Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus lost the game for the Chicago Bears on Sunday with two huge bone headed decisions and it’s leading up to him being fired at season’s end.

Matt Eberflus put himself squarely in the cross hairs of the local and national media to be fired after three major mistakes led to the Chicago Bears last second Hail Mary loss to the Commanders on Sunday.  The goal line hand off to Doug Kramer led to a fumble that kept the Bears from taking the lead.  Had the Chicago Bears scored on that drive it would have given them the lead in the fourth quarter.

From there the Bears defense could have stood tall just like it did after the fumble and put the Bears in position to score another touchdown to put the game away.  That is not what happened however, two major scoring opportunities led to only one touchdown which then led to the complete debacle on defense that led to the Commanders winning on the Hail Mary.

Inexplicably Matt Eberflus did not play defense on the second to last play of the game, giving the Commanders an easy 13 yards that led to them having the positioning on the field to attempt a Hail Mary.  The Hail Mary was short of the end zone but deflected backwards into the endzone for the touchdown.

Without the free 13 yards the Commanders are forced to try a hood and ladder plus lateral and backwards passes to make something happen.  Instead Eberflus made one of the dumbest moves of his career and then didn’t call one of his three available timeouts to organize his team before the Hail Mary attempt.

Despite these massive mistakes it’s Eberflus’ inability to prepare his team to win games against teams equal to or slightly better than the Chicago Bears that might ultimately lead to his undoing.

Since taking over as the head coach of the Chicago Bears Matt Eberflus has won two games against teams with winning records.  The first win came in 2022 in the rain-soaked opener where Trey Lance started for the San Francisco 49ers.  That was one of only three wins the Chicago Bears had in 2022.

This leads to the other win that came against the Detroit Lions in 2023.  A strong performance by the defense led to a home win for the Chicago Bears against a Lions team that eventually went on to play in the NFC Title game.

After those two wins, Eberflus has done nothing to have his team even look remotely prepared against better coached and more talented teams.  Eberflus’ have looked downright awful against the Tennessee Titans, the Houston Texans the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Commanders.  They only managed to eek out a win over the Titans after their defense and special teams racked up touchdowns.

Now with 11 games left on the 2024 Chicago Bears schedule Eberflus faces the worst possible scenario to keep his job as coach of the Chicago Bears.  Ten of the Bears next 11 opponents currently have 4 or more wins.  The NFC West is led by the Arizona Cardinals and the Bears head on the road to face them.  The Bears then catch a break with the 2-6 New England Patriots who are in full on rebuilding mode.  Before facing the gauntlet of Vikings and Packers in back-to-back weeks.

The rest of the NFC West also has a 4-4 record with the 49ers and Seahawks each providing their own set of unique challenges.  So with that daunting schedule it’s hard to imagine what the Chicago Bears can do to get to a better than seven wins in 2024.

The biggest problems have been yet again with the offense where the Bears again looked all out of sorts against the Dan Quinn led Commanders defense.  Quinn had his defense coached up well and it completely stifled the Bears for 3.5 quarters of play.  They managed to pressure Caleb Williams on more than 50-percent of his drop backs and kept the Bears scoreless on the verge of a shutout until late.  The same protection issues reared their ugly heads that stifled the Bears in weeks one and two.

The raw truth of the matter is the Chicago Bears have not improved under Matt Eberflus.  His mantra of we have to get better has not held up, because Eberflus hasn’t done anything to get better, he’s continuously beats teams that are far less talented than the Bears.

Ultimately his lack of preparation and his lack of improvement combined with stupid play calling will lead to his demise as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and this should happen sooner rather than later.  Wasting a talented roster with arguably the best offensive talent on the roster in the history of the franchise is completely inexcusable for the 2024 Chicago Bears.

The post Matt Eberflus’ inability to beat teams with winning records puts him squarely in line to be fired after 2024 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Last week Caleb Williams threw for over 300 yards for the second time this season, that was the first time a rookie QB has thrown for over 300 yards in two games in Bears history.

Caleb Williams continues to impress, a week after his second 300 yard passing game, he threw for four touchdowns, the first time that’s happened for a Chicago Bears rookie QB since 1999 when Cade McNown did it.

The Chicago Bears piled onto the Jacksonville Jaguars racking their second consecutive game where they scored 35 or more points since 2013.

This is the first time since 2013 the Bears have scored at least 35 points in back-to-back games.

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 13, 2024

Caleb Williams’ 4 touchdowns also came with a 79.3 completion percentage yet another rookie record for him.  Williams now is clearly ahead of Jayden Daniels for offensive rookie of the year honors.  Williams is clearly winning games for the Chicago Bears whereas Daniels is managing the game for the Washington Commanders.

Jayden Daniels is last in the NFL in passing touchdowns, and Williams now moves his total up to nine touchdown throws on the season.   Yet for some reason Mike Greenberg of ESPN, (a notoriously huge Justin Fields supporter who was critical of the Chicago Bears for letting Justin Fields go) is pushing Jayden Daniels as the ROTY front runner who can move himself into the MVP front runner with a win over the Ravens today.

Meanwhile Williams keeps plugging away with both Chicago Bears rookie records and NFL rookie records.  Behind Williams’ four touchdown performance today the Bears move to 4-2 on the season.

It’s beyond baffling that ESPN can allow for one man to control such a wrongheaded narrative about the race for offensive rookie of the year.   Williams is clearly the front runner because he is doing more for his team.  It’s as if the Bears know what is pushing the narrative as they called some QB runs getting Caleb 56 yards rushing on the day today.

The Bears will head into their bye week with huge momentum and the rookie of the year race will likely be decided in two weeks with Williams facing off with Jayden Daniels as the Bears face the Commanders in week 8.

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During the week leading up to the Chicago Bears game against the Houston Texans two key receivers missed practice all week with injures.  Their game status was just updated.

Rome Odunze has a grade 1 MCL sprain and missed practice this week, but will play against the Houston Texans.

While the heel injury that’s been keeping Keenan Allen from practicing has him inactive today according to the latest update from Brad Biggs.

#Bears WR Keenan Allen is inactive tonight with a heel injury. WR Rome Odunze (right knee) will play.

— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) September 15, 2024

This is good and bad news for rookie Caleb Williams.  He won’t have the reliable veteran in the lineup, but he will have the up-and-coming rookie as his second option.  This will be a key matchup in this game as the Texans gave up the fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL in 2023.

If the Bears are to have a gun fighter’s chance deep in the heart of Texas tonight, they’re going to need as many weapons as possible.  Rome Odunze having a breakout game with Caleb Williams would be helpful towards a 2-0 start in 2024.

The post Breaking major Chicago Bears receiver injury updates on Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze for game 2 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears are 1-0 but if they play as poorly as they did against the Tennessee Titans they’ll get blown out by a well-balanced Houston Texans offense.

The Chicago Bears face off against the Houston Texans on the road in a primetime matchup that is going to severely test the Chicago Bears defense.  Last year the Texans seemed to be carried by CJ Stroud, this year it could already be argued that they are a well-balanced offensive attack after running back Joe Mixon won AFC offensive player for the week honors.  Mixon tallied 159 yards on the ground on 30 carries and clinched the game with a go-ahead touchdown run of 40 yards.

Joe Mixon's dynamite Texans debut earns him AFC Offensive Player of the Week ahead of primetime game https://t.co/unRFMUyumf

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) September 11, 2024

Last week the Bears proved to be very vulnerable against the run giving up 140 yards on the ground to the Tennessee Titans.  The Titans also managed two drives of 73 and 89 yards before the defense put the Titans on lock down and made a historic comeback with two touchdowns, one off a blocked punt and the other off a pick-6.

In the passing game the Texans tallied 234 yards and 2 touchdowns from second year QB CJ Stroud will set up a week 2 test that will truly determine how optimistic fans should be about the Bears defense.

On offense the Texans have three capable play makers at the wide receiver position.  Nico Collins racked up 117 yards on six catches, in week 1.  Stephon Diggs scored the two touchdowns in the game in his Texans debut and continues to be one of the top receivers in the NFL.  While Tank Dell is a more than capable third option as he had 709 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago.

On the offensive line the Texans are anchored by four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil.  He could be the key Bears entire defensive approach if Montez Sweat can take advantage of his recent struggles.  Tunsil had a shaky debut allowing two sacks in week 1 against the Colts.

The Bears will have to key in on Mixon.  Andrew Billings had a dominant week 1 performance against the Titans and will need to continue that success for the Bears to have a chance on the road.  He leads a front seven attack that led the NFL in run defense a year ago.

Helping out the pass rush last week in his Bears debut was newly acquired defensive end Darrell Taylor.  Taylor was dominant in his debut collecting two sacks using his speed off the edge.

Darrell Taylor in his Bears debut:

78.6 PFF grade
3 pressures
2.0 sacks
2 run stops
1 forced fumble pic.twitter.com/fb3fnRtFqM

— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) September 10, 2024

For the Chicago Bears linebackers TJ Edwards tallied a game high 15 tackles in week 1.  Edwards is filling in that familiar weak-side linebacker role that Lance Briggs made famous over the course of his Bears career.  Edwards and Trumaine Edmunds will have to step up their overall game this week because their performance wasn’t up to snuff like last year.

The Bears secondary will have the biggest test.  The Bears won most of their games last year primarily by forcing turnovers.  Meanwhile CJ Stroud is almost immune to turnovers after only giving away 5 total interceptions a year ago.  Can the Bears secondary force Stroud to make mistakes in the passing game?  It doesn’t seem very likely and that will put a ton of pressure on the Bears to keep the game close.

The game last week showcased the talent the Bears have in the secondary, with corners Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson.  Stevenson earned NFC defensive player of the week honors for his four tackle, two pass break up pick-6 performance.  While Johnson also collected an interception while logging a 92.3 PFF grade the highest on the team in week 1.

Johnson looked like one of the best CBs in the NFL over the last decade the way he locked down receivers in week 1.  If Johnson continues to play at such a high level over a long period time it could be him in position to earn massive accolades over the course of his career.  A massive contract extension did nothing to slow down his hunger and desire to be among the best in the NFL.

The Bears probably face their biggest test with this road game against the Texans.  The Texans can beat you two ways on the ground or through the air and they don’t make mistakes by turning the ball over.  So the Bears will have to put together one of the best defensive efforts of the Matt Eberflus era to give themselves a chance in Houston.

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The Chicago Bears defense has been hyped up as a possible Top-5 unit for the 2024 NFL season, is the hype warranted?

The improvement in the Chicago Bears defense after the Montez Sweat trade seemed real and palpable to the overall success of the 2023 season.  The Bears improved from a three-win team to a seven-win team.   Their pressure rate on the QB increased, their sacks went up and the turnovers they generated in the secondary also went up.

So with the level of improvement fans saw with the additions of veteran talent and the development of young talent it’s safe to say that that will continue to pay dividends in 2024.  However, in the same breath that there was improvement it’s safe to ask exactly how did they improve and where are there still shortcomings with the defense?

Notably the Chicago Bears were number one in the NFL against the run last year.  The addition of three key players helped the Bears stop the run in a big way in 2023.  Defensive tackle Andrew Billings and linebackers TJ Edwards and Trumaine Edmunds made it very difficult for teams to run against this defense.  The front seven was tailor made to perform well against the run because the front seven was very balanced.

Billings could occupy more than one blocker, Justin Jones could get up the field through his gap and disrupt the backfield as evidenced by his 10 tackles for a loss from a year ago.   The linebackers were very disciplined in their gaps and very strong and sure tacklers.   Add to it Jaquan Brisker at safety plays downhill and could wrap up and tackle in the run game with the best safeties in the game.  Another completely underrated factor was nickel back Kyler Gordon and how well he played against the run.

All of these things combined led to the Bears being a very strong defensive team that then allowed them to T-off in passing situations.  The problem is the pass defense was amongst the worst in the NFL and it seems to have gone unnoticed in the eyes of fans.

The biggest problem is despite the addition of Montez Sweat, the Chicago Bears were still second to last in total sacks in the NFL in 2023 just ahead of the Carolina Panthers.  The Bears also didn’t do anything major to add to the pass rush in 2024 and instead drafted a fifth-round project defensive end.  They also lost 3-technique Justin Jones in free agency leaving a major void.

The lack of a pass rush also led to the Chicago Bears being fourth worst in touchdown passes allowed 29th in the league allowing 31 TDs.   Making things even more worrisome, the Bears defense has only faired well primarily against backup QBs since Matt Eberflus arrived.

The secondary has been a mixed bag, they did well in generating turnovers, but were ranked in the bottom third of the league in pass defense.

In 2023 the defense played well against rookie QB Bryce Young, journeymen QBs Josh Dobbs, Taylor Heinecke, Sam Howell, and Brian Hoyer, and Kyler Murray who just returned from his knee surgery.  On the other side of things, Joe Flacco came off the couch and through for 374 yards and two scores in a loss to the 20-17 loss to the Browns.  Lastly, they were humbled again in week 18 when Jordan Love had 317 yards and two scores in yet another loss to the Packers.

So, the Bears weren’t good against the pass and didn’t add anyone of significance to the front seven.  So the question becomes will the addition of Kevin Byard at safety and fifth round draft pick defensive end Austin Booker be enough for the 2024 Chicago Bears defense?

It seems like as far as it feels like the Bears have come, there’s still a lot of work to be done to prove that they’ve taken a big step on defense heading into 2024.  There’s no real evidence to say that this group will be a Top-10 defense much less a Top-5 defense.

There is no pass rusher to support Montez Sweat on the edge, and there’s not a pass rush specialist on the inside of the defensive line.  When the Bears have been at their best it’s been with a pass rush from the inside of the defensive line that’s help bolster their fortunes.  Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael in the 80s Tommie Harris and Henry Melton with the 2006 Bears and 2011 and 2012 Bears respectively, and Akiem Hicks was the catalyst behind the success of the 2018 Chicago Bears defense.

Overall though the hope may simply be the defense will be better because the offense is better.  The 2024 Chicago Bears may finally have the chance to play with a lead, and they won’t have to constantly come back onto the field after the offense logs yet another three-and-out or short drive.  Perhaps then, the biggest addition will be the offensive firepower that Caleb Williams brings to the Bears that puts even less pressure on the defense.  For once maybe the Bears will win because of the offense, and not because of the defense.

The post How overrated is the Chicago Bears defense heading into the 2024 NFL season? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Early on in training camp there was concern amongst the Chicago Bears media that the offensive line wasn’t practicing as well as hoped, and early on Darnell Wright was highlighted as the one struggling the most.

Chicago Bears second year offensive tackle Darnell Wright made the 2023 NFL All-Rookie team for his efforts as a first-year player.  Now in his second year the expectation was Wright would take a major step forward for the Chicago Bears, early on however Wright is struggling.

Darnell Wright is showing up as a good run blocker.  He moves well in the zone blocking scheme and gives good effort.  But watching him operate in mostly one on one pass protection situations there’s a lot of signs for major concern for him.

Wright through two games is struggling in a big way.  He’s not giving up a lot of sacks, but he’s giving up pressure and he doesn’t have a lot of clean reps.  More often than not he’s not winning with his hands and he’s giving up the edge way too easily.

The signs of struggle aren’t always obvious because he’s not getting beaten like a rented mule, but he’s still not locking down the rusher in front of him.  His pass sets seem slow and not very urgent.  He’s not getting his hands on the rusher first in most cases and doesn’t seem to be in control when he does finally get his hands on the rusher.

Against the Buffalo Bills in his pre-season debut his first rush he’s on skates getting overwhelmed by the bull rusher.  From there he settles into some blocking in the quick game, but then gives up another late pressure in the pocket.

Fundamentally Wright is just struggling, and it is likely something to be exposed against average pass rushers, never mind the elite rushers he’ll face throughout the season.

In both games he’s seen the most time he just hasn’t had a sound game of consistently locking out or stoning the rusher.  The rushers with even above average speed off the edge are giving him troubles that may not be easy for him to overcome because he just may not have the foot speed to get excel at the position.

As it is Wright doesn’t have the athletic profile of other elite right tackles in the game.  He’s not in the same universe as either Lane Johnson or Penei Sewell and it showed up a lot last year as well.  This is not to say that Darnell Wright might be a good player someday, he could be and completely prove me wrong.  However, there are too many instances where he’s just giving up the edge and forcing the QB to move on his point and that could be of major concern if he doesn’t lock things down.

Watching him in the Bengals game you’d think things are starting out well enough and then all of a sudden at around the 38 second mark he’s too far out in front of his body and getting beat and lunging to try and stop the rusher, never mind the fact that he’s stumbling through the last half of the rep entirely.

Then his next four reps are just as bad where he just can’t seem to lock out the rusher and keep a clean and organized pocket.

What’s clear is that Darnell Wright needs a lot more work in the pre-season and it would be arrogant of the Bears to simply keep him out of the pre-season finale against the Chiefs.  Wright is either not in football shape or isn’t ready to for the season because he’s not seasoned enough.  He needs to be in more pressure situations where he has to block for five step drops to shot gun formation situations where he’s going to be forced to sustain a one-on-one block.

Wright needs a lot more experience and if the Bears don’t challenge him before the week one opener it could be a problem for Caleb Williams’ rookie debut.

The post Darnell Wright’s pass protection reps are major cause for concern heading into the 2024 Chicago Bears season appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears second year defensive tackle Gervon Dexter was the product of some very early camp hype among the fans and media, but that hype has tapered off as the games have started.

Gervon Dexter reshaped his body in the off-season dropping a reported 15 pounds and doing the defensive end conditioning test on the first day 2024 Chicago Bears training camp.  He then followed it up with numerous impressive workouts in non padded practices.  Fans and media alike were very excited about the revamped Gervon Dexter,

A breakout player is looming on the Chicago Bears' defensive line.#DaBearshttps://t.co/iArXzFNIpT

— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) August 14, 2024

Gervon Dexter pic.twitter.com/uJ1zJA2eCJ

— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) July 23, 2024

And then Gervon Dexter had a completely underwhelming pre-season debut against the Buffalo Bills.  Showing again a complete lack of ability as a pass rusher, or any ability to explode up the field and be disruptive.  From there he highlighted a complete lack of pass rushing moves or counters.   As was highlighted in the 2023 PFF NFL Draft Guide, Dexter has “No pass rushing moves to speak of, is content to start every rep with a two-handed engage, is very high cut for an interior player.”

And thus far these negatives directly correlate to the struggles Dexter shows on game day.  Against the Bills’ starting offensive line last week Dexter was constantly washed out and overwhelmed in the run game.  As a pass rusher he showed very little ability to push the pocket or be a disruptive force inside.  At best he could use some power to move the blocker back a couple of steps but overall was completely stoned at the line of scrimmage time and again.

Cut to week 2 of the pre-season against the Bengals and Dexter has better success against second and third team players which generates some excitement among Bears fans who don’t seem to understand that the Bengals played their backups instead of their starters according to this dept chart.

Against the Bengals he plays better, but better only against guy listed as low as third team on the Bengals depth chart.  His success comes better as looking like a one-technique or a possible two-gap player.  He’s not firing off the ball and getting through the gaps like a typical penetrating 3-technique.  Right now, there will have to be a lot of growth from Dexter to show that he’s more than just a potential backup player in the NFL.

Dexter plays far too high with his pad level and leaves his chest plate exposed for offensive linemen to stymie and drive he has from his legs.  His lack of counter moves as a pass rusher is even more disconcerting for the player that’s supposed to be the engine in the 4-3 one-gap defense.

Right now, Gervon Dexter is far below the level of disruption we saw from Justin Jones when Jone racked up racked 12 tackles for a loss in 2022 and 10 tackles for a loss in 2023.  Additionally, Jones had 17 QB hits in 2023 to go with 4.5 sacks.  This isn’t to say Jones is a high-quality player, he is simply a lot better than Gervon Dexter is and by a wide margin.

Jones was a combination of two things for the Chicago Bears.  First, he was very much a disruptive player who was able to explode through gaps and generate high tackle for a loss numbers.  Second however he was prone to taking risks and getting out of his gap and leaving a massive running lane for the back to charge through.

Jones being a disruptive player however is far better than the blocking sled level of ability we’ve seen thus far form Gervon Dexter.  Dexter isn’t getting through gaps; he’s not disrupting the passing lanes and he’s not getting his arms up in passing lanes despite being on the tall side for a typical NFL defensive tackle.  Dexter is going to need to take a massive step forward in order to become a starting quality defensive tackle in the NFL.

And with all of the talk about the Chicago Bears trading for an edge rusher to compliment Montez Sweat, Ryan Poles may want to shift his focus to finding a competent defensive tackle to start in front of Dexter.  Because at least Demarcus Walker has proven to be a capable starting defensive end in the NFL with a low floor.

Gervon Dexter however hasn’t shown any starting abilities as of yet.  The need for a starting caliber 3-technique is far more important to this defense than another edge rusher.  Historically the Bears’ best defenses have been when they’ve had strong players on the interior whether it’s been Tommie Harris, Henry Melton or Akiem Hicks as the 3-technique goes, so goes the success of the Chicago Bears defense.

The post Chicago Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter is currently the weak link of the 2024 defense appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Two Chicago Bears players made their case to make the 53-man roster in the Hall of Fame game as QB Brett Rypien and wide receiver Collin Johnson hooked on multiple big plays in the Bears win over the Houston Texans.

The preseason is the most important time of year for fringe prospects who are battling for their football lives.  The Hall of Fame game for the Chicago Bears was no exception as QB Brett Rypien and WR Collin Johnson hooked up to get the Bears offense rolling. Rypien finished the game by completing 11-15 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Johnson.

The debut of the Shane Waldron could not have gone better from a pre-season football standpoint.  Absolutely the games do not count and there is little offensive and defensive game planning from either team.  But the efficiency and big plays that came from Rypien and Johnson hopefully provide a sneak peak of what may be in store for the 2024 Bears offense.

Johnson used his size to dominate the helpless cornerback going up and getting the football on multiple receptions.  Johnson finished with three catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns, and had another big catch nullified by a Texans replay challenge.

It was a big day for Rypien as he’s battling Tyson Bagent for the number two QB spot.  If Brett Rypien was starting in a regular season game, this game would be representative of having a potentially big future in the NFL.  Rypien was sharp in his reads, and dynamic in his ball placement.  He pushed the ball down the field and made numerous big plays.

Brett Rypien definitely put Bagent on notice that he’ll have to bring his A game as the preseason progresses.  Usually, you don’t want to get carried away with a pre-season game, but in the context of an exhibition game Rypien made the case for himself.  Rypien came out firing and attacking down the field with precision passes.  A huge statement for a pre-season game for the fifth-year veteran.

.@brettryp finds @Tommysweeney15 for 6!

: ESPN pic.twitter.com/J0i8eLF7PB

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 2, 2024

Collin Johnson also stood out for Chicago Bears

Johnson was equally as impressive with his receptions.  He broke up on some of his routes and was wide open for his two touchdowns.  Johnson also showed the GUAGI ability (going up and getting it) when the ball was in the air.  Johnson will have to fight hard to earn a fifth or sixth WR spot, but he made his case tonight.  Hopefully it will be enough for him to land on another roster if he can’t remain on a now deep Chicago Bears receiver depth chart.

The newly installed passing game from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron showed up in a big way for the Chicago Bears. Without a doubt the game showed an overall strength in the passing game.  There were route combinations that got players open to make plays.  There was also plenty of big shots down the field helped the Bears dig out of a 10-0 hole.

The hope is the new offense is a sign of big things to come from Caleb Williams and his receivers.  What Rypien showed with Johnson sets the table for what should be an exciting pre-season game for the Bears.  Yes, it’s just the pre-season, but there are always things to watch and learn from when it comes to the introduction of a new offense.

What Brett Rypien and Johnson showed is that Caleb Williams will have constant opportunities to make big plays with his weapons.  If Williams is able to replicate what we saw tonight, then the Chicago Bears offense will be operating at a level never seen before in the Windy City.

The post Chicago Bears QB Brett Rypien and WR Collin Johnson debut huge potential for Bears offense in 2024 Hall of Fame game appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams seems to throw a big touchdown in every practice thus solidifying his status as a generationally talented quarterback.

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Willliams has been dynamic in his first training camp with the Chicago Bears.  There have been the typical rookie hiccups, but the overall play of Williams should have the Chicago Bears squarely in the playoff hunt for the 2024 NFL season.

Today during practice,  Caleb Williams once again laced a touchdown pass to Odunze, much like he did yesterday.  The throw highlighted here is yet another major example of how Williams continues to elevate this offense and the players within the offense in a way never seen before.

Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze. Get used to it, NFL pic.twitter.com/z6Zya277lF

— Chicago Football Connection (@CFCBears) July 30, 2024

Today’s touchdown pass to Odunze was nearly identical to the pass Odunze caught from Williams yesterday.

Greetings from Rome pic.twitter.com/70qV5BmXTV

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 30, 2024

No matter where you look, the Williams highlights are all over X (formerly twitter) and are signs of a QB that is practicing better than any of the previous Chicago Bears first round QBs drafted before him.  Even when Williams struggles, like he did on Saturday there seems to be an immediate bounce back the very next day.

Then today Williams put together a second practice that shows he’s continuing to grow within this offense.

It should come as no surprise though; Williams has been working within this offensive scheme since March when the Bears quietly started their offensive install with him even before drafting him.  From there Williams was able to hit the ground running and he’s been getting all of his receivers involved in making big plays.

Whether it’s been Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, Tyler Scott or the forgotten Velus Jones Jr, there seems to be a highlight reel catch by each one of his receivers that shows the Chicago Bears finally have their QB heading into the 2024 NFL season.  

Caleb Williams rolls out and hits Tyler Scott deep for a TD to win the 2 minute drill for the offense! pic.twitter.com/bIrrhzpltN

— Chicago Football Connection (@CFCBears) July 26, 2024

With Williams arrow pointing up the only question is where will Williams lead the Chicago Bears i 2024?  How high will Williams take the Bears in his first year?  It’s obvious he’s more comfortable as the QB than either Mitchell Trubisky or Justin Fields.

What’s also obvious is that the only thing holding the Chicago Bears back in 2023 was the QB spot.  Williams should come in and immediately be among the Top-16 QBs in the NFL, which is league average.  From there he has the opportunity to grow with an easy schedule that is favorable to his early development.  By the time the league games come around later in the season, Williams could be the difference between winning the North and going far in the playoffs or securing a wild card berth.

The post Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams continues to impress in a huge way with 2 touchdown passes to Rome Odunze in two days appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears 2024 offensive line is already of concern and the team isn’t even halfway through training camp.

