If you are still wondering why Mitch Trubisky was one of the most highly regarded quarterbacks in his draft class (or perhaps even why the Bears seemingly insisted on drafting him), this may be of some assistance:
The graphic above is a Pro Football Focus research project highlighting Trubisky’s passer rating when throwing the five most targeted routes (excluding screens). And, as you can clearly see, there’s some real, statistically-rooted upside to tap into. And anecdotally, if Trubisky can find a way to create a connection with Cameron Meredith, who ran the best double-move in football and was a pretty effective catcher of deep-ball attempts, his future looks even brighter. Not a bad look, my man.
Okay, bullets.
The Bears’ mandatory three-day mini-camp begins today, and Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times has your five storylines to watch. Naturally, Finley suggests that the quarterback position will be at the front-front of every Bears’ offseason program. But whether or not you find Trubisky’s background development more compelling than Glennon’s 2017 season is slightly more subjective. Separately – and for what it’s worth – the overall health of the players is also considered to be another crucial storyline to follow for a team who was severely bitten by the injury bug last season.
The Bears wide receiver room received an injection of “swagger” with the signing of Victor Cruz. Head coach John Fox told Tara Sullivan of The Bergen (N.J.) Record that he is eager to bring Cruz on board to a young roster given his experience on and off the field. It’s not as though Cruz has a clear-cut opening to a roster spot, but the combination of confidence, guile, skill, and experience could lead to him into games of consequence at Soldier Field.
In other wide receiver news, the Baltimore Ravens announced the signing of free agent Jeremy Maclin to a deal that Ian Rapoport reports is a two-year pact worth $11 million. And with $6 million in guarantees, the contract looks an awful lot like the deal the Bears signed Markus Wheaton to earlier in the offseason. While Maclin is the more experienced player with a better track record of production, Wheaton is younger and perhaps the Bears see him as a player who can still grow.
Super Bowl winning quarterback Doug Williams has earned a promotion. The Washington Redskins announced that Williams has moved into the role of Senior Vice President of Player Personnel. Washington’s offseason has been tumultuous from the get-go, firing their GM as free agency started.
Geoff Freeman, the president of he American Gaming Association, believes a 1992 federal law that bans sports betting from all but four states (Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware) is fueling the very lucrative illegal sports betting market. With that in mind, the Association has reportedly boosted its efforts to repeal the ban, starting with the creation of a coalition to fight for repeal. This won’t be the last we hear of this, especially with the Raiders in the process of making the move from Oakland to Las Vegas.
And finally: Welcome home, rookies:
https://youtu.be/wZ8_xqmnPDU
NEWSLETTER
