Without considering the draft picks, which right now seem to favor the Bears, it seems like every other NFC North team got worse this offseason.

GB lost 2 guys on their O-Line, plus Quay Walker, Rashan Gary, and Wicks and Doubs at WR. At some point in the last few years both Doubs and Wicks were anointed as WR1s. GB's big add, Javon Hargrave who was subpar last year in a MIN defense that was really good. They traded for Zaire Franklin, who is a less dynamic Quay Walker. They also lost Malik Willis who was arguably the best QB2 in the NFL. So to me, they will take a step back. They also lost their DC.

DET lost Monty, Decker, Glasgow, Reader, and Raymond and only added Cade Mays at Center. They also added Pacheco but he does not get the dirty yards that Monty got. They seem to be taking another step back. Another team that expects to get better from within.

MIN lost Greenard, Kelly, Hargrave, Allen, and Harrison Smith. That defense will not be the same, and they still have 9 at QB. Their big add was Eric Wilson at LB? What am I missing here? How are they winning 8 games?

The Bears may not have gotten substantially better on paper, but they didn't get worse. Byard Brisker becomes Bryant Thieneman, which should be an overall upgrade. Edmunds to Bush is an upgrade. The two biggest losses outside of the guys already mentioned are Moore and Dalman. Dalman was literally replaced by 2 guys, and Moore's targets are going to Burden, Odunze, Loveland, Thomas, Raymond, and Roush. So not all of Moore has to be replaced by a rookie.

"Moore's targets are going to Burden, Odunze, Loveland, Thomas, Raymond, and Roush. So not all of Moore has to be replaced by a rookie"

Add Kmet, Walker, Swift and Monigai and his receptions split out even moore.

If they Bears do run moore 12 and 13 personal, will they notice.

In the meantime, we are the only team beginning year two of the BJ and Caleb show...

I agree with all this, except there is still a hole at LT where we've certainly gotten worse, and we may not have gotten worse at DE, but we were pretty bad and i dunno if we got better?

Assuming the LT isnt a sieve, we have a Superbowl ready offense this year I believe. And while the pass rush is still questionable, the defense should be better than it was last year.

And an answer at LT and/or DE may still be coming.

8 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

In the meantime, we are the only team beginning year two of the BJ and Caleb show...

You bring up the most important point as people evaluate the roster. In his second year Caleb should be a star. It was important for BJ to add weapons and replace Dalman. This will uplift players on the offense. LT still has questions but we had them last year and it turned out well. They feel secure in having 4 assets to fill that hole at LT and I trust them . We had the #1 OL by some metrics.

Adding players on defense that fit DAs scheme and people being healthier has to make the defense better by design. As fans we are not use to success so a lot of fans always look at future success with apprehension. I am looking as the BJ- Poles combo with trust in a small sample size. This is noticeably different than our past experiences. As Adam stated, I dont see the upgrade in the division which is a plus for us.

For GB, they are betting on Parsons health on defense, and the health of Watson and Kraft on offense. I don't know why Kraft is getting so much love. He had 2 great games last year, but those were the 2 best games of career, and the only two games over 90 yards receiving. So to me, those were outliers, not some new trend. Those games plus 2 games where he had a TD with only 2 receptions really warped his stats per game and per reception. However, for his career, he averages 37 yds per game, which is 8 yards more than Cole Kmet.

23 minutes ago, adam said:

For GB, they are betting on Parsons health on defense, and the health of Watson and Kraft on offense. I don't know why Kraft is getting so much love. He had 2 great games last year, but those were the 2 best games of career, and the only two games over 90 yards receiving. So to me, those were outliers, not some new trend. Those games plus 2 games where he had a TD with only 2 receptions really warped his stats per game and per reception. However, for his career, he averages 37 yds per game, which is 8 yards more than Cole Kmet.

A few games that ive seen with Kraft, he is dangerous. Not sure if they know how to use him properly, but if he was here he'd be welcome.

15 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

I agree with all this, except there is still a hole at LT where we've certainly gotten worse, and we may not have gotten worse at DE, but we were pretty bad and i dunno if we got better?

