adam

You know what's crazy, Trubisky turns 30 next week.

So after the 2nd preseason game, it looks like the 53-man roster is going to come down to 5-6 battles at the bottom of the roster depending on how the team views certain positions and ST value. This is my thought so far on the locks: Offense QB (2) - Williams, Bagent RB (4) - Swift, Herbert, Johnson, Homer WR (5) - Moore, Allen, Odunze, Scott, Jones Jr. TE (3) - Kmet, Everett, Lewis OL (9) - Jones, Jenkins, Wright, Bates, Shelton, Davis, Pryor, Amegadjie, Carter Defense DL (7) - Sweat, Billings, Dexter, Walker, Pickens, Booker, Hardy LB (4) - Edmunds, Edwards, Sanborn, Sewell CB (6) - Johnson, Gordon, Stevenson, Smith, Blackwell, Stroman S (4) - Byard, Brisker, Owens, Hicks ST (3) - Santos, Taylor, Scales To me it looks like there are 6 remaining slots: 1x RB, 1x WR, 2x DL, 1x LB, 1x S Blasingame has the lead for the 5th RB spot, but Wheeler has an outside shot. Waldron did not have a FB in Seattle as far as I could tell. They used a TE as sort of a hybrid role. For WR, I think Johnson has the edge at WR6, which could make it interesting with how they handle Velus. If they have Velus in more of a RB/ST role, then they may go with 6 other guys at WR, meaning someone like Pettis or Carter would also make it. If the Bears decide to go with a 4th TE instead of a 5th RB because Kmet, Everett, and Lewis have limited ST value, then guys like Sweeney, Carlson, and Bates are in play to sneak in at the bottom of the roster. On the O-Line, Borom looks like the odd man out which would save the Bears on some cap space. For defense, the last two DLine spots are probably Robinson and Cowart. However, since Walker is sort of a hybrid DE/DT, they may get away with only going with 8, which would then open up a slot for that 4th TE or that extra WR. It looks like they have one spot left at LB, it will come down to Baskerville and Ogbongbemiga. Lastly, if they go with 5 safeties, then Colbert is probably the lead there. So the last 6 spots will be filled by 6 guys from this group: Blasingame, Wheeler, Johnson, Pettis, Carter, Sweeney, Carlson, Bates, Borom, Robinson, Cowart, Baskerville, Ogbongbemiga, and Colbert. Surprise cut/trade candidates: Herbert (47.5 PFF Grade), Borom (69.9 PFF), and Blasingame (66.4 PFF).

Nix and McCarthy did not start, so it's really hard to compare them with the others when they were facing backups. Each QB has their own path and growth pace. For Williams, it was just about getting out there, not making any rookie mistakes and improving on the things that he lacks experience in from college. From training camp until this game, that is now visible on tape, which is about all you can ask for at this point. I thought the O-Line played pretty solid and at least played better than I expected. Bears QBs were sacked once for 3 yards (Bagent) while Buffalo was sacked 8 times for 34. For RBs, it is hard to see what Herbert does that someone like Wheeler doesn't. I have a feeling that Herbert may be a sneaky trade or cut candidate. They tried Velus at RB, he fumbled once and fell down against air. He also muffed a kick on ST. I don't know how many chances a player needs just because of draft status, but it feels like we are nearing the end of the Velus experience. For WRs, I was hoping to see some more Collin Johnson, but I don't even know if he played. Maybe they are hiding him? Tyler Scott is becoming Velus 2.0. He had one play as far as I could tell and it was a fumble on a Jet Sweep that he luckily recovered, but I can't tell you the last time Scott did anything positive. Between him and Velus, they almost always have more negative plays than positive, so why even give them a carry or a target at this point? For TEs, I really like the battle for TE4, Bates, Sweeney, and Carlson all have been playing pretty solid and would've been the Bears TE2 a few years ago. It's nice that depth is now at TE4/5. The defense had 8 sacks! I don't care what string was out there, they were playing the equivalent across the lines. Booker continues to stand out on almost every defensive snap. Besides the sacks and pressures, it was crazy to see him in on a tackle 20 yards downfield across the field from his side. I am very impressed with him so far. Hardy got a few sacks, and even Pickens got in on the fun. I am still a little worried about Dexter. I don't know if he is the answer at 3T. Baskerville with the Pick-6 was nice. The Bears have a crazy LB Room. Byard is a huge upgrade over Jackson, at least the post-injury Jackson. Taylor is going to be an amazing punter. Almost like Williams, you can tell he is special. For the entire team, the HITS principle seems to be working as I saw a lot of hustle across the board.

