NEWSLETTER
With guidance from my friend Jim, I made some of the best soft-scrambled eggs for breakfast this morning. I also added some shredded ham, cheese, and a capful of whole milk to round it out. Yours truly hadn’t had eggs that were this good in like 5-6 months. Don’t you love it when a meal hits the spot?
If you had Ed Oliver on your 2024 offseason wishlist, then it’s time for a change of plans as the Buffalo Bills and their stud defensive tackle came to an extension agreement:
- Patrick has more on the Oliver deal (and a whole bunch of other stuff) in today’s set of Bullets. (BN NFL)
- That isn’t the type of extension I thought Oliver would get, but it is a sizable one. Good for him. Oliver is coming off a season in which he had 14 quarterback hits (which catches my attention), but just 2.5 sacks and 9 tackles-for-loss. Don’t get me wrong. Those are solid numbers out of the interior defensive line spot. And it makes me think there is room for him to grow. But if it happens, it’ll happen in Buffalo and not potentially Chicago.
- If you’ll recall, Oliver’s name came up in trade rumors in late March. I’d even go as far as to say the Bears connection came out of nowhere. Sure, the Bears were needing defensive line help at the time. And I imagine you can still make a case for them needing help. Admittedly, Oliver’s profile made him an intriguing candidate to target. However, targeting a defensive tackle doesn’t make sense after drafting Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens. This isn’t to say that I wouldn’t have an interest in a butt-kicking 3-technique DT if one became available. But Oliver isn’t that guy. Not yet at least. So … no harm, no foul.
- I wish the Bullet point after that one was about how the Bears have bigger fish to fry in searching for DL help. But that market (whether it be via trade or free agency) isn’t really open right now. Maybe that is OK. Perhaps the Bears will unearth D-line help in next year’s draft. After all, that isn’t the worst way to go about building a team.
- OK, so I’ll say this: If Chase Young is the bigger fish, then consider me interested:
- If the Bears were going to roll the dice on a trade target to boost their defensive line, I’d like for it to be Chase Young. Only a small part of that has to do with his relationship with Justin Fields. But the friendship is noteworthy and if that bond would help Young achieve a breakout then I’d be all for it. I feel as if this particular topic deserves a deeper dive than a Bullet on a Sunday. Let’s put a pin in this and circle back later.
- This is a mighty fine list C.J. Stroud put together ranking his top 5 NFL quarterbacks right now:
- One thing I love about this list is that everyone here had to overcome something early in their career. Jalen Hurts was a backup behind Carson Wentz. And, as recently as this time last year, was seen by some as a QB who could lose their gig to a backup (at the time it was Gardner Minshew). So much for that. Patrick Mahomes was the third QB taken in his draft class and had to sit a year learning behind Alex Smith. Joe Burrow overcame being left behind on the Ohio State depth chart to shine at LSU. Josh Allen had early career struggles. So did Justin Fields. In short, those are 5 quality QBs for Stroud to look up to as he starts his climb.
- Ryan Taylor (NBCS Chicago) unearths a fun Roschon Johnson stat, noting that the University of Texas product had the second-most missed tackles per carry among running backs who played for a Power-5 conference team since 2014. Impressive stuff.
- I’ll never pass up a chance to share old-school Bears highlights.
- Bill George was a real one. The Wake Forest product made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974 for his efforts throughout a tremendous NFL career. Eight Pro Bowl appearances? Got ’em. Eight first-team All-Pro nods? Yep. NFL Championship winner in 1963? He got it. Presence on the All-1950s Team? He’s got a membership in that exclusive club. It’s quite a résumé for George, who was a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro player every year between 1955 and 1961. A seven-year run of dominance at the linebacker spot.
- Future Blackhawks great Connor Bedard is already making history:
- The Bulls have a deadline by which they can give Vooch an extension:
- It’s almost as if trading Yu Darvish away wasn’t a great idea. Darvish struck out 9 cubs in 7 scoreless innings last night. I miss watching him pitch every five days for my favorite team. (BN Cubs)