The Chicago Bears offensive line is already dealing with problems that may affect how good the unit could be for the 2024 season.  Three areas of concern have already arisen and there may be signs of a shocking fourth problem emerging at an unexpected position.

Veteran right guard Nate Davis is already missing his second straight practice with a strained muscle.  Davis once again became unavailable when the Chicago Bears moved into pads.  Davis was out early in Saturday’s second practice in pads and missed all of yesterday and is missing Tuesday as well.  He has a history of missing practice from his time in Tennessee.  Last he was out due to a legitimate reason, but he seems to have found a way to game the system to missing practice this year.

With Davis out this has thrown the center competition into flux with Ryan Bates moving over to right guard and Connor Shelton manning the starting center spot.  If Bates moves to right guard full time the Chicago Bears are already running into depth concerns.

Elsewhere left tackle Braxton Jones is finally back at practice after missing four practices due to an undisclosed injury.  Jones is back at full speed but is practicing with a sleeve on his left calf.  Jones missed four games a year ago.

The comes the most shocking development of camp, Darnell Wright is struggling and isn’t practicing at the level that would be indicative of him taking the next important step in his development.

“For the third rep, Montez Sweat created instant pressure against Darnell Wright off the right edge, which forced Williams to step up in the pocket. Williams tried completing a pass to Keenan Allen, but the ball fell incomplete. Sweat is becoming a problem in these practices. Maybe ones the pads come on things will begin to even out.”

The reports across the web are Wright can’t handle Sweat off the edge at all.  This coincides with a lot of the struggles I saw from Wright a year ago in the games.  Wright is an excellent run blocker, but struggles mightily with speed on the edge.  He needs to get things figured out in a hurry because he’s supposed to take his game to the next level this year putting him amongst the best tackles in the NFL for 2024.

The most damning report of camp seems to be the constant issues with the cadence causing false starts up front.  There have been constant false start penalties plaguing the offensive line to the point it was a problem for two practices in a row.  This was also an issue noticed during the limited access at OTAs.   

Hopefully very soon the Bears can develop some cohesion with their offensive line.  Having four issues of concern this early in camp doesn’t bode well for the overall development of the offensive line as the season gets closer.  The most important aspect will be how the offensive line develops to protect Caleb Williams.

Without a cohesive offensive line it could lead to lapses in protection for Williams.  Teams will constantly look to exploit the protection with stunts, twists and creative blitzes.  These calls and adjustments are typically controlled by the center, and then relayed out to the tackles.  From there it’s up to the tackles to work well in space with speed and balance to keep pressure off of Williams.

Add to this Williams fumbling problems that he had while at USC and there’s a legitimate concern to the way things are going.

The good news however is the Chicago Bears still have over 30 practices to get things figured out before their season opener against the Tennessee Titans.  With any luck and stability things will be okay by the time the Chicago Bears’ games start to count for real.

The post Chicago Bears training camp updates: Offensive line is already a mess and they’re not even halfway through 2024 training camp appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears rookie defensive end Austin Booker may be the next Mark Anderson if he can continue to practice at the level he has been since OTAs.

Rookie defensive end Austin Booker is an exceptionally raw but extremely talented defensive end.  Booker did not play a lot of college football and is just starting to get comfortable with the game of football.  That being said he has exceptional tools that could lead to early success in his Bears career.

“There’s a lot of positives. I saw a lot of things I’m excited about. His hand usage, his ability to counter.” – #Bears DC Eric Washington on rookie Austin Booker.

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) July 23, 2024

Eric Washington is the new defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, and formerly is a defensive line coach.  So when it comes to knowing the players on the defensive line, it’s his specialty.   Austin Booker making headlines this early in training camp is a promising development because he has natural gifts you can’t coach.   At the NFL combine Austin Booker measured a stout 6-foot-4 1/2 with a 33- and 7/8-inch arm length which is exceptional for a defensive end.  He also clocked a solid 4.78 40-yard dash, which may not be elite for a defensive end, but it is a solid time for his position.

Add to it, on tape you can see the natural strength and frame and body to develop into a more physically imposing player that Austin Booker has.  It may sound silly, but some players are just gifted with a different body type that more easily carries and develops muscle mass.  Austin Booker is that type of raw strength athlete.

The exciting thing however are the reports of his hand usage and counter moves which he seems to be developing early on.  This is not to say that Booker will come in and be an immediate starter and supplant a veteran, but he could definitely fit in as a pass rushing specialist and earn snaps the same Mark Anderson did as a rookie fifth round pick in 2006.

Anderson came in behind established veterans Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown and racked up 12 sacks as a rookie.  That contribution helped the overall success of the 2006 Chicago Bears defense and helped lead them to the Super Bowl.

Now there’s absolutely no way of telling if Booker will be THAT GOOD, and there will a lot more exposed about him once the pads come on, on Friday.  But the key will be Booker carving himself out a role similar to what Anderson had, not necessarily matching the production of Anderson.

Austin Booker has already been rotating in with the first team on defense showing early ability according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.  Washington added more to it about the Bears will know more about Booker after a few padded practices:

”

“The first day (in pads) won’t make or break that,” Washington said. “It’s been a long time since this group has played tackle football. But after the first two or three practices, I’ll have a pretty good sense of where the group is. And also, we can identify where need to kind of grow and who needs what specific work and what we need to focus and hone on in terms of trying to develop the depth.

“So, I’m not making any absolute statements after the first two or three days, but what we want to do is just make sure we know what we need to do as a staff to develop the depth that we believe we have. If they’re here, there’s a reason why they’re here.”

Biggs then added some personal opinion on what he’s seen early on from Booker as well:

“Austin Booker was rotated through with the first team a little on Tuesday as well, and the speed and ability to turn the corner is evident. He lacks some stoutness at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, but you can find a role for a twitched-up edge rusher with a quick first step in this scheme, especially on passing downs.”

Sometimes if a guy has one gear and that gear is speed he can easily translate speed to power which in turn opens up a lot of options for the young defensive end.

The post Chicago Bears 2024 training camp update: Defensive end Austin Booker has been impressive early on, will it continue one they start practicing in pads? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

One of the biggest critics of Justin Fields came away with Caleb Williams on day three of the 2024 Chicago Bears training camp.

Justin Fields’ biggest problem is early in his career he set the tone of failure that would follow him for the three years he started for the Chicago Bears.  Very early on it was obvious that Justin Fields was going to need to grow up very fast as QB of the Chicago Bears.  Some in the Chicago Bears media recognized this very quickly and took on the truth telling role that Justin Fields probably wasn’t the guy, and that morphed to a very obvious case that he wasn’t going to work out.

One of Justin Fields’ biggest critics was Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune who compiled a list of problems and shortcomings that plagued Justin Fields and ultimately led to his demise in Chicago.

That being said would Wiederer take a wait and see approach with new Bears QB Caleb Williams, or would it become obvious that Williams is on another level than Justin Fields?   It seems we have an early answer.

Caleb Williams still has a loooong way to go to become a top-tier NFL QB. But man oh man oh man, some of the “QB feel” stuff he shows … yep. It’s in there. Special is in there.

— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) July 22, 2024

It’s becoming evident early on that Caleb Williams is a more naturally gifted QB than Justin Fields.  There are things that even his teammates are saying that are making it obvious that Williams is on another level than Justin Fields.  Caleb Williams is better with his timing on throws and has a better feel in the pocket.  Both are allowing DJ Moore and Teven Jenkins to play better at receiver and offensive guard.

Jenkins with his most recent feedback on the difference in the pocket between Williams and Fields is obvious to everyone in this training camp report:  

The post Caleb Williams earns high praise from one of Justin Fields’ biggest critics on day 3 of Chicago Bears camp appeared first on ChiCitySports.

One of the thorough analytical football minds just came out with his 2024 NFL wide receivers rankings and he has the Chicago Bears among the best in the NFL.

Warren Sharp of Sharp Football has long been known for his unique spin of football analytics and his thorough watching of film to get to his analysis.  Today he came out with his pre-season wide receiver rankings and with the additions of Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze the Bears went from one of the worst units in 2023 to a top-3 unit in 2024.

best receiving corps in 2024:

1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Chicago Bears
4. Miami Dolphins
5. Houston Texans
6. Seattle Seahawks
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Minnesota Vikings
9. Los Angeles Rams
10. Detroit Lions
11. Green Bay Packers
11. Tennessee Titans
13.…

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 22, 2024

It should come as no surprise given that Allen and DJ Moore have consistently gone for over 1,000 yards throughout their careers.  Moore had a career high in yards last year, and Allen has been one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL since his arrival.

Toss in rookie Rome Odunze and the Chicago Bears have one of the most complete and well-balanced groups of receivers in the NFL.  Allen brings experience, and consistency, Moore brings breakaway speed and tackle breaking ability like a running back, and Odunze is a tall down the field threat who can high point the ball over DBs.

There’s little doubt that this is one of the best receiving cores the Chicago Bears have had in the history of the franchise.  The closest group to is would be in 2015 when the Bears had Alshon Jeffery Brandon Marshall and Earl Bennett.  But Bennett is nowhere near as good as what Odunze projects to be.  So the advantage goes to the potential of Odunze vs. Bennett being a decent consistent #3 guy.

With Odunze he is expected to finish his career as the best WR in the history of the Chicago Bears.  For now he rounds out the top-3 group and gives rookie QB a variety of options to throw to.  With any luck  the Bears will be able to ride this unit deep into the 2024 NFL playoffs.

The post Chicago Bears listed as one of the top WR groups in the NFL for 2024 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Keenan Allen has been extremely complimentary with a Chicago Bears rookie through day 2 of training camp, saying that the rookie is better than he is.

Keenan Allen wasted no time in dishing out a compliment to Chicago Bears first year wide receiver Rome Odunze stating that Odunze is better than he was when he came into the NFL.

Keenan Allen says Rome Odunze is better than he was when he came into the League

“He’s faster, he comes out of his breaks better…he looks more polished than a was as a receiver.”

pic.twitter.com/y0d0W3KI8b

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 21, 2024

Odunze has already been compared by former NFL wide receiver TJ Houshmanzahda to Larry Fitzgerald and he continues to receiver high praise from coaches and teammates alike.

Rome Odunze could be the best Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver ever drafted.  Couple that with Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears have a dynamic passing threat the likes they’ve never seen.

Odunze is big, he’s fast and he has a unique ability to win on 50-50 balls, basically he won 80-percent of the contested catches (50-50 balls in college) showing an exceptional ability to go up and high point the pass over a defender.

Couple that with the route running praise from Keenan Allen and it’s easy to see why Bears GM Ryan Poles was eager to try and trade up for Rome Odunze.  While most Bears fans had their eye on a possibly landing Malik Nabers, Odunze was likely graded higher on the board than Nabers.

The best part for Rome Odunze is he doesn’t face a high level or pressure to be the number one guy in his first year.  Odunze doesn’t have to come in and bolster the abilities of Caleb Williams.  He just needs to come and make plays when he’s called upon because the clutch plays will be more focused towards the veterans like Allen and DJ Moore.

The post Keenan Allen has high praise for rookie on day 2 of Chicago Bears training camp appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Caleb Williams is already proving that he’s a dynamic passer in his best throw of the day during Bears Camp Day 2.

Caleb Williams has been earning high praise two days into the Chicago Bears 2024 training camp.  He made his best throw of the day to second year wide receiver Tyler Scott.  The ball was a perfectly placed over the shoulder throw that highlights Williams’ accuracy and arm strength.

Caleb Williams’ best moment of practice this morning came as he hit Tyler Scott in stride with a dime downfield. (: @ChicagoBears) pic.twitter.com/0rNuy2CBLZ

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) July 21, 2024

While the throw came only in seven-on-seven action it represents one of many well placed accurate down the field throws that Williams has been making since arriving in Chicago. Caleb Williams has consistently earned high praise from DJ Moore about he timing and ball placement accuracy.

Earlier Shane Waldron praised Williams for how far he’s coming since OTAs.  Waldron praised Williams for “being a step ahead of where he was after OTAs.”  Williams has been focus on growth even when he can’t be practicing.  He’s owned the huddle and showed command when calling plays.   A high comfort level with calling plays is  going to be important in his development as training camp progresses.

There will be the expected growing pains for Williams but there seems to be an overwhelming sense of consistency from the media reports.  The talk already is that Williams looks better than any of the past two rookie QBs, that were here.  Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields always seemed to have success, but could never string together a high level of consistency.

Trubisky and Fields might have one or two good practices, but then would revert back to a consistent set of struggling to build upon any success that they have had.  Caleb Williams thus far hasn’t had that problem according to multiple reports.

With Caleb Williams early growth and consistency it seems that he could finally be the quarterback to elevate the Chicago Bears.  There is quite a big difference between a QB you can with with, and a QB you can win because of.

If the Chicago Bears finally have the QB that they can win because of the 2024 Chicago Bears training camp will beginning of something special.  Something never seen before in the history of the franchise that has the Bears consistently competing for playoff spots and a chance at going to the Super Bowl every year instead of hopefully making the playoffs, or constantly having a losing record or lumping together mediocre seasons at best.

The post Watch: Caleb Williams Drops a Dime to Tyler Scott on Bears Camp Day 2 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears offensive guard Teven Jenkins has shown he can play at a high level, but he hasn’t been able to remain healthy for a full season since being drafted in the second round.  As Jenkins heads into the final year of his contract is he in danger of being not being brought back?

With news this week that Teven Jenkins has communicated to the Chicago Bears that he would like to sign an extension and that his efforts have been completely rebuffed it seems clear that he will not remain in Chicago.

Teven Jenkins has been the most consistent offensive lineman since he was drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft.  He’s consistently played well,  and his nasty blocking has set the tone for the rest of the offensive line.  He’s quietly been the best even though he’s been injury prone in each one of his seasons.

#Bears LG Teven Jenkins among all guards in 2023:

• 72.6 PFF grade (15th)
• 85.7 zone-run grade (5th)
• 71.7 total run grade (14th)
• 11 hurries (T-2nd fewest for OGs with 11+ starts)
• 17 pressures (T-3rd fewest)

All while switching positions midseason. He's legit. pic.twitter.com/wVW5nWiEM9

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) June 7, 2024

His injury history is well known and it’s prevented him for achieving the level of play expected of him.  That injury history may be ultimately leads him to not be brought back in free agency.  Jenkins however deserves an extension because he is on the field consistently for OTAs and training camp whereas Nate Davis continues to miss all of the aspects of the off-season workouts.

When Ryan Poles arrive his consistent mantra was that he wanted players who loved ball who were excited for practice.  Jenkins has consistently shown that whereas Davis has a long history in Tennessee and Chicago of not of not being on the field.

What will it take for Teven Jenkins to earn a well-deserved contract extension?  It seems that he’ll have to play like one of the best five offensive guards in the NFL earning a Pro Bowl nod for his play if not outright All-Pro recognition.

Teven Jenkins using a 'jump hook' technique to secure the reach frontside & bringing out Earl Gray to finish before making a heads up play to take a hit off Fields on the TD pass. pic.twitter.com/YPem0whCdJ

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) November 21, 2023

It’s safe to wonder has shown inconsistency with players who actually do what he wants them to do.

So what is most likely to happen with Teven Jenkins?  The likely outcome is Jenkins will be replaced by Ryan Bates.  It’s not hard to imagine Coleman Shelton being the starting center this year, with Bates as a backup swing offensive lineman at offensive tackle, and offensive guard with his future eventually being at left guard.

Poles has had a man crush on Bates for quite some time, he tried to sign him in free agency and then traded a fifth-round pick for him two years later.  Now with Bates here, and with his versatility it’s not hard to see that the writing is on the wall for Jenkins.  The likelihood that he’ll be here in Chicago beyond the 2024 season is slim.

It’s a complete slap in the face to Teven Jenkins because when healthy he has been the epitome of what Poles has wanted from his offensive linemen.  He plays hard, he plays with a chip on his shoulder and is one of the most physically dominant offensive guards in the NFL.

Now the question becomes will Jenkins even want to remain with the Chicago Bears with everything that he’s doing right?  He’s not being rewarded for the type of player that Poles wants and one could argue he’s being completely undermined in the process.

While Poles has done a good job of bringing the Chicago Bears along and improving the roster over the past three off-seasons, he shouldn’t be so callously arrogant with Jenkins as he was when he arrived in Chicago.  Jenkins was supposed to be the starting left tackle, and then the starting right tackle and then he was moved to right guard and finally to left guard.  All the while he never once complained about not being able to settle into a position the long term.  Instead, he went and performed at a high level regardless of position.

Now it wouldn’t come as a shock to see Teven Jenkins leave the Chicago Bears, catch on with a team that appreciates what he’s done and then develop into an even better and healthier player that dominates for years to come.  Poles must avoid creating a chemistry problem along the offensive line by letting Teven Jenkins leave.

The post Will Teven Jenkins have to perform like a Top-5 offensive guard to remain with the Chicago Bears? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears wrapped up their three-day minicamp at Halas Hall on Thursday and with it come high expectations for the 2024 season led by new QB Caleb Williams.

The next time you see your 2024 Chicago Bears will be for the start of training camp up at Halas Hall.  The new look offense will be led by rookie QB Caleb Williams who is burgeoning with excitement about how good the offense will be.

Caleb Williams: "Right now, we’re working with our head down and we’re building. Just having that moment with myself – I do it every day – as I sit there and say, ‘We’re going to be pretty damn good.’ We just got to keep working, keep going."

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) June 6, 2024

The excitement surrounding your 2024 Chicago Bears is beginning to build and rightfully so considering the progress Williams is making.  It’s not only the progress Williams is showing it’s the chemistry with the multitude of weapons he has at his disposal.  Vested veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen will team with returning veterans Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett to boost the Chicago Bears offense to levels of talent never seen before in Chicago.

There is little doubt that the big plays made by first round pick WR Rome Odunze adds a dimension to the Bears offense not seen since Alshon Jeffery racked up over 1,400 yards and double-digit touchdowns over two years.

Who’s a player that impressed head coach Matt Eberflus over this mini camp, rookie or vet?

Rome Odunze.

Both these top 10 selections for the #Bears keep getting rave reviews. The excitement is real. pic.twitter.com/LEeJtucSQq

— Sky Kruse (@KruseSports_) June 6, 2024

Odunze has the speed to win down the field to go with a 6-foot-3 215-pound frame.  What impressive though is how he’s already a master at subtle skills that will help him immediately in in the NFL.  Odunze has what you in scouting circles is known as late hands, that being he will run full speed and bring up his hands to catch the ball at only the last possible second.  This skill makes it hard for the DB to watch Odunze’s hands and then try to time when to reach to make a play on the football.  It’s a very well-developed skill that will help boost Caleb Williams’ rookie production eve more.

“Late Hands”

I spoke on Rome Odunze having this elite trait, here is the most dramatic example you’ll find.

Left: 88 Has his hands up damn near his entire route

Right: Rome doesn’t put his hands up for the ball till the LAST second pic.twitter.com/QUGVFzHRyT

— Sadeek (@SadeekNextWave) May 10, 2024

It’s clear that the Chicago Bears will be able to challenge the middle of the field with Moore and Allen, but having Odunze as the outside threat to balance out the entire scope of the passing game will as Williams stated make the offense “pretty damn good.”

The post Caleb Williams predicts of the Chicago Bears offense “We’re gonna be pretty damn good” appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears took the 2024 NFL Draft by storm and completely flipped the narrative of over 100 years of Windy City football culture.

Ryan Poles is firmly in charge and has set the tone for the Chicago Bears for the 2024 NFL season and beyond in one night.  The Chicago Bears have flipped the script completely and are now a team poised to compete for Super Bowl titles on an annual basis and it’s long overdue.

The Chicago Bears, led by Ryan Poles completely changed the culture of the franchise in one night with two draft picks.  The hope is the Bears have found their Montana to Rice combination that can lead them to multiple Super Bowl championships and the excitement of this development is palpable.

Caleb Williams is the primary tone setter for the Chicago Bears, a franchise QB for the ages and it’s a completely different change than the last two first round draft picks of Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields.

Both Trubisky and Fields were drafted to supplement what the Chicago Bears already had in place.  Fields and Trubisky were supposed to come in and do just enough to help push an tenacious defense over the top.  Trubisky and Fields were the missing pieces that were supposed to supplement what was already in place.  Trubisky came in with a loaded defense and a supportive running game and then the biggest added piece was a trade for Khalil Mack.  The Chicago Bears were still focused on winning with defense.

Then with Justin Fields, it was up to him to pick up the pieces and do what Trubisky couldn’t do.  Again, the focus was on the defense with Mack, Akiem Hicks and Robert Quinn.  The quarterback was supposed to be supplemental to the Chicago Bears success, not the catalyst of the Chicago Bears success.

Then in one fell swoop, Ryan Poles completely changed the tradition of run the ball and play defense to win championships.  A losing philosophy that’s never been the major reason behind winning Super Bowls.  What’s won Super Bowls has and will always be Hall of Fam caliber QBs. Of the 58 Super Bowl games played only 13 of those games have been won by QBs not in the Hall of Fame.  Most of the rest who are currently playing will likely one day be in the Hall of Fame (i.e. Tom Brady Patrick Mahomes Eli Manning Ben Roethleisberger).

The Bears shook off years of having Hall of Famers at running back and on defense to finally move the needle towards the offense with the selections of Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze.  Williams and Odunze push the Bears into the level of offensive football that has been missing from this team for generations.

The Chicago Bears have never had a consistent threat at wide receiver.  They’ve had good players, Marty Booker Brandon Marshall Alshon Jeffery, and Allen Robinson but their career fourth leading WR of all-time is Walter Payton.  There has never been a philosophical focus on the passing game and the will to win with the passing game like they have now.

Certainly, defense is important, but the defense is supposed to be supplemental to the offense not the other way around.  The Bears finally seem to have gotten that right not only because of Williams and Odunze but because they added DJ Moore and they traded for Keenan Allen.  Showing that anything that they do will be with the idea of supporting the QB rather than trying to revive the 1985 Chicago Bears defense.

The defense was the focus the past two years, as the Bears added Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson Zaach Pickens, Gervon Dexter and free agents.  So now the offense needed the attention and needed to get younger.  Adding Rome Odunze gives the Chicago Bears depth at the wide receiver position.  So if Keenan Allen or DJ Moore gets hurt, the rookie can be ready to step in and play in place of the veterans.

It gives them quiet leverage in contract extension negotiations with Keenan Allen because Allen will need the Bears more than the Bears need him.  The likelihood that a team will want to spend big money on a 33-year-old receiver in 2025 if Allen wants to test the market is almost non-existent.  The Bears can get by without Allen if he chooses to walk and not risk taking away a weapon from their rookie QB.

The Chicago Bears are finally changing the foundation to a team that wants to win because of their offense lead by a franchise QB.  They’re not supplementing their team with a QB and that’s the primary difference in what happened last night.  The priority is to win because of quarterback Caleb Williams, not use Williams to supplement winning with the defense.

The post The Chicago Bears are no longer the Monsters of the Midway, a team that focuses on defense and running the football appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Florida State defensive end was the early odds-on favorite to land with the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft, is that still the case?

Jared Verse is a long, strong and athletic defensive end from Florida State who fits the profile of an every down base 4-3 defensive end that could have tremendous success in the NFL.  But is he a classic case of looks like Tarzan plays like Jane?  Jared Verse was not a consistently productive pass rusher and it shows up on tape why that is.

The case for Jared Verse to be the next defensive end of the Chicago Bears

Jared Verse like Dallas Turner is a tremendous athlete who goes 6-foot-4 254-pounds.  When you put the film on   of Jared Verse you can see he looks like the most dominant player on the field.  He is lanky but he is filled out with muscle throughout his body.  When you draw up a future base 4-3 defensive end, Jared Verse fits the mold of that ideal player.  You can see that he has speed, he has strength and could possibly dominate in the NFL.

He has speed to take the edge and get consistent pressure when his motor it turned all the way on and he’s motivated.  He’s very strong a good bull rusher to attack the chest plate of the offensive tackle and put him on skates.  His big strong hands will be useful in the NFL to jolt opposing blockers in both the run game and the pass rush sequences.

He glides with ease because he is so lanky his long stride cover ground very quickly as a result of his long athleticism.  You can see the makings of a tremendous player based on how he looks compared to the players around him and other athletes in the class.

But why doesn’t his production match the skill set he possesses?

A clear case against drafting Jared Verse emerges when you watch his tape with a critical eye.

Jared Verse is a illusionary prospect who looks like he should be dominating games from start to finish, and yet he rarely does.  Jared Verse cruised along with 4.5 sacks over the entirety of the season until finishing with a flurry of 4.5 sacks in two games.  But it’s every game in between that matters than the two games where he overwhelmed much lesser opponents.

To be blunt Jared Verse did not seem motivated to be dominant.  He took plays off, he snap explosion was not always the same.  Sometimes he exploded of the ball, other times he was the last one off the ball.  Whether it was because he was tired or just flat out not motivated, it was painfully obvious he wasn’t giving effort play in and play out.

Not giving consistent effort in the NFL will be a big problem for Verse as NFL level offensive tackles will take advantage of that lackadaisical effort and expose it to their advantage.  He doesn’t win enough battles with his tremendous athleticism.  It alwyays seem like Jared Verse is accidentally working his way into a sack or a pressure.

It never seems like he is cleanly beating a block when he should be.  When a player has such natural athletic gifts the way Jared Verse does you would expect him to jump off the film more consistently.  You just don’t see that type of ability on a consistent basis with Jared Verse.

There are tremendous flashes of power, when he is tuned all the way up, but it’s a wonder to think if he can remain motivated throughout the game if he’s not having success early.

To summarize Jared Verse, he is a classic boom or bust prospect

Jared Verse will be drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft because he has such tremendous natural ability.  You can see all of the hallmarks of a dominant player.  Add to it the general ego of NFL coaches who see that high level of talent and they think to themselves I can be the one to unlock his full potential.  But is that the risk the Chicago Bears want to take with a player in the Top-10?

What Jared Verse offers for the Chicago Bears is likely an ideal target in a trade back scenario.  But just as ideal is the fact that high level pass rushers don’t tend to last long in the NFL Draft and if Dallas Turner goes off the board early, Verse is almost certain to follow with another team.

There are good things and bad things about Jared Verse and I won’t begrudge any NFL team that drafts him early and thinks they can turn him into a dominant Top-10 pass rusher in the NFL.  He has plenty of high level enticing qualities that may be too much for a team to pass up.

