In the wake of the news, this is well articulated by NFL Network personality Kyle Brandt:
Last night was as surreal as it gets. The COVID-19 stuff is serious and should be taken seriously. We must take it upon ourselves to do the right things and stay informed on the situation. But also, it’s OK to log off, step away, and reset your brain. In fact, I encourage you to do so, as I will take some time to do it myself.
OK, now that we got the serious stuff out of the way … let’s talk some football.
Free agency is scheduled to begin in six days. And when the doors open, the Chicago Bears could go down any number of worthwhile paths. There is a case for being conservative in the market, taking the path of quantity over quality, spreading the available cap space to various options who raise the level of depth at key spots on the roster. But there is also something to be said about how going after a big splash, then filling in around that player could be the move this team needs to shake things up. We discussed options earlier and continue to marinate on what could be as I type out this set of Bullets.
Larry Mayer of the team’s official website ranks the best signings of the Pace era. And contrary to popular belief, the list is more than “Allen Robinson” listed a half-dozen times.
A small request: I would like to see more signings like Allen Robinson, Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Prince Amukamara, and Cordarrelle Patterson, while eliminating signings of players like Mike Glennon, Mike Davis, Marcus Cooper, Markus Wheaton, and Quintin Demps. Because while I realize they won’t all be home runs, a better hit rate could go a long way.
FWIW: Allen Robinson is hands down my favorite signing of the Pace era. His game is so smooth. Whether it’s the reliable hands, crisp route running, steady demeanor, strong Twitter game … it’s all great. Muhsin Muhammad once told reporters that Chicago was where receivers went to die. But Robinson is thriving, proving that to be a bunch of bunk. Now hurry up and extend Robinson (please).
Akiem Hicks is a strong runner-up for me, followed by Danny Trevathan rounding out the top three.
The Cody Parkey signing broke my brain. At the time, it made sense. Address a need by signing a kicker who was a Pro Bowler as a first-year player, set an all-time rookie scoring record, and was successful while kicking in a cold-weather city. And then the 2018 season happened. Are we sure we need kickers? Or can the Bears just go for two every time and hope the math works in their favor at the end of the day?
THROWBACK THURSDAY ALERT: I was digging through old posts and re-discovered that Pro Football Focus gave the Mike Glennon signing a “B” grade when it originally happened. It also had positive reviews for the one-year, $4 million deal signed by Kendall Wright. Go figure that the signing of the best player of the bunch – Prince Amukamara – received a “C” grade. Also receiving a “C” grade — the Patriots signing of Stephon Gilmore. The Bears were in on the Gilmore sweepstakes, too, but ultimately fell short. Since signing with the Patriots, he has 10 interceptions in 45 games (had 14 in 68 games before signing with New England) and has been first-team All-Pro in each of the last two years. So much for that contract out-pacing Gilmore’s projected value.
I can’t believe the Packers didn’t come away with any compensatory draft picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. And yes, I realize I shouldn’t be surprised by it. But it doesn’t mean I’m not still shocked. The Packers’ multiple dives into the free agency pool eliminated the chance to snag a pick. Hence, they aren’t getting one. Now I’m curious if this will be a thing moving forward or just a one-time deal.
ICYMI: The Bears *DID* get a compensatory pick. They now have eight selections in the 2020 NFL Draft. Chicago hasn’t had this many draft choices since 2016, a year that was helpful toward building the 2018 division-winning squad. And while I hope that we can look back at the 2020 eight-pick draft helps set the groundwork for 2022 NFC North champs, this crop of picks needs to bring an immediate impact. Getting that won’t be easy without a first-round pick, but we’ve seen stud players come at any number of different points in the draft. With that being said, I’ll maintain some optimism.
In the future, I’d like to see the Bears higher on this list:
If they get there, it will mean the team is (1) drafting better, (2) replacing departing players with in-house talents, (3) probably good, because teams aren’t signing free agents en masse off non-competitive teams.
Bears scouts are out doing their due diligence:
Noteworthy:
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1237765143544639489?s=20
NEWSLETTER
