Gaming the Comp Pick System, Depth on the D, Fields’ Red Zone Prowess, and Other Bears Bullets

Luis C. Medina

Mar 21, 2023

I went to bed thinking about waking up and taking out pork chops for dinner tonight. Instead, I woke up actually considering making ballpark food (hot dogs? burgers?) for dinner ahead of the WBC final. What should I do?

NFL owners are expected to give league commissioner Roger Goodell a contract extension next week. If it was up to me, I’d have let him explore free agency. Shop around. Find an offer you like, come back to us with it, and we’ll see if we want to match. (BN NFL)

Speaking of free agency, Nicholas Morrow (via Philly Inquirer) became the third former Bears starter to sign elsewhere. Morrow joins the defending NFC champion Eagles on a one-year deal after spending last year in Chicago. If anyone from Philadelphia comes here looking for a scouting report, I’d best describe Morrow’s play as perfectly cromulent. Morrow is a pro’s pro who doesn’t do anything extraordinarily well, but he won’t hurt your team by being on the field. Maybe the Eagles will see an uptick in Morrow’s play because of the players around him.

Joining Morrow in being an ex-Bears starter to leave for new digs are running back David Montgomery (he’s a Lion now) and offensive tackle Riley Reiff (Patriots, via ESPN). In future years, I’d like to see more Bears sign nice contracts elsewhere via free agency. Not because I’m looking to kick good players to the curb, but because of what it would mean for quality players to leave the roost.

The reality is that the NFL roster is an ever-evolving and always-changing thing. And if good players are leaving your team, it probably means a couple of things. Firstly, your organization is drafting well. Secondly, your player development is probably humming along. And thirdly, your team is in a better position to get compensatory draft picks. Those aren’t on our radar this year with GM Ryan Poles signing as many players as he has to this point. But in the future, I’d like to see the Bears in a spot like the Eagles where they’re consuming compensatory picks for the departure of free agents — only to fill those holes with capable draft picks. If you’re looking for more on how that works, the Philly Voice explores more.

Now that we’re more than a week removed from the beginning of the free agency frenzy, the NFL mock drafts are popping up again. And with that, we resume our draft countdown:

Remember when Bryce Callahan was a thing?

Just thought I’d take a minute to #RememberABearsGuy before reminding you there are just 3️⃣7️⃣ days until #DaBears go on the clock with the No. 9 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/VTDMWOloOF— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) March 21, 2023

Even though the Bears don’t have the first pick anymore, we’re still looking at this team being in a spot to take a stud. Or even trade back some more if the situation presents itself. For the moment, my brain is trying to lock into potential options in the trenches. One area that should be a high priority is along the defensive line, where Michael Renner (PFF) has DL prospect superlatives. All in all, there are eight different prospects name-dropped in Renner’s piece. It serves as a nice reminder that this draft class is loaded with D-line talent.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about adding a familiar name like Will Anderson Jr. (if a run on quarterbacks, offensive linemen, and cornerbacks happens in the first 8 picks) or Jalen Carter (if his off-the-field questions get satisfactory answers). Even Tyree Wilson intrigues me as a possible top-10 pick. But let’s not rule out prospects who are on the periphery of our radar at the moment such as LSU’s B.J. Ojulari, Pitt’s Calijah Kancey, Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness, Georgia’s Nolan Smith, and Michigan’s Maxi Smith. I need to keep reminding myself that this class is deep with defensive linemen.

Three of the five free agents who Josh Schrock (NBC Sports Chicago) sees as fits for the Bears’ value-based approach at this stage of the offseason are defensive linemen. That isn’t a coincidence. Because with all due respect to DeMarcus Walker and Andrew Billings, this position group still needs more able bodies. So, yeah, pass rushers such as Yannick Ngakoue and Justin Houston make sense as a possible target. Same for defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis. If the Bears aren’t going to have a freak butt-kicker in the trenches for the time being, the best thing they can do for the good of the unit is building a group that is deep and versatile.

I promise to continue using my powers for good moving forward:

Still can't believe this worked.https://t.co/c4IdylPdM6
— Funky Cold Luda (Taylor’s Version) (@lcm1986) March 20, 2023

There is still time to vote for me in the 7-10 matchup vs. SAS Burner and/or the BN Bears account against Ken Mitchell in a 4-13 battle in the annual Bears Twitter bracket madness. No matter what happens here, I’d like to extend my sincerest thank yous to our readers and supporters. I was just telling a friend about how getting two spots in the tourney *AND* so much backing means a lot during what’s been a rough three months. When we’re not bickering about who’s starting where on the offensive line or how to best use draft picks, we do well in uplifting each other.

Hmmm. It’s almost as if Justin Fields should be allowed to cook in the red zone next year:

Justin Fields in the Red Zone in 2022:

🔹68.75% Completion Percentage
🔹12 Passing TDs
🔹5 rushing TDs
🔹1 Interception pic.twitter.com/VFukfZiMc6
— Wyatt 🥃 (@WyattB_FF) March 20, 2023

At least he’ll have better options with D.J. Moore and Robert Tonyan joining the party. A healthy Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool at full strength after a full offseason learning the system should help matters, too.

Do you believe in miracles?

The Chicago Bulls Just Beat Joel Embiid for the First Time Ever

Obsessive Blackhawks tank watch update:

Thanks to an OT loss by the Sharks last night + a regulation loss for the #Blackhawks the new Bad for Bedard Sweepstakes standings are a little bit closer at the top pic.twitter.com/Axpn535mtd— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) March 21, 2023

Randy Arozarena is too cool for school:

Randy Arozarena Just Had the Coolest Reaction to a Home Run Robbery Ever

Japan might’ve gotten the WBC win (and it was an epic, come-from-behind thriller), but Arozarena became an international star during this tournament. You just love to see former Cardinals thrive on another level after leaving their former organization.

This was such a great baseball moment:

Team Japan Comes Back and Walks It Off Against Team Mexico to Head to the WBC Final!https://t.co/TTrgwwqn6C pic.twitter.com/tJ4oGONx5K— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) March 21, 2023

written by

Luis C. Medina

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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