Singletary’s Pitch For Zeke, Foreman the Fantasy Hero, DJ Does the Little Things, and Other Bears Bullets
Hello, friends! We’re doing a Bleacher Nation live event on April 6 at HVAC Pub in Wrigleyville. We’ll talk Bears, Cubs, and more. You can pepper me with questions about Justin Fields’ upside, draft plans, how Ryan Poles’ Air Jordan collection gives him super powers, and more.
For more info, this link will be a handy one to click.
- Tell me you’ve been busy without saying you’ve been busy:
- And to think, the Bears still have $44,876,577 left in available cap space. That is still the most in the league — by nearly $10 million. It blows my mind thinking about the volume of moves they’ve made and how they still have too much to do (and spend).
- I’ll say this about Chicago football legends, they sure don’t hold back their opinions. And they are never shy to share a suggestion at a given moment. So, in some ways, I’m appreciative of Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary weighing in with his two cents on how the Bears should address running back needs. But in some ways, I wish Singletary would’ve kept the suggestion of Ezekiel Elliott to himself:
“I would love to see the Bears get Ezekiel Elliott. I think that would be absolutely amazing if they were to get their hands on him and now you’ve got two Buckeyes in the backfield. … Maybe he can shed a few pounds, get back in his original form, and who knows what in the world that can do for the Bears when the weather really gets bad.”
- I’ll give him credit for having the right idea in wanting to add firepower to the backfield, but this version of Zeke ain’t it. Moreover, the Bears addressed running back needs by signing Travis Homer (a special teams wizard) and D’Onta Foreman (a legit RB 1A/1B option) on back-to-back days. Sure, the RBs room could use someone who grades out well as a pass blocker and/or receiver out of the backfield. However, the current stable of backs will suffice. And they’ll be better without Elliott.
- If Foreman’s name rings a bell, it is probably because he saved your fantasy team as an in-season waiver wire pickup. His stats after Week 7: 191 rushes, 877 yards, 4.6 yards/attempt, 5 touchdowns. During that 11-game stretch, he had 100-yard rushing games against the Bucs, Falcons (twice!), Broncos, and Lions. Extrapolate those numbers over a full 17-game season and you’re looking at 295 carries, 1,355 rushing yards, and 8 touchdowns. Foreman isn’t necessarily flashy, but he is the type of back who can get the job done. This Bears RBs committee should give Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy some options.
- Running back grades PFF handed out in 2022 (with rankings in parenthesis): 73.1 D’Onta Foreman (30th of 60), 72.5 Khalil Herbert (33rd of 60), 67.9 David Montgomery (44th of 60).
- Don’t get me wrong Pro Football Focus grades aren’t the be-all, end-all. However, they represent useful data points for us to discuss as we try to get a grasp on the Bears’ offseason plans.
- Speaking oof PFF grades, I found this too be noteworthy (hence, I shared it on the bird app):
- For the moment, the Bears’ defensive line is a work in progress. This group doesn’t have the butt-kickers it had when Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, and Khalil Mack were battling in the trenches. But that doesn’t mean you stop building in the trenches. Seeing the Bears add solid depth to that group gives me hope that they’ll put together a formidable rotation of defenders if they aren’t going to land a big fish.
- I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without mentioning that the Bears have D.J. Moore now.
- In due time, I’ll be adding this to my Obvious Shirts collection:
- I love what P.J. Walker had to say about D.J. Moore:
So many of those little things often add up to big ones when it is all said and done.
Robert Tonyan leaving the cheeseheads to join the team with the best QB in the NFC North feels telling:
- Wait … what?
- When Cody Bellinger’s swing is going right, it is one of the prettiest in baseball:
- I wonder what MJ’s next move will be if he goes through with selling a majority stake of the Hornets:
- Imagine Michael Jordan selling his stake in the Hornets, only to watch that team win the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. That would be a tough break.
- Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who observe:
