Eberflus Goes On Heist, Snags New OC Luke Getsy From Packers
January 30, 2022, 9:06 AM CST
Any doubts about the Matt Eberflus hiring have been quieted in the few days since he's been hired. Yesterday, the Bears were able to hire Packers QB Coach/Pass Game Coordinator Luke Getsy to be our new OC. Getsy is seen as an up and coming coordinator in the NFL, having been interviewed for the Broncos Head Coach job before they hired Nathaniel Hackett. Davante Adams credits a lot of his success to Getsy, so could we see Davante go from Green and Gold to Blue and Orange this offseason? That's a possibility, depending on what Ryan Poles and new Assistant GM Ian Cunningham (former Eagles Director of Player Personnel) would like to do. Getsy will be in charge of the entire offense, including playcalling duties. In a corresponding and unsurprising move, Bill Lazor is no longer with the team. He was the OC from 2020-2021.
New Bears OC Luke Getsy
Bears Hire Alan Williams As DC, Continue To Fill Out Staff
February 2, 2022, 9:46 PM CST
Yesterday it was discovered that DC Sean Desai would not return to the Bears. A sad but expected move, as the new regime has a completely different style of defense than Desai. Today, it was announced that Colts Safeties Coach Alan Williams would be Desai's replacement, becoming the new DC. Williams will be the defensive playcaller. Williams boast 30 years of coaching experience (21 in the NFL), and spent 2012-13 as the Minnesota Vikings DC. The Bears made a few more hires as well today, and one person left the team. Here is the arrivals/departures tracker from today:
Arrivals
Chris Morgan (Steelers Assistant OL) - Offensive Line Coach
Tyke Tolbert (Former Giants WR Coach) - Wide Receivers Coach/Pass Game Coordinator
Dave Borgonzi (Colts LB) - Linebackers Coach
Departures
Champ Kelly (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) - Hired as Raiders Assistant GM
New Bears DC Alan Williams
Former Bears Coach Lovie Smith Will Get A Homecoming Soon
February 7, 2022, 8:44 PM CST
Lovie Smith is going to get another chance to be an NFL Head Coach. He has been hired as Head Coach of the Houston Texans. Lovie coached the Bears from 2004-2012, and is the last good coach this franchise has hired. He returned to Soldier Field once in 2014, which wound up being a Bears 21-13 victory. Now, it appears he will get his second homecoming, as the Bears are going to host the Texans at some point this year. I expect a positive reaction from Bears fans on Houston gameday, as many were unhappy and angered that he was fired despite a 10-6 record in 2012.
Lovie Smith as Texans DC
Bears Make Shock Move And Trade Khalil Mack To Chargers
March 10, 2022, 10:18 PM CST
It's been a while since you guys heard from me on here. I was taking a mini break from writing, although I was still active on my social medias (even YouTube, surprisingly). Soon I will be starting my prospect analysis' for this upcoming draft, so stay tuned for that. Anyways, we got major Bears news today. Now, there have been minor moves and other rumors, but nothing I've felt absolutely necessary to write about. But a major move like trading a star player in Khalil Mack deserves to be written about.
Bears Receive: 2nd Round Pick (48th), 2023 6th Round Pick
Chargers Receive: OLB Khalil Mack
Now, the initial reaction was outrage. Bears fans were not happy with this. Trading a star player like Mack and getting seemingly nothing back in return? It seemed like Ryan Poles had just done something Phil Emery would do. But after some thinking, myself and others came to the realization that this actually is a good trade in the long run. Although we take a $23 million dead cap hit this season, the Chargers are taking on the remaining money Mack is owed in his contract. After this trade, we have a whopping $121 million dollars in cap space in 2023. That is a lot of money. There are plenty of good free agents in 2023 as well, and having money to spend will be very beneficial. It will also come in handy when we need to extend players like Roquan Smith. Also, you never know who those picks could turn out to be. We could get the greatest offensive lineman with pick 48, you never know. In the end this trade is a win for both sides, the Chargers load up to go after elite QBs in Carr, Mahomes, and now Russ. And the Bears free up a bunch of cap space for the future.
