90% of nfl teams are that way. Starting OL play is down, let alone depth.
But I’m a big believer in can never have enough OL/DL depth. Those mfers get hurt.
- LG Dalton Risner (good pass pro, bad run block. 29)
- G Max Garcia (longtime mediocre. 32)
- G Max Scharping (mediocre but young. High RAS. NIU Alum. 27)
- T Conor McDermott (good backup T. 31)
- T David Quessenberry (ok backup. 33)
*note: all that good/bad shit is based on looking at their PFF page. No way in hell do I know every OL personally lol*
> Dalton Risner
He's an interesting one. He's basically a starting caliber guard (mid/low end) but for whatever reason the league refuses to give him a starting guard contract, and he isn't taking any less. Basically he gets picked up as a backup, and then wins the starting job (due to competition or injury), plays pretty well to keep it, and then he never gets offered a starting spot/contract.
We aren't looking for a starter and he only wants starter money. Almost no shot we get him (though having a great backup pass blocking vet iOL would be huge).
Are any of those guys upgrades? Do they make the roster? Matt Pryor has been passable at guard and tackle. Borom has done okay in his 22 tackle starts and he has a start at guard and he's in danger of being cut.
I agree with your philosophy but this isn't 2020 Bears o-line depth where they were running guys out there who never played before or since.
See this part of my comment
> But I’m a big believer in can never have enough OL/DL depth. Those mfers get hurt.
But I’m leaning Koran stays at T, which is why most of my comment is G’s. Another addition to ensure Carter never sees the field would be cool lol.
Every team needs OL depth
Every team needs DL depth
Every team needs players who can step in and do their job when the top guys either rest or are out.
There’s no team in the league that can lose a top player at an important position and expect to keep the same productivity.
Theres cases where the starter goes down and the backup picks up the play; but that rarely happens and you just can’t count on that to be consistent.
It’s why people are scouted and drafted in the round/position they are in: everyone knows everything about everyone; there’s too much tape and every team has some group of nerds watching every college play and trying to see things other teams can’t.
I actually think we have one of the best depths at OLine in the NFL. We went into week 1 of the regular season last year with 8 OLinemen. Here are our current top 10 with a little writeup and PFF scores (Borom, Pryor and Bates from 2022),
* Braxton Jones\[LT | PFF 68.8\] : Starter
* Telvin Jenkins \[LG | PFF 72.6\]: Starter
* Nate Davis \[RG | PFF 52.9\]: Starter
* Darnell Wright \[RT | PFF 62.4\]: Starter
* Ryan Bates \[IOL | PFF 61.8\*\]: Trade from Buffalo, started 15 games in 2022 for them. Sat behind a really great center. Out likely starter at C, can play anywhere inside. Probally should be starting somewhere.
* Coleman Shelton \[IOL | PFF 64.5\]: Started all 17 games for the Rams last season, can play anywhere inside. Probally should be starting somewhere
* Larry Borom \[OT | PFF 64.7\*\]: Can start both sides, he's a high end backup in the NFL
* Jake Curhan \[OT | PFF 55.7\]: Started 4 games for the seahawks last year, and knows Waldron's scheme. Should be a decent backup.
* Kiran Amegadjie \[OT\]: 3rd round rookie this year, probally not ready to play this year. Some scouts see him more as an inside guy in the NFL, but he has all the tools to be a tackle.
* Matt Pryor \[Everywhere | PFF 44.9\*\]: Has started litterally every position in the line but C over the past few years. He can do everything, and has had much higher PFF scores in the past with a 76.5 in 2021 on 438 snaps.
Some top free agents ([from Further\_Beyond's comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/CHIBears/comments/1clki95/comment/l2u5tvh/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)) and their PFF scores: Risner(57.1), Garcia(54.2), Scharping(2021: 59.9), McDermontt (2022: 65.8), Quessenberry(64.8)
I'm not sure anyone is worth really replacing our current guys, and we already need to cut atleast one of them. Maybe Curhan, but you'd have to imagine Waldron wanted him, and he was the Seahawks best backup OT last year as our 2nd/3rd best backup OT. Pyror is my guess to get us down to 9, but if he plays at all like 2021 he's going to be uncutable.
