Adrian Peterson has finally found a new home:
Peterson was let go by the Minnesota Vikings before free agency started, and didn’t find the free agent market to be all that friendly. He took several visits to teams in search of running backs, but never came away with a deal during any of those trips – until now. Peterson joins a backfield mix in New Orleans headlined by 1,000-yard rusher, and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram.
And you thought the Bears weren’t going to see Peterson again after leaving Minnesota, remember that Chicago travels to New Orleans in Week 8. Maybe I’ll have to search elsewhere for one of the eight wins the Bears could get in 2017.
But first, Tuesday’s Bullets.
If not now, when? That is the question the Bears’ decision makers are probably asking with regard to their quarterback conundrum as we rapidly approach the NFL Draft (Have you been following along with our pre-draft series?). General manager Ryan Pace hasn’t drafted a quarterback in his two years with the Bears, meaning he has yet to put his own stamp on the team at the most important position in the game. At this point, it’s hard to believe he will hitch his legacy to the Mike Glennon bandwagon and nothing else. With that in mind, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune came up with 13 reasons why the Bears should draft a quarterback later this week. This move has been a long time coming, as it probably should have happened in each of the previous drafts. Further, not drafting a quarterback – at some point – would raise more questions about the Bears’ vision moving forward, than anything else.
Uncertainty still looms around who the Bears will use the third overall pick on because the San Francisco 49ers are keeping everyone in the dark with their decision at No. 2. Over at CBS Chicago, Greg Gabriel writes about how the 49ers have set up an intriguing situation that also impacts the Bears. San Francisco could further complicate things by picking a quarterback with the second overall pick, a move the franchise is reportedly “strongly considering.” ‘Tis the season for smokescreens, so we’ll see how much truth there is in rumors when draft day rolls around.
In any case, the Bears should have their pick of a handful of the draft’s top prospects. Odds are that someone from the Bears’ wish list will pan out and be a remarkable professional talent. Whether or not the Bears choose that player or whiff on the highest draft pick the team has had in quite some time remains to be seen. But with an eye on the top prospects who will most likely be available to the Bears with the third pick, Dan Durkin of The Athletic has scouting profiles of potential Bears targets. With the Bears not likely to draft a quarterback third overall, there is a major focus on the best defensive prospects who could be game-changers for a defense that needs them.
A few of those prospects have eyebrow-raising medical histories, though. And to that end, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times warns the Bears to be careful while going through a draft prospect’s medical past. Prospects such as Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore (hamstring), Alabama’s Jonathan Allen (arthritic shoulders), and Ohio State’s Malik Hooker (labrum) are among those who are most intriguing to the Bears, but have medical red flags the Bears (or any team, for that matter) should look into before drafting. The Bears lost 19 players to injured reserve in 2016, including 2014 second-round pick Eddie Goldman, and 2015 first-round pick Kevin White. The team truly can’t afford to make a mistake drafting a player if he doesn’t pass the medical sniff test. On the other hand, most injuries aren’t predictable, which makes this part of the process that much more difficult.
Reporters from ESPN and NFL Network scooping each other (and the draft itself) for draft picks is a tradition unlike any other. However, it looks like it will be a thing of the past. Both ESPN and NFL Network have agreed not to tip draft picks this year, meaning Commissioner Roger Goodell will be the one breaking all of the news of who gets picked if and when it all goes right. The move brings back a sense of intrigue to the draft by removing the spoilers. We’ll see how long this lasts.