Khalil Mack
Bears Cut Cohen, Goldman, Trevathan; Claim Evans
March 11, 2022, 5:06 PM CST
For fans of nostalgia, look away. Ryan Poles showed no mercy today, cutting 3 players. The first of the day was Danny Trevathan, who many had expected to be cut anyway as he's been injury prone these past few years. The next was Tarik Cohen, who was waived with an injury designation as he could not pass a physical since suffering a torn ACL in 2020. The last player cut was Eddie Goldman, which came after the Bears couldn’t find a trade partner for him. Sad departures, but in the long run necessary departures.
In a corresponding move, Poles claimed former Titans Running Back Darrynton Evans off waivers. Evans didn’t get much playing time with the Titans, playing 6 games the last two years running for 61 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 attempts. With Cohen gone and Damien Williams likely not being resigned, Evans has a chance to shine.
Tarik Cohen
Ryan Poles Makes First Signing, DT Larry Ogunjobi
March 14, 2022, 1:26 PM CDT
Ryan Poles has done a lot of cleaning house this offseason. But he finally gets to add to it. His first signing of the legal tampering period is DT Larry Ogunjobi, as reported by Ian Rapoport. The deal does not get finalized until the new league year, which is Wednesday, but its still a signing. Ogunjobi fits into Matt Eberflus’ scheme, so he is likely the direct replacement to Eddie Goldman. The contract is pretty hefty as well. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported the contract is 3 years, $40 million, with $26.35 million guaranteed.
In 63 career games with the Browns and Bengals, the 2017 Cleveland third round pick has amassed 21.5 sacks, 229 tackles, 41 TFL, 53 QB hits, and 2 Force Fumbles. Last year was his breakout season, though. After 4 seasons in Cleveland, he signed for one year with the Bengals, and had 7 sacks, 49 tackles, 12 TFL, and 12 QB hits. Ogunjobi will be a big presence in our D-Line for the next few years.
Larry Ogunjobi against the Bears in 2022
As Free Agents Fly Off The Board, Ryan Poles Remains Patient
March 14, 2022, 10:00 PM CDT
Today began the legal tampering period for NFL teams. Teams like the Jaguars and Chargers spent big money today. Ryan Poles, meanwhile, stayed patient. He didn't bite at any big name free agents. Instead, he made just one signing, DT Larry Ogunjobi. Many people were mad that he didn't go for more players. But he himself said it, days 2-3 of Free Agency is the best time to sign players. You can't build a roster in just one day of free agency. The draft is going to be a big part in next seasons roster. And as I mentioned, free agency isn't over. It's just starting. I think tomorrow is going to be a big day for the Bears, Ryan Poles is just taking more time to connect valuation with evaluation, likely based on potential talks he had with player agents. He isn't trying to give Marquez Valdes-Scantling $21 million a year, like the Jags did with Christian Kirk. Bears fans, be like Poles. Be patient.
Ryan Poles
Ryan Poles Makes Some Night Moves
March 15, 2022, 9:51 PM CDT
After a very quiet day from the Bears, Ryan Poles decided night would be the best time to make some moves. It started when he gave Long Snapper Pat Scales a one year extension, which was met by joy from the fanbase. Scales has been with Chicago since 2015, interestingly having 10 tackles over than span (4 of those came this past season). Scales is one of those guys on the Bears that you cannot dislike no matter what, something rare in the NFL nowadays.
Poles second move wasn't in house though. Instead, he goes to the free agent market and brings in former Raiders Linebacker Nicholas Morrow. Morrow spent 5 seasons with the Raiders, unfortunately missing all of last year with an ankle injury. Before that though, he put up 254 tackles, 4 sacks, 20 TFL, 20 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 15 QB hits in 4 seasons with the Raiders. He is also very athletic, with his 40 time clocking in at 4.52. For context, Roquan Smith's was 4.51, so Morrow is fast. I think Morrow will get a chance to perform well under Matt Eberflus' defense.
Poles likely last move of the night was signing Offensive Lineman Lucas Patrick. He is versatile, being able to play both Guard and Center. He played under Luke Getsy in Green Bay.