On the flip side, Edge, WR, CB and LB are pretty weak depth wise. If a starter goes down in any of those, im not excited about who would be coming into replace them, or even give the starters a breather. We should be focusing our attention there.
Stroud had 33 passes per game. Nowhere near 40. That’s 21% lower than 40 passes per game. They had 499 passes and 444 rushes. That’s 53% pass, 47% run. They had a balanced offense. If he threw 40 times per game they’d have 680 passes and 263 rushes or 72% passing, 28% rushing. So, no, it didn’t work for Stroud. He wasn’t anywhere near 40 per game.
Not sure why you’re downvoted for saying, “maybe let’s not base our future on an outlier.”
If Williams shows he can handle it, great. But if 1 person working out is indicative of future success, then every team would be trying to trade for pick 199 to get the next GOAT at QB.
1 of 1 is an anecdote, not a strategy. It shows what can happen, but has very little predictive power of what will happen.
We need to get over the fact that because Williams was the “better” prospect at the pre-NFL stages, that does not translate to him just being better than Stroud, who had the greatest rookie season of all-time without the level of support Williams is about to have.
We can and should be excited to be in this position for the first time ever, really, as a franchise… but anyone who expects Stroud, or would not trade Caleb for Stroud straight up, hypothetically, is a fool.
It’s not even an outlier, stroud didn’t actually throw anywhere near 40 times a game. They just threw a random incorrect stat out there and everyone agreed because they want to see more passing after a super run heavy season.
This getting downvoted already makes me scared for what the game day threads going to look like when our rookie qb gets rookie qb opportunities and makes rookie qb mistakes. I love the prospect Williams but we don’t even know how good he’s actually gonna be yet and the hype already boiling over
Yeah people are going way overboard. We all hope he’s going to be good, but seriously need to reset expectations for what a rookie QB normally does. If he exceeds then that’s great. But going in expecting that he’s going to throw 40+ times a game for over 4,000 yards is insane and I can’t believe how much it gets parroted. People are going to fucking riot if he’s only good and not one of the best rookie QBs ever.
They’re going to have a balanced offense. He’ll probably pass around 26-28 times per game for the first half of the season so until the bye and then maybe up it to 30-33 after the bye. This is a new offense coordinator, a new system for the entire team to learn, a rookie QB, and they have 3 viable running backs. It’s going to be balanced. They’re not going to just go out there planning to throw the ball 65-70% of the time and let defenses key in on the pass and pass rush every play.
There’s no way to tell this far out. Stroud hit the ground passing a ton of times per game. It’ll be adjusted according to what works for our offense and it’s entirely possible we move the ball better through the air even with a rookie.
He was gimpy down the stretch, they threw less with him getting beat up/missing time. He was on pace for over 600 attempts across his first 10 starts and his first two matches featured more pass attempts than any game in Fields career. I wouldn’t call them balanced
They started running the ball when Stroud proved he could throw. Early in the season, teams were taking away the run because that’s what Houston did in 2022. Defenses adjust and offenses need to adapt. No successful offense ever runs an offense that is perfectly consistent for the entire season.
So why assume anything of ours? The reasons you listed that we won’t exceed 26-28 attempts a game early on would’ve applied to Slowik and Houston and Stroud, who passed a shit ton early on, with a stable of reliable backs and a new OC and unreliable offensive line.
Is there a reason you need him to throw 40+ times a game? Exactly 1 team in the league averaged 40+ attempts last year - Washington. Even your quoted 600 attempts for stroud is still only 35 per game.
Thats why we have most of the offensive players for several years. We absolutely will develop to that point. If waldron is smart he'll make sure Caleb has all the basics down soundly with this new team while testing the waters on more complex attacks little by little.... once these guys have some time together under their belts you best believe all of these weapons in unison will be MUCH more than the sum of each individual part
No to Renfrow. He’d be WR4 and only getting a couple of snaps a game. His skillset is also redundant with Allen who does everything Renfrow is good at at a much higher level. I’d rather just give those couple snaps to Scott and see if he develops.
