NEWSLETTER
There is no way I was the only one having flashbacks to when Javon Wims was ejected for punching a Saints player (twice!) in a game or that time Anthony Miller was booted from a playoff game for hitting the same player (after being warned that the known agitator would be up to his old tricks) during last night’s award show.
• Brace yourselves! The NFL Draft is in ONE MONTH:
The first round of the 2022 @NFLDraft is looking a little different after all these trades. 👀 pic.twitter.com/lbS0YEqR0N
— NFL (@NFL) March 24, 2022
• Considering how the Bears have six draft picks, a dozen (or so) UDFA signings, and probably another dozen (at least) free agent signings to make before filling their 90-player roster, I’d bet on the Bears adding some players who will raise some eyebrows. Call it a hunch. Or call it familiarity with the offseasons of years past. Getting to 90 players is a chore. And when you have that many players, there are going to be a chunk of them who aren’t starters. Think about it. The Bears will have 90 players when training camp kicks off in July. There will be 22 who have “starting roles”. And that number bumps to 25 if you toss in specialists as part of the equation. That means there will be 65 non-starters in camp. In other words, we’ve got a long ways to go. So … buckle up, friends.
• One new player I’m curious to see get into it is Nicholas Morrow. The free agent addition is on a one-year “show me something” deal in Chicago after not playing in 2021 due to an injury. Morrow has the résumé of the type of player you’d want the Bears targeting this offseason. He is young (26), has relevant playing experience (62 games), and has been a starter (29 starts) in spots, but could potentially flourish in a full-time role. Over at the Tribune, Colleen Kane writes about Morrow’s journey, which has humble beginnings at Division III Greenville.
• If you’re a Bears fan who pays particularly close attention to the action, then you might have some familiarity with Morrow:
Nicholas Morrow’s first career INT is one #Bears fans might be familiar with https://t.co/9eiGqBIscJ
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) March 16, 2022
• Morrow’s other career interception came against Drew Brees, which is a good one to have in your trophy case:
Morrow has two interceptions to his name. This is one of them. https://t.co/M7JaaXJp8Z
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) March 16, 2022
• New Head Coach Matt Eberflus and Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams changing the Bears’ defensive scheme has me pondering how we’ll view and value players differently moving forward. The previous regime had us prioritizing high-impact edge rushers and defensive backs with particular skills. But that wasn’t necessarily the case in Indianapolis, from where Eberflus and Williams are coming. The stars of that defense were in the middle with defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and linebacker Darius Leonard. Not to say that the secondary wasn’t putting in work, but the types of players the Colts were targeting to fill those positions are different than the ones the Bears currently employ. It will make for a fascinating follow as the Bears piece together their roster this offseason. I can’t wait to see how it shakes out at training camp.
• Speaking of the Colts defense, an old friend is joining Indy in an advisory role:
Former Bears Coach John Fox Is Back in Footballhttps://t.co/cSHg8Az7U5 pic.twitter.com/qo7bnfoGao
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) March 28, 2022
• The circle of a football life. Chicago raided Indianapolis’ defensive staff this offseason, directly resulting in the former Bears head coach linking up with the Colts. Who saw that coming a year ago? A month ago? Last week? This morning? Do you think John Fox will share any Ryan Pace stories with Chris Ballard? I bet those will be a hoot!
• While old flames are on our mind this morning, it turns out there are no Mitchell Trubisky will be the Steelers’ QB1. Via PFT’s Josh Alper:
“Anything we did in free agency will not preempt us from taking another player at any of those positions,” Colbert said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That’s why coach [Mike Tomlin] and I have been casting a pretty big net throughout this process. . . . Is that saying we’re taking one? Possibly. We just want to make sure we’re covered with that class.”
• I genuinely hope Trubisky gets an honest-to-goodness shot at starting in Pittsburgh. Things didn’t work out for Trubisky in Chicago, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t work out for him somewhere else. Distance from a bad fallout can be ridiculously valuable for the body and mind. And getting a year to work behind Josh Allen and with Brian Daboll in Buffalo could have done wonders for him as he heads to his third team in as many years. I just hope we get an opportunity to see how it shakes out.
• They might not be great, but the Lions will always be interesting — so long as Dan Campbell is their head coach. The quirky and animated leader of the Lions will likely be the main attraction of this year’s season of HBO’s Hard Knocks:
Dan Campbell content >
The @gmfb crew previews Hard Knocks with the @Lions 🍿 pic.twitter.com/vMKnJsvmYA
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 28, 2022
• The notoriously tight-lipped, play-it-close-to-the-vest Bears would neeeeeever do Hard Knocks. Definitely not with this current ownership group. And they’d probably cite some schematic disadvantage that likely exists only in their minds. Surely, they’ll be watching with intent as they try to glean any possible information in an attempt to avoid losing to Detroit in 2022.
• There are a bunch of people who will need to reconcile with the 2011-12 version of themselves this summer:
Albert Pujols is Coming Back to the Cardinals – https://t.co/DfaAETTL4A pic.twitter.com/uOA5erZg3i
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) March 28, 2022
