Looking for a reason to be optimistic about a Mike Glennon signing, go no further than his former teammate Lawrence Tynes:
Tynes never played with Glennon, because he contracted a bacterial virus because of an ingrown toenail that never healed after he was acquired by the Buccaneers in 2013. And even though Tynes (who eventually sued the Bucs over the ordeal) was released in March 2014, Glennon left a positive impression on the veteran kicker, garnering a comparison to two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning.
Both are tall quarterbacks with strong arms, but comparing a player of Glennon’s status to that of a Manning (even if it’s Eli) is as unfair as it gets.
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Over at the Chicago Sun-Times, columnist Rick Morrissey asks when was the last time the Bears made a big move that worked? It’s a fair question considering the number of transactions and the amount of money spent the last three years with less-than-desireable results. It’s been a while since the Bears have made a widely-applauded, franchise-changing move, especially when compared to the Cubs (whose acquisitions via the draft, trade, and free agent markets launched them to a World Series title) and Blackhawks (who drafted Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and signed Marian Hossa to open their Stanley Cup championship window). Comparable players at the most important position don’t seem to be available to the Bears this offseason, which makes the potential addition of Mike Glennon sting a bit. The Bears have the No. 3 pick and are flush with cap space, and the best they can do in a critical offseason for GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox is a 27-year-old change-of-scenery candidate.
Tyrod Taylor might not have been the sexiest signing, but the solid (though, not spectacular) quarterback re-signed with the Bills, putting a damper on the dreams of adding a relatively unheralded asset. Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus explains why retaining Taylor is a smart move for Buffalo. Taylor was the site’s seventh ranked quarterback in 2015, but slid a bit in 2016, but stayed in the top third by ranking 11th.
PFF has quite a grasp of the ups-and-downs of the free agent market. John Kosko has five boom-or-bust free agents who project to be the riskiest additions, despite having potential. Alshon Jeffery and rumored Bears target D.J. Swearinger are on this list.
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On the other end of the spectrum, Sam Monson has a group of 10 free agents who could be seen as sleepers with upside. The list is littered with defensive standouts (two safeties, two edge rushers, two interior defensive linemen) – including Julius Peppers, a free agent signing made by the Bears that actually worked out well for the team.
Free agent activity in March will influence what teams do in the draft in April. With that in mind, Greg Gabriel has six offensive players who stood out for one reason or another at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. This is a list that should be interesting to the Bears because it features four wide receivers and two tight ends. Senior Bowl stud Zay Jones headlines the list for positive reasons, while Cooper Kupp didn’t provide a pleasant surprise with his Combine performance.
Speaking of draft, check out who Deshaun Watson was hanging out with recently:
There aren’t too many quarterbacks who are better to learn from than Brees, especially for a player like Watson who might follow a path similar to the current Saints quarterback. Like Watson, Brees had perceived physical shortcomings that eventually dropped him to the second round. But the stars aligned in San Diego and eventually in New Orleans as Brees has put together a Hall of Fame caliber career. All things considered, Brees’ brain is a great one to pick for a potential NFL quarterback.
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Because of the depth at the position in the draft, a player like Dwayne Allen probably wasn’t on the Bears’ radar despite having a need to improve the position. And even though the Patriots already have Rob Gronkowski in tow, the team still made a trade with the Colts to acquire the tight end – which ends their pursuit to retain Martellus Bennett.
If you missed it early this morning, the latest from the Rumor Mill, including possible market overestimation by Alshon Jeffery.
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