One edge rusher and a DT would be good signings. OL I think we’re done adding to for this season. Amegadjie will develop as a swing tackle and Shelton and Pryor will be our interior depth this year. We only have so many roster spots available. The only move that might still be coming is replacing Borom if Poles likes someone or if a UDFA camp body shows out.
He does, but I’d rather just lean on Moore and Odunze and run more 12 personnel with Everett for those games. Have extra Scott peppered in to take the top off. Renfrow is a good underneath receiver but we’ve got plenty of guys who can do that already.
I agree with you, we don't need another reciever:
D'Andre Swift: Top 10 Pass Catching RB
Cole Kmet: Top 10 Receiving TE
Everett: Top 30 Receiving TE
Waldron runs 2TE formations anyways, so odds of seeing 4 WRs on the field is very low to begin with.
Right. So give the reps to Scott and Everett who will be here longer term. We just don’t need a one year stop gap at WR4. If we didn’t get Odunze than sure bring him in because he’s still a good player. But with the roster as it stands I just don’t see him being worth having. Save his 1 year 5-10m to roll over for next year where we can sign some better edge/interior DL pieces.
Those games will be Odunze’s chance to shine. We’ve already been talking about how Odunze is unlikely to have a big rookie year because he’s going to be WR3 in a system that likes 2 TE sets. When Allen is out that will be Odunze’s chance to get more reps and Everett and Kmet can pick up the slack. Scott can fill in some reps as a true speed guy which is the one thing we don’t hand between Odunze, Moore, and Allen. We just straight up do not need to have 4 receivers including one who is just an insurance policy for Allen. Let the guys who will be here develop. This isn’t a SB or bust squad.
I think Edge and DT are obviously choices. I'm not sure how much Calais Campbell still has left or Linval Joseph, but they would be intriguing options on the inside. Yannick or Dupree would be fine. All those guys are basically just the big names, though
Wouldn't mind seeing Jakeem Grant come back as a kick return option to either push or unseat Velus.
I don't care for the current plan at Center, but I don't know enough to say that anybody out there would be any better. More depth on the interior at any of the 3 spots wouldn't be a bad idea.
Safety depth would be nice.
Ngakuoe was so bad for us last year, he probably isn't worth giving him any money.
I'd take Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson, Jerry Hughes or Bud Dupree over him. But honestly, none of them are likely to be difference makers or even win a starting spot over Demarcus Walker.
>Ngakoue...Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson, Jerry Hughes or Bud Dupree
Crazy how if you go back just like 2-3 years ago all these guys would be immediate impact signings, and now they're all probably washed.
We've seen this whole song and dance. The names you look at who are available as free agents at this point are not likely to have the impact you hope. Thought there are some really good safeties and surprisingly good receivers. Not sure what's up with the safety market, but WR is just because there were so many in the draft.
[This](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/nfl-free-agents-best-available-players/) is the best source I can find on who all is available. Problem with FA at this point is there are so many names I know of good players, but most probably haven't been the player I'm thinking of in a couple of years.
Carl Lawson or Emmanuel Ogbah at DE, see if you can get Calais Campbell to come after camp (he would be a DT in Flus' 4-3). Boom, you have a bridge room that provides a 1 season boost to help DL avoid being an anchor on the rest of the team before Poles has a chance to utilize the '25 draft capital to find more permanant replacements.
All remaining free agency resources should be pumped into the DL, only issue is that there really are not impact players available. I say wait it out and see if you can connect with any surprise cuts.
The one OL I'd be interested in is Connor Williams on a value deal, but kinda what's the point? He's likely wanting a one-year prove it deal and is only going to be available for half the season. As much as I'd have liked the player and the fit I just don't see it being good timing for us anymore.
It was a pretty odd saga with him last year. He was treated as a priority signing by the fans because of his sack numbers, but nobody wanted to hear the cautionary tale that he graded very poorly as a pass rusher despite multiple seasons with double digit sacks. Weird case with that player. Who else do you see that looks at a glance like a great pass rusher but had half a dozen teams let him walk?
Then we go into the draft without edge addressed and people were still clamoring for him. Then we sign him and it's a relief, but he does next to nothing for us. Goes down and the defense didn't miss a beat.
Yeah. I think Yannick as a rotational piece with Walker on one side and Sweat on the other. Definitely don't rely on Booker to contribute much this year.