Nicholas Morrow
Bears Add Two More Wide Receivers
March 17, 2022, 7:46 PM CDT
Today the Bears added two wide receivers to the locker room. After not making a signing for a few days, Ryan Poles added former Packers wideout Equanimeous St. Brown, a guy Luke Getsy likely wanted. I remember the Bears being linked with St. Brown back when he came out of Notre Dame in the draft. In 37 career games with Green Bay, St. Brown caught 37 passes for 543 yards and a touchdown. With the Bears, St. Brown will get a chance to try and revitalize his career. The Packers then traded Davante Adams to the Raiders, and in the midst of all that chaos, the Bears signed former Chiefs wideout Byron Pringle, a guy Poles wanted. Pringle played three seasons in Kansas City, catching 67 passes for 898 yards and 7 touchdowns (5 last year). After being used sparingly in 2019 and 2020, including as a return man partially, Pringle had a breakout season last year. On March 7, I posted an Instagram story, in which I said, "All these big name WR rumors just to end up with Byron Pringle in FA." No disrespect to Pringle, as the more I look at his tape, the more I like this signing. He is great at run after catch, and could be a solid WR3 for us. Here's to hoping these signings work out in the end for us.
New Bears WR Byron Pringle
Bears Miss Out On Young O-Line Player Ryan Bates
March 28, 2022, 3:19 PM CDT
Since my last article, the Bears have made many signings. Due to my lack of time to write, I have not reported on those signings. Those signings were: DT Justin Jones, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad, FB Khari Blasingame, QB Trevor Siemian, OL Dakota Dozier, and they resigned S and Special Teamer DeAndre Houston-Carson. But today, I am covering someone that we missed out on. Why? Because Bears Twitter/Instagram has exploded on this topic. Everyone is saying that this offseason is ruined and this is Poles fault. I’m sorry, but how is this the fault of Ryan Poles? He gave the man a 4 year, $17 million contract. That’s a good contract, especially compared to the contracts Ryan Pace gave out. But Buffalo matched it, and despite being upset when Ryan Pace gave out massive contracts, people are now mad that Poles didn’t overpay for Bates. Look, Bates has talent and with the right development, he could be a star. But at this point, I’m not prepared to give him $15 million a year. I’ve watched some tape, and he’s flashed skill. Buffalo has a food player, but Bears fans, don’t be mad at Poles. There is still plenty of time before the regular season, and we still have a long offseason ahead of us.
Ryan Bates
Bears Get A Free Agency Steal In CB Tavon Young
April 8, 2022, 9:29 PM CDT
Late last night, Ryan Poles made 2 new signings. CB Tavon Young, and TE Ryan Griffin. Today, he signed LB Matthew Adams. While the latter 2 are most likely depth signings, the former in Young intrigues me a lot. The Bears signed him to a one year, $1.365 million deal with $650K guaranteed, $150K signing bonus, a $965K base salary ($500K of which is guaranteed), $11,765 per game active, and up to $400K playtime-playoffs incentive. So basically, play well and you make the full contract. Now, many may look at the contract and write him off as a backup. Well, no, its much the opposite. You see, Young is a nickel corner, and in my opinion (through tape review), he is an upgrade over Duke Shelley. Now will Shelley leave? Maybe, or we may keep him as backup. He's not levels of bad that Marqui Christian was. But unfortunately for him, Young's tape checks out. He has potential to be a top level corner, good at sticking to routes and good on the blitz. The thing is, he needs to stay healthy. He missed most of 2020 to injury, but played all of 2021. And he played good in 2021. As long as he is healthy, we have a great cornerback for cheap on our team. One who also has the turnover-creating ability Matt Eberflus wants, as he has 4 interceptions in his career. For those saying Poles isn't spending this offseason, he is, just wisely.
New Bears CB Tavon Young
Bears To Release QB Nick Foles
April 30, 2022, 10:00 PM CDT
The Bears are releasing QB Nick Foles. Foles was traded for back in the summer of 2020 from the Jaguars for a fourth round pick. After rotating in and out of the starting job in 2020, Foles played as the 3rd stringer throughout 2021, occasionally filling in as backup and landing one start in Week 16 against Seattle with Justin Fields and Andy Dalton injured. Foles still had another year on his hefty contract, and after being unable to find a suitable trade partner, Poles let him go. He will now eat dead cap this year, but cap space is freed for next offseason.
