Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2018 16:36:08 GMT -6
Bears Q&A: Do the Bears have a new approach in the weight room? What is Kyle Fuller's contract moving forward?
Brad BiggsBrad BiggsContact ReporterChicago Tribune
www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-mailbag-odell-beckham-kyle-fuller-biggs-20180328-story.html?&cw_pecmid=2101010854&cw_pesid=1522272905&cw_peln=chi72&pbrd=2089072587&em=true
Brad Biggs answers your questions weekly.
Oh yeah? Well answer this one then Mr. Know-It-All.
How will the extra two weeks the Bears get for training camp affect them? Is it really a big deal? — @joehofman1
It’s really more like one extra week for training camp as the Bears will participate in the Hall of Fame Game against the Ravens. So the team will have a few more practices and one more exhibition than 30 other clubs. That should be helpful especially as it pertains to the offense with the extra time but coach Matt Nagy when asked about the topic Tuesday morning was smart enough to acknowledge it’s not the kind of thing that gets veteran players fired up.
“I think it’s good, I really do,” Nagy said. “First of all, you get to the football part of it earlier. That’s great. I know some guys don’t want to hear that because they want that summer break. For our guys being together for the first time and understanding how this is going to go, it’s good. I’m excited to get in the Hall of Fame Game, for our guys to understand the importance of, ‘Hey, we’re in the Hall of Fame Game for a reason. Brian Urlacher.’
“This is a special dude now. He did a lot of good things. For you defensive guys to understand how he played the game. There’s more to do it than just playing. Let’s not just go play the game and not know why. Why you are here? That goes back to my Day 1 talk with them and the history of the players that have come through the building and knowing let’s understand. It will be good for a lot of the young guys as well.”
I wouldn’t classify it as a big deal but most every coach is going to grab every bit of extra time he can get on the field with his players and the Bears will hope to make good use of the head start.
Do you think there is a possibility the Bears will give their first-round pick for Odell Beckham Jr.? I wouldn’t mind. — @maliek4ever
I was a little surprised by the number of folks that had the very same question. There is zero possibility the Bears will trade the No. 8 pick in the draft to the Giants for Beckham. Let’s be real here. Beckham wants a new contract and it’s been floated that he will seek a deal that approaches the range of quarterback money — think $20 million per season. The Bears are not going to fork over a first-round pick, the kind of thing that would give them control of the player for four seasons with a club option for a fifth year to acquire a guy that they would then have to sign to a massive contract.
Let me put this further in perspective. The No. 8 pick a year ago, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, got a contract worth $17.24 million for four years. That will bump up a bit this year and will still be less than $20 million for one season. The nature of Twitter is for folks to jump on the marquee names and play connect-the-dots but there’s just no way this is happening especially with the large investments the team has made in the position already this offseason. Have we already forgotten about Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel not to mention pass-catching tight end Trey Burton?
Given the abundance of player injuries over the last few seasons do you have any thoughts/info on what changes Matt Nagy will make with the nutrition department and strength/conditioning coaches? — @rasch77
The Bears didn’t make any changes in terms of people overseeing nutrition but they did swap out the head athletic trainer and the head strength and conditioning coach. Jason Loscalzo was hired from Washington State as the strength coach and I asked Nagy what type of philosophy he wanted Loscalzo to bring to the position. It’s a different role than what he’s used to. The strength coach can really set the tone for a college program. I’m not saying a strength coach cannot do that in the NFL but the strength coaches in the college game generally wield a great deal of influence so there’s a bit of an adjustment.
“Ryan (Pace) and I had a pretty extensive process,” Nagy said. “We talked to a lot of really good guys who came in and interviewed with us. Jason just stood out. His experience as a strength coach, he’s only been in college, but he was what we were looking for in terms of his belief in lifting hard and having an accountability with these guys, knowing this thing here is a grind now and it’s going to be tough. That’s going to be one of the messages for us as a coaching staff is it’s going to be a challenge and we’re going to mentally and physically challenge these guys. He’s going to do that in the weight room. He’s a leader. Being a leader in that role is important, but yet he works well with others.”
What's your thoughts on the Bears signing Johnathan Hankins? I think it would be great to see him with Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman. Is the DL depth for the Bears being overlooked? It seems like a greater need than what is being talked about. — @billhol71306847
The Bears are not in play for Hankins at this point. One of the things some folks have probably overlooked is the fact that the Bears have been extremely active in free agency to this point. They’ve not only added a lot of bodies they’ve written some big checks too. The splurge isn’t continuous. It will be interesting to see what shakes out for Hankins on the open market. The Colts cut him loose after just one season as he was a victim of the scheme change in Indianapolis where new coach Frank Reich will have a 4-3 defense installed. I think the Bears are probably more interested in investing in their own player Goldman later in the year, or at least trying to get something done. With as many issues and roster holes the Bears needed to fill, they weren’t going to get them all covered in free agency, or the first two weeks of it anyway.
The draft remains and that’s where the franchise can get the biggest boost for the remainder of this offseason. They’ve got to nail the draft and whether they add help up front (that wouldn’t surprise me) remains to be seen. Jonathan Bullard was a little bit better this past season and Roy Robertson-Harris made some contributions. It’s not like they’ve got a gaping hole here. Now that the Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes have come to an end — he agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract with the Rams — it’s possible Hankins’ will be resolved sooner rather than later. The vibe I get right now is the Bears will not be in the mix for him.