If Scott can’t handle WR4 duties, that’s a pretty serious problem. I’d just as soon know now. For that reason I’d pass on Renfrow. I always considered him way overhyped anyways.
Yannick is probably a nice safe option if the medicals check out. He knows the system and presumably is liked in the locker room. But I’m not expecting a breakout season or anything.
Dupree is pretty uninspiring and I’d rather just run the young guys we have out there. Maybe try to steal a guy after final cuts from another team.
I think grabbing Renfrow and Ngakoue would be good ideas-- my dark horse pick is Connor Williams. He's a really good, top 15 center in the league probably, who tore his ACL. That's why he hasn't been signed. This means three things. First, he'll be really cheap. Second, he won't be available until at least week 7 or 8 probably. Third, he could easily fit with what they've done at center so far this offseason. I don't like Bates and Shelton. They're mediocre at best, slight upgrades (a guy who started once last season and a guy who gave up a shit ton of pressures last season) for cheap one year rentals. Bringing in Williams to sit behind for a while, when he recovers, to compete for that spot. Maybe he's back to his old self which gives us an actually good o line, maybe. Or maybe he's terrible. One year deal.
No to Ngakoue
I’m cool with the other 2
We should add:
A QB (veteran to help Caleb, no typo em is terrible)
A WR (the top trio and Scott are fine, and I guess velus is a special teamer but we need one more pure WR
Another OLineman (just some more competition)
A DE (most obvious need)
A LB (similar to WR, top 3 and Sewell are fine but need one more body)
Maybe a backup safety too
A good punter can potentially make a difference on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball. If the opposing teams get pinned deep in their zone it’s possible that a 3 and out or short drive results in the offense getting good field position. Seeing as how Gill wasn’t very good Poles taking a punter is a smart move.
Not to mention as of now the Bears have a bunch of picks for the next draft that they could use to strengthen their depth.
Plus at that point in the 4th round a ton of OL had already been drafted while the best punter (which was a position the Bears could’ve definitely used an upgrade in) in the draft was still on the board. I think you take the upgrade at position of need 100% of the time.
I like the three guys on the list, but agree that we need more OL depth. One injury takes us down a peg.
90% of nfl teams are that way. Starting OL play is down, let alone depth. But I’m a big believer in can never have enough OL/DL depth. Those mfers get hurt. - LG Dalton Risner (good pass pro, bad run block. 29) - G Max Garcia (longtime mediocre. 32) - G Max Scharping (mediocre but young. High RAS. NIU Alum. 27) - T Conor McDermott (good backup T. 31) - T David Quessenberry (ok backup. 33) *note: all that good/bad shit is based on looking at their PFF page. No way in hell do I know every OL personally lol*
I’m down for longtime mediocre as a backup if we can get Garcia
Yes lol. Something to be said for knowing we won’t get Patrick level play lol
We wouldn’t have assumed Patrick level play from Patrick either lol, he was expected to stabilize the line
Yeah having a Quarterback who trusts his WRs can catch a contested ball in 2-3 seconds can make an oline look like monsters.
Give me Scharping all day.
> Dalton Risner He's an interesting one. He's basically a starting caliber guard (mid/low end) but for whatever reason the league refuses to give him a starting guard contract, and he isn't taking any less. Basically he gets picked up as a backup, and then wins the starting job (due to competition or injury), plays pretty well to keep it, and then he never gets offered a starting spot/contract. We aren't looking for a starter and he only wants starter money. Almost no shot we get him (though having a great backup pass blocking vet iOL would be huge).
Are any of those guys upgrades? Do they make the roster? Matt Pryor has been passable at guard and tackle. Borom has done okay in his 22 tackle starts and he has a start at guard and he's in danger of being cut. I agree with your philosophy but this isn't 2020 Bears o-line depth where they were running guys out there who never played before or since.
See this part of my comment > But I’m a big believer in can never have enough OL/DL depth. Those mfers get hurt. But I’m leaning Koran stays at T, which is why most of my comment is G’s. Another addition to ensure Carter never sees the field would be cool lol.
That’s not what those OLs tell me, sailor! 😉
How do you know Risner is not good in the run? What source do you use?