Over his time in Chicago, Foles went 3-5 with 2,102 yard passing and 11 touchdowns. He had a 65.1% completion percentage, and he threw 8 interceptions. He should be able to find a new home where he can backup a young quarterback.
Nick Foles
Bears Sign 6 After Rookie Minicamp Tryout, Waive 6
May 9, 2022, 9:37 PM CDT
The UDFA pool is where you can find some talented players who went under the radar and weren't selected. Look at Bryce Callahan for example, a recent UDFA success of the Bears who earned cash elsewhere. Now, we have a huge pool of UDFAs that are looking for opportunities to succeed. I never did cover the full list of UDFAs that came out, but I will write an article on these guys. So the Bears hosted 6 UDFAs that they didn't sign to tryouts during minicamp. The 6 I am talking about are the ones that made the 90-man roster, and the Bears correspondingly waived 6 more.
The 6 players they signed are:
LB Christian Albright - Ball State
DB Jonathan Alexander (pictured) - Charlotte
LS Antonio Ortiz - TCU
EDGE Carson Taylor - Northern Arizona
S AJ Thomas - Western Michigan
RB De'Montre Tuggle - Ohio
The 6 players they waived are:
LB Ledarius Mack
RB Master Teague
WR Landon Lenoir
WR Savon Scarver
LB Jaylen Alexander
S Amari Carter
A lot of the guys waived were previous UDFA signings before minicamp. In fact, only Ledarius Mack was on the team out of that group pre-draft. Poles has officially moved on from the Mack family. There are now 53 new players on the 90 man roster from last year. 53. We knew the UDFA pool was going to help. But I don't think many people expected it to contribute this much. Hopefully a few of the UDFAs signed today and some of the UDFAs signed before minicamp hit, because that would be great. And to the guys who have been released/waived, I wish you the best of luck elsewhere.
Here is the full list of UDFAs now for the Bears:
LB Christian Albright - Ball State
DB Jonathan Alexander - Charlotte
TE Chase Allen - Iowa State
LB C.J. Avery - Louisville
OL Jean Delance - Florida
DL Micah Dew-Treadway - Minnesota
CB Allie Green IV - Missouri
WR Cyrus Holder - Duquesne
DB Jaylon Jones - Ole Miss
WR Henry Litwin - Slippery Rock
LS Antonio Ortiz - TCU
LB Jack Sanborn - Wisconsin
WR Kevin Shaa - Liberty
EDGE Carson Taylor - Northern Arizona
S A.J. Thomas - Western Michigan
TE Jake Tonges - California
RB De'Montre Tuggle - Ohio
Jonathan Alexander
Bears Make Plethora Of Moves, Including A QB Signing
May 11, 2022, 10:07 PM CDT
Today, May 11, 2022, the Chicago Bears made a plethora of moves. It's been pretty quiet, the only recent roster moves were some UDFAs being signed and released. However today, we acquired some more free agents. Let's start at the beginning of the day. WR Keith Kirkwood was reported to be visiting the Bears. He ended up leaving without a contract, but it would kick off the day at least. Then, at around 2:10 PM CDT, the Bears were reported to have signed QB Nathan Peterman. The social media reaction was insane. Peterman is a third string QB and people acted like we gave him a Mike Glennon esque contract. No, he is just a third stringer who will only really get some reps in camp and preseason, giving some rest to Trevor Siemian. Shortly after, it was reported that WR Dante Pettis and TE Austin Fort were visiting/working out with the team. Around 4:30, it was reported that the Bears claimed TE Rysen John off waivers from the New York Giants. Unfortunately, fan favorite TE Jesper Horstead was released with a failed physical designation. We also released QB Ryan Willis in a corresponding move to signing Peterman. It was then reported around 6:45 that WR Tajae Sharpe was signing a one-year deal with the team. Another body to compete for a WR spot. Then, it was reported the Bears were giving Pettis, who remember was visiting the team, a one-year contract as well. And thus concluded the roster move spree of the day.
