Nick Chubb?

[BearFan PHX]

I'm starting to hear rumors about free agent HB Nick Chubb going to Chicago. I've heard it from a few totally different sources, but no one yet like Adam Schefter. But it does make sense. One Cleveland reporter says he is hearing rumors that talks are heating up between Chubb and an "NFC North Team" without naming which one. It's a logical thing to speculate on. Maybe they are talking, still doesn't mean they will get a deal done, or maybe it's all smoke, i have no idea. But it makes sense.

So I started watching Chubb's highlights, and as I'm sure we all know already the guy has been a beast. He was slowed down last year by a 2 year old devastating knee injury, and he broke his foot this past season. Plus he is 29.

Last year he averaged 3.3 yards a carry, but he was still a really tough runner.

So Im wondering how his knee is after 2 years, and his foot?

This from a couple weeks ago:

Click the link to the video!
 

 

[BearFan PHX]

Here's another from Chubbs PR machine, click and watch the video!
 

 

[BearFan PHX]

Ezekiel Elliot and JK Dobbins are available too, if you like a different flavor.

Of the three, Chubb, Elliot and Dobbins who would you take on a cheap on year deal?

[Stinger226]

None 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Chubb. Don’t love any of them but I think Chubb has the work ethic and being a year removed might still have some juice. 
 

Another name is Jamal Williams - had 17TDs with BJ in Detroit. Didn’t do much in New Orleans past two years though. 

[Stinger226]

We have 4 capable bodies in the RB room. They are going to see what they have before they add someone. .

[ASHKUM BEAR]

  On 4/29/2025 at 2:10 PM, Stinger226 said:

We have 4 capable bodies in the RB room. They are going to see what they have before they add someone. .

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Last year they had a better group and 6: Swift, Roschon, Herbert, Homer, Wheeler, and Blasingale.

Right now: Swift, Roschon, Homer, Wheeler, and Monangai. 

I can see them adding a solid vet to the mix.  That doesn't mean they are not happy with who they have, just upping the competition so the Bears have a good group going into the season 

[adam]

Another name to consider is Jamaal Williams, who had 1K rushing and 17 TDs for Ben Johnson in 2022. He shared a backfield with Swift and Williams was their leading rusher.

[BearFan PHX]

  On 4/29/2025 at 6:16 PM, adam said:

Another name to consider is Jamaal Williams, who had 1K rushing and 17 TDs for Ben Johnson in 2022. He shared a backfield with Swift and Williams was their leading rusher.

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thank you for adding that name to the list!

[Stinger226]

  On 4/29/2025 at 3:48 PM, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Last year they had a better group and 6: Swift, Roschon, Herbert, Homer, Wheeler, and Blasingale.

Right now: Swift, Roschon, Homer, Wheeler, and Monangai. 

I can see them adding a solid vet to the mix.  That doesn't mean they are not happy with who they have, just upping the competition so the Bears have a good group going into the season 

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4 of them were already here and they signed Wheeler  and Swift. Clearly Swift was signed to be the lead back.

[BearFan PHX]

  On 4/29/2025 at 11:10 PM, Stinger226 said:

4 of them were already here and they signed Wheeler  and Swift. Clearly Swift was signed to be the lead back.

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At the time, yes. But Im sure Johnson has his own ideas about Swift, positive or negative i dunno, so based on that his role could change.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

  On 4/29/2025 at 2:10 PM, Stinger226 said:

We have 4 capable bodies in the RB room. They are going to see what they have before they add someone. .

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They have made it clear - they want depth and people to battle. Backs in general get hurt and you want to balance workloads in camp. They will carry 4 but they should have 6 at start of camp and I don’t really count our special teams back. So really we have 3 real running backs on roster and that is counting a 7th round pick (one I like but a high percentage of 7th rounders are out of football asap) 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

  On 4/29/2025 at 11:32 PM, BearFan PHX said:

At the time, yes. But Im sure Johnson has his own ideas about Swift, positive or negative i dunno, so based on that his role could change.

