Okay, who is the first starter type signing we do? 

I say Curtis Samuel. Good buddies with DJ, won't be looking for big money and everyone is new in Washington.

10 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Okay, who is the first starter type signing we do? 

I say Curtis Samuel. Good buddies with DJ, won't be looking for big money and everyone is new in Washington.

Fingers crossed for a good starting center...

3 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

Fingers crossed for a good starting center...

Cusenberry is going to command top dollar, would you settle for Connor Williams that might not start until 6 games into the season?

52 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Cusenberry is going to command top dollar, would you settle for Connor Williams that might not start until 6 games into the season?

No.

 

3 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

No.

 

How about  Aaron Brewer? Him and Bates both play Guard and Center. Draft a Center, Tanor Bortilini. He has played every position on the OL. Can be got in the fourth round.

The best player wins, multi positional depth. 

 

6 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

How about  Aaron Brewer? Him and Bates both play Guard and Center. Draft a Center, Tanor Bortilini. He has played every position on the OL. Can be got in the fourth round.

The best player wins, multi positional depth. 

 

Center was so bad, I just want a, lock down, pure center.  The flexibility is cool.  If he can be the guy at center, sure.

26 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

Center was so bad, I just want a, lock down, pure center.  The flexibility is cool.  If he can be the guy at center, sure.

Bingo, no more darts.  They have Bates, Keeney, and Kramer already.  Get the prospect who will lock it down and put it to rest.

Here are the players lost from the 2023 roster that need to be replaced.  It seems that they will have 5 picks to address these positions, so they will need 8-10 FAs. What is good to see, most of these guys were underachievers and are addition by subtraction (Whitehair, Patrick, Tonyan, Mooney, Jackson, Ngakoue, and Green) and replacing them with league average players would be an upgrade. The good thing is the Bears can add 3-4 blue chip players to replace these guys, that will feel like huge upgrades.

1. C - Whitehair (45.0/787) > FA/Rookie
2. G - Patrick (50.5/953) > Bates
3. G - Feeney (44.8/90) > Rookie
4. TE - Tonyan (49.6/319)> FA
5. TE - Lewis (77.1/330) >  FA
6. RB - Foreman (74.0/267) > FA
7. WR - St. Brown (55.1/211) > FA
8. WR - Mooney (55.2/764) > Rookie
9. WR - Taylor (51.8/121) > FA

1. FS - Jackson (58.6/646) > FA
2. DE - Ngakoue (39.9/592)> Rookie
3. DE - Green (50.6/385) > FA
4. DT - Jones (49.3/740) > Rookie
5. LB - Cole (50.1/3)> FA
6. CB - Blackwell (28.5/21)> FA

20 minutes ago, adam said:

Here are the players lost from the 2023 roster that need to be replaced.  It seems that they will have 5 picks to address these positions, so they will need 8-10 FAs. What is good to see, most of these guys were underachievers and are addition by subtraction (Whitehair, Patrick, Tonyan, Mooney, Jackson, Ngakoue, and Green) and replacing them with league average players would be an upgrade. The good thing is the Bears can add 3-4 blue chip players to replace these guys, that will feel like huge upgrades.

1. C - Whitehair > FA/Rookie
2. G - Patrick > Rookie
3. G - Feeney > Bates
4. TE - Tonyan > FA
5. TE - Lewis >  FA
6. RB - Foreman > FA
7. WR - St. Brown > FA
8. WR - Mooney > Rookie
9. WR - Taylor > FA

1. FS - Jackson > FA
2. DE - Ngakoue > Rookie
3. DE - Green > FA
4. DT - Jones > Rookie
5. LB - Cole > FA
6. CB - Blackwell > FA

OUCH, That is a lot of signings. 

2 hours ago, Pixote said:

OUCH, That is a lot of signings. 

If feels like a lot, but it's really not. 