But for me, when I see Jared Verse, I can’t help but wonder if he’s totally worth the risk.

The post Chicago Bears 2024 NFL Draft argument Florida State defensive end Jared Verse appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Alabama defensive end Dallas Turner may actually an elite pass rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft and if the Chicago Bears want to primarily build up their defense he could be their guy at ninth overall.

I may have to eat a bit of crow from an earlier article I barely wrote 24 hours ago.  Either I’m delusional as I’m nearing my bedtime or I’ve been wrong all along about Dallas Turner defensive end from Alabama.

So, I decided to plop down and watch some tape on Alabama defensive end, I watched his pass rush sequences against Texas, Georgia and Texas A&M.  By the time I got to his game against the Aggies I convinced myself pretty quickly that Dallas Turner may be the most athletically gifted pass rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The case for Dallas Turner at ninth overall may be crystal clear:

Dallas Turner looks like the quickest, smoothest and most tenacious pass rusher I’ve seen in the 2024 NFL Draft.  He’s better than either Laiatu Latu and Jared Verse.  When you pop on the Georgia tape you see he’s a player that’s clearly dominating the game and Georgia had no answer for him off the edge.  The Bulldogs left him single blocked and he basically ran over around and through left tackle Earnest Greene.  In fairness to Greene he was starting as a redshirt freshman so you would expect him to completely overwhelmed by a player of Turner’s caliber.

That being said Texas pretty much double teamed and or chipped Turner throughout their game and weren’t going to let him near quarterback Quinn Ewers.  Dallas Turner didn’t seem at all phased by it and still fought his ass off in both the passing game and in run defense situations.  He has a clear non-stop motor and will chase down players down the field giving near total effort along the way.

Adding to his ability Turner wins with leverage and power in his hands which is unique for a 6-foot-3 247-pound defensive end.  He will get his hands under the pads of the blocker and drive the back into the QB.  He consistently can win with a one hand stab move or stack and shed the blocker with both hands.  Dallas Turner never seems lost and always seems to know where the ball is and where he needs to go, to get the football.  He has a variety of different pass rush moves and utilizes those moves in combination to get to the QB.

His pursuit of the QB is relentless, even if he’s not going to make the play he’s still going to be a guy who gets some pressure and disrupts the play with his effort.  He consistently made the QB move off of his spot even if he wasn’t getting a clear path.  Oftentimes getting to the QB and causing consistent pressure can be as good as a sack because it will result in a negative play if that QB can’t reset his feet properly and make a good throw.

That’s what you see with Turner a relentless perhaps even reckless effort to get to the QB.

So, you want me to find weaknesses in Dallas Turner’s game?

I’ll be honest I’m hard pressed to do so.  He’s only 247-pounds but he’s hardly filled out and could add more weight, which means he could wind up like Terrell Suggs did, in the 260-pound range.  If he’s sleight of frame it’s not really noticeable.  You could argue he’s not the ideal prospect and needs some refinement to his game with some of his hand fighting skills, but he’s such a naturally gifted athlete with long arms and 4.46 speed in the 40-yard dash plus 34- and 3/8-inch arms (longer than Fashanu at 6-6) what he lacks will be made up for with good coaching.

Closing Argument

If Ryan Pole determines adding an edge rusher to compliment Montez Sweat is the priority and adding speed off the edge is the priority the Chicago Bears will draft Dallas Turner in the 2024 NFL Draft.  I honestly can’t imagine he’ll get to the ninth pick and will be there for the Atlanta Falcons who desperately need a difference maker on defense.  There’s absolutely no way you can be disappointed if Dallas Turner is the pick at nine.

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Different mock drafts have different opinions on different players for the Chicago Bears at the ninth overall selection.  One of those players that might be on the board with the Chicago Bears second first round pick Olumuyiwa Fashanu.

The Chicago Bears are taking a Caleb Williams first overall, but one of the biggest mysteries is what the Bears will do with the ninth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.  There’s a case that the Bears could go a multitude of players or even trade down.

Daniel Jeremiah’s final mock draft has the Chicago Bears taking Olumuyiwa Fashanu offensive tackle from Penn State.

The case for Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu:

Olumuyiwa Fashanu is a very good athlete at the offensive tackle position.  What stands out immediately when you watch him on film is his how quick, nimble and athletic he is on his feet.  At the 2024 NFL Combine Olumuyiwa Fashanu measured 6-foot-6 312-pound with 34-inch arms.  All of which are nearly ideal for an offensive tackle.  There is no stiffness in his movement, he’s a very smooth player and seems like he’s in complete control in pass protection.  He is the proverbial “Dancing Bear” type of offensive tackle that looks like he could easily lock down the left tackle position for the next 10 to 12 years.

Watching the tape against Ohio State you can see how the game appears to be very easy for him against high level competition.  There wasn’t any point in the game where he looked overwhelmed by the moment.

The case against Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu:

Ryan Poles values a nasty streak in his offensive lineman a guy who can set the tone and dominate the rushers across from him in a physical manner.  Olumuyiwa Fashanu doesn’t have that type of warrior spirit of punishing guys the same way Teven Jenkins and Darnell Wright have done for the Chicago Bears.  Jenkins especially has established himself as a street fighter who takes pride in playing through the echo of the whistle.

Olumuyiwa Fashanu is not that type of player, he relies more on finesse and his athleticism to win.  Olumuyiwa Fashanu is not a violent player with either his punch in pass protection or as a run blocker in the run game.  He doesn’t latch onto players and drive them out of the hole in the run game.

Overall:

If the Chicago Bears are hell bent on drafting an offensive tackle at ninth overall, they could do much worse than Olumuyiwa Fashanu.  He is a very good prospect who falls into the natural athlete category of offensive tackles.  Braxton Jones is in the same mold as Olumuyiwa Fashanu, but Fashanu looks more natural at the position than what you see from Fashanu on tape.

If the Chicago Bears do decide to secure a more naturally gifted player Fashanu could be that guy.  The type of pure movement offensive tackle that Fashanu represents don’t come around very often and he would to be a good fit for the Chicago Bears in the ninth overall slot of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Bears aren’t in absolute need of replacing Braxton Jones as the starting left tackle, but if Ryan Poles comes to the conclusion that Olumuyiwa Fashanu is the best option, it should be easy for Bears fans to accept that.  He’s an overall smooth player who has the look and feel of a naturally gifted left tackle that could lock down the position for years to come.  This is a pick that could go either way, but it’s not hard to see why he’s a legitimate possibility for the Chicago Bears at the ninth overall spot.  Natural fluid athletes at the position don’t come around very often and he checks those boxes with ease.

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A report this morning has the Chicago Bears down to two positions (players?) for the ninth overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The 2024 NFL Draft is less than 36 hours away and there are reports that the Chicago Bears are down to two positions for the ninth overall selection, defensive end and wide receiver.  According to report from CBSSports the Bears are down to drafting one of the two receivers likely to be left on the board after Marvin Harrison Jr goes in the top-5.

Sources around the league seem to believe the Chicago Bears will go one of two ways with the No. 9 pick: pass rusher or wide receiver.

The Bears sent a fourth-round pick to L.A. to get Keenan Allen in the offseason, but he’s 32 this season with one year left on his deal. I sent Chicago Rome Odunze in my mock with the thought Allen is a one-year veteran rental to lead the wide receiver room in a crucial Caleb Williams rookie year. Also, the Bears have been very serious about commitment under president Kevin Warren. I could see Chicago taking a receiver at No. 9 to prove to Williams and the rest of the league how serious the Bears are about this offense. Remember, they locked up offensive coordinator Shane Waldron with lightning speed in the offseason.

Other sources have pointed out the Bears could use the pick on a pass rusher to take some pressure off Montez Sweat. It’s a good idea, and it makes roster-composition sense. But the Bears sent a second-round pick to Washington for Sweat (and then paid him) because they didn’t anticipate strong options in free agency or the draft this year.

And like so many teams in this draft, a trade down is always possible.

That would leave the Bears with the chance to draft either wide receivers Malike Nabers from LSU or Rome Odunze from Washington.  Either one would be the best option for Caleb Williams to pair with for the next eight to ten years.

Williams was already seen playing catch with Odunze in Detroit after the two flew in together on the same plane for the 2024 NFL Draft show.  Pairing Williams with Odunze would be an absolute dream scenario.  By almost all accounts Malike Nabers will be off the board by the time the Chicago Bears pick at nine.

That would leave the 6-foot-3 target from Seattle as the next best option for the Chicago Bears and the option most fans would be satisfied with.  The Chicago Bears need to show they are dedicated to building up their offense after investing so many early round picks on defense the first two NFL Drafts of Ryan Poles’ Chicago Bears GM tenure.

The second player option that has become the betting favorite is one of the pass rushers on the board.  The question is which one?

Drafting an edge rusher at nine would be a huge mistake in the 2024 NFL draft

For starters there’s not an elite pass rusher available in the 2024 NFL Draft, There’s not even a consensus on who the best edge rusher is.  Alabama’s Dallas Turner is 6-foot-3 247-pounds, and that projects more like a 3-4 outside linebacker than a base 4-3 defensive end.  Florida State’s Jared Verse doesn’t show a lot of speed off the edge and gets by, by bullying younger and inexperienced players with his power move.  Verse also didn’t have the best consistency or production despite being consider a top prospect for all of the 2023 college football season.

Then you come to Laiatu Latu who reportedly had fusion surgery on vertebrae in his neck.  Some teams cleared him medically while others took him off their draft boards entirely.  Latu missed two full seasons at Washington before transferring to UCLA and having his breakout 13 sack season.  Do you want to risk a Top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft on a player who may only last in the league five years on the high end of some estimates?

The best scenario is a wide receiver at nine or trade back scenario in which a QB falls and then there’s a team that wants to move up.  The value in the Top-10 is on the offensive side of the ball and the Chicago Bears need to show once and for all that they are dedicated to building up their offense.  They will have their first true franchise QB and they need to do everything they can to support him.

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Chicago Bears veterans met with Caleb Williams in an uncommon manner when the Chicago Bears GM sent him out to dinner with what would be his future teammates.

It’s not every day you hear about a NFL general manager sending a potential draft pick out with his future veteran teammates to have them gauge what kind of player he is.  That’s exactly what Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles did, he sent Caleb Williams out to dinner with his core group of veteran leaders to judge the character and personality of the player that will likely be the next QB of the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears had Williams in on a Top-30 visit and he was the only QB the Bears brought in on a Top-30 visit which basically tells you everything you need to know about the likelihood that they’ll take Williams.  But what was unconventional was using the veterans to find out what type of football character and personality Williams has and how will he fit in as the leader of the Chicago Bears.

The feedback that came from the visit was nothing but positive and even further cements Williams status as the Chicago Bears’ next QB.

At Ryan Poles’ predraft press conference he talked about Caleb Williams’ 30 visit and the dinner Williams had with veteran Bears players. Here’s the feedback he got from them about Williams: pic.twitter.com/qHZ9HTknbU

— Colleen Kane (@ChiTribKane) April 23, 2024

There was a lot of concern about Willliams’ personality given some of the social media posts and other rumors going around about his social life.  A lot of it was overblown considering we’ve seen Joe Namath wearing fur coats and pantyhose in the 1970s.  But the Bears made sure that Caleb Williams would be an astute football mind and he passed with flying colors.

Additionally, Caleb Williams has impressed Ryan Poles at every turn with a lot of the discussion about his goals.  He wants to focus his career on catching Tom Brady and his seven Super Bowl titles.  While some may see that as arrogant, it’s important to note how Poles reacted to such lofty expectations.

Ryan Poles loves hearing Caleb Williams discuss his lofty aspirations in the NFL: "I think we all should have huge goals. We have huge goals here — winning multiple championships. That’s what you should shoot for."

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) April 23, 2024

The Bears need to support Caleb Williams by building the best possible offense around him that they can from the very beginning.  That means hopefully adding another young versatile weapon in the 2024 NFL Draft.  Williams has set the standard and now it will be up to him to work hard to develop himself as a player, prove himself as a leader to reach such loft expectations.

This is why it’s been great to see Keenan Allen and DJ Moore already working in small ways with Caleb Williams.  Allen showed up for Williams Pro Day at USC.  This was an easy move given that Allen lives in Los Angeles and was playing with the Chargers.  That in and of itself was a major statement by the veteran wide receiver.  Then there are reports that the Bears have already given Caleb Williams the playbook and he’s been working on offensive scheme installation on his own.

This all could mean that Caleb Williams could be light years ahead of the game when rookie mini-camp kicks off.  Hopefully Williams has a top line target to throw to in camp so that they can begin developing a chemistry that can carry them deep into the playoffs in 2024.

By all accounts he moved the needle with the Chicago Bears’ most important players and in year one he can hopefully lead this team to the playoffs.  The Chicago Bears are built for getting to the playoffs in 2024.  The NFC is ripe for the taking in 2024 and it may only need an elite QB to grab it by throat and lead his team on a deep playoff run.

Williams will have to let his actions back up his words, but it seems that there is little doubt from everyone that Williams has done that from the very beginning and will continue to do so for a long time to come with the Chicago Bears.

The post The unique way the Chicago Bears settled on draft Caleb Williams first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft appeared first on ChiCitySports.

By now most everyone knows that the Chicago Bears are going to draft Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the debate and speculation centers on what they’ll do with the ninth overall pick and there’s not a consensus on what they should do.

The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off tomorrow with the Chicago Bears having two first round draft picks, the first of which will be used on Caleb Williams.  The second of which is still up for debate on what they should do and yet the answer is simple, the Bears need to get younger on offense.

The Chicago Bears have invested most of their most valuable draft capital the past two years on defense, with only Darnell Wright being a draft pick of consequence on the offensive side of the ball.  The defense has received the most attention with Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson Gervon Dexter and Zaach Pickens all being drafted with second and third round picks over the last two draft cycles.  The focus for the 2024 NFL Draft now needs to shift to getting younger and more talented on offense.

Regardless of whether or not the Chicago Bears trade up, stand pat or trade back, there is not truly a player on defense they should focus on.  Byron Murphy simply isn’t good enough to invest a Top-10 draft pick in and there’s not a Top-10 quality defensive end or even a consensus on who the best DE is in the 2024 NFL Draft.  So with that in mind the Bears need to upgrade the young weapons around Caleb Williams.

The first player under consideration, would be a wide receiver as the top-3 receivers in the draft would make perfect additions.  You can easily make a case for the Bears to move up to grab Marvin Harrison Jr, or they could stand pat and hope that Rome Odunze falls to them at nine.  The best-case scenario is that all of the hype surrounding the QBs leads to teams wanting to trade up into the Top-10 to grab one of six possible first round QBs.  From there you hope that maybe a team values tight end Brock Bowers highly enough that he goes ahead of Odunze or perhaps Nabers.

If Bears opt to choose to trade down from nine adding one of the of building block developmental offensive tackles may also be a good idea.  It’s also no secret that the most talented players in this draft are on the offensive side of the ball.  In addition to QB, wide receiver, offensive line have a plethora of options that would make sense if the Bears able to add a second-round pick in a trade down scenario.

The future of the offense needs to be the focus of Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles primarily to get younger.  The Bears do have talented players on offense and have invested in the offense through trade and free agency, but it’ doesn’t have the young core that the defense has.  It will be of the utmost of importance with this deeply talented offensive 2024 NFL draft to add additional young and talented pieces.

Wide receivers that might be under consideration in the later part of the first round of the 2024 NFL draft could be receivers Adonai Mitchell from Texas, Brian Thomas Jr from LSU, Troy Franklin from Oregon or Ladd McConky from Georgia, depending how far back they trade.

On the offensive line players like JC Latham from Alabama, Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State Troy Fautanu from Washington, are players that make sense outside of the Top-10 for the Bears if they trade down in the 2024 NFL draft.  Perhaps they could finally solve their gaping hole at center by drafting Jackson Powers Johnson from Oregon.  Regardless there’s plethora of talented players the Chicago Bears can target in late round one and into round two if they do trade out of the ninth spot.

With Keenan Allen entering the twilight of his career, DJ Moore and Ryan Bates both being 27 years old, the Bears would be smart to add young players through the 2024 NFL draft to develop alongside Caleb Williams.  More than anything getting away from a franchise that’s been long dedicated to the failing notion that you need to run the ball and stop the run on defense to win championships should do the right thing to win the next Super Bowl title.

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There’s a rumor circulating about the generationally talented player that the Chicago Bears are targeting in the 2024 NFL Draft that just won’t die and it could potentially change the entire course of the draft.

There are potentially six quarterbacks that could go in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.  The Chicago Bears need two things from this NFL Draft, they need a QB and they need extra draft picks.   From the outset of the start 2024 NFL Draft season news cycle the Chicago Bears have been attached to rumors that they will be trading down in the draft for a massive haul of a player and a pick much like they did a year ago when they landed DJ Moore and the pick that garnered them the rights to the number one overall pick in this year’s 2024 NFL Draft.

So what could Ryan Poles have in store for this year’s draft given that there’s a cluster of QBs that could all be equally successful in the right circumstances like the Bears have created with the addition of Keenan Allen?

The Chicago Bears are expected to be very aggressive in the pursuit of Marvin Harrison Jr. and despite not having much draft capital this year, could be the team that moves up by giving up a first round pick next year to the New England Patriots.

Globe NFL Notes: Things I believe about the NFL Draft:

*QBs won’t go 1-4 (and maybe not 1-3)
*Bears are going to get aggressive for Harrison
*Vikings like Maye more than the Patriots do
*Giants GM is telling the truth about QB
*Morehttps://t.co/87EwEouNT3

— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 21, 2024

The Chicago Bears are not moving off of the number one overall pick, but they could very well be moving up in the 2024 NFL Draft to land Marvin Harrison Jr.  The Chicago Bears should make this move no matter the cost in 2024 NFL Draft capital or the potential future cost of 2025 NFL Draft capital.

Why?

The answer is simple, pairing a generationally talented quarterback like Caleb Williams with a generationally talented wide receiver like Marvin Harrison Jr. would make any draft pick less valuable to the team the Chicago Bears are trading it to, but also when you have a generationally talented passing game, it makes drafting all future draft picks that much easier on the GM Ryan Poles.

The Chicago Bears have a core of players, they have a top end receiver, they have a top end pass rusher, they have a secondary that’s locked and loaded for the next three years and they have a young and developing offensive line with which to protect Caleb Williams with.  Ryan Poles is doing absolutely everything to change the entire trajectory of the Chicago Bears for the first time in the history of the franchise.

No longer will this be a team predicated on running the ball, stopping the run and playing mistake free football.  On the contrary it will line up to become one of the most dynamic passing attacks in the NFL in the first year.

There are plenty of reasons for the Chicago Bears to draft Harrison from a football standpoint, but it’s also makes sense from a public relations vantage point.  It’s something that no one in Chicago is expecting to happen, because the Bears don’t do these types of things.

That the Bears could get aggressive for Marvin Harrison Jr. If the Patriots stay at No. 3 and draft Maye, then it seems all but certain that the Cardinals will draft Harrison at No. 4 to give Kyler Murray an elite receiver. But the Patriots wouldn’t mind trading out of No. 3, and I’ve got my eye on the Bears at No. 9, who seem like they want to make a big splash and be the talk of the NFL this year.

The way to do that is trade up and get Harrison. The Bears are already drafting Williams at No. 1, and what better way to create excitement than to get the best quarterback and the best receiver in one draft? The Bears don’t have a second-round pick, but I wonder if No. 9, No. 75, and multiple picks next year (maybe a first and a third?) would be enough for the Patriots to make the swap.

A huge move like trading up for Harrison would match what the Houston Texans did a year ago when they traded up for Will Anderson Jr.   The Texans moved up to the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and in doing so drafted both the offensive rookie of the year and the defensive rookie of the year. They gave up a first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to make it happen.  That’s the level of balls Ryan Poles needs to show on Thursday.

Nothing would be better for the Chicago Bears than waking up Friday morning and dominating the national TV and radio airwaves with one of the biggest moves in the history of the NFL Draft.  One could imagine the praise that would be heaped upon Poles by Colin Cowherd who has been Caleb Williams’ biggest cheerleader.

To put it simply when you get the QB position right and you put yourself into position to compete for the playoffs year in and year out with the QB it makes drafting players easier.  It means that getting players wrong in the draft is easier to swallow because you know you’re going to compete because you have one of the best QBs.  The Los Angeles Rams haven’t drafted a player in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2016 and in six of the last seven years the Rams have had a winning record and in 5 of those same seasons they have made the playoffs.

Giving that QB a player of the caliber of Marvin Harrison Jr would ensure that the Chicago Bears have a dynamic passing game to build up their team to compete for multiple Super Bowls over the next decade.  The Chicago Bears would automatically have the best QB and WR duo in the NFC North heading into the 2024 season.

This is a move Ryan Poles must make, because it’s the best move for the Chicago Bears regardless of the other needs on the team.  Having two players of this level instantly makes the Chicago Bears contenders in the NFC for a Super Bowl in 2024 because no other team will field the same level of offensive talent the Chicago Bears will in 2024.

The post The franchise altering 2024 NFL Draft rumor about the Chicago Bears that just won’t die appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears are nearly certain to be drafting Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.  What they’ll be doing with the ninth overall pick isn’t quite as clear, but adding a top wide receiver target for Williams may be in the cards.

The Chicago Bears will be hosting one of the top three wide receiver prospects this week on an all-important Top-30 visit on Wednesday.  The Chicago Bears will be hosting Malik Nabers on his visit to get an idea of how he could potentially fit in in Chicago.

#LSU WR Malik Nabers, one of the Draft’s top receivers, is visiting the #Titans on Monday, source said. This week, he also has Top 30 visits to the #Jets on Tuesday and #Bears on Wednesday.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 7, 2024

Malik Nabers is in the conversation with Marvin Harrison Jr as the best overall WR prospect in this draft.  Nabers is built smaller than Harrison but is a bit more explosive as a result.  He’s already a very sophisticated route runner with his ability to set up the defender with quick changes in speed direction and body control in and out of his breaks.  Big physical route runners are still a part of the NFL game, but the ability to get open seems to be more important than the ability to physically overpower the defender.

As a result, Nabers seems to be favored more than Harrison, by some teams, but if Harrison is selected first as the WR Nabers could be there for the Bears at nine.   The most important thing for the Bears though would be adding yet another weapon for Williams.  Having three potential number one receivers for the rookie would be a huge coup.  Having a backup plan if they are unable to re-sign Keenan Allen to an extension in the last year of his contract could allow them to maintain a high level of competence at the position.

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Unless Ryan Poles is using the largest pre-draft NFL smokescreen in history the Chicago Bears are drafting Caleb Williams first overall and changing the entire trajectory of their franchise for the first time ever.

The Chicago Bears are doing something unprecedented in the history of their franchise and in the history of the NFL.  First, they are drafting a QB first overall for the first time in the history of their organization.  Second, they are adding players to support that QB at a level that no other rookie QB has been supported at in the history of the NFL.

According to ESPN Stats Inc no team has ever added a QB into a more stable and QB friendly situation than the Chicago Bears are prepared to do if and when they add Caleb Williams.

A lot of Bears mock drafts are coming up WR at No. 9 even after Chicago added Keenan Allen to mix with DJ Moore, a situation that further supports a rookie QB taken at No. 1.

Check out this popping stat

Per @ESPNStatsInfo, there has never been a QB selected in the top… https://t.co/s1265cXkNx

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 6, 2024

The Chicago Bears are the PERFECT situation for Caleb Williams

No team in the history of the NFL has supported a rookie QB by adding two pass catchers who had over 1,200 yards receiving the prior year.  That’s what the Chicago Bears are doing for Caleb Williams by adding Keenan Allen to DJ Moore.  They’re also potentially adding a future number one receiver at the number nine overall spot if one of the top-3 WRs in the 2024 NFL Draft happens to fall to them at number nine.

Adding a third potential number one caliber WR in either Marvin Harrison Jr. Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze would mean the Chicago Bears are shifting away from the run the ball and play defense philosophy and supporting the QB as the primary weapon to winning a Super Bowl and it would be the first time they were dedicated to doing just that.

The Chicago Bears under Ryan Poles seem to be seeking to a maximize the potential of a rookie QB in the Windy City.  By doing so they’re nearly guaranteeing that that new QB will succeed at a high level.  And if he’s a generational talent like Caleb Williams is being hyped as, it means the Chicago Bears will be competing for the playoffs every year over the next 10 to 15 years.

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The Chicago Bears will bring in Brock Bowers for a top-30 2024 NFL Draft visit to get an up close and personal with one of their potential picks at number nine overall.

As part of the 2024 NFL Draft process the Chicago Bears are allotted 30 official visits with players who can come work out for them at Halas Hall.  The Chicago Bears can then get an even deeper dive into that player as a person which is important when it comes to finding out the player’s character and what type of learning ability they have for the NFL game.

The Chicago Bears are bringing in Georgia tight end Brock Bowers who is one of the most talked about players the Bears could be targeting at the ninth overall pick in the first round.

I'm told Brock Bowers has an official 30 visit lined up with the @ChicagoBears

— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) March 23, 2024

Bowers is another player hyped as a generational type of prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft.  He’s a big strong fast athlete at the TE position.  Bowers is 6-foot-3 243-pounds and runs in the 4.5 range and could wind up being a consistent Pro Bowl TE.

The Bears are expected to add weapons for new the new QB whether it’s Caleb Williams or someone else there is talk of adding someone to push Cole Kmet.  Kmet however is already a top-10 in the NFL and has a solid backup in Gerald Everett that the Bears landed in free agency.

The hope is that the Bears can grab one of the top-3 wide receivers from the group of Marvin Harrison Jr. Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.  That might not be possible though if Harrison comes off the board at fourth overall.

If one of the top-3 WRs is not there then thought is Bowers might be the guy.  Bowers is a Top-10 type of prospect with all of the tools for the position.

However, given the success of Kmet and the need for the Bears to add more draft picks it probably makes more sense for them to trade down, which would mean likely passing on Bowers at nine.  If a trade down scenario presents itself, it would be foolish for the Chicago Bears not to add more draft capital to shore up the future core of players surrounding the newly minted QB.

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Justin Fields is gone and the Chicago Bears are better off without him, and the expectation for Caleb Williams will be huge, but he won’t have to be the greatest for the Chicago Bears to be really good.

Caleb Williams comes into an ideal situation with the Chicago Bears, he doesn’t have to be the greatest QB ever, he just needs to be the best QB in the NFC.