What are the rules regarding renegotiation of a contract that was matched under the transition tag? Say (very hypothetically) it’s April 2020 and the Bears want to tear up Kyle Fuller’s last year and re-sign him to a longer term contract. In theory is that absolutely forbidden? — @bearingthenews
A lot of folks have expressed concerns about the terms in Fuller’s $56 million, four-year contract that will pay him $20 million this season. I think the concern stems from the fact that the deal contained an $18 million signing bonus. That affected the Bears in two ways. First, it made them go to the bank right away to pay Fuller. Second, that signing bonus is spread out over the life of the deal.
A matched offer sheet, which is what the Bears have here, cannot be renegotiated so the terms are less favorable than the ones that were present in the contract the player originally signed. In other words, if it’s more beneficial for the Bears and less beneficial for Fuller, it’s not happening. I can’t see the Bears looking to extend Fuller in April 2020. That would be before the third year of the contract, not the final year. Fuller’s contract guarantees him only $18 million — the big signing bonus — but I think it’s fair to say he’s at least tied to the Bears for the first two years of the deal at a cost of $29 million.
If he’s playing well it will be a good investment for the team. His contract alone isn’t going to give the Bears obstacles when it comes to the salary cap. Also, it’s worth noting that as a general rule, the Bears do not believe in tearing up the final year of a contract. They believe the integrity of the current contract should at least be reflected in a new deal.
I love what the Bears did in hiring a coach, staff and in free agency. What worries me is everyone talking about the Bears being a 10th-ranked defense and I am afraid they are not. The worry is opponents’ offenses being ultra-conservative because they knew the Bears could not score so they dialed down their offense to be mistake-free. That made the defense look better than it is. Look at the Philly game, a quality offense that torched them. Thoughts? – Gerald G., Parts Unknown
I understand where you are going with this and I guess my first reaction is that a ranking is a ranking. The Bears were 10th in total defense, which is the measurement of yards allowed. Is it the best metric? Maybe not. Is it a popular one? Sure. Is it misleading at times? That depends. The Bears were good on defense last season and not great. I think we can all pretty much agree on that. There is room for improvement.
You’re also accurate that the Bears certainly were not in many high-scoring affairs last season. They scored 17 points or less in 11 of their 16 games. While the high-powered Philadelphia offense shredded them, what about the job the Bears did against the Steelers in a 23-17 overtime win? They surrendered only 20 points to the high-powered Saints in a game at New Orleans. Sure, the Bears can stand to improve on defense and no doubt they’re working on that very thing. But I don’t think the team’s lack of offense last season led other teams to really approach them much differently or take their foot off the gas.
Are the Bears considering Florida kicker Eddy Pineiro for later in the draft? He hit an 81-yard field goal in practice with pads on. – Mark J., Parts Unknown
I would be surprised if the Bears considered any kicker in the draft and if they sign one, it will be as a camp leg only. The Bears guaranteed new kicker Cody Parkey $9 million in his new contract and the $15 million, four-year contract makes him the eighth highest-paid kicker in the NFL with an average annual salary of $3.75 million. To put that in perspective, ex-Bear Robbie Gould is tied for 19th at $2 million with the 49ers. Gould is entering the final year of his contract and one would imagine he’s in line for a significant pay raise or he will do well for himself on the open market next March assuming he has another productive season.
The Bears are invested in Parkey. He’s the guy. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the team sought competition for punter Pat O’Donnell. He’s back on a $1.5 million, one-year contract and the guarantee is $500,000. So that contract is such that you figure the team might look to push him.
Please set me straight. The Bears pay Kyle Fuller an average of $14 million a year for four years and because the structure is back-end loaded with dead cap space in all years they essentially must keep him at least three years. Other young and just as highly ranked (based on the well respected Pro Football Focus) corners are getting signed at a fraction of a price (E.J. Gaines, Ross Cockrell, Tyrann Mathieu, who plays all over etc). I know there is some injury concern on some of those guys. Still, this is a high-risk contract. There were alternatives for that money and in the draft. The Bears will need to re-sign young drafted talent the next few years and I worry this could hinder that. Fuller must be an All-Pro to justify the value. — Dan W., Parts Unknown
For starters, I would not lump Gaines and Cockrell in the same category as Fuller. In fact, I’d put Prince Amukamara and Fuller ahead of those two players. Mathieu is more of a safety than he is cornerback so that’s not really an apple to apple comparison, in my opinion. Is there risk involved with the Fuller contract? Sure. He had one full season of high level play and it followed a season in which he did not set foot on the field. The Bears were flush with cap space and had they not matched the offer sheet made by the Packers, they would have had a glaring hole in the secondary, one that might have pigeonholed them into drafting a cornerback in the first round. Signing one player to a contract that has a structure quite different than what the Bears normally construct isn’t going to hamper them in player procurement in future years.
