Star Wars first released 45 years ago today. And nothing was the same.
• The Steelers are lining things up to hire Omar Khan as their next general manager. It has been a lengthy process for Pittsburgh to land here, but the end result is the Steelers promoting their Vice President of Football and Business Operations to the big chair. Good for him. Khan has been in the Steelers org for 21 years and in three different roles. And if you’re familiar with the Bears’ GM search last winter, you might remember Khan being one of their top candidates. It hasn’t been an easy offseason for Ryan Poles, who got the gig over Khan (among others). And while I’m unsure of how things would’ve been different had the Bears gone an alternate route, there is a voice in my head whispering and hoping the Bears didn’t miss a golden opportunity for a home run hire.
• Then again, who’s to say Poles can’t be that hire for the Bears? To be clear, I don’t want to sound like I’m second-guessing the Poles hire. It is only right for the unpredictability of a game featuring an oblong ball that bounces oddly to have that type of energy throughout the sport — from the field to the front office. I’m still on board with the Poles hire, as it still speaks to addressing this organization’s needs. Hiring a former offensive lineman whose early moves include front office expansion, a commitment to sports science, and a willingness to re-shape the offensive line could pay off over the long haul. Even if the short-term returns won’t bowl fans over.
• In what appears to be a moment in which new Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus is using to send the message that everyone needs to work for their starting gig in his defense, rising third-year cornerback Jaylon Johnson was running with the second unit on Tuesday. Here’s what the first-team defense was featuring in Johnson’s absence:
#Bears HC Matt Eberflus had Kyler Gordon and Kindle Vildor starting at CB in practice. Jaylon Johnson was second string. Eberflus suggested that we not read into that. That it is a conditioning thing for Jaylon Johnson. Safety Jaquan Brisker was running with the ones.
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) May 24, 2022
• Eberflus cautioned not to read into the move. But he isn’t going to stop me. Don’t we know better than to take anything a Bears coach says at face value and just leave it? Maybe I’m broken. Or maybe I’m onto something.
• I see Kindle Vildor getting first-team reps at Johnson’s expense as another potential moment to send a message. For Vildor, it’s a little different than Johnson. Vildor’s most recent NFL experience was a struggle fest. After beginning last year as a starter, Vildor’s issues piled up to the point where he was benched and lost playing time to Thomas Graham Jr., Duke Shelley, Artie Burns, and others. It could be easy to be down in the dumps after a disastrous year. However, perhaps Vildor getting some burn with the 1’s is something that instills some confidence that might’ve been lost in the madness last year. Here’s to rekindling a spark that could help the 2020 fifth-round pick have a bounce-back season.
• Elsewhere in the secondary, some love for Eddie Jackson from new Safeties Coach Andre Curtis:
“He’s gotten off to a good start,” Curtis said about Jackson, via NBC Sports Chicago’s Alex Shapiro. “He’s working hard through OTAs and getting better. He’s asking the right questions, he’s being a leader in the room. I like all the stuff I’ve seen from him so far.”
• It is a clean slate summer for Jackson, whose up-and-down 2021 season that came after a 2020 campaign that saw him to play with the same bite he had from 2017-19 can wash away with a bounce-back campaign of his own.
• Ope! Jackson’s tag team partner at safety has a little Peanut Punch thing going on:
Nicholas Morrow said rookie Jaquan Brisker forced another fumble in practice on Monday. #Bears
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) May 24, 2022
• Knowing that Aaron Rodgers, Justin Jefferson, and a host of new Lions pass-catching targets await as competition this season, it sure would be nice for the Bears secondary to be a strength this season.
• I’ll be more specific next time when requesting more consistency from Bears blockers in 2022:
weird stat:
the Bears finished with exactly a 14.7% blown block rate both in run blocking and pass protection. incredible consistency, just the wrong kind.
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) May 24, 2022
• Maybe one of the Bears’ additions in what has been a much-maligned offseason at several points can earn all-league honors. They won’t have to look far for inspiration:
Worst signing of the offseason, right?
DeMar DeRozan Named to the All-NBA Second Team!https://t.co/sHWpj0B2cM pic.twitter.com/pVXqhuPOib
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 25, 2022
• That there is an argument for “yes” piques my interest:
Do the Cubs Have the Best Pitching in the Minor Leagues? Surprisingly, You Could Argue Yes! – https://t.co/8EAcYSbaY4 pic.twitter.com/53i4IX7pSW
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) May 24, 2022
• An important offseason awaits Chicago’s hockey team:
The 2022-2023 NHL Offseason: Dates, Deadlines, and When to Expect Action from the Blackhawkshttps://t.co/4z9kKE10iv
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) May 25, 2022