I didn't know they put these together so quickly. So they basically compiled video from Thursday night into an episode release on Tuesday night, so less than 5 full days. That is impressive. Episode Takeaways - Williams would be one of the most unlikely busts ever if he busts Flus increased his stock, he looked much more in control of the entire operation I still cannot believe the Bears have Moore, Allen, and Odunze as their top 3 WRs Johnson sure feels like the bottom of the roster guy that they follow for the entire series that the Bears cut in the last episode. There is always one. I would like to see more of the defense, that is probably coming in episode 2 Hopefully they highlight some of the other young guys (Booker, Taylor, Stevenson, Wright). I can't believe I saw Nate Davis as he has barely practiced

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Depth Chart

https://twitter.com/Schrock_And_Awe/status/1820469838143500747

60 seems like the league wide average for a QB, so a game's worth for the entire preseason makes sense. If that is a little less like 45-55 or 48, that makes sense. 48 in the next game seems like a lot though.

Wow 48 is quite a bit. It actually makes more sense for a snap count or passing plays than using time or quarters.

To me it looked like he won a lot of reps, more than I thought. The run game is going to be the concern. Can you hold the edge or fill a gap and not get lost in the wash?

You said you think they keep 6, but Johnson is not listed. If he makes the roster, who drops off?

They do a good job of showing a lot of different things in a short amount of time.

I am really excited about this. The entire series is well put together and will go nicely with what the Bears already do with their 1920 stuff.

We might get to see Caleb for a series or two in this one. Another decent opponent in the Bills, and an away game.

When is the last time the Bears had the best record in the league? They are currently the only team with a win. Amazing. Also, when is the last time the Bears had the leading Passer, Rusher, Receiver, Tackler, and Sacker in the same week?

Just using a relative comparison, the Bears and Texans seem to have fairly even rosters. On offense, the O-Line surprised me and did not allow a sack while Herbert had 8.8 YPC, Johnson had 4.0, and Felton had 4.7. For the passing game, there were only 5 incompletions. I expected a lot worse of a showing against the Texans who are a very good defensive team. So kudos to that group. We may have a QB2 controversy. Remember this is a new offense, one that Rypien is familiar with. It sure looked that way last night. Bagent did not look near as crisp as Rypien. I know we are splitting hairs talking about QB2, but if the Bears need the best support for Williams, Rypien may have the edge over Bagent in that respect. Pettis muffing a punt already makes him an easy cut candidate with so much competition at WR5/6. His only way on the team was with his PR ability and he can't even do that. As much as Scott has looked great in practices, he just doesn't look as good in games. For me, he is just a bit too small (weight) to play WR. He feels like a lighter Johnny Knox, which is scary. He can never stay on his feet and will never break a single tackle if the defender even has a pinky on him. If anything Poles will give him the Velus treatment and keep him on the roster just because of draft position. It seems like the Bears will use 2x spots on WRs that have limited utility. I always wondered why Poles doubled down on a smaller Mooney after Velus clearly was not it the year prior. They tried a jet sweep with Scott and he went down on initial contact which was his own guy. I am still not impressed with anything he does. I think he makes the roster, but has limited impact on the season. His only hope is KR and even then he can barely get the ball out to the 25 yard line. Even though Johnson can't get separation with speed, he may end up sticking as a hybrid WR/TE type of guy. His size in the Red Zone with Kmet would be interesting. The challenge for him is WR5/6 have to play ST. He is the tallest WR by a few inches. On defense, I heard Hicks name called a few times. I was trying to watch Booker every play. He actually reminded me of Hutchinson with his relentless motor. Now he just needs a few moves and a little more weight to anchor. I did see him totally miss keeping the edge which allowed for an easy gain for the RB. However, for his first real pro action, the needle is still pointing up for him. The end of the roster LB, Jones, played pretty well. He seemed to be in on a ton of tackles. Out of the entire roster or position group, the one thing that stood out was the lack of a consistent pass rush. This was more evident than any O-Line deficiency. So when we were all thinking they may go out and get another O-Lineman, they may actually still go out and get a Vet Edge player to play across from Sweat.

