BearFan PHX

I hear ya, and for $5M, it doesnt bother me. But I dont believe he will ever be an excellent LT. I would LOVE to be wrong.

Billings was a NT tho, and everything I read earlier said that Gallimore was a NT too? If he's a 3T thats really good news, it's just new to me. Also, I'll take this moment to remember another Bear named Gallimore, Willie Gallimore who is an underrated HB for us who was really really good, and also the reason why my icon is a jersey with the number 28 - that was Gallimore's This was back when we all had jerseys with numbers if you remember the old board. A lot of us have been here a LONG time

If it's $5M + $5M Im Ok with it. I personally think he is deeply flawed as a LT, but if it's only $5M for depth I guess it's OK with me. I mean not that anyone but me cares about that, but still that's where Im at with it. I hope Benedet beats him out in camp, or we draft a rookie or something else happens.

So I could be REALLY wrong about this, but I went to overthecap to look at Trent Williams' deal, and it's kind of shocking. *IF* the 49ers traded him to us, it looks like his cap number for us is ridiculously low. $4.7M for us this year, and $7.5M next year, because so much of his deal was guaranteed. 1) maybe I'm missing something major 2) SF would want something significant for him because theyre paying the bill for us. 3) Maybe he requires a new deal? Hard to say he was just the highest paid OL in the league when this deal got signed and there is more than one year left on it. 4) Maybe he wants a ring? Go here, and set for trade before June 1st, and you can see the cap savings, thats what we'd pay, and their dead money is what theyd have to pay. So for example, his cap number is $38M, and if they trade him, they have $34M of dead cap, and savings around $4M, which is what we'd have to pay. Now I dont get why overthecap is scoring it like this. This all includes $12M in roster bonuses ($750k per game) and there's a salary of $22M that's $34 of the $38, but overthecap clearly calculates that all as guaranteed, staying with SF. Interesting. https://overthecap.com/player/trent-williams/1466

at that price, I am too. $27M is insane.

For what it's worth, Rich Eisen and others are reporting that we DID offer two firsts for Crosby, but the Raven's two firsts were better. I don't think we can assume that the Bears werent interested in signing Crosby or Linderbaum, but they had a price they wouldnt exceed and the market beat them.

Linderbaum is a serious stud. Maybe the best center I've ever seen, but $27M a year is a LOT. I'd have been in on a 4 year $80M deal, even that high hes worth it, but we cant outbid a team like the raiders who have lots of cap to spend, and want to give a rookie QB a real chance.

Bush is a hunter. He's great at sniffing out the run and blitzing. He's not great in coverage, his INTs all came on deflected balls, but his situational awareness is very high. If something floats near him, he's snatching it. Hes a real asset in the run game tho - he locks on like a missile and finds his way through traffic well. Hes got a high motor too, making plays from the backside when the hole gets slightly gummed up. Bryant is great. Physical, good in coverage, a ball hawk, and a peanut puncher. Both these guys look like Bears players.

I dont even think Bryant is that big of a splash. These are all good solid signings, and obvious upgrades over last year. Also, it speaks to our weakness stopping the run. We signed DT, LB and S - improving at all three levels right up the middle. Id LOVE to see a proven pass rusher, but they are not necessarily in reach now. But the people we have signed will definitely give DA pieces to cook with. And I suspect we spend a lot of draft capital on the defense as well. We might see a DE in the $15M range, but I think the chances of a Trey Hendrickson are no sure thing. But is it possible one of our first three picks goes to WR or RB? sure it is, if they are believed to be dominant players by our staff. Also, we havent really fixed the LT spot yet. What we do in free agency might affect our draft needs, or not, depending on who we sign.

Yup, big signings or not, we always also sign mid tier free agents to fill holes so we dont get screwed if the draft doesnt go well for us, and we have to reach for positions. You avoid that by having someone you can put there if necessary. Then you draft rookies close to BPA, and some will play behind and eventually overtake those vets we signed for $6M/yr or less. Some years you make a big splash with a big name player, and some you dont, but either way you always fill holes before the draft. OK so we have signed S Coby Bryant at $40M/3yr (thats a starter $13.3M/yr) DT Neville Gallimore at $12M/2yr (thats a rotational player and hole filler $6M/yr) LB Devin Bush $30M/3yr (thats a starter $10M/yr) LB Demarco Jackson $10M/2yr (backup or LB3 on running downs, pushing for LB2 $5M/yr) DE James Hardy $6M/2yr (special teams player $3M/yr) Great Hole filling, and we have new starters at S and LB. And maybe I'm wrong, maybe Gallimore will start at NT. His salary says less though. Certainly is getting started on an upgrade on the Defense. Bryant and Bush are both upgrades. I think I predicted as many as 5 new starters on defense this year. There's 2 already. I feel like they will go after the defense like they did the OL last year.

