I’m looking forward to what will be my 10th consecutive Cubs home opener. If you need me, I’ll be the guy next to Brett trying to figure out which is worse: Cody Parkey’s performance or that of the Cubs’ bullpen.
Who’s to say the Bears can’t pull off a(nother) draft-day shocker?
Two years ago, the Bears surprised everyone by drafting Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 pick. Which team this year could be in that position? https://t.co/aHtvGZvT1D
But still … what’s stopping GM Ryan Pace from mortgaging future picks in order to position himself to draft the potential impact player his team needs to win big in 2019? Nothing. Not only has pace found prospect gems in the middle and late rounds in each draft, he hasn’t been shy to trade up to get his guy. You were already going to keep your eyes on what the Bears did on draft weekend, but talking through this should put you on high alert. Nothing like expecting the unexpected.
It’s quite possible the Bears will have more to work with in next year’s draft:
Benny Cunningham's base salary on his one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars is for the veteran minimum $805,000.
Bears officially will be eligible for one compensatory pick in the 2020 draft, a likely 4th rounder for Adrian Amos
If a fourth-round compensatory pick is actually handed out in 2020, the Bears will be working with this next season when the draft is in Las Vegas: 2 picks in Round 2, 2 in the fourth (including the compensatory pick), 2 in the 5th (includes a pick from the Raiders that came in the Khalil Mack deal), 2 in the 6th (including a conditional pick acquired in the Jordan Howard trade that could be a 5th), and 1 in the 7th. That’s not bad draft capital to be working with for a team that mortgaged its future to land a player of Mack’s caliber last September. It makes you wonder if the Bears would be willing to borrow from that collection of picks in 2020 and snag a player they really love in this upcoming draft class.
Happy birthday, Roquan Smith. Let’s enjoy some highlights:
Smith led the Bears in tackles while also contributing 5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, and an interception. Not bad for a guy who missed training camp and didn’t play in a preseason game because of a holdout. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for Bears fans after he gets a full offseason’s worth of training and time with the team’s playbook.
That’s our favorite quarterback supporting the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team:
It’s always good to see QB1 out on the town, doing fun things, and sharing on social media. Mitch Trubisky’s commitment to staying off social media during the football season is a wise decision that you don’t expect a young player growing up with it to do. But if it helped Trubisky step his game up last year, then why not go that route again? Still, it’s good to see Trubisky show there is more to him than football. It’s healthy! Enjoy yourself, Mitch.
Some quality reading courtesy of Patrick Finley of the Sun-Times, whose sit-down interview with Jarrett Payton that touches on everything from growing up as the son of a legend to raising his own children provides quite the perspective on one of my favorite people in the sports media industry.
Coach Matt Nagy reaches out to even the youngest fans:
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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