Chicago Bears football today!

I think the DJ Moore extension freed up some cap for this season. Normally that is not done for no reason. Connor Williams anyone? A line of Jones-Jenkins-Williams-Bates-Wright with Coleman, Carter, Amegadjie, and Borom as the subs is a lot better. Davis just needs to be cut at this point. Take the loss. He is a waste of a roster spot.

From the Giants Hard Knocks stuff, it looks like Poles primary target in the draft after Caleb was Alt, but once he was drafted, it was Rome. Honestly, I think if Rome was drafted, that Poles would've traded down and then taken an OT. My assumption is he goes OL and DL with the first 3 picks next year (1st and 2x 2nds).

DJ was one of the players for the media availability today. He basically said he thought he outplayed his current contract and wanted the guarantees over the bigger pay day. He also alluded to the fact that he took a team friendly deal and was very excited to play with Caleb and Rome. He mentioned Rome several times. He also ask Keenan how much is it going to take to get him to extend. So we will see. I don't think the Bears can afford him after this year unless he takes a team friendly vet deal to play for a winner.

After the Claypool saga, I don't know if Poles would target a disgruntled employee again. Also, if Judon is already going to be 32, he is on the steep decline in the NFL.

Wright as well. I like to do it in 3-yr blocks. That is normally the amount of time it takes to refresh an entire roster. So here is the currently signed players on offense, defense, and ST thru 2026: Offense: Williams, Swift, Johnson, Moore, Odunze, Scott, Kmet, Wright, and Amegadjie. That is potentially 8 starters locked in for the next 3 years. They just need to lock down the O-Line. Jenkins may be next. Defense: Sweat, Dexter, Pickens, Booker, Edmunds, Sewell, Johnson, Stevenson, and Smith. At least 7 potential starters for the next 3 years. ST: Santos and Taylor So 17 potential starters out of 24 spots locked up for the next 3 years. Poles is really building a sustainable roster. Extend 2-3 guys a year with overlapping deals so guys are coming off contracts while other guys are getting extended. I honestly doubt he ever goes big in free agency again. He will make some deadline trades and then recoup comp picks so he can have enough players on rookie deals when he has to pay Williams $60M a year.

Man I love this signing. Also to note, the guaranteed money is actually just guaranteeing what he had left on his current contract. So technically only $50M of new money guaranteed. That is a bargain for a guy of Moore's caliber. He didn't have to sign an extension now either. So he literally took one for the team here. He could've made $5-10M more per year if he signed next offseason. His contract won't even be a top 10 deal next year. Crazy good deal for Poles.

It says extension, and he was already under contract thru 2025, so I wonder if this pushes him out until 2029 or if they are overwriting 2025 and this really goes from 25-28. Either way, DJ is locked in thru at least 2028, which is Caleb's 5th year option year. Great move as the WR market was exploding. He would get $5M more per year next offseason. Poles locks him up a year early, and he will be a bargain in 2 years. DJ will become the Bears all-time leading WR in just about every category.