Did Camp Demand Cause Site Crash? So Many FA OL, Cap Freedom, and Other Bears Bullets

No, I don’t nerd out for The Bachelorette the way I do for The Bachelor. But even though there is no “Bach Monday” hangs on the schedule, I’ll do that thing where I tune in for the premier, parachute in on the finale, and check in at points in between when someone sends a you gotta see this text my way.

  • That month between the end of minicamps and start of training camp feels like it is taking forever. And it feels as if we’re running into that time of year where players pop up in some unsavory headlines. The latest coming from ESPN, which reports free agent offensive tackle Duane Brown was arrested at LAX on a gun charge. As a reminder, you can’t go through airport security with a concealed weapon. Even if it unloaded, that one is a no-no:
  • The Bears have had three players arrested this offseason. It’s been a long summer already.
  • How difficult is it to travel without something explicitly banned from airports? Seriously. I check my baggage before I leave the house, in part because I don’t want to end up getting caught up in security for something I might’ve forgotten on accident. Have you ever seen the looks of embarrassment on someone who forgets they can’t bring that size of a mouthwash bottle through security? I have. And I don’t want to be on the receiving end of those glares. No thanks.
  • I offer up news of Brown’s arrest at the top because Brown is one of the players who remain on the list of available free agents. The 36-year-old left tackle is a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro (two second-team nods, as well as first-team recognition in 2012), and hasn’t missed a game in two years. Considering the Bears’ issues along the line (and specifically, at left tackle), part of me is surprised Chicago hasn’t been connected to the long-time standout. After all, Brown has been on our radar at different points of the offseason. There was even. time where GM Ryan Poles was open to adding a veteran left tackle. But nearly three months later, the Bears haven’t made any moves in that area. Then again, the Bears might be better off seeing what they have in Braxton Jones, Larry Borom, and Teven Jenkins before dialing up the veteran. Last year, the Bears did well in snagging veteran Jason Peters off sidelines as a plug-and-play bridge left tackle. Perhaps lightning strikes twice?
  • Back in May, PFF’s Ben Linsley thought Brown was a sensible post-draft free agent target for the Bears. And what LInsley wrote then still rings true today. Because even though the Bears have options at the position, none of them are knocking your shoes off right now. And unless someone makes waves during training camp and the preseason, there will be a certain level of uneasiness going into the year. If we feel that way going into the regular season, we’ll probably bang the drum harder for the Bears to bring in Brown (or someone like him).
  • Keep in mind the Bears have financial wiggle room as we enter the middle portion of July. Chicago’s football team is $23,037,872 under the cap, per OverTheCap.com’s calculations. Only the Browns (a little north of $48.46M) have more space under the cap. In other words, if the Bears need to make a late-summer transaction, they have some financial leverage they can wield in order to cut a deal.
  • And because you might be curious, the following linemen (in addition to Brown) are still free agents: J.C. Tretter (C), Ereck Flowers (G/T), Eric Fisher (LT), Daryl Williams (T/G), Nate Solder (T), Matt Paradis (C), Mike Remmers (T), Billy Price (G). It’s always good to have an idea of who could be available in a pinch.
  • Alyssa Barbieri (Bears Wire) explores the Bears’ biggest cap bargains entering the 2022 season. Seeing Justin Fields, Darnell Mooney, Jaylon Johnson, Trevis Gipson, and even Larry Borom make the cut puts into perspective how valuable it is to have your most important players on rookie-scale deals. It gives teams runway to make bigger expenditures elsewhere. Eventually, paydays will come for those players if their play continues to merit such a pay-hike. But for now, rostering those guys on bargain deals is a silver lining in what has been a dark cloud in recent years in terms of the Bears’ cap situation.
  • Another day, another way-too-early mock draft, and another projection of the Bears taking Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba with a premier pick. Alex Ballentine’s latest from B/R has the Bears using the fourth overall selection on the Ohio State stud receiver. Teaming Smith-Njigba with Darnell Mooney (and perhaps a free agent such as Diontae Johnson) would make for some fun times and big dreams at this time next year. And while I don’t envision the Bears paying two receivers major deals (let’s not forget that Mooney could be up for a mega-extension after this season), I can see the Bears backing up the truck for one premier receiver, then using a top-tier draft prospect to bolster the group. Those are the types of things that happen when it comes to roster building.
  • Not to be lost in the mix, but Mark Potash (Sun-Times) writes about Jenkins (and other Ryan Pace-era holdovers) as players who have a whole lot to prove at training camp. Ugh. So many of the Bears’ offensive line issues can be wiped away if their homegrown talent from recent drafts (Jenkins, Braxton, Borom) excel this summer.
  • Speaking of camp, I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you as I can at those Halas Hall practices. Unfortunately, it turns out I won’t see as many as I would otherwise hope. I didn’t have any issues snagging Bears training camp practice tickets. But Pat Broadway (On Tap Sports Net) reports some fans have gotten emails stating their preseason ticket was canceled. Broadway writes there was a website crash that led to giving out tickets to camp practices that were already at capacity. What a bummer for those fans. Even though we’re talking about free tickets to a practice, I hope the Bears do right by the fans who had their hopes dashed by a site crash.
  • Some NFL programming notes:
  • I’ll miss Kay Adams, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Jamie Erdahl brings to the table on GMFB. As for the MNF switch-a-roo, I like both Randy Moss and Robert Griffin III. RGIII had some moments as a college football analyst that got a real chuckle out of me as a viewer, which is nice because it’s OK to have light moment in the guts of the game. Different voices and perspectives are always welcome, particularly if they’re entertaining.
  • This should’ve been a French’s mustard hostile takeover:
  • Our friends at BN Bulls have something to look forward to with their new rookie:
  • Ian Happ joins Willson Contreras as Cubs all-stars. In what has been mostly a drab season in Chicago baseball, the Cubs sending two players to the All-Star Game is fun. If only I had faith they would both be around beyond the expiration of their respective contracts.
  • Along those lines, Blackhawks star Patrick Kane is set to discuss his future with the franchise very soon. As Chicago’s hockey club begins a tear-down under a new regime, there is a real chance that your favorite players (and last remnants) of the championship winning clubs will soon be heading out. More from Tab at BN Blackhawks.
  • written by

    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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