How About Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to the Bears in the First Round? And Other Bullets

Feb 19, 2018

Where else are you going to get Red Grange telling a story about meeting President Calvin Coolidge:

Hall of Famer Red Grange shares his story about meeting President Calvin Coolidge and how he thought the @ChicagoBears were a show business animal act. The former President had never heard of the Bears football team. #PresidentsDay pic.twitter.com/1S6zZIdPFJ
— Pro Football HOF (@ProFootballHOF) February 19, 2018

So, this is a bit discouraging: Chase Goodbread polled 20 NFL Draft prospects at the Senior Bowl on a variety of football-related topics. When asked about their favorite NFL team, none of the respondents chose the Chicago Bears. (“Boooooo!“) Four players chose the Saints as their favorite team, while the Cowboys, Ravens, Dolphins, and Packers (seriously!?) finished second tied with two votes. Perhaps an innovative offense led by a new head coach will help turn the tides of a franchise that isn’t as popular with a younger generation as it could be.

The Bears have some financially motivated decisions to make, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Bonuses for Akiem Hicks ($3 million), Kyle Long ($5 million), and Bobby Massie ($1 million) are due on March 16 and are likely to be paid, thus, ensuring their return to the roster in 2018. HOWEVER, the same can’t be said for the likes of Mike Glennon, Dion Sims, Marcus Cooper, Quintin Demps, and Willie Young. As we discussed earlier, the Bears could create about $27 million in cap space if they part ways with four free agents they signed last offseason.

While clearing cap room is a priority, ESPN Chicago’s Jeff Dickerson believes what the Bears do regarding Kyle Fuller’s future is the team’s biggest free-agent decision. The Bears have 25 players about to hit free agency, but Fuller is the big fish. He is coming off a career year and played on more than 96 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. Fuller is a young, home-grown player worthy of an extension because, face it, letting players you draft and develop leave for nothing in back-to-back offseasons isn’t a great look.

On Friday, it was reported Fuller wasn’t expected to re-sign with the Bears. HOWEVER, one NFL analyst believes the Bears will ultimately offer Fuller the franchise tag, thus, retaining him for another year … and at a much higher salary. We discuss the franchise tag, its usage, and the projected cost here.

NFL analyst Matt Bowen shares some tape on Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who could be a possible Bears target on draft day:

Watched tape on Tremaine Edmunds (VA Tech). 6-foot-5, 240. Rare size & athleticism at LB. He can move. Puts a good hit on Clemson QB Kelly Bryant here. pic.twitter.com/6XMI0S9c84
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) February 19, 2018

Talk about good timing! Dan Kadar of SB Nation runs through his second mock draft, this time noting how much trades could impact what goes down on Day 1. The Bears could trade down and recoup picks lost in last year’s Mitch Trubisky trade, but instead, Kadar has the Bears selecting Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds – who you see above wrecking Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant – with the eighth overall pick. Edmunds has the kind of athleticism and upside GM Ryan Pace seems to want from his first-round draft picks like Kevin White, Leonard Floyd, and Mitch Trubisky before him. Considering the Bears’ injury issues at inside (and outside) linebacker last season, Pace could do worse than adding an impact defender with a top-10 pick.

I won’t spoil Kadar’s entire mock, but I will note that Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson is long gone by the time the Bears pick. Kadar sees the Broncos picking him fifth (presumably after signing a veteran starting quarterback in free agency). As for the first receiver off the board, that honor goes to Calvin Ridley, who goes 16th to the Baltimore Ravens. As for the quarterback situation, only two go off the board before the Bears pick eighth. That leaves (grumble) the Packers in a position to deal the 14th pick to the Bills (which is then used to draft Wyoming’s Josh Allen) in exchange for a the 21st and 22nd picks in the draft. For what it’s worth, the Bills are rumored to be interested in trading into the top-10. Hello, Buffalo!

The Kansas City Chiefs snagged a potential Bears target off the free agent market when the team signed David Amerson to a one-year deal. It also opened up the possibility of a potential Marcus Peters trade. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if the signing will make the Chiefs open to traded a Pro Bowler chosen in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Peters has had his issues with the Chiefs, but is still one of the league’s best corners. Florio offers up the Browns as a team to watch for in a potential Peters trade because Cleveland’s GM happens to be the man who drafted Peters in 2015.

I don’t see the Bears in the market for Peters, even though the team could need to add a cornerback (or two) at some point this offseason. Considering the team’s needs and the projected cost, it’s unlikely the Bears could match what a team like the Browns (who have ALL THE DRAFT PICKS!) could offer.

written by

Luis C. Medina

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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