Piecing yourself together the morning after a wedding gets easier as the years go on because it’s not your first rodeo. But every once in a while you get one of those mornings that’s a half-step slower than you’d like. That is to say I had a wonderful time at the wedding on Sunday and am happy for the couple. Even if I had to hear the words “Go Pack Go” during the reception.
An abbreviated version of Bears Bullets begins now as I try to get things going so I can get out of town and return home. As is often the case on Sundays in the offseason, this set of Bullets will very much be a potpourri of things I bookmarked throughout the week that I didn’t happen to get to earlier. Better late than never, right?
After signing with the Washington Commanders, Paul Lukas (Uni-Watch) points out how Marcus Mariota could become the first NFL quarterback to wear No. 0. We have been getting weird with football numbers since the league loosened restraints on which positions could wear certain numbers. No Bears have worn “0” yet and I”m not sure the franchise will hand out the number. What if Caleb Williams decides he wants to wear it? Would the team turn him down?
I haven’t spent too much time thinking about the fantasy ramifications of Caleb Williams coming to the Chicago Bears. But after seeing this, I am realizing that someone in my dynasty fantasy league is going to get someone who could change the league’s dynamic:
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) April 4, 2024
Let me be clear in saying that fantasy football is very different from the real thing. The quarterbacks who carry you to a fantasy league championship aren’t necessarily going to win you a Super Bowl title. Lookin’ at you, Kirk Cousins. But I realize how valuable a good quarterback whose numbers are consistently among the top-12 in the league. And if you can get that for a sustained amount of time, then you can turn your attention at building out the roster. Figuring out football (of the fantasy and reality variety) sounds easier when you don’t have to figure out the toughest position.
I’ve been thinking about this quote from Cole Kmet about new Bears teammate D’Andre Swift:
“He can really do everything,” Kmet said, via the Bears’ official web site. “He’s able to be an explosive back in the pass game and in the run game as well and is familiar with that outside zone scheme. That should bode really well for us. He should be a good plug-and-play back who frees everyone up. When you’ve got a running back that can come out of the backfield and run choice routes and option routes and all those things, that can be really beneficial to an offense.”
Kmet’s perspective on a running back’s value is interesting to me. Running backs and tight ends both have to do grunt work in pass protection and make themselves available as receivers as secondary or tertiary options. So Kmet should have an idea of what are a RB’s responsibilities and capabilities. But more than anything, I appreciate how Kmet can give us this breakdown that reminds us how each position group on this new-look Bears offense needs to work together in union in order to piece together points and scoring drives. One band. One sound.
(Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
Is Carson Wentz in his ring-chasing era? The Kansas City Chiefs signed Wentz earlier in the week to serve as Patrick Mahomes’ backup. This is a fun transaction. But not because the Chiefs get a quarterback who has had some success (albeit, not so much recently) and could possibly steward the ship if it hits rocky waters on the chance that Mahomes gets hurt. Instead, the fun is in Wentz getting a year to work with Andy Reid in a low-pressure situation to boost his stock and position himself for a possible starting job. Working with former Bears head coach Matt Nagy is also part of the deal.
Remember how Mitchell Trubisky used a year in Buffalo to get a multi-year deal from Pittsburgh a season later? Not bad for being a failed Bears QB. Think of how Sam Darnold parlayed a year in San Francisco to get a contract to be the bridge guy in Minnesota. Baker Mayfield is an extreme example of this, finishing his 2022 season with Sean McVay and the Rams, starting his 2023 season battling for the Buccaneers starting job, and will start 2024 as the unquestioned starter with a big fat contract. I’m not saying this *WILL* happen for Wentz. But the path is there.
I want to dig into this more, but the idea of a college football “Super League” sounds far-fetched and unattainable. The Athletic’s story on the matter is a good place to start if you’re a curious football fan trying to see what could happen at the college ranks.
Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber will reportedly undergo Tommy John Surgery to repair his elbow. That news could have ramifications for fans of teams on both sides of town. For the White Sox, it takes a top hurler out of the divisional action. And for the Cubs, it takes a potential deadline trade target off the board.
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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