Day 20 of the Chicago Bears offseason. While speaking with fans out in the wild last night, I noticed there was a different buzz surrounding the Ben Johnson hire โ at least when compared with the Matt Nagy and Matt Eberflus hirings. One of the sentiments that was shared with me was a feeling that there was optimism to be had in a place where it seemed as if all of the potential hope had been beaten out of them by the previous regime. It reminded me of when a friend was considering quitting the Bears after the Marc Trestman era. Those were some dark times.
- Shout out to Matt for pushing across with the Antwaan Randle El news last night. I’m digging this hire. It’s fun. Randle El was one of my favorite football players to watch because there was always a random highlight of his popping up on SportsCenter every week. Whether he was doing something at Indiana or with the Pittsburgh Steelers, you could count on the Chicagoland native doing something fun. Among the many things these Bears have been lacking in recent years is fun moments.
- I often spend time in this space discussing the importance of putting new eyes on old problems when coaching and regime changes happen. Seeing what the Detroit Lions did with Tim Patrick as their WR3 has me curious to see what this coaching staff can do with a premier talent like Rome Odunze.
- Did you realize that ex-Bears 1,000-yard receiver Allen Robinson got snaps with the Lions last year?
- Bears Wire’s Mike Pendleton runs down a quote via the St. Brown Bros. podcast from Equanimeous St. Brown, who sounds interested in returning to the Bears now that Ben Johnson is running the show. I don’t know if ESB is serious or if his statement is tongue-in-cheek, but if Chicago’s football team is looking for a WR5 who excels as a blocker then they could do worse than piece together a reunion. Equanimeous played 23 games for the Bears from 2022-23 and spent the 2024 season with the New Orleans Saints (where he played just two games).
- One last Antwaan Randle El thing? Sure, why not? This is a fun 52-second clip:
- The Chicago Tribune’s Kori Rumore shares what was said about every coach who has been hired in the Bears’ franchise history. So if you’re up for a trip down memory lane, you should check out the link.
- Jason Lieser (Sun-Times) writes about Ben Johnson’s “sleeping giant” comment, which makes me think that the new Bears coach believes that last year’s team was better than the 5-12 record indicates. For what it’s worth, I think there will be enough changes to the roster to where we won’t be doing 1-for-1 comparisons between the 2024 and 2025 teams. However, I am looking forward to seeing the evolution that comes from last year’s disappointment.
- The Dallas Cowboys made an uninspiring head coach hire last night:
- You have no idea what level of rage typing I’d be doing if the Bears announced a coach hiring on a Friday night. That is one helluva news dump by the Cowboys. If I wasn’t so immersed in Bears stuff, I’d be feeling second-hand embarrassed.
- Worth sharing: The Dallas Cowboys are on the Bears’ schedule in 2025.
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- WHOA! The Chicago Blackhawks traded Taylor Hall in a massive three-team deal.
- Michael Cerami discusses reports that the Chicago Cubs have “engaged” with free agent infield Alex Bregman. The fit makes so much sense. Frankly, I’d give Bregman the same deal the Cubs gave Cody Bellinger last year and call it a day. Maybe you have to trade Nico Hoerner to make that happen so you can clear up a space for infield prospect Matt Shaw, but the juice could be worth the squeeze.
- Over at BN Bulls, Elias Schuster writes that while the Golden State Warriors might think Chicago’s asking price for center Nikola Vucevic is “too steep” right now, things could change. The NBA Trade Deadline will not be drama-free.