NEWSLETTER
Another season of The Bachelor premiers six days from today. This means I’ll probably be sharing thoughts about it at the top of Bullets a week from now. Consider this fair warning.
- The Bears are set to introduce Kevin Warren as the franchise’s new president/CEO at a
10 a.m.noon press conference. Some recommended reading from ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, who spoke with a bunch of NFL execs and college head honchos to give some more additional background and depth on the new guy in charge.
- Over at the Daily Herald, Jim O’Donnell paints Warren as someone whose presence should give Bears fans a reason to believe about the future. Mind you, this isn’t to say that Warren is perfect. But the overall vibe is that his arrival should provide an upgrade to what the Bears previously had at the top of their organizational pyramid.
- I’m not sure how many questions Warren will get regarding the Bears’ stadium plans in Arlington Heights. And even if he got ’em, I’m not sure how he could properly answer them in a manner that would be satisfactory to everyone who wants answers. But it would still be nice to (1) hear the questions and (2) check out how Warren answers them.
- This is an astute observation:
- As you know by now, the Bears hired a defensive-leaning head coach last offseason (Matt Eberflus) and passed on hiring Brian Daboll (who was essentially the people’s choice). From a Bears fan’s perspective, the hope is that Eberflus can follow Sean McDermott’s path. But for that to happen, Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy will need to do for Justin Fields what Daboll did for Josh Allen. Admittedly, that feels like a tall task. However, it wasn’t that long ago when Allen was a QB with loud tools and unique athleticism who was needing some weapons around him to help unlock his upside. Trading for Stefon Diggs to be Allen’s WR1 and rebuilding that offensive line were good starting points for Buffalo. Ideally, Bears GM Ryan Poles has a copy of the Bills’ blueprint somewhere in his office.
- One target whose performance last night justified my desire to get him to town when free agency opens its doors was Cowboys tight end, Dalton Schultz. Schultz, who is playing on the Franchise Tag this year, caught seven passes for 95 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. He also had a key block that sprung a first-down run. No, Schultz won’t be the most popular free agent target on the market. However, he is someone Chicago should consider as an upgrade to their passing attack in an offseason that appears to be lacking serious receiver talent at the moment. Simply put, the Bears should be open to alternative pass-catching options who aren’t receivers. Perhaps teaming Schultz and Cole Kmet as tandem tight ends in a way that was similar to how the Patriots deployed Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski could be fun.
- Logic suggests Dallas running back Tony Pollard won’t make it to free agency. The Cowboys’ top rusher last night (15 carries, 77 yards) has out-played Ezekiel Elliott, but his future with the team is uncertain. Will Dallas dump Zeke? Does Jerry Jones have it in him to do that to one of his favorite picks? The Cowboys can use the tag just once. Would you use it on Pollard? Or Schultz? And if you’re a Bears team looking to add explosive weapons to the offense, would you rather have a RB who could team with Khalil Herbert or a TE pairing with Kmet? These are questions worth asking.
- Let the record show Schultz and Pollard have been on our radar for a minute. And in the case of Schultz, it goes back a bit.
- Could we see a Lamar Jackson trade sweepstakes?
- My early guess is that yes, we can. And yes, we will. It could be fun to follow from afar — especially since we won’t be stressing about the Bears’ need to get in on the action. However, part of me wonders if it could throw a wrench in Chicago’s plans to trade the top pick. I’ll probably want to expand on this later. But if Jackson truly hits the market, we’ll find ourselves rooting for anyone who isn’t the Texans, Colts, Raiders, Falcons, or Panthers to land him.
- This is a fun thing to think about:
- Jackson would be near the top of my list of players I’m excited to see in 2023. Especially if I’m not allowed to pick Justin Fields. Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon, and Darnell Mooney would also occupy high-priority spots. Hopefully, there are some free agents and draft picks who can make strong cases to also make the cut.
- News of the Cardinals bringing on Monti Ossenfort to be their new GM was met with a sigh of relief by me. Mostly because, by doing so, Arizona passes on hiring Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham. First order of business for Ossenfort: Trading receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Bears. 😉
- If I was running the Vikings, I’d see this statement from Justin Jefferson and do anything and everything to make him happy. But that’s just me. I’m built different:
- If JJettas was asking me for advice, I’d tell him not to take an extension offer and wait out free agency. From there, go visit Chicago and take the large sack of money that awaits. But that’s just me being a dreamer who thinks big (and with a little bit of a Bears bias). Then again, if the history of receivers eligible for extensions has taught us anything it’s that negotiations are about to get loud and public. Bring on the drama, Minny!
- Some clarification about the chip in the ball situation:
- At a minimum, I like that we’re even having the discussion about modernizing the game in this way.
- What is worse: Your performance draws comparisons to Cody Parkey or getting trolled by THE DICTIONARY!?
- I guess that is something for Cowboys kicker Brett Maher to answer after he missed four PATs. He should consider himself to be lucky that the Cowboys won.
- AHEM! You can follow the coverage of the NFL as a whole over at BN NFL. Check out the Twitter feed. And don’t forget to like us on Facebook.
- We’re halfway home in Hawkeytown:
- The Bulls are in Paris this week. And DeMar DeRozan is joining the party:
- Nick Madrigal is still a Cub. And he’ll apparently get reps at third base. (BN Cubs)