Right now, the best quarterbacks in the NFC have not shown a level of greatness that has elevated the players around them.  Despite MVP caliber seasons from Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott, neither one of them has come through in a huge way in the NFC.  Yes, Purdy and the 49ers were able to get to the Super Bowl, but Purdy was absolutely awful in the Super Bowl, and before that, absolutely awful against the Baltimore Ravens.

Dak Prescott has one career playoff win and has been absolutely awful against really good teams with good quarterbacks.  Jared Goff has been good enough to get to be carried to one Super Bowl, but even Sean McVay realized that for the Rams to be truly great they’d need to get better and they did win one Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford.

Stafford meanwhile is like Kirk Cousins, entering the twilight of his career so it won’t take much for either of them to start to falter enough for a young stud to completely dominate the NFC.

Simply put the greatest QBs currently in the NFL all reside in the AFC where Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Jackson and possibly CJ Stroud are set to dominate the AFC for the next decade.

The next quarterback of the Chicago Bears only needs to be as good as the best QB in the NFC for the Chicago Bears to dominate the NFC for the next four years.  With the situation the Chicago Bears have in place with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen Cole Kmet and the ability to add another top level wide receiver with the ninth overall pick or to trade down collect picks from nine and add a WR three with high potential upside to learn behind two of the best players in the game, puts the Bears in an ideal position to win now.

The pressure is on Caleb Williams to be a generational talent, and he may very well live up to that billing, but for the Bears to dominate he only needs to be better than the best QBs in the NFC, not a tall order.  Caleb Williams excelled at USC with one great player over the last two years in Jordan Addison.  After that Williams carried the USC offense on his back the past two years against the best conference in college football.

Historically the Pac-12 has been awful, but in 2023 the Pac-12 had seven teams win eight or more games, it had a conference winning record against the rest of the conferences in college football and sent Washington to the national title game.  In the games that Williams lost, the Trojans’ defense gave up 43 points a game in each one of those losses.  Williams consistently kept the Trojans competitive despite not living up to the expectations of making it to the College Football Playoff.

So far Caleb Williams has proven to be a gamer, now he has to prove that he’s better than his predecessors.  And if gauging quarterback success in the NFL was as simple as looking at their W-L record and success against Top-25 teams, then Patrick Mahomes should not be dominating the NFL the way he has after having a losing record during his college career, including a 5-7 mark in his final year.  

Quarterbacks who have come out of Lincoln Riley’s offense have had more immediate success year over year than any other program that has sent multiple QBs to the NFL.  Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray have enjoyed pretty good success in the NFL.  They haven’t been elite, but Mayfield has been considerably better than any QB the Chicago Bears have ever had, as had Murray.

If Caleb Williams is the best QB to come out of the Riley system, then there will be a lot to be excited for as a fan of the Chicago Bears.  Williams being the best QB plus the coming into the best possible offensive situation of any rookie QB since Andrew Luck means the Bears should be the favorites to go from worst to first in 2024.

The post What success with Caleb Williams (or any other rookie QB) looks like in the post Justin Fields era appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Justin Fields has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers to sit behind Russell Wilson and learn and develop and hopefully become the QB Chicago Bears fans hoped he would be.

Ian Rappaport broke the news that the Chicago Bears have traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-round pick.

The #Bears are trading QB Justin Fields to the #Steelers, sources say. A new QB into the competition. pic.twitter.com/hGQpbVwoRA

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2024

The pick can become a fourth-round pick depending on how well Justin Fields develops in Pittsburgh.  After weeks of speculation the biggest and most anticipated move of the Chicago Bears’ off-season has occurred.  Fields is gone after failing to develop as a passer.

Justin Fields had loads of potential but his inability to fully realize that potential as NFL quarterback ultimately led the Bears to move on from him.  He just couldn’t ever put it together, averaging only 167 yards passing for his career in Chicago, 197 in his third and final year.  His career QBR of 44 is amongst the worst in the NFL over the past three years in the NFL.  In his final seven games he was only able to muster seven touchdowns to three interceptions.  In six of Justin Fields’ games started the offense could not manage to score a minimum of 20 points.

This combined with his fourth quarter turnover struggles and having the highest sack rate and time to throw statistic of any QB led the Bears to decide it was time to move on.  The allure of draft Caleb Williams seems to be too much for the Chicago Bears.

The trade marks the second to last big move of the off-season after the Bears rebuilt their offensive line and added Keenan Allen for a fourth-round pick.  The final big move will be the drafting of Williams out of USC who has led the nation in offense over the past two seasons.

The post Breaking News: Justin Fields has finally been traded, he goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2024 season appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears are working towards a long term contract extension with CB Jaylon Johnson, Ryan Poles said during the NFL Combine but needed to place the franchise tag on him before the deadline to do so today.

Jaylon Johnson will likely remain with the Chicago Bears for a long time as they have placed the franchise tag on him.  Johnson had a Pro Bowl level season racking up a career high grade from ProFootballFocus and grabbing a career high four interceptions on the season.  Jaylon Johnson has long been a consistent cover CB for the Chicago Bears and is likely to remain in Chicago for a few more years.

Bears are placing their franchise tag on CB Jaylon Johnson, who the team still is working to re-sign to a long-term deal, per sources. Johnson’s franchise tag number is $19.8 million. pic.twitter.com/Z9Wtos065Q

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2024

The only thing holding back Johnson from a high level of consistent play has been nagging injuries over the course of his first four years in the league.  Johnson has yet to play a full 16 or now a 17-game season but he has been largely ignored in coverage by opposing QBs who dare not challenge him.  Johnson’s emergence coincided with a high level of play from rookie Tyrique Stevenson.  With Stevenson and 2022 NFL draft pick Kyler Gordon locking down the slot and boundary CB spots respectively, the Bears have three high level CBs that will be the foundation of the defense for the next three years.

The post Chicago Bears place franchise tag on cornerback Jaylon Johnson after Pro Bowl level 2023 season appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson was the Rimington trophy winner given to the nation’s top center prospect and was asked about the possibility of playing for the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears are in desperate need of finding the next Jay Hilgenberg, or the next Olin Kreutz to shore up the center position for the next 10 to 12 years, is Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson that guy?

Jackson Powers-Johnson answered a question about the possibility of playing for the Chicago Bears during the 2024 NFL season.

Top center prospect Jackson Powers-Johnson was asked if there’s a #Bears possibility.

“I sure hope so.”

Powers met with the Bears and said he dropped a “da Bears” on Ryan Poles plus discussed deep dish.

— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) March 2, 2024

Jackson Powers-Johnson was a unanimous All-American  for the Oregon Ducks and would be a perfect prospect for the Bears to land if they trade back or up and manage to secure a second round pick.  The Bears don’t have a second round pick so they would have to procure one via trade.

The Bears have a rich history of dominant centers and the hope is that a player like Powers-Johnson can come to Chicago and add to that tradition.

The post 2024 NFL Combine report Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson would love to play for the Chicago Bears appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The latest news out of the 2024 NFL Combine has the Chicago Bears trading Justin Fields to the Atlanta Falcons the report came down this morning.

The Chicago Bears have been shopping Justin Fields at the 2024 NFL Combine all week and it appears they may finally have a deal in place to trade him to the Atlanta Falcons according to a report from Tony Pauline.

“Word in Indianapolis is the Chicago Bears are close to finalizing a deal which would send former first-round pick Justin Fields to the Atlanta FalconsIt is not known if the deal will be finalized or even announced before the conclusion of the Combine. As I reported on Thursday, if the Falcons can’t come to terms with the Bears for Fields they will turn their attention to Baker Mayfield if he’s available when free agency commences.”

The Falcons have been one of the top suitors for Justin Fields given their need for a QB and the fact that Justin Fields is from Georgia grew up there and started his college career with the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

The report however isn’t very concrete and is more of a rumor that leaves a lot of room to bail on the report.  Being close to finalizing a trade and have a deal in place for the trade are two different terms with different meanings.

As of now it appears nothing is imminent but Bears fans can hope this saga ends quickly hope

The post 2024 NFL Combine report: Chicago Bears have a trade in place to move Justin Fields to Atlanta Falcons appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The 2024 NFL Combine will kick off next week and last year is when the Chicago Bears set the parameters for a trade of the number one overall pick could they be doing the same thing this year?

Albert Breer reported this morning that the Chicago Bears will get the bones of a deal to trade Justin Fields at the NFL Combine this week.  Breer reported on the Kap and JHood show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago this morning:

“I think the likelihood of him being traded is still the main plan in my mind…and I would expect whatever the plan is the execution of that happens next week.”

Albert Breer says Justin Fields could traded by the combine.

We all say it coming but this makes it real. What’s the MINIMUM the Bears should take for Fields? #Bears #ChicagoBears https://t.co/1Lpr1BUlel

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) February 23, 2024

It’s becoming more apparent by the day that the Chicago Bears are preparing to trade Justin Fields.  The question now becomes what can the Chicago Bears get in return for Fields?   The hope is the Bears get back a second round pick because they don’t have a second round pick after trading for Montez Sweat in the middle of the 2023 season.

With Justin Fields unfollowing the Chicago Bears on instagram and with Shan Waldron letting on that he’s only exchanged a couple of text messages with Justin Fields and hasn’t met with him at Halas Hall there’s more  evidence each day that the Justin Fields saga is coming to an end in Chicago.

Now the question becomes which of the top QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft will the Chicago Bears select?

The post Albert Breer reports that the Chicago Bears will likely make a major trade during the 2024 NFL Combine appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Two of the final remaining players from the Ryan Pace era have been given pink slips today by Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles.

The Chicago Bears have made two salary cap saving moves with the release of offensive lineman Cody Whitehair and safety Eddie Jackson.  Both players were cut today in a move that will create approximately $21-million in new cap space.

Whitehair spent eight seasons with the Chicago Bears, switching multiple times between center and guard.  Whitehair was moved to center for the 2023 season a wrong headed move on the part of GM Ryan Poles as the snapping issues that caused Whitehair to be moved back to guard quickly arose again.  Whitehair was then forced back to guard where he played sparingly with the addition of Nate Davis and the move of Teven Jenkins to left guard.

The juggling of spots between center and guard and the piss poor signing of Nate Davis and failed signing of Lucas Patrick left the Chicago Bears interior offensive line a mess.  It’s as if Poles never had a solid plan to shore up the interior of the offensive line because Patrick was atrocious, Whitehair couldn’t snap and Jenkins was better suited to play right guard, but Davis was brought into play right guard.  The chaos that ensued definitely hurt the  Chicago Bears in pass protection all year.

Ryan Poles will now have to add another starter capable player at center, plus additional quality offensive guard and offensive tackle depth this off-season.   Yet again the offensive line mastermind has the tall task of adding at least three additional high level players along the offensive line for the 2024 season.

Eddie Jackson’s departure comes as absolutely no surprise as he never lived up to the huge season he had in year two when he took the NFL by storm with four touchdowns off of turnovers. Jackson was given a huge extension by  Ryan Pace but never even remotely returned to Pro Bowl form.  Jackson will likely find some interest on the open market but his large cap savings was not hard to see coming.  If Poles is unable to sign Jaylon Johnson then he will be forced to add two new starters in the secondary for the 2024 season.

The only plus from the secondary was the rise in the number of turnovers this unit forced with the addition of Montez Sweat’s pass rush.  But with no pass rush depth or threat anywhere else on the defensive line, the Chicago Bears could one nagging injury to Sweat away from the defense playing near the bottom of the NFL again in 2024.

Right now Poles is the master of the obvious, what he isn’t a master of developing some sort of roster stability.  There will be a huge hole left behind with the departure of these two solid veterans.  But finding a way to finally bring stability to the offensive line will be of utmost importance if the Bear decide on draft a rookie QB with the first overall pick.

The instability along the interior offensive line needs to be highly scrutinized ahead of the 2024 NFL season because with the draft capital and free agency capital Poles has yet to built a cohesive unit.  His failure to develop an even competent offensive line should be highly watched given the difficulties of turning over the offensive line for a third straight year and then asking a rookie QB to play at a playoff level behind a completely retooled offensive line.

Clearly Poles needs to do something big with the additional cap space.  The price tag for not extending Jaylon Johnson just went up in a big way.  The unneeded risk of instability within two key position groups is inexcusable for a GM heading into his third year of trying to fix a franchise.

The post Chicago Bears release remaining Ryan Pace holdovers Cody Whitehair and Eddie Jackson in first moves of 2024 off-season appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Adam Schefter appeared on ESPN’s Super Bowl pre-game show this morning to talk about the 2024 NFL Draft and immediately threw cold water on the trade up rumors.

It seems like every day there’s a new and exciting if not borderline insane NFL Draft rumor involving the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams.  None of those rumors ever seemed to be grounded in reality however. But this morning Adam Schefter set the tone of what the reality of the 2024 NFL Draft will look like, the Commanders aren’t going to mortgage their future for Caleb Williams.

The Carolina Panthers mortgaged their future by trading their best receiver and their 2024 draft pick which wound up being the first overall selection.  With that in mind why would the Commanders do the same thing that the Panthers did when their consolation prize at QB is between Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels?

Generational QB talk aside Maye has consistently been the 1A behind Williams and nothing he did this year diminished his status as the best option after Williams.  The NFL Draft is a supply and demand market and right now with five potential first round talents in the 2024 NFL Draft there’s enough supply to justify teams standing pat and taking the best QBs from a pool of Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr. Bo Nix and JJ McCarthy.  There’s no reason to believe would put their entire future at risk simply to pick up a QB who is a 50-50 bust prospect.

Add to it the Commanders had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, traded away two of their top pass rushers in Montez Sweat and Chase Young, they are going to try and rebuild through the draft not go all in on a QB.  So the sound logic indicates that the Commanders won’t trade up with the Bears.

The question then becomes which team will be dumb enough to replicate what Carolina just did?  The NFL is a copycat league for success, not failure.  Which team is going to be willing to make the same mistake?  It seem unlikely that anyone will trade up with the Bears given the depth and the talent of the QB position in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The post Adam Schefter throws cold water on Commanders trading up to number one in 2024 NFL Draft appeared first on ChiCitySports.

North Carolina QB Drake Maye is clearly lost in the shuffle of NFL Draft hype with Caleb Williams being compared to Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels’ Heisman Trophy season.

Chicago Bears fans already have decided on either retaining Justin Fields or drafting Caleb Williams.  Their minds were made up quite a long time ago, the problem is Drake Maye is better than both Williams and Fields and offers a better alternative to both.

Maye is a more prototypical pocket passer and offers enough rushing ability to threaten defenses with his legs.  But what is completely lost is that Maye is better than both Williams and Daniel in a very important category attacking the middle of the field.

A two-year sample size shows once again that Maye is not only in Daniels and Williams’ tier, but also that he is better in many categories. From 2022-2023, Maye’s 102 attempts targeting the intermediate part of the middle of the field were more than Williams’ 83 and Daniels’ 71. Maye’s five big-time throws also bested Williams’ one and Daniel’s zero. 

Furthermore, there’s a false narrative that Drake Maye is riskier with the football and more likely to have a higher turnover rate in the NFL as a result.  That narrative is also not backed up by any sort of facts either:

The North Carolina signal-caller made three turnover-worthy plays compared to Williams’ three and Daniels’ four, but due to Drake Maye having more attempts over the middle, his turnover-worthy play percentage in this area was the lowest of the three. 

So not only is Drake Maye better at attacking the middle of a defense, he’s also better at avoiding turnovers.  So what else does Drake Maye bring to the table?  Ah yes getting the ball out quickly one of the major flaws in Justin Fields’ game.  Fields time to throw is horrible one of the worst in the NFL since he arrived and as a result, he has one of the highest sack rates in the history of the NFL.  Maye on the other hand gets the ball out quicker than both Williams and Daniels.

He also had the highest passer rating, the most first downs and the lowest time to throw.

While Williams has a ton of highlight worthy plays, he doesn’t have the level of consistency that Drake Maye has.  When Williams is looking to run and make plays off platform and with a different arm angle, Maye is standing tall in the pocket shuffling his feet and creating throwing lanes for himself.

We have seen from Patrick Mahomes the no-look pass, the side armed throws and the throws he makes when falling down.  Those are fantastic plays, but those aren’t the plays a QB needs to make consistently to win games.  Those plays are the plays that Mahomes makes more often than the highlight reel throws and that consistency is why he’s already in the conversation to be the greatest of all time.

Much like last year when Bryce Young was the consensus player to be picked first overall, with CJ Stroud second, Maye is not getting the hype because he doesn’t have the same level of flashy run plays or plays on the run being made wit his legs.  Daniels and Williams do excel outside the pocket.  But to truly win in today’s NFL you have to win inside the pocket.  Maye has a more natural feel for the pocket where as Williams and Daniels look to leave the pocket.

So what does this all mean?  It means that the Bears are going to have to ignore the hype train that has surrounded Caleb Williams since he left high school.

 “Power 5 starter with NFL first round draft potenial (sic), with talent to go in top 10.”

Williams was already being talked about as a Top-10 NFL pick in high school.  When Spencer Rattler faltered at Oklahoma after his tremendous freshman year, Williams played at a high level as a freshman.  He then follows Lincon Riley to USC and walks into the ideal situation to continue to succeed.  Williams’ game has  never been tested and there hasn’t been much growth in his game.  He’s been the same QB earning the same  hype the entire time.  He’s a risky proposition as a generational talent because there hasn’t been growth to his game.

Maye on the other hand has grown within his system and been consistent from the pocket.  Maye has the better height, the better arm talent and is more ideally suited for the NFL game.

The post What about Drake Maye? With all of the Caleb Williams hype Maye gets lost in the 2024 NFL Draft debate appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Justin Fields was defended by head coach Matt Eberflus during offensive coordinator meetings, according to a recent report, but what does it mean?

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus defended Justin Fields in interviews.  Does this mean that the Chicago Bears are leaning towards retaining Justin Fields as their quarterback in 2024?

Here is what Eberflus said via Breer’s article:

I’d wondered whether it’d be tough for the Bears to find the right guy, given the perception that 2024 will be a make-or-break year for the football folks at Halas Hall. But because they moved fast, they were able to meet with a good range of people (they even traveled to California to sit down with Rams pass-game coordinator Zac Robinson and USC’s Kliff Kingsbury), and sell their job to a guy who had some options.

Of course, the chance, potentially, to coach USC’s Caleb Williams was something mentioned to me as a drawing card by candidates for the job (though Eberflus did defend Justin Fields in the interviews, as I understand it).

So what does this mean from Matt Eberflus?

There’s no exact way to predict the meaning behind defending Justin Fields, but if it’s a sign of anything it’s probably that the Chicago Bears will mess this up by retaining Justin Fields, because there’s always a find a way to do the wrong thing instead.

There’s zero context to the conversation Matt Eberflus had, but the assumption would be why go down the road of protecting Justin Fields play when he has so obviously been a horrible QB for the Chicago Bears.   Fields was again within the bottom third of the league in QBR with a rating of 23rd best in the NFL.   Career years from DJ Moore and Cole Kmet didn’t significantly boost Fields’ overall passing production.

So, what angle of defense could Matt Eberflus be taking in and outright defense of Justin Fields’ play?  A coach isn’t going to downgrade Justin Fields’ trade value by telling the truth of what Justin Fields is.  Justin Fields is a bust and everyone can see he’s a bust based on what he’s been on the field.  The same offensive coordinators who would launch into criticism of Justin Fields know the exact same issues that every GM in the NFL that might want to trade for him already knows.

There’s a price people are willing to pay and a private criticism of Fields’ play shows at least that Matt Ebeflus should be moving in the direction of replacing Fields without considering him as the future.  There’s no way to outright defend incompetence.  You can sugar coat it, you can massage the conversation by admitting to other shortcomings that exist within the offense.  But an outright defense of Fields makes it feel like the Chicago Bears are going to do what they always do and mess up the entire situation.

As we’ve seen from other teams the need to find an elite level QB is necessary to push your franchise deep into the playoffs.  The only way to beat an elite QB is do it with another elite QB and the NFC currently doesn’t have one of the Top-5 QBs in the NFL.

As it stands right now Justin Fields is the fourth best QB in the NFC North.  There’s no defending that.  Matt Eberflus is not a competent head coach that should have been retained.  Matt Eberflus is clearly not the guy to develop a QB so why was he retained to do so?  Ryan Poles hasn’t entirely reshaped the roster to the point that the Chicago Bears can compete with Justin Fields returning at QB.  The Chicago Bears messed up the stadium project by tying themselves into the Arlington Heights property without doing proper homework on what Cook County would assess them in property taxes leaving them virtually no way to get out of the property.

So why should fans of the Chicago Bears think that this organization is finally going to do the right thing and finally make an obvious step towards becoming one of the best teams in the NFL instead being the worst franchise in the NFL?  Matt Eberflus’ actions leave more questions about competence than answers.

The post Are the Chicago Bears tipping their hand ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft by defending Justin Fields’ incompetent play? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright was named to 2023 NFL All-Rookie team by PFWA.

The Chicago Bears landed one player on the 2023 NFL All-Rookie team in offensive tackle Darnell Wright.  Wright was the Chicago Bears first round selection at number nine overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Other 2023 NFL All-rookie team honorees are listed below.

2023 PFWA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

Offense
QB – C.J. Stroud, Houston Texas
RB – Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions; Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
WR – Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings; Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
TE – Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
C – Joe Tippmann, New York Jets
G – Steve Avila, Los Angeles Rams; O’Cyrus Torrence, Buffalo Bills
T – Dawand Jones, Cleveland Browns; Darnell Wright, Chicago Bears

Darnell Wright anchored the right side of the Chicago Bears offensive line and paid immediate dividends as a strong run blocker.  Wright was preceded as an All-Rookie selection by left tackle Braxton Jones who was named to the 2022 PFWA All-rookie team.

With Wright and Jones anchoring the Chicago Bears offensive line in 2023 it gives the Bears flexibility in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft to bolster their skill position players.  Continued development from Jones and Wright could see the Bears bolster their passing game by adding a QB and a wide receiver.

Jones and Wright are the first two players to earn All-Rookie honors for the Chicago Bears since 2018 when Roquan Smith was named to the team.

The most recent best showing by Chicago Bears rookies on the PFWA NFL All-Rookie team came in 2016 when Cody Whitehair, Jordan Howard and Leonard Floyd were named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie team.

The post Chicago Bears RT Darnell Wright named to the 2023 NFL All-Rookie team by PFWA appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Mel Kiper released his first full 2024 NFL Mock Draft and he has the Bears picking a combination of players that could bolster the passing game for the next decade.

Mel Kiper has been an NFL Draft prognosticator for 40 years and his first mock for the 2024 NFL mock draft season has the Bears selecting their quarterback of the future in Caleb Williams.

1. Williams is a better prospect than Fields. We’ve now seen three NFL seasons from Fields, and he hasn’t put everything together on a consistent basis. There are too many unknowns for a guy with 38 career starts. He has completed just 60.2% of his passes while throwing 40 touchdown passes with 30 interceptions and has averaged just 7.0 yards per attempt in his career. Williams, my top-ranked prospect, is ahead of Fields as a passer — the USC product has the skill set and instincts to be a top-tier quarterback at the next level.
2. Taking Williams resets the Bears’ quarterback clock, which matters in an age when having a quarterback on a rookie contract means teams can build a better roster around them. If they keep Fields, they’d have to decide on his fifth-year option this spring and then extend his contract within the next year. Are they ready to do that? With a rookie, they’d get four years at a much less expensive cap number before having to pay up.

With Williams on board the Chicago Bears move to bolster their receiving core by adding a number one capable wide receiver with their second pick in this 2024 NFL Mock Draft to be their number two receiver behind DJ Moore.

Romeo Odunze had 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Huskies in 2023. He played out wide and inside — 30 of his catches came from lining up in the slot — and ran every route in the receiving tree. This would be tremendous value for Odunze, who is No. 5 overall on my board. He could be the 1B to DJ Moore, who had a great first season in Chicago. And with Williams throwing them the ball, the Bears’ offense would be extremely dynamic.

This is precisely the type of aggressive 2024 NFL mock Draft the Chicago Bears need to propel their offense into the 21st century.  You win championships by throwing the football in the passing game.  For the better part of a century the Chicago Bears have been about running the football, playing defense and trying to play mistake free football.  This recipe has been a disaster as the Bears haven’t won a playoff game since 2011.

Williams and Odunze give the Bears an immediate upgrade to their passing game.  Add in career years from DJ Moore and Cole Kmet and the Bears would have three highly capable weapons to have them immediately compete in 2024.

Keep reading chitysports.com for the most up to date 2024 NFL mock draft coverage.

The post Mel Kiper gives Chicago Bears QB-WR combination of the future in 2024 NFL Mock Draft appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Breaking news early this morning from NFL Insider Tom Peliserro has the Chicago Bears making Shane Waldron their new offensive coordinator hire.

The Chicago Bears are making Shane Waldron their offensive coordinator hire and it’s the one of the best hires that they could make going forward.

The #Bears are working towards a deal to hire Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator, per sources.

Waldron, 44, spent the past three seasons as Seattle’s OC. Now he’s expected to land in Chicago, which owns the No. 1 pick with a big question looming at QB. pic.twitter.com/otzxYRkDvZ

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 22, 2024

Former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron helped revitalize the career of Geno Smith.  Smith was 14th in QBR in 2023 and 7th in 2022 respectively.  The Seahawks finished with the 12th best offense according to DVOA rankings in 2022 and the 13th in DVOA in 2023.

The boost to the Seahawks offensive performance is evident given the long career struggles of Geno Smith prior to his arrival in Seattle.  It could be argued that Waldron was behind that rebound to his career.

Prior to coaching in Seattle Waldron was the QB coach and passing game coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay.  Waldron is yet another successful coach from the Sean McVay coaching tree who has developed into an up-and-coming coach that has produced by improving the production of an offense that rebuilt their offensive line and added a new QB.

Now the obvious question that remains to be answered, is Waldron here to turn around the fortunes of Justin Fields, or to build and develop a new future of the franchise in either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye?

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As the 2023 Chicago Bears season wraps up, the 2024 opponents are already known.  It’s not a very favorable schedule heading into the 2024 season.

The 2024 Chicago Bears schedule is not an easy one.  Early analysis reveals that if Justin Fields returns he’s going to have to figure out how to beat teams with winning records.

Our 2024 opponents are set.

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 8, 2024

In 2023 the only team with a winning record the Chicago Bears defeated was the Detroit Lions.  All of the rest of the teams the Bears managed a W over were teams that were below .500.  The 2024 season won’t be any easier, with only the Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots as teams with worse records than the Bears.  That’s four teams the Bears could be favorites over to start the season if things don’t dramatically change for the 2024 Chicago Bears.