Tomorrow, the Bears 2022 schedule will be released. We know of two games. Cover your eyes if you don't want spoilers. We will play on Sunday Night Football in Green Bay, not in Week 1, but in Week 2. We are likely playing on the road Week 1, because the Chicago Fire have a game the night before. That's not confirmed, just speculation noted by Bears Insider Kevin Fishbain. So don't shoot the messenger if I'm wrong. Finally, the Packers and Lions will play in Week 18. Barring a drastic change to current NFL format, the Bears and Vikings will likely face off in Week 18. The location? Probably Minnesota, based on how the trend has been. We have not faced off in Minnesota before Thanksgiving since 2006. So we will see. I will bring that news tomorrow when the schedule releases. Until then, have a great night.
Nathan Peterman
Bears Sign Mike Pennel, Release Jeremiah Attaochu
June 13, 2022, 11:45 PM CDT
The Bears made their first moves in a little while today. They signed NT Mike Pennel, and released LB Jeremiah Attaochu. This is interesting, mainly because Pennel actually spent time with the Bears last offseason. He ended up playing a little bit for the Atlanta Falcons, playing in 10 games. He racked up 21 tackles over those 10 games. He spent 2 years with the Chiefs in 2019-20, which is the Ryan Poles connection that likely helped land him a spot on the roster. He originally came into the league with Green Bay. Attaochu signed with the Bears last season, and many believed he could be a sneaky good pickup for us. However, he only played in 5 games for us before suffering a season ending pec tear. He only had 2 tackles, one solo and no sacks. He will likely draw interest elsewhere while freeing up some cap space for us to use this season.
Bears NT Mike Pennel with the Chiefs
Notes From Day 1 Of Mandatory Minicamp
June 14, 2022, 11:29 PM CDT
The Bears held their first practice of mandatory minicamp today at Halas Hall. All but one player reported to camp, that player was OLB Robert Quinn. Quinn has not yet reported to any offseason activities for the Bears, as he is away and training on his own. Matt Eberflus said that Ryan Poles is currently handling that situation, and we will know more on that later. Kyler Gordon and Al-Quadin Muhammed were both present but not practicing. Eberflus commented on Gordon not practicing, saying he was still working on the sidelines by himself. This could mean an injury, or something else entirely. That we do not know yet. The team continued to have Braxton Jones starting at LT with the 1's, and Teven Jenkins with the 2's. Speaking of the 2's, OG Dakota Dozier, who has spent time with the starters this offseason, was carted off the field today. Hopefully the injury is not serious and he is ok. Jaylon Johnson and Jaquan Brisker both had interceptions today, Jaylon's was taken for a pick-six. We also learned today that Justin Fields and Darnell Mooney have been training really hard together this offseason, with the two having a competition to see who could stay in the facility longer (Dan Orlovsky is not happy as his narrative about Justin has died). Mooney was so determined to beat Fields that he once pretended to be done with an "injury" only to go back and hit the weights. Mooney also called Velus Jones Jr a playmaker, adding that we will see that he is special once he gets the ball in his hands. That's a summary from day one of mandatory minicamp as the team continues to prepare for next season.
Jaquan Brisker and Roquan Smith during minicap
Bears Make Roster Moves, Add 8 To Football Ops Staff
June 21, 2022, 10:42 PM CDT
We have reached the point of the offseason where every little move could be written into an article. Last night, the Bears signed former Seahawks and Falcons DB Jayson Stanley. Today, the move was officially announced. The corresponding move was OL Dakota Dozier being placed on IR. You may remember from my Mandatory Minicamp Day 1 Notes that Dozier was carted off the field with an apparent injury, so it looks like he will miss significant time. The move freed up a spot for Stanley, who will most likely be used as a camp/special teams body. Stanley does not have any stats listed in his NFL career so far. He was actually a WR at Georgia before switching to DB. He once caught a touchdown from Justin Fields, which should be on YouTube if you search for it. So there's an old connection he has.
