Post by Deleted on May 18, 2018 18:58:58 GMT -6
Bears Q&A: Could Bears trade for Jaguars' Dante Fowler? Will any Bears make the Pro Bowl this year?
Everyone seems to think the Bears are an impact pass rusher away from being an elite defense. Sean Wagner-McGough of CBSSports dreamt of a trade for Jacksonville's Dante Fowler. Are the Bears in the market for pass rushers or are they waiting for post-camp releases? Is Fowler a viable option? — Gregory M., Chicago
The questions about the pass rush continue to roll in, and I’m beginning to wonder if we will find many other topics to tackle before training camp. The idea of the Bears adding Fowler, on the surface, makes a ton of sense. He was the No. 3 overall pick in 2015 and the Jaguars, who are heavily invested in their defensive line and defense in general, have declined the fifth-year option in his contract. That means Fowler is in a contract year. He had eight sacks last season after getting four in 2016. Remember, he missed his entire rookie season in 2015 with a torn ACL. Fowler came up big in the Jaguars’ playoff run last season, sacking Patriots quarterback Tom Brady twice.
What do the Jaguars stand to gain by trading Fowler? They won the AFC South with a 10-6 record last season before advancing to the AFC championship game. So you figure the Jaguars are hoping to make a deep playoff run again this season and you ask yourself how are they a better team without Fowler? Even if he’s just a situational pass rusher (his eight sacks tied for third most on the team last year), how are the Jaguars better equipped to make a playoff push without him?
The Bears are already without their 2019 second-round draft pick, so while I wouldn’t rule it out, I suspect general manager Ryan Pace will be hesitant to trade more draft capital for next year. If the Jaguars were to deal Fowler, I can’t imagine they’re just going to dump him or give him away on the cheap.
Might as well mention that some folks have suggested the Bears could trade Kevin White, their own first-round pick from 2015, and that’s just fantasy football. White has missed 43 of 48 games over the previous three seasons and that creates a situation where it’s highly, highly unlikely any team would trade assets for him.
Also, keep in mind if the Jaguars keep Fowler and then he departs via free agency, he could count in their favor in terms of a supplemental draft pick for 2020.
Why have the Bears still not addressed an edge player? A sixth-round draft pick that has had injury issues is not they most promising, although I wish Mr. Fitts the best. — @hdandy2000
You’re overlooking the fact that they signed Aaron Lynch, who has experience playing for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, in March. Right now, Lynch projects as the guy who would inherit some of the snaps that went to Pernell McPhee and other departed veterans. Let’s be real here, too, it’s not like the Bears can hop on Amazon and order an edge rusher. The pass rushers on the street right now are on the street for a reason. They’re over the hill, they’re injured, they’re not very good to start with or some combination of those factors.
Will the Bears finally have a Pro Bowl player this year? Seems like there are some defensive guys who could make it. If the offense performs better, I think that also helps the defense become a top-five defense. — @mdprice79
Pro Bowl voting is done by fans, players and coaches, with all counting one-third in the process. Players on winning teams generally fare much better in balloting. Players on winning teams get more exposure. They’re talked about more. They do better at the polls. If the Bears can reverse their pattern of losing, they will likely have some more popular players when it comes to the Pro Bowl.
Are Allen Robinson, Leonard Floyd and Kyle Long all going to be on the PUP list at the start of training camp? Among those three, who is farthest from being ready to start the regular season? — @mike__chicago
If I had to guess right now, I’d say there is a decent shot all three are on the field when the Bears open training camp. No one has suggested to me that Floyd would be a PUP candidate for training camp and I know Robinson’s camp was telling teams in the free-agency process that he expected to be fully cleared in advance of training camp.
“He’s ahead of the game,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said Wednesday when asked about Robinson. “He’s looking good. We’re feeling really good about his prognosis as far as getting started. There’s no need to rush it.”
Long had three surgeries this offseason, but I don’t believe any of them were nearly as serious as the ankle injury he was working his way back from a year ago. Let’s see how it plays out.
Best case scenario if everything goes right and the Bears stay healthy this year ... what does that look like and translate into around wins and playoffs? — @illini_loyalty
The over/under on victories for the Bears opened at 6½ in Las Vegas, meaning the oddsmakers aren’t as bullish about the new Bears as many fans. Certainly I see a chance for the Bears to hit the over and, yes, they will probably need better fortune when it comes to injuries. They’re going to have to be significantly better than 6½ to play in January when you figure it generally takes 10 wins to get in. The first thing to focus on is how many teams the Bears can pass in the division. They’ve been terrible in the NFC North, and getting better in the division is the first hurdle to clear. Is there a division foe that is due to backslide? Are there two division foes due to backslide? It’s going to be interesting.