Courtney Cronin's source is Jeff King. She's had exclusives from him before, and even attributed some to him. And I'm not saying Jeff is breaking rules, Im sure the Bears are good with it - most teams find a reporter that they can use when they need to put out disinformation before the draft, or spin on some negative publicity thing, and they "pay" for that by letting info out early to those same reporters in return. It means Courtney will sometimes have inside info, but it also means she wont be the one asking tough questions in the pressers either?

I'd have jumped at paying $15M for Linderbaum, I thought he was probably too expensive at $22M. I mean, I like the player a lot, so I might have found a way to make it work, but I get that cap space is going to do good somewhere else.

That works. Not sure we won't get an edge too. Could be a big name, could be mid tier?

So I guess now we're looking at Hendrickson or something similar (maybe a DT?). And we have picks to stock the defense. We will of course sign a bunch of cheaper free agents too to "fill holes" before the draft, but some won't end up starters by mid season.

exactly

I think youre making assumptions but there is no actual info yet on what we will do at LT. Im surely not saying i know anything about what they will do - the best Ive got is to look at some of the options that i am aware of. But for example, i didnt have any IDEA that we might trade for the Center from NE until it was announced, so i dont think any of us can truly know. So for Mongo to say he thinks that is totally fine - that's all any of us can do, but to take the statement from Roushar like it means we wont be looking at LT? I dunno about that. It didnt sound like a fact as much as a pat answer so as not to tip his hand. COULD we end up with Benedet at LT? Sure. But I dunno if we are at the point where we know anything for sure yet? Also I doubt highly that Trapilo could be back after 6 weeks? If you have a link Id love to read it, but my understanding is that it takes a lot longer for that heal. Of course, my medical knowledge is about the same as my understanding of automotive repair, so what the hell do i know? Only what Ive read. If you have something contrary to read, Id be happy to read it.

There are also different offensive systems, and a player might shine in one, and be a detriment in another? I've never seen tape on him (yet! lol) so i have nothing substantive to add about the player, but I do trust Roushar and Johnson to know what they're looking at?

You gotta figure between BJ and Roushar that they know what theyre doing. Also, PFF is random, and i put no faith in anything they say positive or negative. Theyre the ones that said Charles Leno was a top ten LT LOL And I dont mean they predicted that during the draft, I mean they RATED him that during those seasons where he was absolute trash for us. PFF means nothing.

Hes getting kinda old, so Im thinking like AZ54 is on this one - maybe he wants a ring? We arent gonna play him $20M, Id be very surprised at that, so he'd have to know that. Im just guessing here that if he was gonna stay on a team that isnt going to contend he wanted the money, but he might play cheaper for us? As for Byard, I totally agree with you Mongo, he did get exposed last year. I can see us keeping him for a year or two, but we absolutely need to get younger and faster on D, and Byard wont be here in 3 years, and possibly leaving sooner than that even.

I havent seen any film on him yet, so Ill hold back on offering an opinion, but i do trust BJ and Rousher to make a good choice, and he will be an easy player to get under the cap with a number under $7M. Obviously Linderbaum was the cream of the crop, but he was going to be very expensive, and so I totally get this move. Im personally surprised they didnt go with Connor Whateverhisnameis but i havent done any film study on them, and this was kinda under the radar, for me at least. Cool, one more hole filled.

That does make sense. The LT coming out of Detroit has a year left in him, and he and Johnson have familiarity. I feel like he might be willing to play cheaper for a ring? He had injuries tho. Johnson will know what he has left either way. I'd love to get Crosby too, but he is gonna be so expensive in cap AND picks. There are other Edge rushers too. And DTs both in free agency and the draft. So I can see us having options, including Crosby. But damn I would love to have Linderbaum. He's incredible.

Dalman = $10M (and possibly $14M if we can get some signi9ng bonus back) Edmunds = $15M Moore = $16.5M just those three moves opened $41.5M (possibly $45.5M) That's before some other expected moves that should bring in more space, and restructures etc. We have plenty of cap room if we need it. Maybe Linderbaum is too expensive, but he is probably the best center in football despite PFF nonsense. Just watch the film. He is truly incredible. Also, Detroit LT Taylor Decker has asked to be released and the Lions will allow it. Maybe reunited with Ben Johnson? He's also expensive though, but he is 32 years old, so I suspect he might just want a ring and be willing to play for less. We do have options!

Im not a huge Courtney Cronin fan, but she absolutely has shared inside info before. I recall you didnt believe it and you said she didnt have contacts then too, but it becomes circular logic if all her inside info is determined to be not real, then obviously it isnt evidence that she has inside info, but she does sometimes.

I think cutting Edmunds rather than holding on to him for another week to look for a trade might mean we are clearing salary cap for something.

Also, we have now opened: Dalman $10M (or maybe $14M) DJ Moore $16.5 Edmunds $15M $41.5M (or $45.5M) on the cap, and just getting started. We do have money to go after a premiere pass rusher and of course you all know I would LOVE to have Linderbaum too. Especially if Thuney's years are numbered, like 2 left. Still to come: Edge, DT (x2?), LT, LB, S, CB, WR