained. 

So yeah, I'm pumped up to see this in action. 

[BearFan PHX]

24 minutes ago, Pixote said:

Yeah, both are wild cards, unknowns, when it comes to the new KO rules. Who knows, both may find success they have yet to experience. I have also read elsewhere that players like R Johnson and Herbert might actually be ideal for the new system, and on a personal note, I thought Pettis looked good on returns.

I agree with all of this, especially the running backs and Pettis.
 

25 minutes ago, Pixote said:

And no, IMO, this does not muddy the waters when it comes to its contribution to game results.

Well if it doesnt become a major source of scoring or massive field position changes, then it will be fine. If it lessens injuries so much the better.I'd almost just assume have everyone start on their own 20, but kick returns are exciting, and as long as big ones dont become excessively more likely, then it's just swapping one procedure for another and that's cool.

And if it does change the game, then I hope we all are against it then?
 

27 minutes ago, Pixote said:

 No more than when the forward pass rules for the NFL changed in the 1930s

Ha! Well that was a HUGE change. I hope football doesn't change fundamentally as a result of this new thing. I think, like you do, that it probably wont, so cool.
 

28 minutes ago, Pixote said:

I sure didn't find it cheap to watch Hester win a few games for us with his crazy-good return ability, although some fans from other teams may have complained.

No of course. Hester did it because he was an incredible returner. There will always be those rare players who can take over a game from positions you dont expect. Like Troy Palamalu, or Deion Sanders or, like you say Devin Hester. And that's why he's in the Hall Of Fame. Having HOF caliber players succeed within the rules is awesome and part of football. My concern would be if a rule change makes a bunch of average returners get easy touchdowns with some random distribution. Like having each team pick a number between 1 and 30, and if they guess right, they get a free 7 points, Id be against something that worked like that, but never against greatness.

But most of all, and Im sure you will agree, I want to see the Bears on the good side of succeeding with these new rules, or any rules whatever they are.

[adam]

If they trust that Dexter and Pickens will improve, Edge seems like all that is left to address. 

The WR battle is going to be a fun one, but instead of figuring out who is going to be WR2 or WR3, we are now talking about WR5 or WR6. That is a great place to be.

What do you think about Scott, is he a bubble player too?  We know the top 3 are locked in, but WR4 could easily be Scott, Jones, Pettis, Carter, or even Jackson (played with Williams). They are only keeping 3 from Scott, Jones, Pettis, Carter, and Jackson.