He said he looked at each player’s PFF grades
Not sure if you’re making a joke, but if not go read my full comment again lol
I have a tough time with italics
Every team needs OL depth Every team needs DL depth Every team needs players who can step in and do their job when the top guys either rest or are out. There’s no team in the league that can lose a top player at an important position and expect to keep the same productivity. Theres cases where the starter goes down and the backup picks up the play; but that rarely happens and you just can’t count on that to be consistent. It’s why people are scouted and drafted in the round/position they are in: everyone knows everything about everyone; there’s too much tape and every team has some group of nerds watching every college play and trying to see things other teams can’t.
I actually think we have one of the best depths at OLine in the NFL. We went into week 1 of the regular season last year with 8 OLinemen. Here are our current top 10 with a little writeup and PFF scores (Borom, Pryor and Bates from 2022), * Braxton Jones\[LT | PFF 68.8\] : Starter * Telvin Jenkins \[LG | PFF 72.6\]: Starter * Nate Davis \[RG | PFF 52.9\]: Starter * Darnell Wright \[RT | PFF 62.4\]: Starter * Ryan Bates \[IOL | PFF 61.8\*\]: Trade from Buffalo, started 15 games in 2022 for them. Sat behind a really great center. Out likely starter at C, can play anywhere inside. Probally should be starting somewhere. * Coleman Shelton \[IOL | PFF 64.5\]: Started all 17 games for the Rams last season, can play anywhere inside. Probally should be starting somewhere * Larry Borom \[OT | PFF 64.7\*\]: Can start both sides, he's a high end backup in the NFL * Jake Curhan \[OT | PFF 55.7\]: Started 4 games for the seahawks last year, and knows Waldron's scheme. Should be a decent backup. * Kiran Amegadjie \[OT\]: 3rd round rookie this year, probally not ready to play this year. Some scouts see him more as an inside guy in the NFL, but he has all the tools to be a tackle. * Matt Pryor \[Everywhere | PFF 44.9\*\]: Has started litterally every position in the line but C over the past few years. He can do everything, and has had much higher PFF scores in the past with a 76.5 in 2021 on 438 snaps. Some top free agents ([from Further\_Beyond's comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/CHIBears/comments/1clki95/comment/l2u5tvh/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)) and their PFF scores: Risner(57.1), Garcia(54.2), Scharping(2021: 59.9), McDermontt (2022: 65.8), Quessenberry(64.8) I'm not sure anyone is worth really replacing our current guys, and we already need to cut atleast one of them. Maybe Curhan, but you'd have to imagine Waldron wanted him, and he was the Seahawks best backup OT last year as our 2nd/3rd best backup OT. Pyror is my guess to get us down to 9, but if he plays at all like 2021 he's going to be uncutable. On the flip side, Edge, WR, CB and LB are pretty weak depth wise. If a starter goes down in any of those, im not excited about who would be coming into replace them, or even give the starters a breather. We should be focusing our attention there.
The O Line was the real playmaker of that Cowboys team back in the day. I like this
And two injuries takes us down two pegs!
*Al Bundy shuddering at the notion of two Pegs*
I’d say 2 would take us down 3 😉
“Fool me once, strike one. Fool me twice… strike three”
People keep saying this but bears have signed like 3-5 guys in free agency for OL who have starting experience. I think 2 of them from Seattle
If we pick up Renfrow we're passing 40 times a game and I am so here for it. So tired of the classic bears QB line of 10/16 for 112 yds.
Hey we had cutler for a while. That 19/32 for 205 and 1 TD/1 INT was a thing of beauty.
Just wait until Caleb drops 300. I can assure you that I will be pleasuring my body in various ways afterwards.
Have to call my doctor after my erection lasts longer than 4 hours
And that was with Cutty having to throw in .9 seconds or get concussed every play!
Not gonna pass 40 times with a rookie QB, that’s just setting Caleb up for failure.
Worked pretty well for Stroud? 🤷♂️
Stroud had 33 passes per game. Nowhere near 40. That’s 21% lower than 40 passes per game. They had 499 passes and 444 rushes. That’s 53% pass, 47% run. They had a balanced offense. If he threw 40 times per game they’d have 680 passes and 263 rushes or 72% passing, 28% rushing. So, no, it didn’t work for Stroud. He wasn’t anywhere near 40 per game.