What’s different here is the Packers wrote an $18 million signing bonus into the deal so $4.5 million of it counts against the cap each year. As you reference, if the Bears were to decide to move on from Fuller after two seasons, there would be a $9 million cap hit. Is that a big cap hit? No doubt. Would it be crippling? Not in my opinion. If they had three or four players on similarly structured deals and a bunch of dead cap space was hitting the books in the same year, sure that could be problematic. Fuller’s contract is an anomaly when you look at how general manager Ryan Pace and contract negotiator Joey Laine operate. I don’t look at this with a doom and gloom view. The Bears kept a really good player, one they believe is still ascending and they did fit that deal into their cap space and salary structure with relative ease.
The Bears have five tight ends on the roster and six if you include Zach Miller. What are the chances that Trey Burton plays more of a wide receiver role than a tight end? He seems undersized to be a tight end but seems like he had good hands. — Petrie P., Parts Unknown
The Bears have what should be a productive group of tight ends. Remember at the start of training camp last summer, the team declared it one of the strengths of the roster. I don’t believe it played out that way over the course of the season but I certainly expect it to be one of the strongest position groups this coming season. Burton will likely line up in the slot quite a bit and it will be interesting to see how the team creates roles for former second-round pick Adam Shaheen and Dion Sims, who is earning a good check this season at $6 million. Burton isn’t necessarily undersized for the role he will play. As far as Miller goes, and I say this with complete respect for his abilities, he’s not going to be in a Bears uniform this season.
When will the NFL schedule be released? — Nathan L., Chicago
That’s the next big news cycle event for the league. An exact date has not been announced yet. Last year, the schedule was released on April 20. It usually comes out between a week and two weeks before the draft. It will be here soon.
I keep hearing people say it’s better for the Bears if all the top QBs get drafted BEFORE their pick at No. 8. Why? With mediocre talent in the top 10 this year, wouldn’t it be better if at least a few of the top QBs dropped so the Bears are best positioned to trade down and gain picks? -- @kunicks
I don’t know about that. There could be a damn good player sitting there at No. 8 if three quarterbacks come off the board in the top seven picks. If somehow, and I think this is a bit of a longshot, four quarterbacks go in the top seven, I know there will be a damn good football player available at No. 8. For the sake of discussion, let’s say three quarterbacks are selected in the top seven picks. Let’s assume Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb are also gone in the top seven picks. That’s five players off the board and that leaves Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith as well as Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward and Florida State safety Derwin James, among others. That’s a pretty good group if you ask me.
In all the draft and free agency talk I've heard nothing about the Bears addressing their defensive end position opposite Akiem Hicks. I was quietly hoping for the Bears to go after Sheldon Richardson on a one year, prove-it deal to make potentially the most lethal front line in the NFL of Richardson/Eddie Goldman/Hicks, but alas the Vikings beat them to it (at a dollar amount I understand the Bears not necessarily jumping at). With that said there's been little to no talk of addressing the DE position after Mitch Unrein left. Are the Bears that confident in Roy Robertson-Harris and Jonathan Bullard to step into the role full-time or do you think this is an area still in need and worthy of one of the first four picks in the upcoming draft? Are there still free agents available that could help the group? — Ben, Downers Grove
I wouldn’t say that the Vikings beat the Bears to Richardson. I was told that the competition for Richardson’s service came down to four teams with the Seahawks, Colts and Redskins being the other clubs in the mix. He’s a nice addition to what is already a very good front for the Vikings. While there hasn’t been a lot of chatter about replacing Unrein, the Bears are hopeful Bullard is ready to take another step forward and they like what they saw from Robertson-Harris in what was really a rookie season for him. At this point, with the draft four weeks away, I think most teams are going to take a slow approach in free agency. Will there be more signings between now and the draft? Sure. But for the most part teams have reached the phase where attention turns to the draft and then they reassess what needs remain afterward. I thought the Bears might make a push to re-sign Unrein but they never put an offer on the table and he wound up getting more than most expected with a $10.5 million, three-year contract from the Buccaneers. As productive as Unrein was, we’re not talking about replacing a Pro Bowl-level player though.
I get that Marcus Cooper is a body with NFL experience. That said, he played 199 defensive snaps in Weeks 1 through 4 and then 47 over the final 12 games. He was horrendous even in that limited run. Why in the world did Ryan Pace bring him back even for low $$$ especially with Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara, Bryce Callahan, Cre’Von LeBlanc? — @robhuff17
Cooper will re-sign with the Bears on a one-year deal that Adam Caplan reported would be worth $2.5 million. I’ve yet to see how the money breaks down in the deal. One factor you need to keep in mind is he was in Kansas City while coach Matt Nagy was there and Cooper played well for the Chiefs, especially on special teams. He handled his demotion like a pro last season and provides the Bears with some depth, especially on the outside. Callahan and LeBlanc are better suited for work on the inside. So the Bears needed to add a veteran and Cooper projects as a guy that can help on special teams.
Kendall Wright was the Bears’ leading receiver in 2017. He was often double-teamed due to the lack of other credible WR threats. Given that he had a relatively inexpensive contract and had synergy with Mitch Trubisky, why has he not been re-signed as a depth or insurance for Kevin White? Is there a detail or back story that I'm missing as his salary was a rounding error compared to the new contracts? — David D., Parts Unknown
Wright was productive for the Bears in the final month of the season but let’s not overstate the value he brought to what was a really challenged offensive unit. I’d disagree with your assessment that he was often double-teamed. Wright is an average slot receiver at this point and the Bears have candidates that they believe will be more productive in the new scheme — Taylor Gabriel and Trey Burton. The Chiefs brought Wright in for a visit last week and it will be interesting to see if he generates a little more interest from the market. The Bears should be credited with some nice moves to overhaul and upgrade the position.
Why is the Jets’ trade up to No. 3 so well received while the Bears trade up was so panned? At least the Bears knew whom they were trading up for. They identified their man and made a move once they saw he was available. The Jets are surrendering equal draft capital to get one of their top three players? I don't believe that they grade all three QBs exactly equally. — Adam S., Chicago
A lot of people feel like the Colts made a heck of a move in trading down from No. 3. It’s fun to evaluate a trade later on and determine who “won” the deal. From the Bears’ perspective, if quarterback Mitch Trubisky develops as a franchise passer, it was a small price to pay and was absolutely worth it to ensure they landed their guy. The criticism of the deal stems from the fact that, as Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reported, the 49ers were not going to draft Trubisky. Had the Bears not pulled the trigger on the deal, they likely could have landed their guy at No. 3. When you evaluate the two trades using the popular draft trade value charts (and every team keeps its own variation of the chart), the Bears’ trade provided better value. The chart assigns a specific point value to every draft pick. Here is how the two trades break down:
Bears receive: No. 2 pick, 2,600 points. Total: 2,600 points
49ers receive: No. 3 pick, 2,200 points, No. 67 pick, 255 points, No. 111 pick, 72 points, No. 70 pick in 2018, 240 points. Total: 2,767 points
Jets receive: No. 3 pick, 2,200 points. Total: 2,200 points
Colts receive: No. 6 pick, 1,600 points, No. 37 pick, 530 points, No. 49 pick, 410 points, 2019 second-round pick (for the sake of this comparison, I made it right in the middle of the round, the 16th pick at No. 80), 190 points. Total: 2,730 points
So the Bears were minus-167 points on the draft value chart and the Jets were minus-530 points. It’s hard to find a deal that’s going to align perfectly even. Most figure New York maneuvered up to draft a quarterback. That’s what the Bears did. Let’s see how the players pan out in the long run. Maybe both clubs come out winners.
Is there any reason the Bears would wait now to re-sign long snapper Patrick Scales or did the delay have to do with concern over his knee? — Andy E., Lemont
Scales was an exclusive rights free agent and the Bears made the decision not to tender him before free agency. In my opinion, the knee was a factor in the delay but not because of concern that he will be recovered in time from the torn ACL he suffered in the third preseason game at Tennessee last summer. Had the Bears tendered an offer to Scales as an exclusive rights free agent, there would have been no injury split in the contract. A split gives Scales the minimum salary if he’s on the 53-man roster but if he is placed on injured reserve, he’s paid a split rate, which is significantly less. Because the Bears waited to sign Scales, they have have a split in the contract. I haven’t seen details of the deal yet but would be surprised if a split is not involved. We’ll have to wait and see if the team adds competition for him at some point. That would not surprise me but I think Scales was a pretty good performer for the Bears before he was injured.
What is the Bears’ current strategy at left guard? I assume it's Quenton Nelson if he falls to them but what if he doesn't? -- @mosconml
We’re going to have to see how that plays out and if the Notre Dame guard Nelson is on the board when the Bears pick at No. 8. I do know that the Bears feel pretty good about Eric Kush, who would have received ample playing time last season if a hamstring injury in training camp hadn’t knocked him out for the season. The Bears believe they were at their best running the ball back in 2016 when Kush was in the lineup. He appeared in eight games and made four starts that season so it’s a little bit of a small sample size but they like Kush. I’d imagine he’s challenged one way or the other. Maybe Nelson is the challenger but we’ll have to wait and see. As I’ve said previously, I’d put some faith in new offensive line coach Harry Hiestand to come up with a pretty good group. I asked Nagy about Kush on Tuesday and he mentioned the job is there for the taking right now.
“A guy that is extremely passionate when he's on that football field. His motor is going,” Nagy said. “He's 110 percent all the time. I think as a rookie when we brought him in, it was almost a little bit too much. And now, from what I've heard, he's at a point right now where he's pulled it back a little bit. He has more experience, so the game slows down a little for him. He's a guy that's gonna grow. He's in a position right now where it's right there for him. You come in here and you just show in training camp what you could do, you never know what could happen.”
Why is Harold Landry on every mock draft between Nos. 20 and 30? Are there just health issues or other concerns? Can he be the solution for the Bears at OLB? - @jalali_jan
Landry played on an ankle injury last season and the big question with him is was the ankle the biggest reason for what was a pretty big dip in production from his 2016 season? Landry will likely be a first-round selection but the crop of outside linebackers isn’t overwhelming. Landry is potentially a good fit in a 3-4 scheme. It’s probably fair to wonder if No. 8 is a little too rich for him. I wouldn’t rule it out but at that pick you better hope he’s a dominant edge rusher and I’m not sure personnel men believe he’ll be quite that in the NFL.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
Brad BiggsBrad BiggsContact ReporterChicago Tribune
www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-mailbag-odell-beckham-kyle-fuller-biggs-20180328-story.html?&cw_pecmid=2101010854&cw_pesid=1522272905&cw_peln=chi72&pbrd=2089072587&em=true
Brad Biggs answers your questions weekly.