In addition to the roster moves, the Bears announced 8 new additions to the football operations staff. Reese Hicks joins from Atlanta as a West Coast Scout, Tom Bradway comes over from the Raiders as a Northeast Scout, and Ryan Cavanaugh, who will Scout in the Midwest region, has 20 years of NFL scouting experience, with his most recent position being as college scouting coordinator at Ohio State last year. The Bears added 2 more people to the Player Personnel system, Blair Hitchcock comes over as Director of Sports Nutrition (served same position at Vanderbilt from 2018-21) and A.J. Lamb was hired as a Sports Scientist, coming over from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ryan Poles has added a more statistical department since he arrived, and Lamb will serve there. Brent Salazar, the Director of High Performance, is the man these two will report to. Speaking of statistics/technology, the Bears made 2 hires to their football technology department. Krithi Chandrakasan was hired as Director of Football Analytics, and Ryan Hubley as Football Systems Developer. Finally, Sean Magee comes over to be Matt Eberflus' Chief of Staff after previously serving as Associate Athletic Director for Football at Michigan University the last 5 years.
New Bears DB Jayson Stanley
Bears Acquire WR N'Keal Harry From Patriots
July 12, 2022, 6:24 PM CDT
The Bears have acquired WR N'Keal Harry from the Patriots. The former first rounder is headed to Chicago for a 2024 7th Round Pick.
Harry was a first round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he struggled to find his footing in New England. He originally wanted a trade last offseason, but nothing came of that. His stats in New England were 598 receiving yards on 57 catches, 4 touchdowns, and an average of 15.3 YPC. His best year was in 2020, with 309 rec yards and 2 touchdowns. His big frame has been mismanaged by New England, as he has been great with run blocking but hasn't been utilized in the pass game too much. He now gets a change of scenery, and with how open our WR room is, the 24 year old will get a shot to prove himself and show why he was deserving of that first round pick in 2019.
New Bears WR N'Keal Harry
Jaquan Brisker In Contract Holdout With The Bears
July 23, 2022, 11:22 PM CDT
Training Camp began today! Rookies and QBs reported to the facilities to begin camp for the upcoming season, with the first preseason game being right around the corner. However, there is one major player that was likely absent from today's practice. That player is 2nd round pick Jaquan Brisker. Why? Well, he is in a contract holdout with the team. He is the only player that has not signed his rookie contract. We don't know the reason, but someone theorized on Twitter that it could be due to guaranteed money. The 47th pick got guaranteed money, but picks 49 and on didn't get any guaranteed money. So it could be that the issue is whether he gets guaranteed money or not. It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out, and if Brisker's MLB debut is delayed. Remember though, this same situation happened to Roquan, and look where he is now.
Jaquan Brisker
Bears Unveil Alternate Orange Helmets, Workout Schofield
July 24, 2022, 5:30 PM CDT
The NFL relaxed their helmet rules this offseason, which has allowed teams to release new alternate helmets that they will be wearing at some point this season. Today, the Bears unveiled their new alternate helmets, which can be seen in the photo as Roquan Smith modeled it for the team. It is essentially a swap of the current helmet, with the orange in the C logo and the navy color on the helmet being swapped. It looks clean, and will be worn twice this season. The games they will be worn is the Thursday Night game on October 13 vs the Commanders, and on the October 30th game vs Dallas. They will likely be worn with the orange jersey's, however they may also look cool with the White or Navy jerseys as well.
In other Bears news, the team worked out veteran OL Michael Schofield. Schofield, an Orland Park native, is a former Super Bowl Champion with the Denver Broncos back in 2015. He spent time with the Chargers last season, playing in 86 games so far in his NFL career. The team is in need of a veteran offensive lineman, particularly at the guard position, where Schofield mainly plays at. Dakota Dozier tearing his ACL is a loss of a guard, so hopefully we can pick up Schofield and add a solid veteran presence to help out the younger offensive lineman that we drafted this year and last year. Not to mention, he was ranked the 9th best pass blocking guard last season. A good improvement to the offensive line if we sign him.
Roquan Smith looks at the orange helmet