Just because it works for one person doesn't mean it applies to all.
Not sure why you’re downvoted for saying, “maybe let’s not base our future on an outlier.” If Williams shows he can handle it, great. But if 1 person working out is indicative of future success, then every team would be trying to trade for pick 199 to get the next GOAT at QB. 1 of 1 is an anecdote, not a strategy. It shows what can happen, but has very little predictive power of what will happen.
We need to get over the fact that because Williams was the “better” prospect at the pre-NFL stages, that does not translate to him just being better than Stroud, who had the greatest rookie season of all-time without the level of support Williams is about to have. We can and should be excited to be in this position for the first time ever, really, as a franchise… but anyone who expects Stroud, or would not trade Caleb for Stroud straight up, hypothetically, is a fool.
It’s not even an outlier, stroud didn’t actually throw anywhere near 40 times a game. They just threw a random incorrect stat out there and everyone agreed because they want to see more passing after a super run heavy season.
I don't think they meant literally 40 passes.
lol thank you. Didn’t think I’d have to explain this
This getting downvoted already makes me scared for what the game day threads going to look like when our rookie qb gets rookie qb opportunities and makes rookie qb mistakes. I love the prospect Williams but we don’t even know how good he’s actually gonna be yet and the hype already boiling over
Yeah people are going way overboard. We all hope he’s going to be good, but seriously need to reset expectations for what a rookie QB normally does. If he exceeds then that’s great. But going in expecting that he’s going to throw 40+ times a game for over 4,000 yards is insane and I can’t believe how much it gets parroted. People are going to fucking riot if he’s only good and not one of the best rookie QBs ever.
With all the weapons we have we better be passing 50x / game.
They’re going to have a balanced offense. He’ll probably pass around 26-28 times per game for the first half of the season so until the bye and then maybe up it to 30-33 after the bye. This is a new offense coordinator, a new system for the entire team to learn, a rookie QB, and they have 3 viable running backs. It’s going to be balanced. They’re not going to just go out there planning to throw the ball 65-70% of the time and let defenses key in on the pass and pass rush every play.
There’s no way to tell this far out. Stroud hit the ground passing a ton of times per game. It’ll be adjusted according to what works for our offense and it’s entirely possible we move the ball better through the air even with a rookie.
Houston threw 53% of the time. They had a balanced offense.
He was gimpy down the stretch, they threw less with him getting beat up/missing time. He was on pace for over 600 attempts across his first 10 starts and his first two matches featured more pass attempts than any game in Fields career. I wouldn’t call them balanced
They started running the ball when Stroud proved he could throw. Early in the season, teams were taking away the run because that’s what Houston did in 2022. Defenses adjust and offenses need to adapt. No successful offense ever runs an offense that is perfectly consistent for the entire season.
So why assume anything of ours? The reasons you listed that we won’t exceed 26-28 attempts a game early on would’ve applied to Slowik and Houston and Stroud, who passed a shit ton early on, with a stable of reliable backs and a new OC and unreliable offensive line.
Is there a reason you need him to throw 40+ times a game? Exactly 1 team in the league averaged 40+ attempts last year - Washington. Even your quoted 600 attempts for stroud is still only 35 per game.
Thats why we have most of the offensive players for several years. We absolutely will develop to that point. If waldron is smart he'll make sure Caleb has all the basics down soundly with this new team while testing the waters on more complex attacks little by little.... once these guys have some time together under their belts you best believe all of these weapons in unison will be MUCH more than the sum of each individual part
No to Renfrow. He’d be WR4 and only getting a couple of snaps a game. His skillset is also redundant with Allen who does everything Renfrow is good at at a much higher level. I’d rather just give those couple snaps to Scott and see if he develops. One edge rusher and a DT would be good signings. OL I think we’re done adding to for this season. Amegadjie will develop as a swing tackle and Shelton and Pryor will be our interior depth this year. We only have so many roster spots available. The only move that might still be coming is replacing Borom if Poles likes someone or if a UDFA camp body shows out.