Oh yeah? Well answer this one then Mr. Know-It-All.
How will the extra two weeks the Bears get for training camp affect them? Is it really a big deal? — @joehofman1
It’s really more like one extra week for training camp as the Bears will participate in the Hall of Fame Game against the Ravens. So the team will have a few more practices and one more exhibition than 30 other clubs. That should be helpful especially as it pertains to the offense with the extra time but coach Matt Nagy when asked about the topic Tuesday morning was smart enough to acknowledge it’s not the kind of thing that gets veteran players fired up.
“I think it’s good, I really do,” Nagy said. “First of all, you get to the football part of it earlier. That’s great. I know some guys don’t want to hear that because they want that summer break. For our guys being together for the first time and understanding how this is going to go, it’s good. I’m excited to get in the Hall of Fame Game, for our guys to understand the importance of, ‘Hey, we’re in the Hall of Fame Game for a reason. Brian Urlacher.’
“This is a special dude now. He did a lot of good things. For you defensive guys to understand how he played the game. There’s more to do it than just playing. Let’s not just go play the game and not know why. Why you are here? That goes back to my Day 1 talk with them and the history of the players that have come through the building and knowing let’s understand. It will be good for a lot of the young guys as well.”
I wouldn’t classify it as a big deal but most every coach is going to grab every bit of extra time he can get on the field with his players and the Bears will hope to make good use of the head start.
Do you think there is a possibility the Bears will give their first-round pick for Odell Beckham Jr.? I wouldn’t mind. — @maliek4ever
I was a little surprised by the number of folks that had the very same question. There is zero possibility the Bears will trade the No. 8 pick in the draft to the Giants for Beckham. Let’s be real here. Beckham wants a new contract and it’s been floated that he will seek a deal that approaches the range of quarterback money — think $20 million per season. The Bears are not going to fork over a first-round pick, the kind of thing that would give them control of the player for four seasons with a club option for a fifth year to acquire a guy that they would then have to sign to a massive contract.
Let me put this further in perspective. The No. 8 pick a year ago, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, got a contract worth $17.24 million for four years. That will bump up a bit this year and will still be less than $20 million for one season. The nature of Twitter is for folks to jump on the marquee names and play connect-the-dots but there’s just no way this is happening especially with the large investments the team has made in the position already this offseason. Have we already forgotten about Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel not to mention pass-catching tight end Trey Burton?
Given the abundance of player injuries over the last few seasons do you have any thoughts/info on what changes Matt Nagy will make with the nutrition department and strength/conditioning coaches? — @rasch77
The Bears didn’t make any changes in terms of people overseeing nutrition but they did swap out the head athletic trainer and the head strength and conditioning coach. Jason Loscalzo was hired from Washington State as the strength coach and I asked Nagy what type of philosophy he wanted Loscalzo to bring to the position. It’s a different role than what he’s used to. The strength coach can really set the tone for a college program. I’m not saying a strength coach cannot do that in the NFL but the strength coaches in the college game generally wield a great deal of influence so there’s a bit of an adjustment.
“Ryan (Pace) and I had a pretty extensive process,” Nagy said. “We talked to a lot of really good guys who came in and interviewed with us. Jason just stood out. His experience as a strength coach, he’s only been in college, but he was what we were looking for in terms of his belief in lifting hard and having an accountability with these guys, knowing this thing here is a grind now and it’s going to be tough. That’s going to be one of the messages for us as a coaching staff is it’s going to be a challenge and we’re going to mentally and physically challenge these guys. He’s going to do that in the weight room. He’s a leader. Being a leader in that role is important, but yet he works well with others.”
What's your thoughts on the Bears signing Johnathan Hankins? I think it would be great to see him with Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman. Is the DL depth for the Bears being overlooked? It seems like a greater need than what is being talked about. — @billhol71306847
The Bears are not in play for Hankins at this point. One of the things some folks have probably overlooked is the fact that the Bears have been extremely active in free agency to this point. They’ve not only added a lot of bodies they’ve written some big checks too. The splurge isn’t continuous. It will be interesting to see what shakes out for Hankins on the open market. The Colts cut him loose after just one season as he was a victim of the scheme change in Indianapolis where new coach Frank Reich will have a 4-3 defense installed. I think the Bears are probably more interested in investing in their own player Goldman later in the year, or at least trying to get something done. With as many issues and roster holes the Bears needed to fill, they weren’t going to get them all covered in free agency, or the first two weeks of it anyway.
The draft remains and that’s where the franchise can get the biggest boost for the remainder of this offseason. They’ve got to nail the draft and whether they add help up front (that wouldn’t surprise me) remains to be seen. Jonathan Bullard was a little bit better this past season and Roy Robertson-Harris made some contributions. It’s not like they’ve got a gaping hole here. Now that the Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes have come to an end — he agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract with the Rams — it’s possible Hankins’ will be resolved sooner rather than later. The vibe I get right now is the Bears will not be in the mix for him.
