Hub Arkush hears Cullen Jenkins & Bears might have a deal in place #Bears #News http://chicagofootballtalk.com/lol

 

While that would be an amazing addition and upgrade...i think it may limit us addressing larger areas of need on the OL and maybe more so WR. In my opinion none of our OL or WR would start on another team....besides Carimi and with that being said, this CBA bullshit all but guarantees we wouldnt see him til Week 4 or so.

Not surprised to hear that. My rumor mill of at least one AZ Cardinal player indicates he has been in contact with at least one team and possibly a couple about future contract offers. He's confident enough to have moved to his prospective new city to workout all summer. Based on that it seems clear many teams have contacted agents (I assume that means they didn't contact a player) to let them know of not only their interest but their salary expectations. Smart agents and players knowing this is going to be a very short FA season would likely want to have some deal in place behind the scenes so they can get signed right away. With so much uncertainty on timing, salary cap, FA rules, etc., how much risk are older players willing to take to find the best offer?

 

I expect a lot of short term deals, thus leaving veterans open to more money as the rookie pay scale kicks in the next year or two.

 

 

While that would be an amazing addition and upgrade...i think it may limit us addressing larger areas of need on the OL and maybe more so WR. In my opinion none of our OL or WR would start on another team....besides Carimi and with that being said, this CBA bullshit all but guarantees we wouldnt see him til Week 4 or so.

Why would signing Cullen Jenkins mean they wouldn't go after a WR or OL?

Why would signing Cullen Jenkins mean they wouldn't go after a WR or OL?

I think they will pursue a OL and WR but it wont be expensive additions. Jenkins wont come cheap and it leaves very little to spend on other positions.

I don't think Jenkins is going to command that much salary that we can't also pursue one of the better Oline FA out there. Adding Paea and Jenkins would be a significant improvement in interior run defense. While neither of these guys is an elite interior pass rusher the combination of the two should be good enough to keep QBs from stepping up to avoid Peppers on the outside.

 

Definitely it takes us out of the running for an elite WR like VJack but we're a team with too many holes and we can't go after a hail mary solution. The combination of adding a good interior Dlineman, interior Olineman, and find a good WR to boost the depth on the roster should make the team better overall versus throwing all the cash after an elite WR.

I have a feeling there are going to be some bargains out there in FA this year. It sounds like there is an excellent chance we may walk away from FA with some excellent improvements to our roster.

 

I also suspect that Paea is going to be a DROY candidate. I love his selection and feel he may be a fantastic addition. I am not ruling out him being a good pass rusher. He has the strength and quickness/athleticism to not only stop the run but to penetrate as well, especially with Peppers on one side, someone like Jenkins on the other, and some continued development of our RDE Idonoje (sp?). It could be the best DL we have had in years and that only makes our DB that much better. Briggs and Urlacher behind that group should flourish!

The hard part is the Bears have a lot of valuable "depth" guys who will be free agents as well. This is going to be really interesting to see how quickly teams can pounce when FA starts.

I think they will pursue a OL and WR but it wont be expensive additions. Jenkins wont come cheap and it leaves very little to spend on other positions.

He won't come cheap, but he shouldn't cost very much.