Here is a list of players signed in the free agency window before the draft last year:

1. P.J. Walker, QB
2. Nate Davis, OG 
3. D’Onta Foreman, RB 
4. Travis Homer, RB 
5. Robert Tonyan, TE 

6. Andrew Billings, DT
7. DeMarcus Walker, DE
8. Rasheem Green, DE
9. Tremaine Edmunds, LB 
10. T.J. Edwards, LB 
11. Dylan Cole, LB 

So 8-10 seems fine when you consider several are on vet minimum or lower end deals.

3 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Bingo, no more darts.  They have Bates, Keeney, and Kramer already.  Get the prospect who will lock it down and put it to rest.

They have to have options if they don't get their guy in the draft. They're not signing Cusenberry if he's getting 15 A year._So he will look to the draft.

I added PFF Grade and snaps to the list.

1. C - Whitehair (45.0/787) > FA/Rookie
2. G - Patrick (50.5/953) > Rookie
3. G - Feeney (44.8/90) > Bates (78.7/35)
4. TE - Tonyan (49.6/319)> FA
5. TE - Lewis (77.1/330) >  FA
6. RB - Foreman (74.0/267) > FA
7. WR - St. Brown (55.1/211) > FA
8. WR - Mooney (55.2/764) > Rookie
9. WR - Taylor (51.8/121) > FA

1. FS - Jackson (58.6/646) > FA
2. DE - Ngakoue (39.9/592)> Rookie
3. DE - Green (50.6/385) > FA
4. DT - Jones (49.3/740) > Rookie
5. LB - Cole (50.1/3)> FA
6. CB - Blackwell (28.5/21)> FA

The top 5 snap leaders that need to be replaced:

G - Patrick (50.5/953)
C - Whitehair (45.0/787)
WR - Mooney (55.2/764)
FS - Jackson (58.6/646)
DT - Jones (49.3/740)

Check out their PFF grades, lol.

There are only two players with very good PFF grades that would need to be replaced:

TE - Lewis (77.1/330) >  FA
RB - Foreman (74.0/267) > FA

That's only 597 snaps. No other players lost was over a 60 grade.

10 minutes ago, adam said:

If feels like a lot, but it's really not. 

Here is a list of players signed in the free agency window before the draft last year:

1. P.J. Walker, QB
2. Nate Davis, OG 
3. D’Onta Foreman, RB 
4. Travis Homer, RB 
5. Robert Tonyan, TE 

6. Andrew Billings, DT
7. DeMarcus Walker, DE
8. Rasheem Green, DE
9. Tremaine Edmunds, LB 
10. T.J. Edwards, LB 
11. Dylan Cole, LB 

So 8-10 seems fine when you consider several are on vet minimum or lower end deals.

Only Edmunds got paid the big contract. Edwards and Davis were 8 to 10 range.

After JJ expect no big money deals.  I think we stick with tier 2 FAs at Safety and Center.  I'd love to sign Christian Wilkins but there's no money or logic for doing that when you can fix 3 positions, C, S, and #3 WR for similar money.    

1 hour ago, AZ54 said:

After JJ expect no big money deals.  I think we stick with tier 2 FAs at Safety and Center.  I'd love to sign Christian Wilkins but there's no money or logic for doing that when you can fix 3 positions, C, S, and #3 WR for similar money.    

I'd like to think Poles gets one more big name. The Bears are getting to the point that if they are going to contend, they need to get a starting #2 DE or WR in FA because they can only get one in the draft.  I'm not suggesting 20 million deal but possibly a 12-15.

2 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

I'd like to think Poles gets one more big name. The Bears are getting to the point that if they are going to contend, they need to get a starting #2 DE or WR in FA because they can only get one in the draft.  I'm not suggesting 20 million deal but possibly a 12-15.

If you  look at the high drafted players and money spent. It's been defense. I think they start investing more on the offensive side of the ball.  I think a couple of 8 to 10 mil, nothing over 12 mil. Another OL? Another WR? I think maybe a RB.