What are the rules regarding renegotiation of a contract that was matched under the transition tag? Say (very hypothetically) it’s April 2020 and the Bears want to tear up Kyle Fuller’s last year and re-sign him to a longer term contract. In theory is that absolutely forbidden? — @bearingthenews
A lot of folks have expressed concerns about the terms in Fuller’s $56 million, four-year contract that will pay him $20 million this season. I think the concern stems from the fact that the deal contained an $18 million signing bonus. That affected the Bears in two ways. First, it made them go to the bank right away to pay Fuller. Second, that signing bonus is spread out over the life of the deal.
A matched offer sheet, which is what the Bears have here, cannot be renegotiated so the terms are less favorable than the ones that were present in the contract the player originally signed. In other words, if it’s more beneficial for the Bears and less beneficial for Fuller, it’s not happening. I can’t see the Bears looking to extend Fuller in April 2020. That would be before the third year of the contract, not the final year. Fuller’s contract guarantees him only $18 million — the big signing bonus — but I think it’s fair to say he’s at least tied to the Bears for the first two years of the deal at a cost of $29 million.
If he’s playing well it will be a good investment for the team. His contract alone isn’t going to give the Bears obstacles when it comes to the salary cap. Also, it’s worth noting that as a general rule, the Bears do not believe in tearing up the final year of a contract. They believe the integrity of the current contract should at least be reflected in a new deal.
I love what the Bears did in hiring a coach, staff and in free agency. What worries me is everyone talking about the Bears being a 10th-ranked defense and I am afraid they are not. The worry is opponents’ offenses being ultra-conservative because they knew the Bears could not score so they dialed down their offense to be mistake-free. That made the defense look better than it is. Look at the Philly game, a quality offense that torched them. Thoughts? – Gerald G., Parts Unknown
I understand where you are going with this and I guess my first reaction is that a ranking is a ranking. The Bears were 10th in total defense, which is the measurement of yards allowed. Is it the best metric? Maybe not. Is it a popular one? Sure. Is it misleading at times? That depends. The Bears were good on defense last season and not great. I think we can all pretty much agree on that. There is room for improvement.
You’re also accurate that the Bears certainly were not in many high-scoring affairs last season. They scored 17 points or less in 11 of their 16 games. While the high-powered Philadelphia offense shredded them, what about the job the Bears did against the Steelers in a 23-17 overtime win? They surrendered only 20 points to the high-powered Saints in a game at New Orleans. Sure, the Bears can stand to improve on defense and no doubt they’re working on that very thing. But I don’t think the team’s lack of offense last season led other teams to really approach them much differently or take their foot off the gas.
Are the Bears considering Florida kicker Eddy Pineiro for later in the draft? He hit an 81-yard field goal in practice with pads on. – Mark J., Parts Unknown
I would be surprised if the Bears considered any kicker in the draft and if they sign one, it will be as a camp leg only. The Bears guaranteed new kicker Cody Parkey $9 million in his new contract and the $15 million, four-year contract makes him the eighth highest-paid kicker in the NFL with an average annual salary of $3.75 million. To put that in perspective, ex-Bear Robbie Gould is tied for 19th at $2 million with the 49ers. Gould is entering the final year of his contract and one would imagine he’s in line for a significant pay raise or he will do well for himself on the open market next March assuming he has another productive season.
The Bears are invested in Parkey. He’s the guy. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the team sought competition for punter Pat O’Donnell. He’s back on a $1.5 million, one-year contract and the guarantee is $500,000. So that contract is such that you figure the team might look to push him.
Please set me straight. The Bears pay Kyle Fuller an average of $14 million a year for four years and because the structure is back-end loaded with dead cap space in all years they essentially must keep him at least three years. Other young and just as highly ranked (based on the well respected Pro Football Focus) corners are getting signed at a fraction of a price (E.J. Gaines, Ross Cockrell, Tyrann Mathieu, who plays all over etc). I know there is some injury concern on some of those guys. Still, this is a high-risk contract. There were alternatives for that money and in the draft. The Bears will need to re-sign young drafted talent the next few years and I worry this could hinder that. Fuller must be an All-Pro to justify the value. — Dan W., Parts Unknown
For starters, I would not lump Gaines and Cockrell in the same category as Fuller. In fact, I’d put Prince Amukamara and Fuller ahead of those two players. Mathieu is more of a safety than he is cornerback so that’s not really an apple to apple comparison, in my opinion. Is there risk involved with the Fuller contract? Sure. He had one full season of high level play and it followed a season in which he did not set foot on the field. The Bears were flush with cap space and had they not matched the offer sheet made by the Packers, they would have had a glaring hole in the secondary, one that might have pigeonholed them into drafting a cornerback in the first round. Signing one player to a contract that has a structure quite different than what the Bears normally construct isn’t going to hamper them in player procurement in future years.
