dawhizz

If we can't trade back, I target: #43 - CB - I prefer Trevon Diggs, but would be fine with AJ Terrell and I like Jaylon Johnson as well. I don't trust the #2 CB options (Burns, Toliver, Roberson) and I'm optimistic that these guys can step in and play. I don't think you can expect to even get a contributor at CB in rounds 5-7. #50 - OG - I'd love Ruiz but I think he'll be gone. Cushenberry might be there and would be a great option as well, but Robert Hunt and Matt Hennessey are also acceptable options. The fact that the Bears have a glaring need at OG, and two picks in rounds two, where you can get immediate starters at OG is too tempting for me to pass up. I think there will be some good safety options I like in rounds two, but I also think you might be able to get a guy like Geno Stone, J.R. Reid, or K'von Wallace in round five that can be in the mix at safety. The WRs are really tempting too, but in such a deep class, who knows who ends up dropping into the later rounds.

Kyle Fuller and Robert Quinn.

Seahawks fans are mostly saying good riddance (he was heavily penalized last year), but he strikes me as the kind of guy who is a disappointment as a former first round pick that you were always expecting more from if you're the team who drafted him, but as a guy coming in on what figures to be a reasonably low value deal, actually overperforms, since he has a lot of starting experience on a successful team. Seems like lots of people thought he would get a pretty good sized contract this offseason and though we don't know the value now it doesn't look like that happened: https://www.bucsnation.com/2020/3/6/21166733/free-agent-spotlight-ot-germain-ifedi https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/gm-report/seahawks-t-germain-ifedi-poised-to-strike-gold-in-free-agency https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/seattle-seahawks/geoff-schwartz-someone-going-pay-germain-ifedi-top-dollar-free-agency

I mocked something similar, trading #43 to the Jets for #48 and #120, and #50 to the Chiefs for #63 and #96, and put this together: 48) Cesar Ruiz, G, Michigan 63) Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois 96) Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia 120) Trey Adams, OT, Washington 163) Lynn Bowden, WR, Kentucky 196) Antonio Gibson, RB, Memphis 200) Jacob Breeland, TE, Oregon 226) Raekwon Williams, DL, Michigan State 233) Michael Divinity, LB, LSU

Bears just signed S Jordan Lucas who was with the Chiefs last year. Was a top ST player for them so seems to be filling the McManis/DHC role. Now you at least have 4 safeties of the roster with some NFL experience (Jackson, Bush, Lucas, Kentrell Brice). You figure they’ll use and early pick on a safety and that sounds about right. Tony Jefferson would have been nice, but Bears kind of have to bargain shop at this point, I fear.

Completely fine with this move and would be comfortable with him starting, though I assume they give him some competition in the draft. He made some mistakes early in the year, but seemed better when he got reps near the end of the year.

The one thing that worries me about this being the make or break year for Pace - He's already shown a willingness to trade away current and future draft picks to win now. How much more likely is he to do that if his back is against the wall? Don't want to leave the cupboard bare for the next guy.

If that's true, that suggests to me that they should see what the guys who were here last year can do this year now that they have a year under their belt.

I'm not saying there's no way Toliver or Bars can start next year, but I don't see how this team can feel confident in them as starters at this point. For Bars, he's an undrafted free agent who started one game last year (the last game), and only started because of injury. Plus there is a different offensive coordinator and offensive line coach here now than was here then, so they have no institutional knowledge of how he can perform. Tolvier has certainly made strides, but to trust him with the #2 CB role after two starts last year again seems less than ideal.

Losing the 4th round pick suggests to me that unless there's a guy they love sitting there, the Bears could very well trade back with both their 2nd round picks. Something like #43 to the Jets for #48 and #120, and then #50 to the Chiefs for #63 and #96. Two picks in the first 162 picks is not going to cut it.

Apparently other teams were offering a 5th, so the Bears had to up their offer to a 4th to get him.

Traded to Bears for Bears 4th round comp pick per Schefter. Seems like an overpay but what else is new around here.