What undrafted free agents have the best chance to make the 53-man roster as of now? I know it’s too early to tell. — @greatnxss_
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
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Everyone seems to think the Bears are an impact pass rusher away from being an elite defense. Sean Wagner-McGough of CBSSports dreamt of a trade for Jacksonville's Dante Fowler. Are the Bears in the market for pass rushers or are they waiting for post-camp releases? Is Fowler a viable option? — Gregory M., Chicago
The questions about the pass rush continue to roll in, and I’m beginning to wonder if we will find many other topics to tackle before training camp. The idea of the Bears adding Fowler, on the surface, makes a ton of sense. He was the No. 3 overall pick in 2015 and the Jaguars, who are heavily invested in their defensive line and defense in general, have declined the fifth-year option in his contract. That means Fowler is in a contract year. He had eight sacks last season after getting four in 2016. Remember, he missed his entire rookie season in 2015 with a torn ACL. Fowler came up big in the Jaguars’ playoff run last season, sacking Patriots quarterback Tom Brady twice.
What do the Jaguars stand to gain by trading Fowler? They won the AFC South with a 10-6 record last season before advancing to the AFC championship game. So you figure the Jaguars are hoping to make a deep playoff run again this season and you ask yourself how are they a better team without Fowler? Even if he’s just a situational pass rusher (his eight sacks tied for third most on the team last year), how are the Jaguars better equipped to make a playoff push without him?
The Bears are already without their 2019 second-round draft pick, so while I wouldn’t rule it out, I suspect general manager Ryan Pace will be hesitant to trade more draft capital for next year. If the Jaguars were to deal Fowler, I can’t imagine they’re just going to dump him or give him away on the cheap.
Might as well mention that some folks have suggested the Bears could trade Kevin White, their own first-round pick from 2015, and that’s just fantasy football. White has missed 43 of 48 games over the previous three seasons and that creates a situation where it’s highly, highly unlikely any team would trade assets for him.
Also, keep in mind if the Jaguars keep Fowler and then he departs via free agency, he could count in their favor in terms of a supplemental draft pick for 2020.
Why have the Bears still not addressed an edge player? A sixth-round draft pick that has had injury issues is not they most promising, although I wish Mr. Fitts the best. — @hdandy2000
You’re overlooking the fact that they signed Aaron Lynch, who has experience playing for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, in March. Right now, Lynch projects as the guy who would inherit some of the snaps that went to Pernell McPhee and other departed veterans. Let’s be real here, too, it’s not like the Bears can hop on Amazon and order an edge rusher. The pass rushers on the street right now are on the street for a reason. They’re over the hill, they’re injured, they’re not very good to start with or some combination of those factors.
Will the Bears finally have a Pro Bowl player this year? Seems like there are some defensive guys who could make it. If the offense performs better, I think that also helps the defense become a top-five defense. — @mdprice79
Pro Bowl voting is done by fans, players and coaches, with all counting one-third in the process. Players on winning teams generally fare much better in balloting. Players on winning teams get more exposure. They’re talked about more. They do better at the polls. If the Bears can reverse their pattern of losing, they will likely have some more popular players when it comes to the Pro Bowl.
Are Allen Robinson, Leonard Floyd and Kyle Long all going to be on the PUP list at the start of training camp? Among those three, who is farthest from being ready to start the regular season? — @mike__chicago
If I had to guess right now, I’d say there is a decent shot all three are on the field when the Bears open training camp. No one has suggested to me that Floyd would be a PUP candidate for training camp and I know Robinson’s camp was telling teams in the free-agency process that he expected to be fully cleared in advance of training camp.
“He’s ahead of the game,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said Wednesday when asked about Robinson. “He’s looking good. We’re feeling really good about his prognosis as far as getting started. There’s no need to rush it.”
Long had three surgeries this offseason, but I don’t believe any of them were nearly as serious as the ankle injury he was working his way back from a year ago. Let’s see how it plays out.
Best case scenario if everything goes right and the Bears stay healthy this year ... what does that look like and translate into around wins and playoffs? — @illini_loyalty
The over/under on victories for the Bears opened at 6½ in Las Vegas, meaning the oddsmakers aren’t as bullish about the new Bears as many fans. Certainly I see a chance for the Bears to hit the over and, yes, they will probably need better fortune when it comes to injuries. They’re going to have to be significantly better than 6½ to play in January when you figure it generally takes 10 wins to get in. The first thing to focus on is how many teams the Bears can pass in the division. They’ve been terrible in the NFC North, and getting better in the division is the first hurdle to clear. Is there a division foe that is due to backslide? Are there two division foes due to backslide? It’s going to be interesting.
What undrafted free agents have the best chance to make the 53-man roster as of now? I know it’s too early to tell. — @greatnxss_
I am glad you realize forecasting something like that at this point is really impossible. We don’t know how any of these young players are going to perform when they’re worked in with the veterans. Is there a position where an opening will be created by an injury or two? Can one or two of them offer upside on special teams? I thought LSU cornerback Kevin Toliver looked pretty good in the rookie minicamp, but there is a long way to go and he must make plays with veterans on the field. Let’s check back in on this matter in August.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
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