What’s different here is the Packers wrote an $18 million signing bonus into the deal so $4.5 million of it counts against the cap each year. As you reference, if the Bears were to decide to move on from Fuller after two seasons, there would be a $9 million cap hit. Is that a big cap hit? No doubt. Would it be crippling? Not in my opinion. If they had three or four players on similarly structured deals and a bunch of dead cap space was hitting the books in the same year, sure that could be problematic. Fuller’s contract is an anomaly when you look at how general manager Ryan Pace and contract negotiator Joey Laine operate. I don’t look at this with a doom and gloom view. The Bears kept a really good player, one they believe is still ascending and they did fit that deal into their cap space and salary structure with relative ease.
The Bears have five tight ends on the roster and six if you include Zach Miller. What are the chances that Trey Burton plays more of a wide receiver role than a tight end? He seems undersized to be a tight end but seems like he had good hands. — Petrie P., Parts Unknown
The Bears have what should be a productive group of tight ends. Remember at the start of training camp last summer, the team declared it one of the strengths of the roster. I don’t believe it played out that way over the course of the season but I certainly expect it to be one of the strongest position groups this coming season. Burton will likely line up in the slot quite a bit and it will be interesting to see how the team creates roles for former second-round pick Adam Shaheen and Dion Sims, who is earning a good check this season at $6 million. Burton isn’t necessarily undersized for the role he will play. As far as Miller goes, and I say this with complete respect for his abilities, he’s not going to be in a Bears uniform this season.
When will the NFL schedule be released? — Nathan L., Chicago
That’s the next big news cycle event for the league. An exact date has not been announced yet. Last year, the schedule was released on April 20. It usually comes out between a week and two weeks before the draft. It will be here soon.
I keep hearing people say it’s better for the Bears if all the top QBs get drafted BEFORE their pick at No. 8. Why? With mediocre talent in the top 10 this year, wouldn’t it be better if at least a few of the top QBs dropped so the Bears are best positioned to trade down and gain picks? -- @kunicks
I don’t know about that. There could be a damn good player sitting there at No. 8 if three quarterbacks come off the board in the top seven picks. If somehow, and I think this is a bit of a longshot, four quarterbacks go in the top seven, I know there will be a damn good football player available at No. 8. For the sake of discussion, let’s say three quarterbacks are selected in the top seven picks. Let’s assume Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb are also gone in the top seven picks. That’s five players off the board and that leaves Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith as well as Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward and Florida State safety Derwin James, among others. That’s a pretty good group if you ask me.
In all the draft and free agency talk I've heard nothing about the Bears addressing their defensive end position opposite Akiem Hicks. I was quietly hoping for the Bears to go after Sheldon Richardson on a one year, prove-it deal to make potentially the most lethal front line in the NFL of Richardson/Eddie Goldman/Hicks, but alas the Vikings beat them to it (at a dollar amount I understand the Bears not necessarily jumping at). With that said there's been little to no talk of addressing the DE position after Mitch Unrein left. Are the Bears that confident in Roy Robertson-Harris and Jonathan Bullard to step into the role full-time or do you think this is an area still in need and worthy of one of the first four picks in the upcoming draft? Are there still free agents available that could help the group? — Ben, Downers Grove
I wouldn’t say that the Vikings beat the Bears to Richardson. I was told that the competition for Richardson’s service came down to four teams with the Seahawks, Colts and Redskins being the other clubs in the mix. He’s a nice addition to what is already a very good front for the Vikings. While there hasn’t been a lot of chatter about replacing Unrein, the Bears are hopeful Bullard is ready to take another step forward and they like what they saw from Robertson-Harris in what was really a rookie season for him. At this point, with the draft four weeks away, I think most teams are going to take a slow approach in free agency. Will there be more signings between now and the draft? Sure. But for the most part teams have reached the phase where attention turns to the draft and then they reassess what needs remain afterward. I thought the Bears might make a push to re-sign Unrein but they never put an offer on the table and he wound up getting more than most expected with a $10.5 million, three-year contract from the Buccaneers. As productive as Unrein was, we’re not talking about replacing a Pro Bowl-level player though.
I get that Marcus Cooper is a body with NFL experience. That said, he played 199 defensive snaps in Weeks 1 through 4 and then 47 over the final 12 games. He was horrendous even in that limited run. Why in the world did Ryan Pace bring him back even for low $$$ especially with Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara, Bryce Callahan, Cre’Von LeBlanc? — @robhuff17
Cooper will re-sign with the Bears on a one-year deal that Adam Caplan reported would be worth $2.5 million. I’ve yet to see how the money breaks down in the deal. One factor you need to keep in mind is he was in Kansas City while coach Matt Nagy was there and Cooper played well for the Chiefs, especially on special teams. He handled his demotion like a pro last season and provides the Bears with some depth, especially on the outside. Callahan and LeBlanc are better suited for work on the inside. So the Bears needed to add a veteran and Cooper projects as a guy that can help on special teams.