Assuming the LT isnt a sieve, we have a Superbowl ready offense this year I believe. And while the pass rush is still questionable, the defense should be better than it was last year.

And an answer at LT and/or DE may still be coming.

How have we gotten worse at LT when a hobbled Braxton Jones was our starter last year? That was followed by UDFA Benedet. Finally a rookie moved over from RT tried it out and looked okay.

2 hours ago, AZ54 said:

How have we gotten worse at LT when a hobbled Braxton Jones was our starter last year? That was followed by UDFA Benedet. Finally a rookie moved over from RT tried it out and looked okay.

I would say we're in the same place we were last year accept with a healthy Braxton and a vet addition of Wills. If they werent comfortable with their assets they would have found a way to bring a guy in. Having said they, they still could add there if it isnt working out.

Also I saw an article in the Tribune and they listed Kiran Amegadjie as a OG.

2 hours ago, AZ54 said:

How have we gotten worse at LT when a hobbled Braxton Jones was our starter last year? That was followed by UDFA Benedet. Finally a rookie moved over from RT tried it out and looked okay.

I mean that I thought that Trapilo was looking pretty good once he got comfortable. Certainly we are not worse than we were opening day last year, I agree.

LT is still a question mark, but a healthier Braxton is better than an injured one.

32 minutes ago, adam said:

LT is still a question mark, but a healthier Braxton is better than an injured one.

maybe. I think our floor is Benedet. Its hard to have faith in Wills until he shows something, and i think we already know Braxton's ceiling.

4 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

maybe. I think our floor is Benedet. Its hard to have faith in Wills until he shows something, and i think we already know Braxton's ceiling.

Respectfully disagree. BJ likes his OT's bigger than Flus did. Braxton was not fully recovered and playing at 295. He's allegedly 315 and yoked now. He just turned 27, so his best football could be ahead of him. I'm excited to see the competition and hopefully gain some really good depth in the process.

1 hour ago, Mongo3451 said:

Respectfully disagree. BJ likes his OT's bigger than Flus did. Braxton was not fully recovered and playing at 295. He's allegedly 315 and yoked now. He just turned 27, so his best football could be ahead of him. I'm excited to see the competition and hopefully gain some really good depth in the process.

I am very cynical that Braxton Jones will ever be able to handle the bull rush and provide pass protection --BUT-- like any player if they show us something we havent seen before of course Ill be glad to see it.

I will be thrilled is Jones or Wills kills it and takes the position with excellence. Im just not betting on it. But I will be very happy to be wrong about that.

4 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

I mean that I thought that Trapilo was looking pretty good once he got comfortable. Certainly we are not worse than we were opening day last year, I agree.

That I agree with.

2 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

I am very cynical that Braxton Jones will ever be able to handle the bull rush and provide pass protection --BUT-- like any player if they show us something we havent seen before of course Ill be glad to see it.

I will be thrilled is Jones or Wills kills it and takes the position with excellence. Im just not betting on it. But I will be very happy to be wrong about that.

For a team that clearly went all out to rebuild the Oline last year, both in FA and the draft, the quiet confidence they’ve shown about the LT position this off-season is odd.

Contrast that against what they did at center. 3 days after Dalman retired they traded for a vet. Then they were aggressive in the draft in round two to get the guy they wanted.

6 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

For a team that clearly went all out to rebuild the Oline last year, both in FA and the draft, the quiet confidence they’ve shown about the LT position this off-season is odd.

I agree. They may be waiting to make a move for someone like Tyler Decker, or they may feel ok about Benedet - those are my guesses.

In either case, I suppose they are hoping to have Trapilo later down the line for next season?

It's hard to imagine that they could be confident with Braxton or Wills. I mean, either could surprise, but I cant imagine betting on them right now.

Maybe they have their eye on Decker and some of the FA DEs, and they want to see what theyve got in camp before they choose which position gets the $?

These are all just guesses of course, Im not predicting any of this. It's a head scratcher for sure.

Maybe it's as simple as Benedet is the floor?