It's really impossible to say before free agency plays out a bit more. Pace likes to patch holes in FA and go BPA in the draft, but the Bears are kind of cash strapped and currently are missing starters at SS, #2 CB (unless you are a real believer in Toliver) and RG. You can probably get a starter at RG if you trade down in the 2nd or even early 3rd round, but you probably need to use one of those 2nd round picks on a #2 CB or SS if you still don't have a viable starter when the draft rolls around. The Bears have a #1 WR in Robinson and someone they drafted to be their #2 WR in Miller, and the draft is deep enough at WR that you can get a speed option like John Hightower or Devin Duvernay in the middle rounds if that's what you want.

I keep thinking that signing Graham is an indication that the Bears didn't really like many of the TEs available in the draft. at #43, it seems reasonable that maybe one TE is drafted before the Bears pick but just as likely that they will all be on the board. The Graham signing will look even less sensible if they turn around and draft Kmet at #43. It seems more likely that they grab someone in the middle to late rounds to me, or just see if anyone emerges from the current clown car of TEs they have during preseason.

To get back to the actual topic, I’d like to see the next move be a starting caliber S. There were rumors about HHCD, but nothing confirmed. Heck, I’d be just fine bringing back Deon Bush - I think he did pretty well when he played. Not many safeties have come off the board, but the Bears currently have one safety under contract. Don’t want to be the last one standing when the music stops.

Also, looks like only the first two years guaranteed (5-year, $70 millions, with $30 million guaranteed), so while I question how long he'll still be effective, I'm pretty confident he will still be worth the $ for the first 2-3 years, after which they can cut him loose. The Cowboys run a 4-3, right? So does Quinn play at DE or OLB?

And in an essentially corresponding move, Floyd was released. Would have been nice to trade him for something but, whatever.

I guess this takes TE off the board for the Bears in the draft, right? I mean they have like ten TEs on the roster. Graham stays. Burton stays if he's healthy, I assume. They added Harris as a blocking TE. I would hope you can find one other guy worth keeping between Holtz, Horstead, Raymond, and Shaheen. I mean, none of those options are exactly great (as we've seen), but signing Graham would be an even bigger waste if we then went into the draft and spent a high pick on Kmet or someone, right?

So, this is the most disappointing day one to Bears free agency I can remember. One move and it’s bad. I’ll take non Activity over that any day. At least it’s not long term I guess.

I'm coming to grips with the fact that I just don't like any of the QB options that will be available to the Bears. If Trubisky fails again, we're going to be back to the drawing board looking for a QB in the first round, so grab a competent backup in free agency that can compete with Trubisky and won't cost a draft pick (Mariota or Keenum probably), get some more weapons for the offense, fix the O-line and rededicate yourself to the run, and let's see what happens. I don't really like Hurts or Fromm, and I don't much see the point of drafting a QB after that. If things go bad, let's get in a situation where we are starting from scratch next offseason.

Bears have now traded a conditional 2021 7th round pick to the Raiders for K Eddy Piniero. I think he immediately becomes the frontrunner for the job. Obviously the results from the weekend were uniformly underwhelming.

I’d bet on Deon Bush before I bet on Woods.

Baron and Redford Jones were just cut, and they didn’t sign any of the tryout guys leaving Fry and Blewitt.

All eight kickers are at the mini-camp this weekend. Nagy had an impromptu competition at the end of the day giving each kicker one chance to make a 43-yard FG (the significance should be lost on no one). Six missed (including one doink!). Two made it - John Baron and Spencer Evans. Nagy's assessment: "Not good enough." I've seen reports are that during the course of practice, Elliott Fry and Casey Bednarski were the more consistent in accuracy and distance. Stay tuned for the best soap opera of the offseason . . .

While he's been disappointing, you looks at the names taken after him and there's not a lot to be excited about, and pass rushers in particular (Lawson, Dodd, Ogbah) have been uniformly underwhelming. Lots of 5th year options being declined for that draft.