Despite the growth this team experienced in 2023, they could just as easily regress if they aren’t able to compete against teams that are going to be favorites.  The evaluation of this team will need to be what they failed to accomplish because it’s more glaring that what they did accomplish.  The 2023 Chicago Bears still finished in fourth place in the NFC North and did not sweep any of their divisional opponents yet again.

Winning four games more in 2023 than 2022 is an improvement, but the true measure of progress will come from beating better teams.

The post Chicago Bears early 2024 schedule analysis, is not favorable for another step forward appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears hold the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and rather than making a selection Peter King expects they’ll trade the pick.

The Chicago Bears head to the 2024 NFL Draft and the expectation is that they will trade that pick for a huge swath of draft capital.  Longtime NFL beat writer Peter King wrote in his column this morning that he expects the Bears to trade the first overall pick.

“The Bears, at 1, should be able to get a 2022-like ransom for the pick with so many good quarterbacks in the pool. I expect GM Ryan Poles to trade the pick, but it’s too early to say that with certainty.”

The emerging theme is that the Chicago Bears will trade the first overall pick for a ransom including possibly another player like DJ Moore or a bevy of draft picks.  

The problem with this strategy is when will those players benefit Justin Fields?  Only the Arizona Cardinals have two first round picks for the 2024 NFL Draft.  They’ve already indicated that they plan to build around Kyler Murray, so they’re not going to move up to take a QB.  It’s imperative that the Chicago Bears add players that can help during the 2024 season.  If you’re trading for another first round pick in 2025, that’s not going to be enough to help the Chicago Bears in 2024.

If the Chicago Bears are in fact planning on building around Justin Fields they need to do as much as possible to help him immediately.

Also, what guarantee is there that there’s an NFL GM that will in fact make the same mistake that the Carolina Panthers made.  The Panthers traded away their best player, the player most geared towards helping Bryce  Young succeed and wound up with the worst record in the NFL.

Why would an NFL GM make that same mistake?  As much genius Ryan Poles showed in making the trade, it was equally as bad for the now fired Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer.  

The post 2024 NFL Draft prediction: Peter King expects the Chicago Bears to trade the pick appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Justin Fields may be on the trade market prior to the 2024 NFL Draft and one league insider revealed what the Chicago Bears might get back in value.

Justin Fields may be traded because the Bears own the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for the second consecutive year and can draft the best available QB.

The Carolina Panthers finished with the league’s worst record and the Bears own the Panthers’ pick heading into the 2024 off-season.  Despite Justin Fields’ improvement it remains an option to trade him and reset the clock with a QB who could already be at the level of NFL passer Justin Fields is currently at.

So what could the Bears get back in trade for Fields?

League sources forecast… #Bears can get 2nd or 3rd round pick in a Justin Fields trade#Bears can get more than Bryce Young package — even from team picking in top-five — for No. 1 overall.

What GM Ryan Poles must weigh…But he's not there yethttps://t.co/1aMQ0ib2ts

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 2, 2024

A third-round pick is indicative of the value Justin Fields has among GMs across the league.  Fields has improved but not so much that teams are willing to part with valuable draft capital to invest him as their future at QB.  If the rest of the NFL doesn’t want to invest in Justin Fields as a potential franchise QB option, it’s even more obvious that the Chicago Bears shouldn’t consider Justin Fields as the future of their franchise.

However, if the Chicago Bears were able to get back in trade what they lost in the Montez Sweat trade that may be a better option.  A second-round pick for Fields feels more palpable.  There is however a deep QB class that’s likely to be a part of the 2024 NFL Draft with Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Michael Penix and JJ McCarthy all representing talented and highly experienced players that could be available.

Despite Fields’ improvement around 1/3 of the NFL GMs already stated that the Bears should move on from Fields.  

It’s a clear conundrum for the Bears, do they hope that Fields continues to improve or do they get back in trade a potential second round draft pick they don’t have heading into the 2024 NFL Draft?

The post Justin Fields potential trade value revealed by league insider ahead of 2024 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Teven Jenkins continues to be far and away the best offensive lineman on the Chicago Bears and it’s time to think about making him one of the NFL’s highest paid offensive guards.

There hasn’t been a lot of consistency in the 2023 Chicago Bears, but one constant rock continues to be Teven Jenkins.  Jenkins has been dynamic is pass protection all season.  He’s allowed only one sack two QB hits and only eight hurries on the season.

As a run blocker he continues to set the tone for the entire offensive line with numerous pancakes in the run game.  There is little Jenkins does poorly and moreover he dominates most of the players in front of him on a consistent basis.

As such Jenkins should be in position to earn a contract extension at the end of the year. Jenkins is seventh among guards.

Teven Jenkins: 80.8 pass-blocking grade since week 11

7th among all Guards pic.twitter.com/DWVnwUp0zo

— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) December 13, 2023

And it seems every week since his return Teven Jenkins is earning an accolade from ProFootballFocus.  He is just the most consistent offensive lineman the Bears have had the last two seasons and it’s not even close.  He was the highest graded offensive player against the Detroit Lions.

Teven Jenkins: highest-graded player on the Bears offense vs. the Lions – 76.3 pic.twitter.com/TnvoRhVy1Z

— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) December 11, 2023

He can hold up against the pass and he’s a more than adequate road grader in the run game.  He’s proven to be a consistent pancake artist and tone setter that Ryan Poles has been looking for.  So with his versatility to play both guard spot and be an emergency right tackle, it would be silly for the Bears to move on from Jenkins.  Teven Jenkins has shown rock solid consistency when he’s been on the field since his rookie year when he started out at left tackle.

Teven Jenkins clearing the pocket with maximum force and punishment #fullslab pic.twitter.com/7Mi2fm3ydO

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 11, 2023

Here he is one arm blocking a guy into the gap two players over.

Teven Jenkins' film gets more and more fun to watch every week. Love the hustle on this 3rd down — chase & finishes his man after knocking him off-balance early. pic.twitter.com/Qkua8oJdur

— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) December 12, 2023

Week to week it’s a clinic on humiliating defensive tackles who line up across from him.  Jenkins is clearly the nastiest guard in the NFL and being so young he will anchor that spot on the offensive line for the next decade.  Jenkins will be replacing Cody Whitehair who has been a strong performer for the Bears, but has clearly reached the end of his tenure in Chicago.

Jenkins represents the future while Whitehair represents the last good player from the early Ryan Poles era that remains.

The post As Teven Jenkins returns to health, it’s obvious he needs to be extended before the start 2024 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

A recent poll of seven NFL general managers about the future of Justin Fields came back with a surprising result.

In a recent article it was there was a unanimous conclusion about what the Chicago Bears should do about Justin Fields.  Justin Fields is wrapping up his third season with the Chicago Bears and has four games remaining but the fact that all seven GM agree upon the same thing speaks volumes about Justin Fields’ progress.

All seven of the NFL general managers have come to the same conclusion, it’s time for the Chicago Bears to draft Caleb Williams and move on from Justin Fields.

7 out of 7 NFL GM's who talked to @CharlesRobinson says they would trade Justin Fields and draft Caleb Williams. They also offer up what they would offer in a trade and what teams could be interested in Fields.

MUST READ: https://t.co/nlaA9TU2qR

— Danny Parkins (@DannyParkins) December 14, 2023

The conclusion is obvious, that despite a slight step in the right direction for Justin Fields, the Chicago Bears need to move on.  His inconsistency in guiding the Chicago Bears’ offense has been obvious all year.  In five games of the games in which Justin Fields has started the Chicago Bears’ offense has failed to score 20 or points on the season.  In five games on the season Fields has only managed a touchdown or less.  He’s 21st overall in QBR which is the bottom third of the league.

“It would be a clear-cut decision to draft Caleb for me,” an AFC general manager said. “The fact that we’re in Year 3 and [they] don’t want to exercise the fifth-year option tells me what I need to know. I just don’t think Fields can win consistently as a passer, even though he is gifted physically.”

By nearly every combined metric Justin Fields teeters between 21st and 22nd in the NFL.  He simply isn’t elevating the talent around him. The only thing Justin Fields has going for him is his combined rushing and passing ability, which hasn’t elevated the offense in the slightest.

“When you pass on talented quarterbacks to lean into a guy’s development, which the Bears did when they traded No. 1 last year, you have to be completely sure of that decision to do it a second time,” another AFC general manager said. “They might not have taken C.J. Stroud with the first pick last [offseason], but he was there for them to do it. Caleb Williams is a no-brainer, and if they get the top pick, he’s there for them. Sometimes the gamble is continuing to pass on players. Fields doesn’t get over the hump, you don’t want to be the guys that passed on both Stroud and Caleb Williams.”

Thankfully there are some smart GMs around the league that are stating the obvious with Fields.  You can make the same mistake the Giants did last year when Daniel Jones made moderate improvement or you can do the smart thing cut your losses and move on.  The Bears can have consistent developing offensive tackles, and need another wide receiver to upgrade the offense for a new QB.  If the opportunity is there to draft Williams and add Malik Nabers, with their own pick it’s simply a no-brainer.

It’s a fact that around 60-percent of Bears fans are going to have to get used to, the idea that Fields isn’t doing to elevate the offense.  Even with four games left there’s still lingering doubt.  However, that doubt be settled once and for all with a road game against the number one defense in the NFL this Sunday.

The Bears stand with a seven percent shot at making the playoffs, but some fans think the Bears will win out and squeak in with a wild card.  Right now Fields needs to deal with the team that was his first career start nemesis two years ago.  The Browns represent the perfect team to bury any lingering argument about Fields’ future.

The post Seven out of seven NFL GMs had a message to Ryan Poles about the future of Justin Fields appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears are more excited about beating the Detroit Lions and rattling off two straight wins than they’ve been since the opening win over the 49ers in week one of last year.

Who are these 2023 Chicago Bears with four weeks left in the season?  They’ve now won two straight divisional games, beating the Vikings and most recently extracting revenge by beating the Detroit Lions.  The two straight wins have the Bears in temporary contention of making the playoffs.  While the Chicago Bears are in the playoff hunt.

It’s a bit more delusional for Bears fans to be thinking playoffs with the Bears currently residing in the 13th seeded playoff spot, a spot that doesn’t exist.  But there are three winnable games left on the schedule before the journey to Lambeau Fields to close out the season in week 18.  First up on the schedule though is heading to Cleveland to face the Browns.

Justin Fields is playing well at the moment, at least well enough to win since he came back from his thumb injury.  He’s become more of a threat with his legs upon his return and that’s lead to the offense being in better shape to put up points.  It will take everything Fields can muster against the Browns however as they have the number one defense in the NFL and the Chicago Bears have struggled to put up touchdowns despite racking up yards between the 20s.

Even worse the Chicago Bears strictly don’t match up well with the Browns from a personnel standpoint.  Myles Garrett will face off against Braxton Jones and while Jones has been competent this season, Garrett tends to destroy everyone in front of him.  There’s maybe one or two LTs in the NFL that can slow Garrett down and Jones isn’t one of them.  That will be the key matchup for the Bears against the Browns on Sunday.

The running game has been very good with D’Onta Foreman leading the way.  Foreman isn’t a number back break away threat but he get good tough yard fairly consistently.  That has helped the offense look more efficient than it has at any point under Luke Getsy.

The receivers are entirely a one man show with DJ Moore leading the way with the occasional strong catch from Darnell Mooney.  Cole Kmet is clearly the number two target on the team.  Kmet is sixth in the NFL for tight end receptions with 61,10th in yards and tied for second in touchdowns with five.  He will need to continue to play at a high level for the Bears to keep winning.

The key to the Chicago Bears’ success has been the defense.  The defense is playing far better than it has and is being lead by the front four.  There’s been an actual pass rush scheme up front.  Prior to Montez Sweat’s arrival the Bears preferred to line four players out wide and constantly run them into a wall of blockers.

There was very little in the way of stunts and twists happening up front and it didn’t put pressure on the opposing blockers as that changed, the Bears began to get consistent pressure up front.   With pressure up front has come turnovers in the secondary.  The Bears have racked up 11 sacks in four games and 9 INTs over the same span.  A massive improvement from the first nine games of the season.

The run defense has also been dominant all year which is where the success in the passing game has come from.  TJ Edwards has been as advertised and Trumaine Edmunds has been far better since returning from injury.  The defense finally has come together as a unit and it’s led to the success that’s occurred to this point.

With all of the success that has happened of late one thing is still absolutely clear, if the Bears are going to get anywhere it’s going to be entirely incumbent on Justin Fields and the offense to not just play well, but to improve in a big way.  That will mean more help from Darnell Mooney in the passing game and for Justin Fields to have arguably the best game of his career against the Browns.  The Chicago Bears are clearly in position, but they could just as easily be out of it with one loss.

Justin Fields’ biggest opportunity to prove his doubters wrong will be against the Browns.  Will he finally be up to the task of performing at a high level against an elite defense?  Or will he continue to do just enough to provide false hope that he’s finally figured it out?

The post Where do the 2023 Chicago Bears currently stack up to the rest of the NFL, are they finally a real contender or is it all on the verge of collapse? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Are the Cubs out of the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes?  One baseball insider seems to think the Cubs are out of it.

After a week full of optimism the Chicago Cubs are reportedly no longer in the running for Shohei Ohtani according to a report.

The Chicago Cubs’ optimism of landing Shohei Ohtani has now significantly waned, one high-ranking executive said, leaving the LA Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants as the likely finalists.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 5, 2023

The new will come as a huge disappointment to the Cubby faithful.  Ohtani has been squarely in the Cubs’ sights from the get-go, but now it seems as though it won’t be happening.  Perhaps working against the Cubs is the weather as the remaining teams either play in a dome or are located in a warm weather climate.

Even with the Cubs willing to pony up the money so is everyone else so it will likely come down to where he wants to play.  Los Angeles is of closer to proximity to Japan, warmer weather and have a well-established reputation of doing whatever it takes to win.

The Dodgers have always been the favorite from the beginning and it seems they will remain the team to beat barring a major shift.

The post Shohei Ohtani now unlikely to come to the Chicago Cubs? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are reportedly among the finalists to land the best player in baseball in free agent All-Star pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani.

Fans are glued to social media waiting for near daily updates on the team Shohei Ohtani will choose in free agency.    The latest update will keep you glued to it for Ohtani’s decision which is likely to come this week.

Shohei Ohtani is likely to decide on a team within the next week, according to one source engaged with the top end of the free-agent market. @MLBNetwork @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2023

The true question from the very beginning of this was will the Chicago Cubs in the third largest market in the country be willing to outspend the Los Angeles Dodgers?  If the Ricketts are serious about it then they need to pony up the money required to land Shohei Ohtani.  There’s no excuses left, they have revenue streams galore because of the way they built up Wrigleyville in around the ballpark.

Shohei Ohtani will keep butts in seats and provide cover for them to raise prices to raise even more money if they so choose.  Having a super star player that will put them into the next level of the competitive stratosphere will be hugely important.

More importantly they need a franchise center piece to help take them over the top.  Will Ohtani be the guy that leads them to their next World Series?  Are the Cubs actually serious about competing annually for a World Series?  Hopefully Cubs fans will find out with an early Christmas present.

The post Will Shohei Ohtani’s 2024 team be decided within 1 week? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears may need a quarterback heading into the 2024 NFL draft but one special prospect may be too good to pass up.

The 2024 NFL draft will be loaded with offensive tackle prospects, and quarterback prospects with loads of game experience.  One special prospect may be far too good to pass up heading into the 2024 NFL draft, Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.  

Marvin Harrison Jr. is a 6-foot-4 205-pound wide receiver prospect who looks like he could be on the same level of size, skill and athleticism as Randy Moss.  In 2022 with CJ Stroud as his quarterback Harrison Jr. had 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns and through 10 games of 2023 Harrison Jr. has 59 receptions for 1063 yards and 12 touchdowns.  That pace is better than his 2022 totals with a brand new QB under center.

The Bears have had NFL scouts at two of Harrison Jr.’s more high-profile match ups.

NFL teams with scouts at tonight’s Ohio State/Wisconsin game: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders https://t.co/T18F9RvfuM

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) October 28, 2023

The Bears had scouts in attendance at the Ohio State Wisconsin game where Harrison went off for six catches 123 yards and two touchdowns.  That however may not be as impressive as his performance from the week prior going up against Kalen King how is currently grading out as a first round pick for the 2024 NFL draft.  Going up against King Harrison went off for one of his biggest games of his career 11 catches 162 yards and a touchdown.  

Not to be outdone however Harrison Jr racked up three touchdowns on seven catches for 142 yards against Michigan State this past Saturday.  So as Harrison Jr because to stack one impressive game after another as the regular season winds down to a conclusion it will be interesting to see if the Buckeyes can beat Michigan to get into the college football playoff.

Adding Harrison Jr. next to DJ Moore would be the best thing the Bears could do for any quarterback.  If they do the wrong thing and retain Justin Fields, they would clearly be able to avoid picking up Fields’ fifth year option by clearly putting Fields in position to have Moore and Harrison Jr. to throw to.

More importantly would be the chance of adding another QB among Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Shedeur Sanders, Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr and JJ McCarthy who are all among the top-50 prospects according to ProFootball Focus’ 2024 NFL draft big board.

The post The best 2024 NFL draft prospect for the Chicago Bears may not be a QB appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Amongst the debate between Tyson Bagent and Justin Fields about who is the better quarterback or who is best suited to be the starter for the rest of the 2023 crops up a damning statistic.

Both Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent have both played in five games this year.  Fields has attempted 162 passes, while Tyson Bagent has attempted 143 passes.

The big difference between the two QBs is a damning indictment of Justin Fields’ ability to get the ball out quickly and the pressure it puts on the offensive line and the rest of the offense.

Justin Fields has been sacked 24 times in 2023, while Tyson Bagent has been sacked only five times on the season.  That’s not a typo, Bagent has a little more than 1/5 of the total of sacks allowed of Justin Fields.  The offensive line didn’t get monumentally better with Bagent under center.  Bagent just gets the ball out and avoids sacks in a way Justin Fields never has.

Holding onto the ball too long and taking too many sacks has long been a problem for Justin Fields and the 24 sacks allowed in 162 passing attempts proves just how bad it is with Justin Fields under center.

Possibly even more damning has been the fact that Tyson Bagent has been operating from under center more often than Justin Fields has been on the season.  So Bagent should be at even more of a disadvantage given the timing of dropping back from under center.

Bagent’s biggest problem right now is turnovers as he had a four-turnover game against the Saints last week.  But as he gets more in game seasoning under his belt, Bagent will begin to learn what he can and can’t do in the NFL.  Rookie QBs tend to have high INT rates because they’re learning on the job.  Fields has been on the low end of INT percentage but he’s never been very aggressive with his passes either.

Regardless of whether or not the Bears to decide to keep Tyson Bagent starting this year and give him the opportunity to compete for the starting job next year against Fields the evidence is clear.  That evidence is that the Bears should be moving off of Fields as the starter because he still takes too many sacks to justify remaining the QB of the future.

The post One passing stat may be damning enough to justify keeping Justin Fields on the bench for the rest of 2023 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Justin Fields wanted to be back for the New Orleans Saints game, he didn’t play.  Surely he would be back for the game against the Panthers, the Chicago Bears gave an update.

Justin Fields has been down with a thumb injury, he wanted to play against the New Orleans Saints will he be back for the Thursday night game against the Panthers?

#Bears Wednesday Injury Report: pic.twitter.com/BgQVKJB5Ng

— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) November 8, 2023

Justin Fields is listed as doubtful to start for the game against the Panthers.  So it seems that despite getting better and being excited for the chance to start Justin Fields is likely not to play.

That means Tyson Bagent will have a big opportunity to build some confidence against one of the worst defenses in the NFL.  With Bagent likely to start he will have a chance to rebound from his four-turnover game.  Bagent had three picks and a lost fumble.

That was the difference in the game, but it is what you would expect from a rookie QB.  He’s going to struggle he is going to make mistakes as many rookie QBs have before him who have played in the NFL.  The question is will Bagent learn from his mistakes and get back to being successful.  If he does bounce back and play well, it will make things even more interesting for when Justin Fields might be able to return.

The post Chicago Bears week 10 injury report Justin Fields status revealed appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Rumors abound that Bill Belichick might be interested in leaving the New England Patriots and shifting to a new job, that job includes possibly breaking the all-time coaching records of George Halas and Don Shula.

Bill Belichick has won six Super Bowls in his time with the New England Patriots and currently sits in third place behind George Halas and Don Shula as the all-time coaching wins leader.

Jason LaCanfora stated that he has heard continuous rumors that the Bill Belichick is interested in the Chicago Bears head coaching job.

“I’ve heard a lot of rumors about Belichick being very interested in Chicago.”

– @JasonLaCanfora on @BetQLDaily #DaBears pic.twitter.com/itP0p0GRKU

— Joe Ostrowski (@JoeOstrowski) November 7, 2023

Hiring the 71-year-old Bill Belichick to come over and take over as head coach of the Chicago Bears seems like a bit of a stretch.  However, Belichick belies his age and seems quite younger than 71.  The Bears seem like a strong fit for Belichick if the Bears part ways with Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.

Belichick would likely have the opportunity to draft his franchise quarterback at the top of the first round in a deep QB draft.  He would also have an additional first round pick to further develop the Bears and that could immediately turn things around in Chicago.

Additionally, Belichick would pass George Halas’ record while head coach of the Bears could also be a selling point.

It seems unlikely that George McCaskey would be comfortable with allowing that to happen with the Bears in Chicago.  McCaskey has always had a finicky odd nature about him that makes this seem less likely.

The post Would Bill Belichick leave the Patriots to become the next head coach in Chicago for the 2024 season?? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

NFL Insider Albert Breer was on the Kap and J-Hood show and hinted that a high-profile former NFL coach considers the Chicago Bears to be his dream job.

Albert Beer was talking Chicago Bears football on the Kap and J-Hood show this morning on ESPN radio Chicago and the subject came up about a potential Bears coaching search for the 2024 season.

The hosts asked if Breer has Jim Harbaugh in his phone to which Breer responded “no comment” which fired up the hosts into believing that Breer does in fact have an insider connection with Harbaugh.

The conversation then went into Harbaugh’s identity as a coach and how his system and culture and leadership has followed him in his three coaching tenures in his career.  Harbaugh has developed the system and culture of football at Stanford where he rebuilt the Cardinal, in San Francisco where he took the 49ers to the playoffs for three straight years and in Michigan where the Wolverines are on the verge of back-to-back college football playoff appearances.

Breer went to to talk about how Harbaugh would fit in with Chicago Bears the same way he does currently in Michigan stating.

“To me it makes all the sense in the world to bring him home and I think he would view the Chicago Bears as a dream job too, just the same way like, for him MIchigan was Bo Schembechler’s old job, and I think to him the Bears would be Mike Ditka’s old seat.”

Harbaugh played QB under Bo Schembechler and saw him as his coaching idol and the chance to rebuild Michigan’s legacy to the level it was under the iconic Schembechler was of big draw for the former Wolverine.

From there Harbaugh was drafted by Mike Ditka to the Chicago Bears to be the franchise quarterback in Chicago.  There was friction between the two, but there was also a level of respect.

There are however lingering questions between conflict between Kevin Warren and Harbaugh when they were both in the Big-10 one as President and the other as a high-profile head coach.  Could that relationship be mended?

Additionally, there is the ongoing investigation into Harbaugh and sending football analysts out to view games and steal signs of future opponents to gain a competitive advantage which may lead to his dismissal from Ann Arbor.

Harbaugh would be an ideal fit to completely transform the franchise.  He’s the type of strong personality type the Bears haven’t had since Ditka and it was that personality type that George Halas had as well.  Coaches need to have the respect from the players and a sense of professionalism, leadership, and direction that never waivers.

Harbaugh would ideally suit the change that’s needed away from the rudderless, moronic and downright weird coaching tenure of Matt Eberflus.

The post NFL Insider hints that the Chicago Bears would be a dream job for this head coach appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears fans are arguing between Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent, when they should be calling for the firing of Ryan Poles for missing on his evaluation of CJ Stroud.

CJ Stroud was selected second overall in the NFL Draft behind Bryce Young.  While most professional NFL evaluators in the media and on the web had CJ Stroud behind Young, that’s no excuse for Ryan Poles.  An NFL general manager can’t afford to be as wrong about missing out on a quarterback the way Poles missed on CJ Stroud.

NFL general managers get things wrong all the time, but there should not be a miss like the Chicago Bears missed on CJ Stroud.  Stroud set a rookie record with 470 yards and five touchdowns in leading the Houston Texans to their fourth win on the season.  With 46 seconds on the clock in the fourth quarter and the Texans down 37-33 and in need of a game winning touchdown drive Stroud responded with this drive:

Houston Texans at 0:46
1-10-HST 25 (:46) (Shotgun) C.Stroud pass short middle to D.Schultz to HST 39 for 14 yards (L.David). P23
Timeout #2 by HST at 00:39.
1-10-HST 39 (:39) (Shotgun) C.Stroud pass short left to D.Schultz to HST 45 for 6 yards (Z.McCollum).
Timeout #3 by HST at 00:31.
2-4-HST 45 (:31) (Shotgun) C.Stroud pass short middle to N.Brown to TB 41 for 14 yards (L.David). P24
1-10-TB 41 (:17) (No Huddle) C.Stroud spiked the ball to stop the clock.
2-10-TB 41 (:16) (Shotgun) C.Stroud pass deep left to N.Dell ran ob at TB 15 for 26 yards [V.Vea]. P25
1-10-TB 15 (:10) (Shotgun) C.Stroud pass short middle to N.Dell for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN

Stroud was 5 for 5 for 75 yards and a touchdown to clinch the drive for the Houston Texans.

His final two passes were absolute things of beauty.

His second to last pass to his receiver along the sideline, a perfectly placed dime.  Stopped the clock.  

CJ Stroud dime to Tank Dell on the game-winning drive pic.twitter.com/EvqkMfyOV5

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 5, 2023

His next pass threaded the needle between two defenders for the game winning touchdown and left little room for debate of what a true NFL QB looks like.  

CJ STROUD FOR THE WIN TO TANK DELL.