I think they need to swing for the fences. WILKINS 

1 hour ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

I'd like to think Poles gets one more big name. The Bears are getting to the point that if they are going to contend, they need to get a starting #2 DE or WR in FA because they can only get one in the draft.  I'm not suggesting 20 million deal but possibly a 12-15.

Yep, IMO that's Tier 2 pay.  $255mil/53 players so average salary is $4.8mil/yr.  Next year it goes up another $30mil which equates to $5.4mil/yr across the roster.  

The best free agents are going to get 20+ . With the Ravens DT deal that's what Wilkins is shooting for

. Only a few RBs will get close to 10 mil_Poles may be able to get a bargain there.

There's to many available Ss that will dilute the pay scale. Unfortunately McKinney will get paid and be out of Poles price range.

He will bring in another center but if won't be Cusenberry, he's probably the only one getting paid. 12-15 mil a year.

I think he waits on Edge players, the first few will get paid but he will wait when he can GWT one on a 1 year 10 mil deal. Someone like Clowny or Floyd.

14 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

The best free agents are going to get 20+ . With the Ravens DT deal that's what Wilkins is shooting for

. Only a few RBs will get close to 10 mil_Poles may be able to get a bargain there.

There's to many available Ss that will dilute the pay scale. Unfortunately McKinney will get paid and be out of Poles price range.

He will bring in another center but if won't be Cusenberry, he's probably the only one getting paid. 12-15 mil a year.

I think he waits on Edge players, the first few will get paid but he will wait when he can GWT one on a 1 year 10 mil deal. Someone like Clowny or Floyd.

Seems like the Saquan story is heating up.  I am not a big fan on investing high on RBs, the same way on LB, but that is where Poles invested last year.  

If Poles brings in Clowny or Floyd, I would consider that a higher level investment. Since I do not see the Bears spending their 9th pick on DE, they need someone who can fill the spot for possibly 2 years.  DE might be their top priority in the 2025 draft and they would want someone locked in for the rookie to compete against.

2 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

If Poles brings in Clowny or Floyd

Ironic if Floyd were to come back to where he was drafted.  Would that be considered a ‘success’ by Pace?  After he left the Bears he was picked up by the Rams and eventually won a SB.  More recently has been playing with Buffalo and is familiar with the Bears current DC Washington. 

45 minutes ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

Ironic if Floyd were to come back to where he was drafted.  Would that be considered a ‘success’ by Pace?  After he left the Bears he was picked up by the Rams and eventually won a SB.  More recently has been playing with Buffalo and is familiar with the Bears current DC Washington. 

That would be quite a story for sure.

Poles has a plan in place and  so far , he's doing it before Free agency starts. Byard may only have a few good years left and so he draft one and have him sit behind Byard and learn.

I think this is a desirable place to come to with the talent we already have. Plus if we have a QB on a rookie deal, it it opens  up  the ability to get better veterans. Poles has to win now.

Look no further than our DBs currently on our roster:

Blackwell - 24
Brisker - 24
Gordon - 24
Hicks - 24
J Johnson - 24
Q Johnson - 24
Jones - 26
Smith - 24
Stevenson - 23
Stroman - 28

That has to be the youngest group of DBs in the league

We needed a vet with experience to help this group reach its potential

Bringing in a 30-year-old former pro bowler was important

1 hour ago, Pixote said:

Look no further than our DBs currently on our roster:

Blackwell - 24
Brisker - 24
Gordon - 24
Hicks - 24
J Johnson - 24
Q Johnson - 24
Jones - 26
Smith - 24
Stevenson - 23
Stroman - 28

That has to be the youngest group of DBs in the league

We needed a vet with experience to help this group reach its potential

Bringing in a 30-year-old former pro bowler was important

To he fair, JJ is a vet , he's just young. And yes Byard is a perfect fit. I'm also glad he has an easy name.