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If they don’t think highly of Swift they wouldn’t have done what they did this offseason and in the draft. Unless we are about to see a trade. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

  On 4/30/2025 at 12:51 AM, DABEARSDABOMB said:

They have made it clear - they want depth and people to battle. Backs in general get hurt and you want to balance workloads in camp. They will carry 4 but they should have 6 at start of camp and I don’t really count our special teams back. So really we have 3 real running backs on roster and that is counting a 7th round pick (one I like but a high percentage of 7th rounders are out of football asap) 

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I listened to a podcast tonight, I think Joniak amd Thayers. Whoever it was mentioned how Johnson likes a lot of RBs in camp.  Detroit had 7 last year.

Monangai and Wheeler could be the next Pacheou, but it's unknown. I don't see them going into camp with only Swift and Johnson as their main carriers, so I expect them to sign another decent option and maybe another flyer on a ps type. 

[BearFan PHX]

I think we intended to get one of the big name HBs in the draft, an failed. I read that Poles tried to trade UP for Henderson, but the price was too high. Then with the trade downs, I think they fell too deep, into areas where the value would be good, but that also exposes you because then the trade up to steal them in front of you isn't too expensive either. Take the same player in a slightly richer neighborhood, and the threat of trade ups is less, because the cost to do that is more?

I dunno what the price for Henderson was, but if it was too much, then so be it. I dont want to overpay. But it seems they were a little too confident that there would be enough HBs around to get one at value while dropping down, and instead they kept going just in front of us, and now we are talking about a one year free agent.

It's an example of the old haul argument. And it might turn out great. Burden, Trapilo, Turner might all be great for us, and maximized our draft value. But don't we all wish they'd managed to move up a little in the 4th to get Skatebo too instead of whoever we got in the 5ths and 6th etc?

[BearFan PHX]

  On 4/30/2025 at 1:04 AM, DABEARSDABOMB said:

If they don’t think highly of Swift they wouldn’t have done what they did this offseason and in the draft. Unless we are about to see a trade. 

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unless the way the board fell, they were unable to get any of the HBs at various tiers. If that had been their plan and they failed, then it doesnt necessarily say what they think of Swift?

I did hear they were trying to trade up for Henderson at one point but the price was too steep. Who knows?

I just think based on my own feelings that Swift isn't up to the standard of the most of the parts of this roster. And i think that Johnson traded him in Detroit whn he was even younger than he is now. So my gut call is they would like to replace him. And the way things went, maybe that wont really completely be until next year?

Hes not terrible. Hes a decent back. Certainly top 20. But not a gamechanger like the running game weve seen in Detroit under Johnson for example.

[AZ54]

  On 4/29/2025 at 8:52 AM, BearFan PHX said:

Ezekiel Elliot and JK Dobbins are available too, if you like a different flavor.

Of the three, Chubb, Elliot and Dobbins who would you take on a cheap on year deal?

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If I'm banking on one I'll take the guy with an elite work ethic.. Chubb. 

[BearFan PHX]

  On 4/30/2025 at 2:08 AM, AZ54 said:

If I'm banking on one I'll take the guy with an elite work ethic.. Chubb. 

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those comeback videos are impressive for sure.

[AZ54]

  On 4/30/2025 at 1:50 AM, BearFan PHX said:

I think we intended to get one of the big name HBs in the draft, an failed. I read that Poles tried to trade UP for Henderson, but the price was too high. Then with the trade downs, I think they fell too deep, into areas where the value would be good, but that also exposes you because then the trade up to steal them in front of you isn't too expensive either. Take the same player in a slightly richer neighborhood, and the threat of trade ups is less, because the cost to do that is more?

I dunno what the price for Henderson was, but if it was too much, then so be it. I dont want to overpay. But it seems they were a little too confident that there would be enough HBs around to get one at value while dropping down, and instead they kept going just in front of us, and now we are talking about a one year free agent.

