AZ54

Figuring out which OC fit our scheme is the hard part for me. Using Dalman as the reference followed by our choice to trade for Bradbury who both move well for centers. I think Hecht has similar movement skills. Reading draft profiles for Slaughter and Glubin they both will have limited range in run blocking that can affect our limit outside zone plays. Yet they both seem to anchor better in pass pro than Hecht. The first two likely have the higher floor especially in year one. Hecht might have the most upside long term for a team that is willing to be patient. What does Ben prioritize most in the traits he wants in a center?

DT: I agree…what they think of Turner’s future position and future promise could decide where they go in Rd 1 (DE/DT). Safety needs a clear starter drafted. I don’t think we should get out of Rd 2 without taking one. WR depth: Don’t sleep on Kalif Raymond. I think he’s an upgrade over OZ but at the same time is not on par with DJ. However, watching his highlights he did a lot of the same short stuff for Detroit that DJ did for us last year. Likewise he caught a lot of passes similar to what we saw OZ do last year. Walker will need to step up his game and fill in the intermediate and deep routes. Hopefully Walker continues to perform well in the redzone as that could the biggest area we miss DJ experience. If they choose to add one more on Day 3 or just add one more vet FA after the draft but I think we might already have some guys in Maurice Alexander or JP Richardson who can contribute as 5th WRs. At least Ben was complimentary of those guys late last yeear. LT: don’t see us fixing that via the draft. Anyone with legit LT skills is likely gone. Otherwise we’re going to draft a backup-low end starter OT talent. Yet we have a few of those options already in house. Time to rely on Roushar to get one ‘em right. Center: Has to be a draft pick here likely by Rd 4. They read the FA market correctly and went with a cheaper viable option which allowed us to address greater needs like S with a big contract. Bradbury is good enough that this isn’t must have in the draft. Again, deep draft at OC don’t over spend in FA. Hopefully someone good that can be our long term solution falls our way. RB: Not looking to do anything earlier than Day 3 here and in that context I like Kaytron Allen. There’s no deep speed flashiness like Mike Washington has but he’s just productive in the same way that Monangai is productive. I have to do more scouting of the Day 3 prospects to see if there is one who can add the sizzle to the offense without being a complete liability elsewhere (i.e passing game).

I appreciate the good work you do to keep the lights on in this virtual place.

He’s a good player but it was clear last year that he’s lost a step. I thought he’d be the perfect mentor for a rookie safety but Poles was able to find an upgrade and I’m glad he did. Coby has just 2 years experience at safety and is likely to have a sidekick rookie who has more years experience in the role than he does. Then again Coby offers a versatility in coverages that we never had with Byard, nor Brisker, because he can come down into the slot and cover. A few of the top safety prospects offer somewhat similar versatility. If we can get one of them then Dennis Allen will have his full playsheet of mix-and-match coverages at his disposal. We would not have had as much of that with Byard who is now mostly just a good fit in zone coverages. Not mentioned nor missed (IMO) is CJGJ who the Bears weren’t even interested in re-signing. I’m actually surprised the Bills signed him so early in FA and for up to $6mil this year. I don’t know what they watch in their film study but it does’t bode well for their future.

This is very welcome news. https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jedrick-wills/32005749-4c62-6320-8b63-20c37d057bf8

Funny how quickly Hendrickson came off his 40mil/yr asking price.

IMO his only Inside pass rush benefit was on stunts. Achilles injuries are notoriously difficult to recover from we should just write him off as a contributor this year. We’ll need his cap space for other players in 2027.

Von Miller I think had the greatest impact of any pass rusher in a Super Bowl run. Regardless I prefer to see pass rush coming from all angles. The part of Crosby game that is not talked about is his run defense which is also really good.

He said they didn’t have a single elite pass rusher but the collective was very good. Point is that teams appear to be better off spreading the wealth of contracts across multiple good players versus the $40 mil pro bowler.

In effect our WR3 is actually Loveland.

If it were me I’m not on the phone I’d let the Raiders call me. If we were the runner up it’s our turn to deal from a position of strength

I think that’s a good assessment. Just watching his highlights he’s got some good attributes and he looks quicker and faster that CJGJ.

They can request and receive the MRI scans and other tests and details about the surgery. Maybe there are signs of degenerative knee conditions.

Correct. Very frustrating when you know a defensive series only ends one of two ways: they score or we get a turnover.

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2026/03/bears-to-sign-wr-kalif-raymond#ref=home $5mil is a lot for a returner. Gotta think Duvernay is gone and maybe he replaces the role OZ had too.

He is going to fit in nicely in Chicago

Booker came out of college very young. By the time a player is 25 you pretty much know what they are going to be as a player.

After some time to digest our signings I’m happy overall. The D got better up the middle, and younger and faster. Bush can hunt around the LOS so no more watching LB waiting for the ball to come to them. Demarco Jackson showed some of that as well once he settled in. It’s Edward’s best trait too. Gallimore is a backup but what I’ve seen of him he’s much better than Billings. We need a stud at DT to push everyone down one spot on the depth chart and this rotation will be better. Re-signing Braxton wasn’t a shock to me but it’s disappointing we’re not adding Decker. On the flip side they’ve been watching him rehab and know better than I do how he was progressing before the season ended. I’m glad we didn’t spend big on DE. I like Sweat and Booker as part of a rotation. Booker needs snaps to continue to progress. I’d be ok if we added Cam Jordan on a team friendly deal then a good rookie prospect in the first or second round. I also wouldn’t mind if they brought back Joe Tryon Shoyinka, maybe they’re waiting on Cam first? Seeing DomRob get $4mil on 1 Year deal was surprising. JoeT should be able to get more.

I’d be fine if they’re going best available in the 2nd Rd and that turns out to be a good LB. Bears = LB

His hands are always late and off target.

I’m glad we lost out.

Meanwhile in Detroit https://www.profootballrumors.com/2026/03/lions-to-sign-ol-larry-borom#ref=home

Where did that rumor come from? Everything I’ve seen said that the Bears were mostly on the sideline watching and were never serious contenders for Crosby.

Good agent getting out in front of the “nobody wants him” news. https://www.profootballrumors.com/2026/03/qb-kyler-murray-could-be-patient-in-free-agency#ref=home

That’s because it was weak. The new OC was demoted and removed from play calling which was taken over by the HC. I’m not the best at sorting out offensive play calling but there were a couple Detroit games where I couldn’t figure out what Campbell was trying to do on offense. Reminded me of Nagy where he was just calling something for the sake of calling it not because of anything he saw from the D that would give the play a chance to succeed. There is still a lot of talent there on offense and a good NFL QB is going to keep things “productive”. Since I don’t follow them closely I scanned some stats from last year and they fell back to middle of the pack in rushing while we improved to top 5. Passing they were still top 5. Regardless of where he ends up, Decker leaving them at least puts them in a similar spot we ended up in with Dalman retiring but at a more critical position. They will likely use their first pick on a LT. https://lionswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2026/03/06/detroit-lions-injury-analysis-taylor-decker/88896657007/ https://lionswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2026/03/05/detroit-lions-jedrick-wills-free-agency-visit/89005932007/