5 TDS FOR STROUD. pic.twitter.com/QYLt7gax8E

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 5, 2023

The play of CJ Stroud ends the debate of what the standard for QB play in Chicago should look like.  It’s not Justin Fields, and it’s not Tyson Bagent, it’s the play of CJ Stroud.  Stroud is the epitome of an elite QB, he clearly elevates the players around him and has the Texans clearly in the hunt after being the second worst team in the NFL a year ago.

The fact that Ryan Poles had the opportunity to evaluate and draft CJ Stroud first overall and didn’t is reason to be fired. Justin Fields showed clearly last year that he was not the QB of the future of the Chicago Bears.  There was simple concrete evidence that Fields doesn’t have elite capabilities.

With a golden opportunity to clearly elevate the Chicago Bears for the next 12 to 15 years, Poles missed in a huge way that highlights even more his incompetence as a general manager. 

The missed evaluation with Stroud is on par with Ryan Pace’s missed evaluation of Patrick Mahomes.  Clearly teams miss all the time on players, but missing what appears to be another franchise altering talent is inexcusable.  Justin Fields’ failures were already obvious enough to move on from him.  Ryan Poles should have made the obvious decision, the one that I started advocating as an amateur talent evaluator at the end of last season.

The Houston Texans may have lost the first overall pick in the NFL Draft but the clearly won by landing CJ Stroud as their franchise QB.

The post Does CJ Stroud’s QB play suggest Ryan Poles should have kept No. 1 pick? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs need help from Shohei Ohtani after losing Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman to player opt out options before the 2024 season.

The Chicago Cubs are the sleeper pick to land perhaps the greatest free agent player in the history of baseball with Shohei Ohtani set to hit the open market.  Shohei Ohtani may be the players the Cubs have been eyeing to spend their money on for the last few years and why not, he’s an All-Star at two key positions of need.

According to reports from USA Today several MLB general managers feel the Chicago Cubs will be squarely in the race to land Shohei Ohtani. Here is what Bob Nightengale wrote on the situation:

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the overwhelming favorites to sign Ohtani. 

The Chicago Cubs are the sleeper pick, several GMs say, particularly with $43 million coming off their books with the expiration of Jason Heyward’s contract and Marcus Stroman opting out. 

The Boston Red Sox, with new GM Craig Breslow, are expected to be heavily considered. 

The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers will all make strong pushes. 

The Chicago Cubs have the money for Shohei Ohtani

The Cubs were already slotted to pay Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman a combined $46-million for the 2024 season, that’s money that should already be in play for Ohtani because he can fill both positions for the Cubs.

Shohei Ohtani is not expected to pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery but he will DH and then be available to pitch thereafter.  His value is such that the Cubs will have to make a strong push to land him over the Dodgers, Red Sox, Rangers etc.  But the Cubs have the need they have the money they only need the desire to land him.

With the first slate of winter meetings set to kick off this week in Scottsdale, free agency and trade talk is going to be a high priority to focus on.

The post MLB GM’s believe the Cubs are a legit threat for Shohei Ohtani appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears have activated Braxton Jones off of the temporary injured reserve list and waived seventh round center draft pick Doug Kramer.

In a bit of a surprise move the Chicago Bears cut center Doug Kramer to make room for the return of Braxton Jones to the 53-man roster.

The Bears officially activated LT Braxton Jones off IR. They have waived C Doug Kramer to make room on the 53-man roster.

— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) November 4, 2023

Kramer will likely be placed on the practice squad once he clears the waiver wire.  Any team that claims Kramer would have to sign him to their 53-man roster.  Barring that unlikely scenario Kramer will be the third center behind Lucas Patrick and Cody Whitehair.

#Bears Friday injury report: pic.twitter.com/sKcVwBLzye

— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) November 3, 2023

Patrick has been on the injury report the last two weeks but has been a full participant in practice.  He’s expected to play.

Braxton Jones is coming off IR after missing six games and is listed as questionable to start for their game tomorrow in New Orleans.  Jones coming back would put the Bears back to nearly full strength, but right guard Nate Davis is still out with an ankle injury.

Braxton Jones needs to play at a high level the rest of the season so the Bears can focus on other positions in the 2024 NFL Draft.  However even if he does play well, it’s not entirely certain that the Bears wouldn’t be better off upgrading the left tackle position in a deep LT draft class.

The post Chicago Bears activate OT Braxton Jones and waive 2022 draft pick at center Doug Kramer appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles was a man of his word in getting an immediate contract extension done with newly traded for defensive end Montez Sweat.

The Chicago Bears signed newly acquired defensive end Montez Sweat to a massive four-year contract extension.

New #Bears edge Montez Sweat has agreed to a massive 4-year extension worth $98M in new money — $24.5M average per year. He gets $72,865,360 guaranteed with the total deal being worth $105M.

The deal was done by @KlutchSports agents Damarius Bilbo & Kelton Crenshaw. pic.twitter.com/aRQQdGROZZ

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 4, 2023

Ryan Poles expressed confidence in getting an extension done while Sweat played it coy stating; 

“I just want to consider everything around me before I make a decision,” Sweat said.

The Bears were able to pay Sweat enough to convince him to remain in Chicago for the long term.

Sweat comes to Chicago as the man expected to help immediately turn the defense around.  Sweat currently has 6.5 sacks on the season but has never attained a double-digit sack season during his time in the NFL.

Sweat’s guaranteed money is far below the $122.5-million guaranteed to Nick Bosa.  It’s also below the $80-million in guarantees the Steelers gave to TJ Watt.  So, while the Bears see Sweat as a top-of-the-line pass rusher, they are quietly getting away with not paying his as highly as some of the more successful pass rushers who have more recently inked extensions.

The new extension is in line with Sweat’s market value and represents one of the better moves made by GM Ryan Poles to this point in his Chicago Bears tenure.

The post Chicago Bears sign defensive end Montez Sweat to a massive 4-year contract extension appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman has made a decision on his future with the team after deciding to opt out of his contract.

Marcus Stroman’s future with the Chicago Cubs seems to have been decided after he surprisingly decided to take the player option opt out for his contract for the 2024 season.

Confirming -Marcus Stroman has exercised his option to walk away from his $21 million ,2024 contract. @JonHeyman first report. @670TheScore we discuss the move. 312 644 6767. Inside the Clubhouse until 11AM. @steverosenbloom follows us.

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) November 4, 2023

Stroman battled a fractured rib cartilage injury the last half of the season.  Marcus Stroman started the season on a tear helping the Cubs rotation lead the  league in ERA to start the season.  

After his rib injury however, it was widely predicted that Stroman would take the money he has in Chicago rather than opt out.  The move is a bit of a surprise as Marcus Stroman likely won’t get that much money on the open market.

The move leaves a gaping hole at the top of the Cubs’ rotation and means they’ll likely have to look into free agency to fill the void at the top of the rotation.

The post Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman to opt out of deal for 2024 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears might be in the market for an oft injured defensive end who is bouncing back with five sacks.

The Chicago Bears are 2-4 a game under where they were a year ago at the trade deadline when they were 3-4.  Chase Young has rebounded from a knee injury has appeared in six games and has racked up five sacks.  The Chicago Bears have little in the way of edge rush help even after signing Yannick Ngakoue.

So there’s a credible report posted by ProFootBall Talk on NBC Sports that the Bears are interested in trading for Chase Young.

What would it take for the Chicago Bears to acquire Chase Young from the Washington Commanders?   Brad Spielberger offered up his thoughts on what it would take:

Should the Bears consider trading for Montez Sweat or Chase Young?@PFF_Brad weighs in: pic.twitter.com/fHW6BMp37D

— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) October 27, 2023

The Chicago Bears definitely can’t afford to trade away a first-round pick for Young.  With his injury history it might be a stretch to consider even a second-round pick.  But as Spielberger points out it’s shaping up to be an underwhelming NFL Draft class for edge pass rushers.

Chase Young looked like premiere pass rusher coming out of Ohio State.  If he’s back healthy he could be in return to playing at a high level.

It may not be a risk worth pursuing, however.  The Bears can’t truly afford to be buyers at the trade deadline.  This in my opinion is not the smart move.  Young has a very risky injury history and trading a hefty bit of draft capital plus needing to sign him to a pricey long-term contract would also be a risk for Ryan Poles.

There’s a big risk reward scenario here for Ryan Poles to concern and there’s absolutely no reason to trust Ryan Poles to make the best value trade for Young.

The post Chicago Bears 2023 trade rumor, will they trade for pass rush help? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Tyson Bagent had a very successful debut for a QB making his first NFL start in a key stat that Justin Fields has struggled with, time to get the ball out.

Tom Brady said getting the ball out quickly is the best way to avoid sacks in the NFL.  Brady said the benchmark from snap to going through progressions and getting the ball out should be no more than 2.75 seconds.  Any longer than 2.75 seconds and the sack is on the fault of the QB.

Today Tyson Bagen met that standard with an average time of 2.75 seconds, in his first NFL game.

Per @NextGenStats, Bagent averaged 2.75 seconds to throw vs. Las Vegas. https://t.co/sbUIHKXDHX

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) October 22, 2023

Justin Fields has struggled in this regard since he arrived in the NFL.  Only once has he averaged below 3 seconds from snap to throw, as a rookie he averaged 2.91 seconds.  That mark was still among the bottom five QBs in the NFL.

Tyson Bagent’s 2.75-mark today was an excellent start for a rookie because as an average it would place him in the middle of the pack for the NFL average in 2023.  Obviously as teams begin to adjust their game plans to attack Tyson Bagent’s strengths he will need find way to spread the ball around and maintain his timing.  But so far this puts him ahead of Justin Fields in a very important category.

The post Tyson Bagent focused on getting the ball out quickly, he met the standard in 2.75 seconds appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Jaylon Johnson sent a strong message to Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles with his pick six celebration in the Bears 30-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jaylon Johnson racked up two interceptions against the Las Vegas Raiders, tripling his career total with two fourth quarter picks that put the Raiders on ice.

Johnson’s first pick was returned 39 yards for a touchdown and his celebration of making it rain money was a clear message about his contract extension stalemate with Bears GM Ryan Poles.

Jaylon Johnson with the pick-six and the Bears are rolling. pic.twitter.com/ns509RKXnq

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) October 22, 2023

When asked about his TD celebration Johnson was absolutely clear that he was sending a message about his stalled contract extension talks.  Johnson is ready to restart talks with the Bears front office or he’s ready to be traded away and be paid by another team who will pay him.

Jaylon Johnson asked if he was sending a message with this celebration: "You damn right, 100%."
Added later, "I know I can play this game at a high level, and I deserve to be paid like that."@cbschicago https://t.co/QRUxUfHdZq

— Matt Zahn (@mattzahnsports) October 22, 2023

Ryan Poles stalling on the Jaylon Johnson contract extension is absolutely stupefying because Johnson is currently the Bears’ best player on defense at a key position.  If Ryan Poles doesn’t extend Jaylon Johnson, it will be absolute travesty.  Trading him would be equally as big of a mistake because Poles has failed to develop good player and draft good players since he came on board as GM.

Jaylon Johnson is a strong CB who deserves to be paid well for how good of a player he is.  He’s been consistent, and he’s big strong and tough against the run.

The post Jaylon Johnson sends a bold message about his 2023 contract stalemate with the Bears front office appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Matt Eberflus gave a very familiar quote on Tyson Bagent showing that he didn’t fall from the Lovie Smith Cover-2 defensive scheme apple tree.

Lovie Smith famously said “Rex is our quarterback” after dealing with an up and down career with the Chicago Bears.  As Grossman would continuously struggle, Smith would reinterate what Matt Eberflus stated today about Justin Fields.  “Justin is our quarterback.” after Tyson Bagent won his first start in resounding fashion over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Matt Eberflus: “Justin’s our starting quarterback. Tyson’s the backup.”

— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) October 22, 2023

Bagent finished 21-29 for 162 yards and one touchdown in the Bears 30-12 win.

The question now becomes when does Justin Fields return.  There has been some talk that Fields could return next week against the Chargers.

The post Matt Eberflus reinterates Justin Fields is their 2023 staring QB after Bagent wins debut appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears have started the 2023 season with a 1-5 record after losing 14 straight games over the course of the 2022-23 seasons, and the failure starts with Ryan Poles.

The 2023 Chicago Bears were supposed to show some sort of improvement over the course of the season.  Now six games into the season they are instead showing that they haven’t gone any better.  Newly minted general manager Ryan Poles has connections as a client to former Chicago Bears player turned agent Trace Armstrong.  Armstrong was rumored to be a possible hire for the Chicago Bears president of football operations, during the 2021 NFL season.

Instead Armstrong was not hired, but the Bears did hire two clients of his in Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus, and that appears to be a new level of incompetence in Chicago.  Clearly neither Poles nor Eberflus should have been hired.

It all start with Ryan Poles, who has now had two seasons to mold the Chicago Bears into a better more competitive football team and he has yet to bring in a player that projects to be a better player in Chicago than they were as draft picks or as free agents.

Poles biggest coupe was landing DJ Moore, but that was an obvious move, it’s the moves that he needs to make future projections on that he has failed at miserably.  Everything else has been an abject failure.

Starting at quarterback, Justin Fields hasn’t developed and the talent behind Justin Fields has not been upgraded.  None of the players behind Fields are good enough to help in his development nor good enough to challenge him to be a better player.  Tyson Bagent’s little spark aside, there’s not truly anyone that’s making the QB demonstrably better than it was when Poles took over.

The highest level of success Poles has had, has been at the running back position.  The least important position for Fields to develop.  Roschon Johnson may turn into a good running back and the free agents brought in are competent.  But that’s not doing much to truly elevate the offense.

At wide receiver the players Ryan Poles has brought in haven’t even looked like they belong.  Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown N’Keal Harry and Velus Jones Jr showed no promise at all.  Ryan Poles then traded for Chase Claypool for the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.  Claypool didn’t even make it a year before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins.  Tyler Scott, Trent Taylor and Jones Jr are the primary contributors behind DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney.

Moore is good, but the rest of the talent behind him needs to be massively upgraded for the third off-season in a row.  Not one of the players outside of the Moore trade looks like they belong on the roster beyond the 2023 season.  Scott will remain, but he’s not showing anything that makes you believe he’ll be here by the end of his rookie contract.

The offensive line is just as bad as the wide receiver room.   Braxton Jones is not a starting caliber left tackle and never should have been tasked with being the blind side protector for the future of the franchise.  Jones is at best a backup on the same level as his backup Larry Borom.  You just don’t ask a fifth-round draft pick to come in and immediately lock down the blindside against the be pass rushers in the NFL.  The very little promise Jones has shown has been as a competent level backup player.

The Bears needed a center, and signed Lucas Patrick, who has been a disaster.  Cody Whitehair is moved to center after the Nate Davis signing moves Teven Jenkins to left guard.  Whitehair had problems with snapping the ball when he started for the Bears at center previously and is now showing issues with snapping yet again.  That wasn’t a hard prediction to make.  Adding to the chaos along the offensive line, the primary backup is a second year seventh round pick.

On defense the front seven is still an absolute mess.  The defensive tackles are deplorable.  Justin Jones is not an NFL caliber defensive tackle.  Gervon Dexter Jr has neither the correct size for the leverage required to play in the trenches, and Zacch Pickens is more of a raw athlete than a football player.  The defensive end position provides zero speed or pressure off the edge.  Yannick Ngakoue is not providing the pressure off the edge he was expcted to.  He is among the worst in the NFL in generating pressure off the edge.

DeMarcus Lawrence Dominique Robinson and Rasheem Green don’t bring any rush off the edge either.  There’s simply been no improvement from a pass rush standpoint over the last two years.  None of the players even projects to be a good pass rusher in the future.

The secondary depth has gotten worse.  The starters in Jaquan Brisker Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon haven’t generated any momentum in the turnover department. The Bears have five turnovers which is in the bottom third in the league for turnovers and only two turnovers above the worst spot in the league for turnovers.

In summary the entire roster hasn’t gotten any better and doesn’t have any players at any positions of impact that project to be here over the next three to five years.  Ryan Poles has failed to reshape the roster, upgrade the talent or build a winning culture that is moving this team closer to being competitive.

Given the connection of Poles to Trace Armstrong and the obvious appearance of Armstrong helping out two of his own clients there should be little doubt what new President Kevin Warren should do.  Poles wasn’t hired for because he is good at his job, no more than Matt Eberflus was.  The appearance is they were hired because of their connection to Trace Armstrong and his connection to the Bears.

It doesn’t matter that the Bears have had an endless cycle of coaches and GMs.  It doesn’t matter that it would be a sign of organizational instability As a result of the failure to even begin to upgrade the talent of the 53-man roster, Ryan Poles should be fired at the end of the 2023 season.

The post The Chicago Bears need to be prepared to fire Ryan Poles after the 2023 season appeared first on ChiCitySports.

 Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is in the market for some help on the defensive side of the ball as they gear up to face the Vikings.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is looking for a senior defensive analyst to come take some of the demand off of him with the resignation of Al Williams.

Matt Eberflus has taken over play calling on the defensive side of the football since Williams’ resignation.  This extra level of responsibility has taken away his ability to focus on the entire team.

Matt Eberflus said the Bears are seeking a potential hire for a role of senior defensive analyst, this as the coaching staff continues without a defensive coordinator. He said his mentor and friend Rod Marinelli is "comfortable in retirement."

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) October 9, 2023

Rod Marinelli makes the perfect sense as an option but with him happily retired the next thought might be to bring Lovie Smith back.  Obviously bringing back a previous head coach of the franchise, one that had the most success in Chicago since the 1985 Super Bowl team had it’s run may seem to be a distraction, but the Bears need to consider all options.

Another option could be Marvin Lewis who could potentially be hired away from his unpaid role at Arizona State.  Lewis is currently serving in the same role as a senior defensive analyst for the Sun Devils.  Problem is winter in is coming and the weather in Tempe is going to be much more conducive to football than Chicago is.

Another thought might be to bring in Mike Singletary in that role.  Singletary I’m certain would be more than happy to help out his former team and it would be an absolute PR coup for Eberflus as well.

Leslie Frazier is also an option that should be considered, also with ties to the Chicago Bears.  Basically there are plenty of options for Eberflus to offer the job to, assuming the Bears are willing to offer up more than they offered Olin Kreutz a few years ago.  

You may also check Bears provide update on key injury after Week 1 and White Sox Reliever, Knowingly Pitched Through Injury

The post Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus looking for help on defense heading into week 6 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears did improve something today, they now hold the first and second overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft giving them the opportunity to potentially draft two generational talent prospects at key positions.

There are two winless teams left in the NFL after week four of the NFL season, the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers and as a result, by virtue of trading away last year’s number one overall pick, the Bears own top two picks in the NFL Draft.

The Bears currently have the top two picks in next year’s draft…

Bears fan hotline: https://t.co/YXqHIJgiyj pic.twitter.com/UuJdFDUSsI

— PFF (@PFF) October 1, 2023

By virtue of holding the first and second overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft the Bears have the chance to draft two generational talents.  Caleb Williams at quarterback is at this point the unanimous pick to go number one overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.  Williams has been compared very favorably to current Kansas City Chiefs great Patrick Mahomes.  

Making things even more palatable in terms of the overall failure of the 2023 Chicago Bears, Williams could potentially be throwing to Marvin Harrison Jr, who has been compared to Randy Moss.

Obviously, this would be a best-case scenario for the Chicago Bears to land the first and a second overall pick and it would also ignore how bad they are on defense.  However, the Bears can’t afford to pass on generational talent even if it means neglecting the defense.

The post The Chicago Bears did improve today, they improved their draft status in the 2024 NFL Draft appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chase Claypool has quit on the Chicago Bears and is representative of the failure of Ryan Poles tenure as general manager.

Chase Claypool was given the inactive designation for the game against the Denver Broncos today revealing  yet again complete incompetence and character issues.

Ryan Poles has thus far been a massive failure as a general manager for the Chicago Bears and perhaps nothing is more evident of that failure than the Chase Claypool trade.  Poles is presiding over the worst losing streak in the history of the franchise after the Bears imploded during the 22 season and wound up with the number one overall pick.

In the process of “tanking” Ryan Poles traded for Chase Claypool to help the 3-4 Chicago Bears presumably get worse.  Adding another weapon when Poles believed that Justin Field and the Bears offense had finally turned the corner.  In reality, Chase Claypool is representative of the failure that is Ryan Poles.  That failure seems to have finally reached a climax as Chase Claypool was benched today and elected to stay home rather encourage his teammates.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said that WR Chase Claypool chose to stay at home during today’s game.

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) October 1, 2023

When Ryan Poles has spoken of hardworking high character guys with a “championship mindset” he sounds like he’s selling bullshit superlatives to a fan base that is now seeing through to his ineptitude as a talent evaluator and GM.  Poles essentially gave up the equivalent of a first round pick for Chase Claypool.  Claypool was a massive character problem in Pittsburgh, he already had that reputation.

Yet the excuse Poles used to justify not drafting DT Jalen Carter, is his own advice he did not follow when it came to Claypool and it has blown up in his face tremendously in both cases.  Carter looks like he will be an All-Pro in his first year in the league as he’s second in the league for pressures on the QB by a defensive tackle.

Claypool meanwhile may very well be cut by the end of the week.  To say there is a layered cake of incompetence from GM Ryan Poles is an absolute understatement at this point.  The best Bears fans can hope for is that both Claypool and Poles are let go at the same time.

The post Chase Claypool is a massive failure and now he has quit on the Chicago Bears appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Justin Fields was going to be given every opportunity to succeed in Chicago but was never Ryan Poles choice.

Peter King is one of the top NFL columnists of the last 35 years and interviewed Ryan Poles prior to the NFL combine and shared a tidbit from Ryan Poles that speaks to the level of confidence Poles has in Justin Fields.

Also said that although he'd have all the chances he needs, Ryan Poles has never been convinced Justin Fields is their franchise quarterback.https://t.co/t7x173VxNa https://t.co/C99nm3yqt1

— The Parkins & Spiegel Show (@ParkinsSpiegel) September 26, 2023

The Chicago Bears are giving Fields every chance to succeed and thus far he has failed in spectacular fashion.  The statistics are all damning, 3-25 record as an NFL starter, over 100 sacks given up, 27 TDs to 25 INTs and 31 fumbles.

To squash the sacks are the fault of the offensive line debate, Fields 80-percent of those sacks have come with Justin Fields holding onto the ball longer than four seconds.  Four seconds is entirely way too long to be holding onto the ball.  As Tom Brady famously stated, a QB needs to get the ball out in 2.75 seconds or less, if he doesn’t every sack beyond that time is the fault of the QB.  Brady’s career mark for getting rid of the ball was 2.61 seconds.

Fields is nowhere near that and has the worst mark in the NFL since he arrived.  

Ryan Poles is now quietly letting it be known that Justin Fields is not his preference at QB, but who is stuck with for the time being.  Fields is in the third year of a five-year rookie deal and is probably in his last year in Chicago.

Now the question is are the Bears going to actually try and win this year or are they going to tank yet again?  The countdown clock to the Tyson Bagent debut seems to have started.

The post Justin Fields was never Ryan Poles’ preference at QB according to new report appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Former Chicago Bears center Sam Mustipher has earned high praise from his new team while Lucas Patrick has been a disaster at center thus far.

Sam Mustipher left Chicago after starting 41 games for the Bears.  While Mustipher wasn’t great, he did show that he deserved to remain in a backup role because he’s younger than Lucas Patrick with a better pedigree.  Now Mustipher is proving his worth for his new team the Baltimore Ravens.

"Sam Mustipher deserves a lot of credit."

Coach Harbaugh on the O-line: pic.twitter.com/iigCFmLLCq

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 18, 2023

John Harbaugh has never been one to mince words when it comes to criticism or compliments.  Harbaugh complimenting Sam Mustipher for his praise once again shows that the Bears don’t know how to develop talent in Chicago.

Absolutely, Mustipher struggled during his time in Chicago but he still hold far more value for the Bears than Lucas Patrick has.  Patrick has been absolutely awful, while a change of scenery has been hugely beneficial for Sam Mustipher.

At this point it’s safe to question everything about the Chicago Bears from the top down and this is yet another example of that.

The post Former Bears center Sam Mustipher earns high praise with new team appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears offensive guard Nate Davis is doubtful for Sunday’s game

Nate Davis is the newly signed right guard and his time with the Chicago Bears has been tenuous at best.  Now Davis has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for personal reasons.

Per Courtney Cronin, Davis had a death in the family on Saturday morning, and it was something he was dealing with this offseason.

Nate Davis made his debut last Sunday in the opener against the Packers.  His debut came after missing OTAs this past spring, followed by missing the majority of training camp practices in the lead up to game one.

Davis missed a practice in the lead up to week one also due to personal reasons and seems to be continually struggling with these personal issues.

The Bears are now going to be without both starting offensive guards with Teven Jenkins on IR due to a calf muscle strain and Nate Davis out.

The Bears seem to be struggling early in the season, with defensive coordinator Al Williams also out for the game for personal reasons, receiver Chase Claypool on the verge of being benched for his lackluster effort and no clear sense of direction, accountability or leadership within this franchise.

General manager Ryan Poles preached about having a “championship mindset” as a key element to delivering wins to the Chicago Bears.  Instead, the Bears are struggling to pick themselves up off the mat after getting absolutely demolished in their week one loss to the Packers.

The assumption at this point is Ja’Tyre Carter will start at right guard for the Bears on Sunday against the Bucs. Carter had been practicing at right guard with the starters throughout the off-season so hopefully it will be a smotth transition for the offensive line.

Also check this Samuel Savoie injury is confirmed after successful surgery and Chicago Bears reportedly shopping wide receiver Darnell Mooney.

The post Chicago Bears guard Nate Davis ruled out for week two appeared first on ChiCitySports.

If you were in a coma from the end of the 2022 Chicago Bears season and emerged from the coma for the week one game against the Green Bay Packers, you wouldn’t know the difference between last season and this season.

Stop me if you’ve seen this one before, the Chicago Bears were absolutely destroyed by the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Ro…….Jordan Love throwing for 245 yards and three touchdowns.  You read that right, Jordan Love threw was nearly flawless in his first key start for the Green Bay Packers as he torched the Bears for three TDs in a 38-20 win.

Justin Fields was again awful as the play-calling, the offensive line and QB play combined for an absolutely abysmal performance in what was supposed to be the franchise moving in a new direction.  Instead, it was more of the same from the Chicago Bears.

Fields again was horrendous, taking far too many checkdowns and throwing too many wide receivers screens to the perimeter.

Justin Fields’ intended air yards, per @NextGenStats: 3.3 yards.

Second-lowest mark among all QBs so far in Week 1.

— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) September 11, 2023

That’s an ugly stat indicative of a two things, first no trust in the offensive line, and no trust in Justin Fields.  New rookie right tackle Darnell Wright was beaten like a drum in pass protection.  The offensive line had numerous pre-snap penalties and holding calls in the game.  Field blamed the coaches and his teammates for the bad game

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields said that the offensive gameplan for today's game was more lateral passing than downfield passing.

Justin said that they have to do a better job blocking the perimeter and on the edge.

(Via @ChicagoBears)

— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) September 11, 2023

The two shots Fields took wound up working out only half the time.  Fields threw a nice touchdown to Darnell Mooney, but then attacked the middle of the field later in the game and was easily picked off after telegraphing his pass.

Justin Fields So Far Vs Packers
144 Passing Yards
1 Interception
1 Fumble Lost
1/9 On Third Down
14-38 To Packers #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/ToN306vlAN

— SportsTalk (@TheSportsTalk0) September 10, 2023

The Chicago Bears defense was equally atrocious giving up 38 points after being completely rebuilt from a year ago.  The Bears were gashed in the run game which helped set up Jordan Love for a huge game.  The Bears got very little pass rush up front and didn’t blitz much to confuse Love.  The game plan on both side of the ball was absolutely awful.

In summary the Chicago Bears were deplorable, and I’m out of adjectives to describe how bad this game was.  I don’t know where the Bears go from here.  They don’t look like a six or seven win team, they looked like the worst team in the NFL for the second consecutive year.

Who knows what they’ll be able to do to fix all that ails this team, but from top to bottom things will need to change in a drastic way for this team to even be competitive in 2023.

The post Chicago Bears lose to Green Bay Packers 38-20 in disastrous start to the season appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears needed offensive line by trading from Dan Feeney help after a recent rash of injuries took down three players along the interior of the 2023 line.

After Teven Jenkins, Doug Kramer and Lucas Patrick went down with injuries over the last 10 days, the Bears needed to add help up front.  Ryan Poles did just that by trading for offensive guard Dan Feeny from the Miami Dolphins.

The #Bears are trading a sixth-round pick to the #Dolphins for G Dan Feeney, a former Carl Sandburg HS student. https://t.co/c8tSXaCfqH

— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) August 29, 2023

The Chicago Bears will be the fourth team of Feeney’s career.  Feeny comes with 64 games of starting experience but has primarily been a backup his past two seasons in the NFL.  The real question is will he come and push to start with the Bears having so few options inside at the moment.

Regardless of whether or not he starts he’ll be a valuable backup piece for the 2023 season until we know about the seriousness behind Teven Jenkins and Doug Kramer’s injuries.

You may also check the update of Giannis Antetokounmpo Bulls Rumors: Potential Trade Attempt

The post Chicago Bears add offensive line depth trade for Dan Feeney appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Bears RB Roschon Johnson look the part of a good NFL running back with his combination of size and power but what does that mean in terms of his overall value?

Chicago Bears running back  Roschon Johnson has been the talk of the off-season since he was drafted in April.  Johnson has been called among the best pass blocking running backs to come out of college in a long time.  He’s been raved about as being an extremely high character guy who is going to change the entire dynamic of the Chicago Bears’ locker room.  He has been hyped at a level almost never seen before for a fourth round pick.

But what does any of this mean in terms of his overall value to the franchise?  In short none of this hype provides anything of substance or value.  Even if Roschon Johnson lives up to the hype the overall value, he’ll add to the offense will be minimal at best.

I know we (@AlexDunlapNFL and I) have been talking about Roschon Johnson a lot, since January 2022…

And it feels like most of the masses have come around to understanding he is a viable RB in the NFL

But I don't think y'all REALLY get it with Roschon, and by November you are… pic.twitter.com/D2dSlvmhYY

— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CarpentierNFL) August 27, 2023

First let’s start with his value as a pass blocker. The average NFL blitz rate for teams across the leagues is around 25-percent.  Immediately that means that on 75-percent of the Chicago Bears’ offensive snaps Roschon Johnson won’t be utilizing his biggest strength to add to the offensive production.  That immediately lessens his value to the Chicago Bears for the 2023 season.

Next we’ll evaluate what he can bring to the Chicago Bears in terms of rushing yardage value comparative to the 2022 season.  In 2022 the Chicago Bears were first in the NFL in rushing, ballyhooed by Justin Fields’ record setting performance as a QB.  But if you take away half of Justin Fields’ rushing yards the Bears would still have been 6th overall in rushing in the NFL.

The Bears lost David Montgomery in free agency, where Montgomery rushed for a total of 801 yards and 5 touchdowns for 2022.  So if the Bears balance out the loss of Montgomery’s 801 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns with their RB by committee the overall quality of the offense will not be impacted in any sort of significant way.

If anything Bears fans should have learned from Mike Martz determining that Brandon Manumaleuna had more     value than Greg Olsen.  Adding another blocker outside of a good blocker on the offensive line is absolutely worthless to the overall success of the offense.  Roschon Johnson right now is the next Manumaleuna, he might be a fantastic blocker, but the Bears need far more help in the passing game with receiving talent.

The Chicago Bears still need receivers to come in and play at a high level and have only added one play making receiver from a year ago.  Chase Claypool is still battling an injury, Darnell Mooney can be muscled off of his route by most any defender in the league and Tyler Scott has yet to prove in pads that he is a high level receiver ready to make an early impact in the NFL.

So the Bears yet again have a plethora of running backs, but a dearth of talent at the wide receiver position.  Leading one to believe that if the Bears are ever going to join the ranks of the modern passing offense of the NFL.

Bears fans should be up in arms over the lack of talent that exists at the wide receiver position.  But they seem to so caught up in football from the 1920s to the 1980s that they don’t care how bad the offense has been over the course of the last four decades.

You may also check Ryan Poles Says Recent Trade Rumors

The post Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson, what is his true value to the offense? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

With the unexpected injury to Teven Jenkins the Chicago Bears shuffled their offensive line around on practice Monday.

Teven Jenkins strained both his calf muscles and will reportedly miss up to six weeks as a result of the injury that seeming came out of nowhere.  With Jenkins out a familiar face returned to left guard as Cody Whitehair moved from center to his left and Lucas Patrick moved to center.

During the viewing period of Bears practice, as you might be able to see in the photo below, Lucas Patrick was snapping in O-line drills with Cody Whitehair to his left. Read into that what you will pic.twitter.com/xGJlc8xLXn

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) August 21, 2023

The move instantly stabilizes the offensive line because of the combined starting experience of Whitehair and Patrick.  The Bears don’t have to move nonstarters Ja’Tyre Carter or Alex Leatherwood to the left guard spot.  Patrick is coming back off an injury from the end of last season but is healthy now.

If Patrick is back up to full speed and can lock down the center spot until Teven Jenkins returns then the Bears won’t be as bad off in week one versus the Packers.

More than anything the move should allay the fear fans and media alike of who is going to be protecting for Justin Fields.  The Bears have far better versatility and experience on the offensive line than they did a year ago.  So the injury to Jenkins shouldn’t be as alarming as most first thought it would be.

The most alarming thing is how consistently Teven Jenkins seems to get injured and never seems to stay healthy.  Jenkins is one of the promising young offensive guards in the NFL.  However he has yet to play a full season and won’t be playing a full season yet again as he heads into his third year.

Also check this Ryan Poles scouting notebook: Clemson and Alabama games in 1920 Football Drive video

The post Teven Jenkins’ injury forces the Chicago Bears to shuffle the offensive line yet again appeared first on ChiCitySports.

One of the biggest early surprises was starting defensive end Trevis Gipson showing up at the bottom of the first depth chart released for the 2023 season.

Trevis Gipson was a starting defensive end for the Chicago Bears last year where the Bears had one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL.  Gipson however was also fourth in the NFL for the number of times he faced a double team.  

Gipson was highly disruptive in his preseason debut racking up nearly double-digit pressures three QB hits and then finally notching one of the eight sacks the Bears front four notched today.  Trevis Gipson lived in the Titans back field today playing with a major chip on his shoulder.  Trevis Gipson showed a non-stop motor in pursuit and was overall violent with his pass rush today.

Trevis Gipson. #Bears pic.twitter.com/imXcvr0xg0

— Barroom Network (@BarroomNetwork) August 12, 2023

It’s hard not to imagine Gipson not winding up as the week one starter with his effort today.  If he stacks two strong games together he will become an integral part of the Bears pass rush this year.  After last year’s disappointing season it’s a strong start to the preseason for the Bears front four.

Although it is only a preseason game it was a big positive to see the level of motivation this unit played with today with Gipson leading the way.

The post Chicago Bears DE Trevis Gipson is dominant after being snubbed on depth chart appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The most scrutinized Chicago Bears player in terms of injury history, offensive guard Teven Jenkins missed one practice but made his return today.

Chicago Bears left guard Teven Jenkins returned to practice Saturday after missing a day with an undisclosed injury.  Jenkins has yet to participate in a full training camp schedule due to injuries.  As a rookie, he missed time due to back surgery.  Last year he dealt with another injury that kept him out sometime in addition to missing games during the season.

So when Jenkins went down with yet another injury the thought was he might miss even more time.  Instead, he camp back to Saturday’s practice.

Teven Jenkins is back to work this morning. Nate Davis is still not practicing. Lucas Patrick has stepped in as the next man up at guard. Ryan Poles said he’s not concerned about some early injuries for the Bears’ offensive line.

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) August 5, 2023

Jenkins bouncing back is important because starting right guard Nate Davis has been out the entire camp.  Davis missed time in the spring with an injury and has yet to practice this summer.  Teven Jenkins though has shown a willingness to practice and play through injuries when he can and has performed at a high level.  As a former Ryan Pace draft Jenkins will always face another level of scrutiny, whereas Davis seems to be getting the benefit of the doubt.  Poles however didn’t seem too concerned about it. 

The post Teven Jenkins returns to Chicago Bears practice appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Arguably the biggest move of the off-season was trading the first overall pick and getting wide receiver DJ Moore back as part of the compensation.

Is DJ Moore finally the player that’s going to boost Justin Fields’ production in the passing game?  Moore is a 6-0 210-pound receiver that three out of five seasons over 1,000 yards receiving.  He’s a clear number-one target for Fields and was already generating a buzz in OTAs and mini-camp.  Moore is a sneaky down-the-field threat as well as a strong route runner who will provide an immediate key option in the passing game for Fields.

Fields needs a clear go-to guy as he works to improve his passing production.  What DJ Moore has done in yards he has lacked in overall touchdown production proving to be more of a production yardage WR rather than a player who racks up TDs.  Will that change for him in Chicago now that he’s playing with arguably the most talented QB he’s played with in his career?

The Bears sure do hope so as it will be incumbent upon DJ Moore to elevate the Bears passing game to a level never seen before in the history of the franchise.  The Bears are the only team in the history of the NFL to not have a 4,000-yard passer.  Last year among the most productive Top-10 passing QBs only one player missed out on throwing for over 4,000 yards.  So if there is hope for Fields to be the passer the Bears need him to be, DJ Moore is going to need to have the best year of his career.  Moore will need to eclipse 1,100 yards to put himself among the leaders in yardage in 2023.

DJ Moore isn’t the only player the Bears hope will bolster their receiving core in 2022.  Chase Claypool dealt with injuries and massive inconsistency after the Bears traded for him midway through the 2022 season.  Claypool has a lot to prove in 2023 and for him, it’s personal, as it should be.  The Bears traded away the equivalent of a first-round pick by giving up the 32nd overall pick to the Steelers.  That’s a massive loss for the Bears as Claypool was a disaster in Chicago a year ago catching only 14 passes for 140 yards and ZERO touchdowns.

Claypool also missed critical time in the off-season program with an injury.  As it stands right now Claypool is a more productive version of N’Keal Harry but is also faced with the likelihood that 2023 may be his last year on an active NFL roster.  Claypool signed a four-year rookie deal and heads into the final year of his contract needing to prove himself so he can have a chance to get a second contract.  Harry faced similar circumstances a year ago and is now no longer in the NFL.

Darnell Mooney had been a fan favorite in his first two years with the team.  Mooney was a fifth-round pick who fought his way into a starting WR role by the end of his rookie year.  In year two Mooney surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for the first time.  Then with Allen Robinson moving on Mooney became the defacto number one receiver and struggled to become a productive threat in the passing game.  Mooney ultimately succumbed to a season-ending injury and faces the same circumstances as Claypool he’s in the final year of his rookie deal and needs to earn an extension.

If things come together and the top three receivers on the roster, DJ Moore, Claypool and Mooney play up to their full capabilities the Bears could have one of the best-receiving groups in the NFL.  Moore and Mooney both surpassing 1,000 yards would be a fantastic development for the passing attack.  Claypool getting double-digit TDs would be icing on the cake for what the Bears need from their passing game.

Elsewhere the Bears hope they have another Mooney-type steal in fourth-round pick Tyler Scott from Cincinnati.  Scott has top-end speed as he was a junior olympian in sprinting events.  If he can perfect his route running he should be a solid fourth option for the Bears.  He’s receiving some solid hype for falling to the fourth round so the hope the Bears got another bargain and he can push towards the upper echelons of the depth chart the same way Mooney did in his rookie year.

The post Chicago Bears Season Preview: Wide Receivers, will DJ Moore be a huge difference maker? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Last year the Chicago Bears had arguably the worst defensive tackle rotation in the NFL, how much better can they be in 2023?

The Chicago Bears struggled to stop the run and rush the passer in 2022.  They were awful up front with one exception.  Justin Jones racked up 12 tackles for a loss on the season, which put him in a tie for the 19th overall for most TFLs on the year, and tied for sixth in NFL amongst DTs.  However, as good as Jones did in racking up TFLs, he would also get exploited out of his gap or run over power by bigger stronger guards which led to him giving up a lot of big run plays as well.

Jones for the time being will remain the starting 3-technique, although most fans and media agree that the Bears should have upgraded that position this off-season.  The Bears didn’t upgrade the position in the immediate, instead they chose to add two rookies into the mix with second-round pick Gervon Dexter from Florida and top of the third-round pick Zacch Pickens from South Carolina.  Pickens projects as the one-gap penetratring 3-techninque, while Dexter looks more a combination of a 1-technique and a 3-technique.

Dexter is a very strong defensive tackle well built and proportioned from his upper body down to his lower half.  He offers a lot of power, but not a lot more.  He’ll need to learn to use his hands and develop counter moves to become a consistent disruptive force in the NFL.  Ryan Poles compared him to a DT he saw a lot of in All-Pro Chris Jones.

Pickens, will provide rotational depth behind Justin Jones, depth fans hope will be better than what the Chicago Bears had last year.

Elsewhere in free agency the Chicago Bears sign Andrew Billings to be the starting nose tackle.  Billings is a proven run defender that Matt Bowen called on of the best bargains in free agency.  The Bears desperately need help in stopping the run and the hope is Billings will be that guy.

For inside outside interior pass rush help the Bears brought in DeMarcus Walker from the Tennessee Titans.  Walker will line up on the outside on base running downs but will likely shift inside in nickel situations.  He racked up 7.5 sacks a year ago

The post Chicago Bears season preview: Defensive Tackle, will they be better? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Projecting Justin Fields as a Top-10 passing QB may be a matter of simple math.

For Justin Fields to be amongst the top passing yardage QBs in the 2023 season he need to notch at or near 4,000 yards passing.  Of the top-10 passing QBs in the 2022 season, only one was below 4,000 yards passing a year ago and that was Jalen Hurts of the Eagles at 3,701 yards passing.

For Justin Fields to be a top-10 passer in yards he will need all of his receivers to have seasons equal to or above career highs.

Adding together the career highs of the Bears top-5 receivers, top-2 TEs top-2 RBs you come out with 4,280 yards passing for Justin Fields.  That list includes DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis as WRs, Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan are your TEs, with Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman as your RBs.

Counting on those players to all have career years so that Fields can be amongst the best passers in the NFL in 2023 may be a bit of a stretch, no matter how much Justin Fields improves.  The simple fact that the players around him would have to perform at levels they haven’t achieved consistently in their careers means Fields still isn’t surrounded with enough talent to project him to be one of the best passers in the NFL.  Getting to that point will take another top WR weapon before Justin Fields can take that next step to reach a high level.

The post Justin Fields faces uphill climb to be Top-10 passer in 2023 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears are desperately trying to add talent to their offense to help QB Justin Field reach his full potential.  One area they added talent to was at right guard with  Nate Davis coming from the Titans.

Nate Davis comes to the Chicago Bears to take over starting at the right guard position.  Davis skipped voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) which made up a total of eight practices but was on hand for mandatory mini-camp.

Nate Davis signed a three-year contract to take over for Teven Jenkins who was moved to left guard.  Jenkins was graded out as the third-best offensive guard overall in the 2022 season by ProFootballFocus.   The question is does signing Davis elevate the guard position and then the offensive line as a whole?

Run blocking:

Nate Davis tallied a run-blocking grade of 69.8 in 2022.  That grade was well below Teven Jenkins’ run-blocking grade of 82.2 and slightly better than Cody Whitehair’s 62.3 run-blocking grade.  So Nate Davis overall upgrades the offensive line hopes by improving the Chicago Bears’ guard tandem by slightly upgrading the run blocking. Whitehair moving to center, slightly upgrades that position from a PFF grade standpoint.

Pass blocking:

As a pass blocker, Nate Davis was slightly better than Teven Jenkins grading out with a 66.8 pass-blocking grade to Jenkins’ 65.9 pass-blocking grade.  That difference likely won’t be a noticeable enough upgrade to the overall offensive line.

Both Jenkins and Davis missed time with injury in 2022.  Davis missed five games and has comparable overall snaps played to Jenkins in terms of pass-blocking snaps.  Davis had 385 pass-blocking snaps to  Jenkins’ 304.  Jenkins allowed two sacks, Davis three sacks, Jenkins allowed zero QB hits, Davis one QB hit, Davis allowed 14 pressures, and Jenkins allowed 12 pressures.

Overall:

The hope is Davis boosts the overall stability on the offensive line.  Davis wasn’t better than Jenkins at right guard, was worse as a run blocker and slightly better overall as a pass blocker.  The biggest concern however is Davis a one-year wonder as an offensive guard.

He finally played well in his contract year after grading out in a highly inconsistent manner as a pass blocker his first three years in the league.  His first three years in the NFL as a pass blocker all graded out below 60.0, with grades of 49.2 in 2021, 52.6 in 2020 and 44.5 in 2019.  Those overall grades are some of the worst in the league during that span and Davis didn’t do himself any favors by missing the OTAs he did.

Nate Davis is going to need to prove himself a consistent player as the starter at right guard because if he reverts to his previous level of play he’ll be on par with the inconsistency that Sam Mustipher showed at center which became an overall liability to the rest of the offensive line.

It’s a huge gamble to make from GM Ryan Poles to assume that Davis has turned the corner in his development and become a reliable starter in the NFL.   Reliable starters don’t typically miss OTAs. voluntary or not.

Nate Davis will have to prove he’s a consistent performer at the right guard spot or he could be yet another failed free agency gamble from the Bears GM.

The post Chicago Bears Starter Focus: Will Nate Davis elevate the offensive line? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Tyrique Stevenson has earned high praise from former Chicago Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt and now his head coach is singing his praises after OTAs and mini-camp.

The Tyrique Stevenson draft pick earned high praise for the Chicago Bears on the second day of the NFL Draft and that praise has carried over into early off-season activities.

Coach Flus with some HIGH praise for Tyrique Stevenson during his press conference.

Seems like Stevenson has turned some heads already this off-season. Will he be the starter opposite of Jaylon Johnson?#DaBears #Bears #ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/adkuwUF2FQ

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) June 14, 2023

Tyrique Stevenson at this point seems like he’ll be the boundary corner starting opposite of Jaylon Johnson with last year’s rookie Kyler Gordon entrenched at the nickel spot.  If the Bears can develop a young highly talented secondary they won’t have to generate the level of pass rush needed to be a great defense.  As pointed out by PFF great coverage has a better impact than pass rush.  

Tyrique Stevenson has been the most praised rookie to this point and is a perfect for what the Bears are trying to do on defense in the Matt Eberflus system.  If he continues to progress the Bears may be better off on defense than expected in 2023.

The post Tyrique Stevenson early frontrunner to be the Chicago Bears’ best draft pick appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Research shows great QBs make the playoffs within three years of becoming full-time starters for their franchise, Justin Fields needs to do the same.

The pressure is on Justin Fields to show that he has the potential to be a great NFL quarterback heading into his third year, to do that the Bears have to make the playoffs.  It’s not even a trend among the greatest QBs that Justin Fields has to follow, it’s the standard.  Justin Fields enters year three as the Chicago Bears starter and if he is the type of QB the Chicago Bears need him to be he’ll lead the to the playoffs.

The great NFL QBs from the last 30 years have all made the playoffs within their third year in the NFL, most of them by their second year.  Research shows that QBs that have been named to the NFL All-Pro team over the last 30 years out of those QBs, all but one of the players have made the playoffs by their third full year as the primary starting QB of their team.

From Randall Cunningham in 1992 to Jalen Hurts in 2022 all of the QBs but Rich Gannon (All-Pro 2002) have made the playoffs by the time they become the primary starter for their team.  In the cases of Steve Young, Kurt Warner Aaron Rodgers didn’t take over as full-time starters as rookies because they rode the bench before becoming full-time starters.  However, by their third full season as the starter for their team, they had in fact taken their team to the playoffs.  Essentially, if a QB is among the NFL All-Pro selections in their careers or is mentioned as an All-Pro player by a certain publication they take their team to the playoffs.  The list also includes Cam Newton, Carson Wentz, Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo, Carson Palmer, Jalen Hurts, and Joe Burrow who were awarded All-Pro honors by a secondary publication.

1992 Randall Cunningham yes

1993 Steve Young yes 

1994 Steve Young yes

1995 Steve Young yes

1996 Brett Favre yes

1997 Steve Young yes

1998 Steve Young  yes 

1999 Kurt Warner yes 

2000 Peyton Manning yes 

2001 Brett Favre yes 

2002 Rich Gannon No

2003 Steve McNair yes

2004 Peyton Manning yes

2005 Tom Brady yes

2006 Drew Brees yes 

2007 Tom Brady yes

2008 Peyton Manning yes

2009 Peyton Manning yes 

2010 Tom Brady yes

2011 Aaron Rodgers yes

2012 Peyton Manning yes 

2013 Aaron Rodgers yes 

2014 Aaron Rodgers yes 

2015 Cam Newton yes 

2016 Matt Ryan yes

2017 Tom Brady yes 

2018 Patrick Mahomes yes 

2019 Lamar Jackson yes

2020 Aaron Rodgers yes 

2021 Aaron Rodgers yes

2022 Patrick Mahomes yes

Other QBs who were awarded an NFL All-Pro by a secondary publication

Matt Ryan yes

, Phillip Rivers yes

, Tony Romo yes, 

Carson Palmer yes

, Carson Wentz yes, 

Joe Burrow yes, 

Jalen Hurts yes

As I wrote last year with QBs who start two Super Bowls in their careers, greatness at the QB position is the primary reason teams find success.  Out of all of the QBs who have made two career Super Bowl starts (not wins), only Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Jim Plunkett, Joe Theismann and Craig Morton are not in the Hall of Fame.  Arguably Roethlisberger Manning and Wilson will wind up in the Hall of Fame sooner or later.

If Justin Fields is going to be among the greatest QBs to ever play the game, his greatness will arrive this season, his third year in the NFL.  If not the Chicago Bears will be in a constant state of trying to build a team around him strong enough to get to the playoffs, rather than having Justin Fields be the primary reason they make the playoffs.

Essentially Justin Fields has little room for error in his third year in the NFL as the starting QB.  Justin Fields needs to take advantage of a weak NFC Division and lead the Bears into the playoffs.

The post For Justin Fields to be great he’ll need to lead the Chicago Bears to the playoffs in year three appeared first on ChiCitySports.

After meeting with the mayor Naperville the Chicago Bears announced that they could abandon their plans in Arlington Heights for a new stadium and land option in Naperville.

The Chicago Bears announced that they had a meeting with Naperville mayor Scott Wehrli on a possible secondary option to build a new stadium and entertainment district way out in the far Southwest Chicagoland suburb.

Bears officials met with Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli today to discuss the possibility of abandoning their stadium plans in Arlington Heights.

Plans to build “the largest single development project in Illinois history” are “at risk,” the team said.https://t.co/4CynF7mpiB

— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) June 2, 2023

Currently the Chicago Bears are beginning the process of demolishing the racecourse at Arlington Heights after closing on the purchase price of the land earlier this year.  Now the Chicago Bears are in a property tax dispute with the village and the commercial viability of the property as it is being renovated for a future Chicago Bears stadium.

“The Cook County Assessor’s property assessment of the former horsetrack, which is five times the 2021 tax value and three times higher than the recent assessment settlement for the Churchill Downs racetrack in Kentucky, fails to reflect that the property is not operational and not commercially viable in its current state, the statement said.”

As always with these billionaires they’re looking to save a couple million in property taxes, but what is the viability of them leaving Arlington Heights after closing on the property at a cost of $197.2-million.   Are the Bears going to sell that property as a potential loss just to save a few million in property taxes?

It seems highly unlikely that the Bears are seriously reconsidering something that’s been in the works for the last two years.  We’ll see if the staredown over taxes that should go to supporting the schools within Arlington Heights will cause the village board to blink.

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More evidence of Justin Fields’ struggles in crunch time come up the further into the numbers you dig.  As it was the Chicago Bears’ offense was last in the NFL in points scored in the fourth quarter and we have a big indicator as to why.

The Chicago Bears lost seven games by a touchdown or less during their worst season in franchise history while losing 10 straight games to close out the season.  Second-year QB Justin Fields was arguably the main reason why the Bears lost so many close games as he finished with the worst fourth-quarter QB rating in the NFL.

As Brad Biggs pointed out in this early December column fourth quarter comebacks are at an all-time high in the NFL.  Yet Justin Fields struggled the most in crunch time a season ago.

“His passer rating in fourth quarters is 53.8, and his interception rate is an unsightly 9.2% as the offense has struggled when forced into obvious passing situations.”

Those fourth-quarter numbers are absolutely abysmal and are yet another indication that if Fields doesn’t improve in a massive way in 2023, it could be his last season in Chicago before the Bears decide to draft Caleb Williams from USC or Drake Maye from North Carolina.

Fields finished out the season according to Football Database with a league-worse 61.3 fourth-quarter passer rating.  