It's an example of the old haul argument. And it might turn out great. Burden, Trapilo, Turner might all be great for us, and maximized our draft value. But don't we all wish they'd managed to move up a little in the 4th to get Skatebo too instead of whoever we got in the 5ths and 6th etc?

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RB is one of the easiest positions to find a good player.  I rather like the backup OG we got late in the draft and the CB, and the RB.  I'd have been equally happy with Skatebo too.    It's kind of a wash for me either way.  Regardless I'm not that concerned about finding a RB this year or next as long as our Oline is doing it's job.  

[BearFan PHX]

  On 4/30/2025 at 2:14 AM, AZ54 said:

RB is one of the easiest positions to find a good player.  I rather like the backup OG we got late in the draft and the CB, and the RB.  I'd have been equally happy with Skatebo too.    It's kind of a wash for me either way.  Regardless I'm not that concerned about finding a RB this year or next as long as our Oline is doing it's job.  

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I agree with all of that.

I guess Im less concerned with the HB itself, as wondering if Poles estimated poorly in picking his trade down targets. The players we DID get are all good picks. I'm happy with them. But Id trade anyone or most of the guys we got in the 4th and later (starting with the LBer) if it meant Ersery instead of Trapilo and it meant moving up a little in the 4th and adding Skatebo.

No draft is perfect. Im just trying to do the post mortem to see how we did I guess. I think Poles may have gotten outmaneuvered a couple times.

[Stinger226]

  On 4/30/2025 at 2:24 AM, BearFan PHX said:

I agree with all of that.

I guess Im less concerned with the HB itself, as wondering if Poles estimated poorly in picking his trade down targets. The players we DID get are all good picks. I'm happy with them. But Id trade anyone or most of the guys we got in the 4th and later (starting with the LBer) if it meant Ersery instead of Trapilo and it meant moving up a little in the 4th and adding Skatebo.

No draft is perfect. Im just trying to do the post mortem to see how we did I guess. I think Poles may have gotten outmaneuvered a couple times.

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It could come down to they liked Trapilo better. After they commit to trading down, it's the board that determines the next choice.

[BearFan PHX]

  On 4/30/2025 at 3:25 AM, Stinger226 said:

It could come down to they liked Trapilo better. After they commit to trading down, it's the board that determines the next choice.

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for sure. and he is a big guy. I just think moving Wright was a plan B kind of idea, and taking Trapilo sort of implies that Wright is likely to move to LT.

[adam]

For RB, it seems like it will come down to Chubb, Williams, or maybe someone like Ameer Abdullah? He had 40 receptions last year for LVR, which is impressive considering how bad they were. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry on the same team that Alexander Mattison averaged 3.2. 

[Stinger226]

I think, they wait until they see what they have before they add another RB. The perception of fans and pundits is we need more. They may have already more faith in RJ and Swift and that is why there was no urgency to take a RB in the second round,

[BearFan PHX]

  On 4/30/2025 at 8:36 PM, Stinger226 said:

I think, they wait until they see what they have before they add another RB. The perception of fans and pundits is we need more. They may have already more faith in RJ and Swift and that is why there was no urgency to take a RB in the second round,

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but we have heard that there WAS urgency? Poles was trying to trade up for Henderson, and traded down a couple times right after a HB got picked, indicating we were probably hoping for that HB?

Swift is decent, but I dont think our HB room is as good as our WR room, our TE room or our DB room? So it's natural to want to elevate the weaker part of your roster?

One thing that should be said is that now we are becoming a GOOD roster, so the weakest links arent necessarily terrible players, they just arent as good as the guys around them at other positions, so they become the focus of the next upgrade. Swfit would start for a bunch of teams in the NFL, but he is not a top 15 HB. That's not hating, it's what happens when your roster becomes excellent?