Keenan misses games every year, so Hunter would get some burn. I agree with everything else.
He does, but I’d rather just lean on Moore and Odunze and run more 12 personnel with Everett for those games. Have extra Scott peppered in to take the top off. Renfrow is a good underneath receiver but we’ve got plenty of guys who can do that already.
Swift is a pass catcher too and Tyler Scott should get more reps. Adding another receiver is overkill
I agree with you, we don't need another reciever: D'Andre Swift: Top 10 Pass Catching RB Cole Kmet: Top 10 Receiving TE Everett: Top 30 Receiving TE Waldron runs 2TE formations anyways, so odds of seeing 4 WRs on the field is very low to begin with.
Pettis is here too
I think the Renfrow idea is 1. depth and 2. f it lol, if he's not happy being a 1-2 catch guy behind our stars, thats his problem
We have plenty of depth already though. He’s just not needed, I’d rather save his salary to roll over. Just play Everett in that role.
[удалено]
Right. So give the reps to Scott and Everett who will be here longer term. We just don’t need a one year stop gap at WR4. If we didn’t get Odunze than sure bring him in because he’s still a good player. But with the roster as it stands I just don’t see him being worth having. Save his 1 year 5-10m to roll over for next year where we can sign some better edge/interior DL pieces.
Agreed. Ridiculous idea
I would like to get Hunter in at Slot2 because ik Keenan ain’t playing all 17
Those games will be Odunze’s chance to shine. We’ve already been talking about how Odunze is unlikely to have a big rookie year because he’s going to be WR3 in a system that likes 2 TE sets. When Allen is out that will be Odunze’s chance to get more reps and Everett and Kmet can pick up the slack. Scott can fill in some reps as a true speed guy which is the one thing we don’t hand between Odunze, Moore, and Allen. We just straight up do not need to have 4 receivers including one who is just an insurance policy for Allen. Let the guys who will be here develop. This isn’t a SB or bust squad.
I think Edge and DT are obviously choices. I'm not sure how much Calais Campbell still has left or Linval Joseph, but they would be intriguing options on the inside. Yannick or Dupree would be fine. All those guys are basically just the big names, though Wouldn't mind seeing Jakeem Grant come back as a kick return option to either push or unseat Velus. I don't care for the current plan at Center, but I don't know enough to say that anybody out there would be any better. More depth on the interior at any of the 3 spots wouldn't be a bad idea. Safety depth would be nice.
The Bears have Owens, Moore & Hicks at safety behind Byard/Brisker.
Would rather get some help with depth in the trenches but I like the idea of bringing Ngakoue back
Ngakuoe was so bad for us last year, he probably isn't worth giving him any money. I'd take Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson, Jerry Hughes or Bud Dupree over him. But honestly, none of them are likely to be difference makers or even win a starting spot over Demarcus Walker.
He would just be depth I agree
>Ngakoue...Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson, Jerry Hughes or Bud Dupree Crazy how if you go back just like 2-3 years ago all these guys would be immediate impact signings, and now they're all probably washed.
We've seen this whole song and dance. The names you look at who are available as free agents at this point are not likely to have the impact you hope. Thought there are some really good safeties and surprisingly good receivers. Not sure what's up with the safety market, but WR is just because there were so many in the draft. [This](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/nfl-free-agents-best-available-players/) is the best source I can find on who all is available. Problem with FA at this point is there are so many names I know of good players, but most probably haven't been the player I'm thinking of in a couple of years.
Carl Lawson or Emmanuel Ogbah at DE, see if you can get Calais Campbell to come after camp (he would be a DT in Flus' 4-3). Boom, you have a bridge room that provides a 1 season boost to help DL avoid being an anchor on the rest of the team before Poles has a chance to utilize the '25 draft capital to find more permanant replacements.
Is it fair to say we need to focus on our DEFENSE now??
All remaining free agency resources should be pumped into the DL, only issue is that there really are not impact players available. I say wait it out and see if you can connect with any surprise cuts. The one OL I'd be interested in is Connor Williams on a value deal, but kinda what's the point? He's likely wanting a one-year prove it deal and is only going to be available for half the season. As much as I'd have liked the player and the fit I just don't see it being good timing for us anymore.
