The Bears are still betting long-shots to win the NFC North, according to the oddsmakers at BetDSI. At +900, they have the longest odds of winning what looks to be the most competitive division in football. But if you’re feeling froggy after the Khalil Mack trade, then I suppose there’s value at the Bears being where they are. To put it in perspective, a $100 bet on Chicago winning the division could win $900 and pay out $1,000 if the Bears were able to pull it off. I’m not saying, I’m just saying…
Raiders players are still unpacking the Mack trade, writes Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press. Quarterback Derek Carr is understandably taking it pretty hard. Carr and Mack were part of the same draft class and were positioned to lead the Raiders to glory moving forward, but the deal with Chicago obviously altered that trajectory. “It’s just one of those sucky things that happen,” Carr said, via the AP. “The hardest part, for me, obviously you lose a good football player, but he’s my brother. That’s one of my best friends.” Ouch, man. I can feel that.
Mack alone isn’t going to lift the Bears to Super Bowl glory upon arrival, though we wouldn’t be mad if he did … but the idea of waiting until March 2019 to make the deal (as proposed by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio) is simply nonsensical. Waiting this out would have been a critical mistake because losing a year of prime performance and allowing a larger market to develop (thus, making it harder for the Bears to make a deal) is the type of strategy that plagues bad teams.
So who does the thank you card get addressed to:
Jon Gruden said he was not involved in including the second-round pick that went back to the Bears in the Khalil Mack trade.
Let’s take a moment to re-live some preseason highlights. Sound on:
Tarik Cohen didn’t get much burn in the preseason, but is still expected to be a key cog in the Bears’ offense because he can make big plays like this:
#Bears should game plan to get RB Tarik Cohen 10-12 touches every week in Matt Nagy’s offense. Zone runs, jet sweeps, screens, isolation routes. @NFLMatchuppic.twitter.com/hD2GHOVnHF
Cohen received 10+ touches in a game just seven times during his rookie season. There were seven games where Cohen received six touches or fewer. Get this guy the ball more often, please.
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
No Bears rookies made the preseason edition of Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie Team, but a handful of future opponents did. That includes cornerback Josh Jackson (Packers) and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick (Dolphins), both of whom were often connected to Chicago during the pre-draft process. The Bears will get a good look at Jackson in five days in Green Bay, then Fitzpatrick later in the season.
Over at Bleacher Report, Maurice Moton names Javon Wims as the Bears’ biggest preseason winner. While there was much buzz surrounding the arrivals of Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Anthony Miller, Wims flew under the radar as a seventh-round pick until a pair of breakoutperformances that helped him land a spot on the season-opening 53-man roster. Wims’ 227 receiving yards led Bears receivers in the preseason, while 15 catches were the second most on the team behind Tanner Gentry.
Ryan Nall didn’t make the 53-man roster to start the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him called up at some point in the next 17 weeks. Nall wrapped up the preseason as a member of PFF’s Team of the Week for the final round of preseason games. Sam Monson writes Nall put together “by far the best performance” by a running back in Preseason Week 4 as he racked up 77 yards after contact against the Buffalo Bills. Doran Grant also made the squad, earning a 91.5 grade from PFF that was the second best among cornerbacks for the week.
BREAKING: Nike had been paying Colin Kaepernick all along, waiting for the right moment. That moment is now, as he becomes the face of the company’s 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” campaign. pic.twitter.com/uccpDStbq5
There was some push-back to this news, which featured protests of people trashing their purchased Nike apparel. But I would hope that rather than cut or set fire to your purchased gear as a sign of protest, might I suggest donation to those less fortunate? Because even if you don’t like Nike or its decision, there is always room to do right by others.
Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.
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