On the other side of the ball, the Bears’ defense was 16th in points allowed in the fourth quarter.  So as the game wore on, the defense despite its lack of talent got better, whereas the offense got worse.  Clearly had the Bears been a better fourth quarter team on offense they would have won more of the seven games that they lost by a TD or less.

Regardless of Justin Fields’ freakish abilities as a runner, and with Fields putting together the greatest rushing season by a QB in the history of the NFL, the Bears still finished with the worst record in the NFL.

The post Justin Fields finished the 2022 NFL season with the worst 4th quarter passer rating in the NFL appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears did not draft an edge rusher in the 2023 NFL Draft and it seems they still have a lot of faith left in one of their top breakout players from 2021.

According to one report, the Chicago Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson could very well be poised for a bounce-back season in 2023.

“They like him a lot,” a league source with knowledge of the Chicago Bears’ thinking told Heavy, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely. “That’s why they drafted interior help rather than taking an EDGE rusher.”  “I’d think if he can get somewhere between 7.0 and double-digit sacks,” said a source,”

It’s Trevis Gipson for me. https://t.co/IGjRvXHAzf pic.twitter.com/l9O125kRuu

— Josh DeLuca (@JoshDeLuca4) May 25, 2023

Gipson struggled in the new scheme in 2022 after posting an 87.0 pass-rushing grade in 2021.  But a part of that was because he was double-teamed a lot more in 2022 than he was in 2021.

“The fact that opposing offenses double-teamed Gipson nearly as often as the likes of Za’Darius Smith and Aidan Hutchinson, underscores just how impactful he is as a pass-rusher.”

If Gipson is helped out by having DeMarcus Walker on the other side of the defense all the better for the Bears.  Add to it the better talent across the board added in the defensive tackle rotation and the hope is Gipson could be poised to cash in with a long-term contract extension as he heads into the final year of his contract.

The post Is Chicago Bears defensive end primed from a huge bounce back season? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Teven Jenkins came into his own during the 2022 NFL season and is primed to become of one of the best offensive guards in the NFL, if he isn’t already.

After moving from offensive tackle to right guard second-year offensive lineman Teven Jenkins became the third highest graded guard in the NFL according to ProFootballFocus.  

…while Jenkins, despite nagging injuries, was the third-highest-graded guard in the NFL….Jenkins, however, graded out to an excellent 80.7 in 2022 at right guard for the Bears.

Talk about an underrated performance by the second-year player.  Jenkins’ key issue heading into the 2023 season won’t be his play but rather whether or not he can stay healthy as he shifts to left guard.  

Did you know? In 2022 RUN BLOCKING per PFF:

Offensive Line
#Bears ranked 5 of 32 teams

Tackles
BRAXTON JONES ranked 14 of 137

Guards
TEVEN JENKINS ranked 5 of 140
CODY WHITEHAIR & LUCAS PATRICK both ranked in Top 50
NATE DAVIS ranked 17 of 140 in Titans OL
https://t.co/6HebAActye pic.twitter.com/h0rn3FGt1f

— Kirsten Tanis (@kct2020) May 17, 2023

Teven Jenkins was at practice yesterday whereas newly signed offensive guard Nate Davis was not at practice.  Davis’ absence immediately calls Ryan Poles character evaluation of players into question.  Poles has emphasized bringing in players who love the game who are happy and excited to be at practice.  We’ll see if Davis returns to practice soon.

As of now Jenkins looks like he could be primed for a Pro Bowl caliber season where he sets himself up for a long term contract extension with the Bears. Teven Jenkins is eligible for an extension after the 2023 season.

The post Is Teven Jenkins the next best offensive guard in the NFL? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears were busy this off-season but did they do enough to support their franchise QB?

Most everyone agrees this is a make-or-break year for Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields.  The Chicago Bears had the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft which they parlayed into a couple of extra draft picks and wide receiver DJ Moore.  The Bears then took offensive tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th overall selection in the NFL Draft to shore up Fields’ pass protection.  But the Bears only added two players that seem even capable of contributing in any meaningful way in 2023.

So ESPN asked the obvious question, did the Chicago Bears do enough to support Justin Fields in the most critical year of his career?

Fields took 55 sacks last year, tied with a perpetually flummoxed Russell Wilson for most in the league. Fields was hit 232 times, 21 more times than any other quarterback. His 1,143 rushing yards ranked seventh in the league — not among quarterbacks, but among all players, regardless of position. It was all very exciting, but it’s likely, not sustainable, and the Bears will be better in the short term and the long term if they can help Fields develop as a passer. It will diversify and energize their offense and help preserve their franchise QB.

So after acquiring WR Chase Claypool at the trade deadline last year, they got DJ Moore from Carolina in the trade for the No. 1 pick in the draft. They signed guard Nate Davis from Tennessee in free agency and selected tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th pick in the draft. They still plan to lean a bit on a couple of the young linemen they drafted last year, and Cole Kmet emerged throughout last season as a key playmaker at tight end.

The answer to this question, in the big picture, is probably along the lines of “not quite.” But Chicago has added enough pieces that Fields should have avenues to show the kind of improvement this year that leads to sustainable long-term success as long as the Bears continue to make him their priority while building out their roster.

“Not quite” is a kind of way of stating the obvious, no the Chicago Bears did not do enough to help out Fields.  Fields needs more consistent threats in the passing game.  Darnell Mooney may not be coming back from his injury for a while, certainly, he won’t be participating in any of the off-season activities leading up to training camp.  Chase Claypool is going to have suddenly show up and play at a much higher level than he has the last two years.  After starting out with a decent rookie year, he has spiraled into near non-existence.

This leaves the Bears with one strong receiving option in DJ Moore.

The post Did the Chicago Bears do enough to improve the group around Justin Fields? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Ryan Poles let it be known recently that the Chicago Bears are looking to trade for pass-rush help at the defensive end position and Chase Young was rumored to be an option.

You can cross Chase Young off the list of potential players the Chicago Bears might be in the market for as Albert Breer let it be known that the  Washington Commanders are not shopping their former top pick.

.@AlbertBreer tells @kapjhood the Commanders are NOT shopping Chase Young.

He did say if a team put together an enticing offer they may listen, but it doesn't sound like he's available right now.

Please adjust your Bears trade expectations at your convenience.

— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) May 16, 2023

Chase Young became a part of trade rumors right before the draft after the Commanders declined to pick up his fifth-year option.  The  Commanders made no noise prior to the draft that they were shopping him, and they obviously didn’t trade him to get value for him that would contribute to the 2023 NFL season.

With Young out of the trade equation, the Bears are mostly down to pass-rusher options that have their best years far behind them.

The post Ryan Poles will have to find pass rush help elsewhere, Chase Young not available appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears let Sam Mustipher walk in free agency again in yet another questionable move by Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles.

Sam Mustipher is not a long-term starter, he’s not a quality starter and was arguably the worst offensive lineman on the Chicago Bears roster last year.  He should not have started ahead of Lucas Patrick or Teven Jenkins at center or right guard.  I called for him to be benched after his pathetic week two performance against the Green Bay Packers last year.

That said, Sam Mustipher should have been retained as a quality backup who can play both guard and center in a pinch.  Ryan Poles just made the Chicago Bears’ offensive line worse by not retaining Mustipher to play in a strictly backup role.  My opinion is not because I like Mustipher, it’s just a reality in today’s NFL.  You need players who have seen war in the trenches, who have been healthy, who know your system and who are young.  Those are the exact qualities the Baltimore Ravens likely saw in Mustipher when they signed him to a one-year contract.  

Mustipher has started 40 of a possible 43 career games with the Chicago Bears which is ideal for a high-quality backup, which is precisely what he should be.  The Bears are instead completely resetting the developmental and experience clock and hoping either Doug Kramer a 2022 sixth-round draft pick who is recovering from a major injury or Ja’Tyre Carter a seventh-round pick is up to the task of being one of the top three backups the Bears will need in 2023.

If either Carter or Kramer wind up playing this season it will be the first time they’ve seen any game reps in regular season action.  That’s not how you build up quality depth in your organization and it’s a constant failure from Poles.  Poles constantly talks about guys who fit his system and fit his culture, a narrow-minded focus that in the case of Teven Jenkins completely ignored his talent, and now in the case of Sam Mustipher ignores the starting experience that could qualify him as being kept as a young backup with starting experience in the trenches.

At some point, Ryan Poles is going to have to stop making mistakes because it’s beginning to be obvious that he doesn’t know what he’s doing or how he plans to construct the Chicago Bears’ roster.

The post Why letting Sam Mustipher walk was another mistake by Ryan Poles appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Bears 2023 NFL Draft pick is in and to no one’s surprise it was a very safe pick.

The Chicago Bears traded down from the first overall spot to the ninth overall spot and then traded down to the 10th overall spot for a 2024 fourth-round pick and passed on Jalen Carter drafted one of the players they were coveting all along offensive tackle Darnell Wright.

Bears fans, you guys got one of 'my guys' in this class with Darnell Wright to play RT.

Details on his game: https://t.co/0yGUufrySF

10 plays that encapsulate how he wins: pic.twitter.com/83VUMkw15V

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) April 28, 2023

The selection of Wright fills an immediate need for the Bears at offensive tackle The Bears were among the worst teams in the NFL in pass protection.

Darnell Wright was discussed as being the offensive tackle the Bears coveted the most and they got their man despite having a top-5 talent fall to them.

The post With the 10th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft the Chicago Bears select Darnell Wright appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Justin Fields being the franchise QB for the Chicago Bears may not be the long-term answer everyone thinks it is according to a well-sourced report.

Justin Fields has led the Chicago Bears to passing offense rankings of 30th and 32nd in his first two years as the starting QB with the most games started.  According to metrics by PFF, he was the least productive QB in the NFL when he had complete protection from the offensive line and at least one wide receiver open.  

So it shouldn’t be all that surprising that some of his own teammates have creeping doubts about his ability to be the franchise QB that is the player to finally break the QB curse in Chicago.

Hub said on his podcast today that there are people within the #Bears who don't believe Justin Fields is the guy.

Here's what he said in a

— Matt Eurich (@MattEurich) April 26, 2023

The thread goes on to expand on the report about Justin Fields not having the full confidence of his teammates.

“I hesitate because I’m not sure how to say what I’m about to say without causing trouble, and I don’t want to cause trouble, because there is no trouble…I have it from a number of sources, that not everybody on the Bears offense is convinced Justin Fields is the answer. Not that they’re negative about it. Not that they think he’s a bad football player. Not that they don’t like him… By the way he played this year that they’re not sure he can be their franchise quarterback. I have it from a really good source that one of those people could be Cole Kmet, who felt there were times that Fields just wouldn’t or couldn’t give him the ball.”

The report comes from this podcast if you want to give it all full listen. 

It’s of note that Hub Arkush has known Cole Kmet since he was a kid because Kmet grew up in Chicago.  So Hub having inside knowledge of the feelings Kmet has about Fields wouldn’t be that huge of a shock.  Also, the way Hub goes out of his way to protect his source and not rock the boat seems to square with the entire situation unfolding here in Chicago.

It’s hard to imagine the Chicago Bears not supporting Justin Fields with the trades for Chase Claypool and DJ Moore, but on the other hand flipping around four, potentially five starters on the offensive line doesn’t bode well for building blocking chemistry in Fields’ penultimate season at QB.

If the Chicago Bears move Braxton Jones to RT, their starting offensive one will have swapped five players to brand new positions for the 2023 season.  A new left tackle, Tevin Jenkins is the reported starting LG, Cody Whitehair at C Nate Davis at RG, and Jones starting a never before played position of RT.  While Whitehair and Davis have experience at C and RG respectively, the overall development of blocking chemistry would be hugely disrupted, and will already be disrupted with four new players playing together at new positions for the 2023 NFL season.

Add to it Moore is only 25 years old and would be an ideal player to help bring along a rookie QB next year.  Plus the Bears own the Carolina Panthers’ first-round pick next year and they aren’t expected to make a major jump in the standings with a rookie QB starting.  With two highly promising QBs slated to be available in the 2024 NFL Draft it’s very possible that the Bears may seem to be building for Justin Fields now, but are also developing a plan to insert one of the two best NFL QB prospects to come out since Trevor Lawrence or Andrew Luck.

Drake Maye and Caleb Willams may be plug-and-play QBs who fit in nice with an offense that has Bijan Robinson, DJ Moore Chase Claypool, and Darnell Mooney and an offensive line with no rookies starting and a unit that has played together for 17 games.  The pressure on Justin Fields in 2023, regardless of reports and rumors coming from the inside.

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A major rumor abounds about the Chicago Bears drafting one of the best players available in the NFL Draft regardless of position, an elite player who might change the dynamic of the team if he’s selected.

The Chicago Bears have a need at offensive tackle, defensive tackle and defensive end.  They don’t have a starting right tackle as it currently stands and the players they return at defensive end don’t project to be even average pass rushers.  So most of the major mock drafts have the Chicago Bears grabbing an OT, DT or DE.

But then a rumor popped up online today about the Chicago Bears drafting one of the most dynamic players in this year’s draft.

Will @bearsreddit break some more news this year?https://t.co/ZmDDwZ2rwt

— Bears Talk (@NBCSBears) April 26, 2023

Running back Bijan Robinson is linked to the Chicago Bears at the ninth overall pick in the NFL Draft and it might not be the craziest selection if it happens.  Robinson is a generational talent at the running back position and there are arguably only two other players who grade out as high regardless of position in the 2023 NFL Draft.  If you were going to grade players strictly on their ability to be great players with the highest possible floor, Robinson Jalen Carter Peter Skoronski and Will Anderson Jr would fill out that short list of players.

The rumor doesn’t come from the most credible source, the I have a friend whose dad says the Bears will isn’t exactly Adam Schefter breaking news or reporting on rumors but stranger things have happened before the on internet.

Honestly, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to the Chicago Bears because you want to absolutely build your team around players that will be here for the long term.  You can’t constantly gamble on and project players who you hope will develop into great NFL players, that’s a guessing game the Chicago Bears can’t afford to go down.  You can do that when your team is more established and competitive.  The Chicago Bears aren’t anywhere near that level yet so drafting Robinson would make a ton of sense because he’s one of the least risky players available.

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The Chicago Bears brought in a multitude of NFL Draft prospects for private workouts at Halas Hall for the 2023  NFL Draft.  Here we’re going to break down the players the Bears scouted.

The Chicago Bears brought in 35 total known prospects to work out at Halas Hall for the 2023 NFL Draft.  Some prospects counted towards the local Chicagoland Midwest region players so they didn’t count against the 30 limit total.

Offensive tackles are one of the top priorities in the 2023 NFL Draft for the Chicago Bears.  The Bears wasted no time in scouting the top players at the offensive tackle position.

Offensive tackles

OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State

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Today is the final day for top-30 visits for NFL Draft prospects and the Chicago Bears are bringing a defensive end on one of their final trips of the 2023 NFL Draft season.

The Chicago Bears desperately need pass-rushing help after their front four only racked up 6.5 sacks a year ago.  So Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is bringing in a defensive end who racked up eight sacks a year ago.

Auburn EDGE Derick Hall is visiting the Chicago Bears pic.twitter.com/qFPKxuvSwm

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) April 19, 2023

Hall was a solid pass rusher for the Auburn Tigers a year ago and fits into the Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye Mark Anderson defensive end role from a size perspective.

PFF’s scouting report offered up this bit on Hall:

Although Hall may be undersized on the edge, he’s a total gamer who plays with tenacity. He is lean, explosive and athletic enough to be a successful edge rusher. Hall is very versatile, too, having played some outside linebacker during his time at Auburn. He was incredibly consistent for the Tigers over the past two years, recording more than 40 pressures and eight sacks in each campaign, which resulted in two 80.0-plus pass-rushing grades.

The Chicago Bears drafted Alex Brown in the fourth round and Mark Anderson in the fifth round.  It’s possible that Hall fits into the same type of defensive end role as they did given the 4-3 schemes run by Lovie Smith and now Matt Eberflus are very similar in their approach.

Hall is likely a late day two early day three pick that makes sense for the Bears to develop behind Gipson and Robinson. 

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The Chicago Bears have rebuilt their 2006 4-3 defense in 2023 of old with players fitting in that exact mold and only one player is missing.

Tremaine Edmunds is Brian Urlacher and  TJ Edwards is Lance Briggs, the Chicago Bears are only missing their Tommie Harris and Matt Miller is convinced the Bears will draft that player in 2023.

“They are said to value (Jalen Carter) highly."

-Matt Miller on the Bearshttps://t.co/4jUUNtkyTw

— Bears Talk (@NBCSBears) April 13, 2023

Matt Miller goes on record saying the Chicago Bears will definitely draft Jalen Carter to fill the Tommie Harris 3-technique spot in this defense.

“Outside of the value, Carter would be a great fit in the middle of the Chicago defensive line,” wrote Miller. “He’d be a true building block for Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 defense.” said Miller.

The Chicago Bears need Jalen Carter to fall to them at 9th overall in this draft.  That is the type of luck that makes franchises over the next decade.  Aaron Donald falling in the draft is what put the Rams defense in a dominant position to win a Super Bowl and appear in another.

Seattle and Detroit are two teams that could also draft Carter if he falls.

The Chicago Bears did it as well with Tommie Harris and didn’t need dynamic edge rushers to get to the Super Bowl.  Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye weren’t Julius Peppers Robert Quinn or Khalil Mack dominant pass rushers.  They were good enough to push the Bears all the way to Miami.

So can the Bears begin to build in that direction with the addition of Jalen Carter? Time will tell but adding Carter would be the biggest step towards rebuilding a defense that was among the worst in the NFL last year.

The post Will the Chicago Bears draft their next Tommie Harris in 2023? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Will the Chicago Bears be taking an offensive tackle at the ninth overall slot in the 2023 NFL Draft?  The need to find big help at the RT position is there and a Georgia OT is coming in on a visit to Halas Hall.

The Chicago Bears need to solidify their right tackle spot in the 2023 NFL Draft.  There really isn’t a top player left in free agency for the Bears to target and the last thing they need to do is to try and wait for another Riley Reiff type veteran to get tossed onto the garbage heap and hope that works out.

So the obvious choice is to take a stud OT in the 2023 NFL Draft.  One of the players who fits that profile is Georgia offensive tackle  Broderick Jones who will be visiting the Bears on a Top-30 visit this week.

Pre-draft visits for Georgia OT Broderick Jones include the #Titans, #Patriots, #Jets and likely #Cardinals and #Bears, per source. Jones is projected as a first-round pick.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 5, 2023

Jones is graded slightly higher than Paris Johnson Jr out of Ohio State in the upcoming draft by Lance Zierlin, although Johnson has longer arms which Ryan Poles covets in his edge protectors. 

Both players have the qualities to be either long-term starting left tackles or right tackles in the NFL and the Chicago Bears would be wise to draft Jones if he’s there.  The Chicago Bears really can’t go wrong by drafting the top available offensive tackle in this draft.  It’s merely a matter of opinion on who is the better player.

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Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles is firmly entrenched at scouting players who will build the depth and talent in the trenches of the Bears’ defensive and offensive lines.

The Chicago Bears are hosting another SEC defensive tackle this week Gervon Dexter from the University of Florida.

Sources: Florida @GatorsFB defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has visits with #Ravens #Eagles #Bears @KPRC2 https://t.co/4HhGkyTZ28

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 4, 2023

Dexter doesn’t fit the typical defensive tackle profile as he stands 6-foot-6 and goes 310-pounds.  You don’t typically see defensive tackles above 6-foot-4 as the interior battle in the trenches is typically a battle of leverage.  The lower man usually wins the battle, especially in the run game.

Dexter has some decent athleticism for his size, he posted a 4.81 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, highly impressive for a player of his size.

Dexter is frequently slow off snap, which tends to have a domino effect on both his hands and positioning in a negative way. His size and traits help him make plays even after being blocked early in the rep, but he will need to improve his hand usage as a pro. He’s a limited pass rusher with below average quickness and rush skill but can get there eventually if the play extends. Dexter’s physical profile might be hard for teams to ignore, and he could become a more consistent performer in a 3-4 defense.

Overall this is a curious look by Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles.  Dexter isn’t highly graded overall by most draft sites.  He’s listed in the range of filling in the role of NFL back up to above average back up.  He also projects more as a 3-4 5-technique defensive end versus a 3-technique or 1-technique defensive tackle you see in the 4-3 defense.

My guess is Ryan Poles is looking at his overall athletic profile to fill a potential position of need in the later rounds.

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In yet another example of Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles looking for offensive tackles to possibly convert to athletic NFL offensive guard the Bears will meet with Jaelyn Duncan from Maryland.

A definite theme seems to be developing for the Chicago Bears and possible mid to late-round offensive tackle prospects who they may see as guards in their outsize zone scheme.  The Chicago Bears are meeting with Ilm Manning from Hawaii and also Jaelyn Duncan a four-year left tackle starter from Maryland.

Bears have pre-draft visit scheduled with Maryland OT Jaelyn Duncan #Bears #ChicagoBears #BearsNation #DaBears https://t.co/Xq7Jl4Ds3U

— Chicago Bears Fans (@BearsViews) April 4, 2023

Lance Zierlin of NFL.com said this of Duncan: 

“Highly athletic four-year starter at left tackle who might have the best chance to stick in the league as a zone-scheme guard. It’s easy to love the athletic flashes, but it’s challenging to love the complete body of work when studying the game tape. Duncan rarely plays with enough finish and his man is frequently near the final action because of it. He has the foot speed to protect as a left tackle, but his ability to anchor is a major concern. His lateral quickness should work to his advantage as a move blocker.”

That’s precisely the type of player the Bears have been looking out for these last two draft visits, players who are long-time starters at left tackle who could convert to guard in the NFL.  The most successful offensive guards in the NFL currently, were offensive tackles in college.

While you can’t project that either Duncan or Manning will become one of the best guards in the NFL, it shows a keen sense of awareness by Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles.  Addressing the high-value and important positions in the first two days of the NFL Draft and then finding the value in the middle rounds by building your offensive line depth from the inside out.

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The Chicago Bears gave up the 32nd pick in the NFL Draft for Chase Claypool and it didn’t immediately work out for the Chicago Bears during the 2022 NFL season.

The Chicago Bears’ off-season was graded by a few anonymous NFL GMs for the trade down from the first overall pick to the haul the Bears added in free agency in an article in The Athletic.  Most notably was Ryan Poles being blasted for the move to trade for Chase Claypool which looks like an absolute disaster thus far.

“If I’m a Bears fan, I’m still really pissed that we lost the 32nd pick in the draft for Chase Claypool,” another exec said, referencing the trade Chicago made with Pittsburgh during last season. “How bad does that move look now that you had to include D.J. Moore in the No. 1 pick trade?”

The Claypool trade was a disaster almost immediately for the Bears.  Claypool wound up dinged up and then Justin Fields was forced to fight through injuries.  The two never developed any sort of chemistry and Claypool struggled to pick up the offense.  It remains to be seen whether or not the Bears made the right call.

Barring a tremendous turnaround in Claypool’s career trajectory it will be very hard to overcome the loss of the 32nd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft that the Chicago Bears gave up to the Steelers.

In other analysis of the Bears off-season thus far NFL execs had this to add to the discussion stating,

Counting Moore, acquired from Carolina when the Bears traded down from first to ninth in the draft order, Chicago added players with $70 million in combined annual salary, most in the league. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, Moore, guard Nate Davis, defensive end DeMarcus Walker and linebacker T.J. Edwards accounted for most of that.

“The Bears are interesting because people are like, ‘Do they really have to go all-in on off-ball linebackers?’” an exec said. “But in (Matt) Eberflus’ system, those guys are pretty critical. The good thing is, they have a plan. They had a ton of money. There wasn’t a top-heavy free agency class with a lot of big-money guys you are dying to get. Adding D.J. Moore is better than any receiver you are going to get in free agency.”

Chicago made the trade with Carolina earlier on the calendar than most similar trades are made. GM Ryan Poles indicated a deal with Houston for the second pick fell through. Had Chicago pulled off that trade, the team might have been able to double dip, moving down again. Waiting around in attempt to maximize value would have frozen some of the Bears’ plans for free agency, however.

“You can only put your focus and energy into so many parts of the roster when that type of deal is not done yet,” an exec said.

The Bears must feel good about addressing their offensive and defensive lines in the draft. Chicago holds the ninth pick, plus extra picks in the second, fourth, fifth and seventh rounds.

The  Chicago Bears did well to remake the defense in the mold of the Brian Urlacher Lance Briggs era Bears defense.  Tremaine Edmunds will be in the Brian Urlacher MIKE role and TJ Edwards be the WILL linebacker spot that Lance Briggs manned during the Bears’ defensive heyday of 2005 to 2012.

The Chicago Bears will still need to find their Tommie Harris to man the 3-technique spot, but the hope is Jalen Carter falls to the Bears at nine overall to give the Bears a chance at moving close to the Monsters of the Midway.

Of note, the Chicago Bears still need to find a starter center and a starting right tackle before the 2023 season.  Whether that comes via another trade, a late free agency addition after June 1st cuts or via the NFL Draft remains to be seen.

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The Chicago Bears are scouting the draft for more offensive line help and will bring in a left tackle prospect who started 40 games for Hawaii.

Some of the best offensive guards in the NFL have been former offensive tackles.  One prospect who fits the mold of an offensive tackle that will likely slide inside in the NFL is Ilm Manning.  Manning a left tackle from the University of Hawaii Warriors is coming to Chicago on a Top-30 visit.

.@HawaiiFootball OL Ilm Manning has Top 30s this week w. #Cowboys & #Bears, per source. Manning also has private workout w/ #Cardinals.

Manning started 40+ games at LT. I've spoken w/ NFL scouts who expect Manning to start at G/C in the NFL. Big upside.https://t.co/HySLbK9ZdF

— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) April 4, 2023

Manning was not invited to the NFL Combine but has a listed height and weight of 6-foot-4 295-pounds.  Some of the highlights from his 2021 college season include.

• Named All-Mountain West honorable mention.
• Started all 13 games at left tackle.
• One of four offensive players to start every game of the season.
• Led the team in knockdowns and had a pass-protect success rate of over 95 percent.
• Earned academic all-MW honors for the third time.

Manning is a top sleeper offensive line prospect who has also garnered interest from the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers during the lead-up to the draft.  Manning has been talked about as a prospect who can play either center or guard in the NFL and the Chicago Bears are doing their due diligence and can fill either need that the Chicago Bears have along the interior of the offensive line.

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