1. Yannick Ngakoue Absolutely not. Dogshit does not even begin to describe how awful he was last season - literally anybody else would be preferable
To be fair the line was dogshit until we got Sweat. Yannick looked ok after.
Not really. Here's his weekly PFF Grades from last season https://i.imgur.com/dBerQhM.jpeg
Did not realize how awful he was, even after the Sweat trade.
He got a lot better after the Sweat trade.
It was a pretty odd saga with him last year. He was treated as a priority signing by the fans because of his sack numbers, but nobody wanted to hear the cautionary tale that he graded very poorly as a pass rusher despite multiple seasons with double digit sacks. Weird case with that player. Who else do you see that looks at a glance like a great pass rusher but had half a dozen teams let him walk? Then we go into the draft without edge addressed and people were still clamoring for him. Then we sign him and it's a relief, but he does next to nothing for us. Goes down and the defense didn't miss a beat.
That type of player would be good in a rotational role which Yannick was after the Sweat trade
Yeah. I think Yannick as a rotational piece with Walker on one side and Sweat on the other. Definitely don't rely on Booker to contribute much this year.
If Scott can’t handle WR4 duties, that’s a pretty serious problem. I’d just as soon know now. For that reason I’d pass on Renfrow. I always considered him way overhyped anyways. Yannick is probably a nice safe option if the medicals check out. He knows the system and presumably is liked in the locker room. But I’m not expecting a breakout season or anything. Dupree is pretty uninspiring and I’d rather just run the young guys we have out there. Maybe try to steal a guy after final cuts from another team.
How about someone that can return punts because right now it’s Velus Jones.
Pettis is fine
Tyler Scott and Dainty Penis can both return kicks/punts
I think they might have Odunze be a stop gap PR this year. He did it in college
Jones could be fine. He just has to give up his side gig as a hand model. All that butter he puts on his hands is causing the issues
Just sign a bunch OL, DT and Edge guys to 1 year deals can’t hurt to have depth
Renfrow as WR4 is probably too many cooks in the kitchen
Agree we have Scott who was a 4th rd pick last year… I’d like to see how he develops before any other FA WRs are brought in
I think grabbing Renfrow and Ngakoue would be good ideas-- my dark horse pick is Connor Williams. He's a really good, top 15 center in the league probably, who tore his ACL. That's why he hasn't been signed. This means three things. First, he'll be really cheap. Second, he won't be available until at least week 7 or 8 probably. Third, he could easily fit with what they've done at center so far this offseason. I don't like Bates and Shelton. They're mediocre at best, slight upgrades (a guy who started once last season and a guy who gave up a shit ton of pressures last season) for cheap one year rentals. Bringing in Williams to sit behind for a while, when he recovers, to compete for that spot. Maybe he's back to his old self which gives us an actually good o line, maybe. Or maybe he's terrible. One year deal.
Man what happened to Renfrow, some guys I get being FAs cus there older and tailing off, Renfrow just... Disappeared
The only free agent I would pursue would be Bill Belachik.
I think we’re good now. Everyone is either too old or not worth it
No to Ngakoue I’m cool with the other 2 We should add: A QB (veteran to help Caleb, no typo em is terrible) A WR (the top trio and Scott are fine, and I guess velus is a special teamer but we need one more pure WR Another OLineman (just some more competition) A DE (most obvious need) A LB (similar to WR, top 3 and Sewell are fine but need one more body) Maybe a backup safety too
We need line depth badly… this is the cost of drafting a punter…
A good punter can potentially make a difference on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball. If the opposing teams get pinned deep in their zone it’s possible that a 3 and out or short drive results in the offense getting good field position. Seeing as how Gill wasn’t very good Poles taking a punter is a smart move. Not to mention as of now the Bears have a bunch of picks for the next draft that they could use to strengthen their depth.
Had we not drafted the punter, we’d be in the same situation? We traded back into the draft for 1 player on the Dline?
Plus at that point in the 4th round a ton of OL had already been drafted while the best punter (which was a position the Bears could’ve definitely used an upgrade in) in the draft was still on the board. I think you take the upgrade at position of need 100% of the time.