Kendall Wright was the Bears’ leading receiver in 2017. He was often double-teamed due to the lack of other credible WR threats. Given that he had a relatively inexpensive contract and had synergy with Mitch Trubisky, why has he not been re-signed as a depth or insurance for Kevin White? Is there a detail or back story that I'm missing as his salary was a rounding error compared to the new contracts? — David D., Parts Unknown
Wright was productive for the Bears in the final month of the season but let’s not overstate the value he brought to what was a really challenged offensive unit. I’d disagree with your assessment that he was often double-teamed. Wright is an average slot receiver at this point and the Bears have candidates that they believe will be more productive in the new scheme — Taylor Gabriel and Trey Burton. The Chiefs brought Wright in for a visit last week and it will be interesting to see if he generates a little more interest from the market. The Bears should be credited with some nice moves to overhaul and upgrade the position.
Why is the Jets’ trade up to No. 3 so well received while the Bears trade up was so panned? At least the Bears knew whom they were trading up for. They identified their man and made a move once they saw he was available. The Jets are surrendering equal draft capital to get one of their top three players? I don't believe that they grade all three QBs exactly equally. — Adam S., Chicago
A lot of people feel like the Colts made a heck of a move in trading down from No. 3. It’s fun to evaluate a trade later on and determine who “won” the deal. From the Bears’ perspective, if quarterback Mitch Trubisky develops as a franchise passer, it was a small price to pay and was absolutely worth it to ensure they landed their guy. The criticism of the deal stems from the fact that, as Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reported, the 49ers were not going to draft Trubisky. Had the Bears not pulled the trigger on the deal, they likely could have landed their guy at No. 3. When you evaluate the two trades using the popular draft trade value charts (and every team keeps its own variation of the chart), the Bears’ trade provided better value. The chart assigns a specific point value to every draft pick. Here is how the two trades break down:
Bears receive: No. 2 pick, 2,600 points. Total: 2,600 points
49ers receive: No. 3 pick, 2,200 points, No. 67 pick, 255 points, No. 111 pick, 72 points, No. 70 pick in 2018, 240 points. Total: 2,767 points
Jets receive: No. 3 pick, 2,200 points. Total: 2,200 points
Colts receive: No. 6 pick, 1,600 points, No. 37 pick, 530 points, No. 49 pick, 410 points, 2019 second-round pick (for the sake of this comparison, I made it right in the middle of the round, the 16th pick at No. 80), 190 points. Total: 2,730 points
So the Bears were minus-167 points on the draft value chart and the Jets were minus-530 points. It’s hard to find a deal that’s going to align perfectly even. Most figure New York maneuvered up to draft a quarterback. That’s what the Bears did. Let’s see how the players pan out in the long run. Maybe both clubs come out winners.
Is there any reason the Bears would wait now to re-sign long snapper Patrick Scales or did the delay have to do with concern over his knee? — Andy E., Lemont
Scales was an exclusive rights free agent and the Bears made the decision not to tender him before free agency. In my opinion, the knee was a factor in the delay but not because of concern that he will be recovered in time from the torn ACL he suffered in the third preseason game at Tennessee last summer. Had the Bears tendered an offer to Scales as an exclusive rights free agent, there would have been no injury split in the contract. A split gives Scales the minimum salary if he’s on the 53-man roster but if he is placed on injured reserve, he’s paid a split rate, which is significantly less. Because the Bears waited to sign Scales, they have have a split in the contract. I haven’t seen details of the deal yet but would be surprised if a split is not involved. We’ll have to wait and see if the team adds competition for him at some point. That would not surprise me but I think Scales was a pretty good performer for the Bears before he was injured.
What is the Bears’ current strategy at left guard? I assume it's Quenton Nelson if he falls to them but what if he doesn't? -- @mosconml
We’re going to have to see how that plays out and if the Notre Dame guard Nelson is on the board when the Bears pick at No. 8. I do know that the Bears feel pretty good about Eric Kush, who would have received ample playing time last season if a hamstring injury in training camp hadn’t knocked him out for the season. The Bears believe they were at their best running the ball back in 2016 when Kush was in the lineup. He appeared in eight games and made four starts that season so it’s a little bit of a small sample size but they like Kush. I’d imagine he’s challenged one way or the other. Maybe Nelson is the challenger but we’ll have to wait and see. As I’ve said previously, I’d put some faith in new offensive line coach Harry Hiestand to come up with a pretty good group. I asked Nagy about Kush on Tuesday and he mentioned the job is there for the taking right now.
“A guy that is extremely passionate when he's on that football field. His motor is going,” Nagy said. “He's 110 percent all the time. I think as a rookie when we brought him in, it was almost a little bit too much. And now, from what I've heard, he's at a point right now where he's pulled it back a little bit. He has more experience, so the game slows down a little for him. He's a guy that's gonna grow. He's in a position right now where it's right there for him. You come in here and you just show in training camp what you could do, you never know what could happen.”
Why is Harold Landry on every mock draft between Nos. 20 and 30? Are there just health issues or other concerns? Can he be the solution for the Bears at OLB? - @jalali_jan
Landry played on an ankle injury last season and the big question with him is was the ankle the biggest reason for what was a pretty big dip in production from his 2016 season? Landry will likely be a first-round selection but the crop of outside linebackers isn’t overwhelming. Landry is potentially a good fit in a 3-4 scheme. It’s probably fair to wonder if No. 8 is a little too rich for him. I wouldn’t rule it out but at that pick you better hope he’s a dominant edge rusher and I’m not sure personnel men believe he’ll be quite that in the NFL.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs