Browns got Anthony Walker for $3.5M. That is a steal.
It's a buyer's market to the max for teams that have cap available to buy talent this year. The Bears can manipulate their cap to some extent but we've already seen the impact of their cap situation they are in.
I wanted to get this guy and cut Travathan — call it “rebuild” (haha).
It's a buyer's market to the max for teams that have cap available to buy talent this year. The Bears can manipulate their cap to some extent but we've already seen the impact of their cap situation they are in.
I wanted to get this guy and cut Travathan — call it “rebuild” (haha).
Very hard to use this season as a stepping stone for rebuild, as a lot of guys are takin 1y deals. Guys are not dumb.
I wanted to get this guy and cut Travathan — call it “rebuild” (haha).
Very hard to use this season as a stepping stone for rebuild, as a lot of guys are takin 1y deals. Guys are not dumb.
I'm not sure what Pace has in mind. But my gut feeling is that:
1. The QB and money situation is going to make it pretty tough to have a successful win-now season, so Pace is in a full-blown crisis management mode plugging holes.
2. The Bears are just plugging roster holes to "get by" for now as best they can. It's doing the best they can with the QB and $$$ available.
3. The plan is probably to not tank and lose their jobs. Just do well enough to keep their jobs as the team rebuilds talent through the draft, and one-by-one replace these 1-year temp workers Pace has signed. To use an airplane analogy, he's not landing the plane to rebuild the engines. He's crawling out on the wing while the plane is in flight and trying to replace parts.
He could pull it off. If the OL gets sorted out and plays better (I think that's possible) and the Bears draft a stud WR in this draft (I think that's possible), then Dalton could be better than most people believe. I do think he's better than Mitch. At least he can read defenses and Nagy won't have to "dumb down" a playbook, or roll him out to cut the playing field in half for him. So there's that. What I'm saying is that even with this cobbled together roster with these 1-year guys plugging holes, I don't think the team will totally suck. Frankly, I don't see how the O could look worse than what we've seen in these past 2 years on game days against the better opponents. I do believe, even this year, that the O will be better. I rant like a lunatic about the OL but I do believe the OL will look better this year too. Not great but better.
If Pace can draft well with his 8 draft picks, then he could have a decent start to the rebuild. Even those 6th round picks, could be some decent guys. Pace has his faults but he has found us some diamonds in the rough in the non-first rounds. That seems to be his wheelhouse. He needs to follow up in 2022 with yet another good draft. Then in 2023 do a third wave of these 3 drafts. I don't worry about Pace drafting well - if - he keeps his draft picks and uses them. Don't piss them away trading them. Use them. IF he does then I think the team has a shot at rebuilding if they can draft a QB (even a tier-2 talent would be good enough to win with). There. That's my "glass half full" post for the day :-)
Very hard to use this season as a stepping stone for rebuild, as a lot of guys are takin 1y deals. Guys are not dumb.
I'm not sure what Pace has in mind. But my gut feeling is that:
1. The QB and money situation is going to make it pretty tough to have a successful win-now season, so Pace is in a full-blown crisis management mode plugging holes.
2. The Bears are just plugging roster holes to "get by" for now as best they can. It's doing the best they can with the QB and $$$ available.
3. The plan is probably to not tank and lose their jobs. Just do well enough to keep their jobs as the team rebuilds talent through the draft, and one-by-one replace these 1-year temp workers Pace has signed. To use an airplane analogy, he's not landing the plane to rebuild the engines. He's crawling out on the wing while the plane is in flight and trying to replace parts.
He could pull it off. If the OL gets sorted out and plays better (I think that's possible) and the Bears draft a stud WR in this draft (I think that's possible), then Dalton could be better than most people believe. I do think he's better than Mitch. At least he can read defenses and Nagy won't have to "dumb down" a playbook, or roll him out to cut the playing field in half for him. So there's that. What I'm saying is that even with this cobbled together roster with these 1-year guys plugging holes, I don't think the team will totally suck. Frankly, I don't see how the O could look worse than what we've seen in these past 2 years on game days against the better opponents. I do believe, even this year, that the O will be better. I rant like a lunatic about the OL but I do believe the OL will look better this year too. Not great but better.
If Pace can draft well with his 8 draft picks, then he could have a decent start to the rebuild. Even those 6th round picks, could be some decent guys. Pace has his faults but he has found us some diamonds in the rough in the non-first rounds. That seems to be his wheelhouse. He needs to follow up in 2022 with yet another good draft. Then in 2023 do a third wave of these 3 drafts. I don't worry about Pace drafting well - if - he keeps his draft picks and uses them. Don't piss them away trading them. Use them. IF he does then I think the team has a shot at rebuilding if they can draft a QB (even a tier-2 talent would be good enough to win with). There. That's my "glass half full" post for the day :-)
Trevathan is fully guaranteed (or close to it) IIRC for this year so he isn't cut-able. That's why I was complaining about it last offseason when Pace handed him a 3-year deal on the wrong side of 30 coming off injury.
This year Pace needs to just settle the heck down and make solid draft picks. Trade down in the 1st if possible if no QB available and wait until Day 2. There's no point swinging for the fences when this team isn't going anywhere this year.
I'm not sure what Pace has in mind. But my gut feeling is that:
1. The QB and money situation is going to make it pretty tough to have a successful win-now season, so Pace is in a full-blown crisis management mode plugging holes.
2. The Bears are just plugging roster holes to "get by" for now as best they can. It's doing the best they can with the QB and $$$ available.
3. The plan is probably to not tank and lose their jobs. Just do well enough to keep their jobs as the team rebuilds talent through the draft, and one-by-one replace these 1-year temp workers Pace has signed. To use an airplane analogy, he's not landing the plane to rebuild the engines. He's crawling out on the wing while the plane is in flight and trying to replace parts.
He could pull it off. If the OL gets sorted out and plays better (I think that's possible) and the Bears draft a stud WR in this draft (I think that's possible), then Dalton could be better than most people believe. I do think he's better than Mitch. At least he can read defenses and Nagy won't have to "dumb down" a playbook, or roll him out to cut the playing field in half for him. So there's that. What I'm saying is that even with this cobbled together roster with these 1-year guys plugging holes, I don't think the team will totally suck. Frankly, I don't see how the O could look worse than what we've seen in these past 2 years on game days against the better opponents. I do believe, even this year, that the O will be better. I rant like a lunatic about the OL but I do believe the OL will look better this year too. Not great but better.
If Pace can draft well with his 8 draft picks, then he could have a decent start to the rebuild. Even those 6th round picks, could be some decent guys. Pace has his faults but he has found us some diamonds in the rough in the non-first rounds. That seems to be his wheelhouse. He needs to follow up in 2022 with yet another good draft. Then in 2023 do a third wave of these 3 drafts. I don't worry about Pace drafting well - if - he keeps his draft picks and uses them. Don't piss them away trading them. Use them. IF he does then I think the team has a shot at rebuilding if they can draft a QB (even a tier-2 talent would be good enough to win with). There. That's my "glass half full" post for the day :-)
Trevathan is fully guaranteed (or close to it) IIRC for this year so he isn't cut-able. That's why I was complaining about it last offseason when Pace handed him a 3-year deal on the wrong side of 30 coming off injury.
This year Pace needs to just settle the heck down and make solid draft picks. Trade down in the 1st if possible if no QB available and wait until Day 2. There's no point swinging for the fences when this team isn't going anywhere this year.
+1,000
If Pace will do this then the team has a chance to ultimately be a younger, stronger playoff READY team. A team that can actually WIN in the post-season, and finally climb out of this perpetual mediocrity cycle. Build the roster primarily from the draft and sure, supplement the roster with some FAs. Don't trade away those draft picks. Treat them like they are priceless in value. They truly are the life-blood for the Bears moving forward. Young players. Affordable players. I think Pace has a chance here if he just does what you are saying above - just settle down and use his draft picks. I'm gonna croak if he deals away draft picks as he has been doing. Instead use them.
The more QBs that go early, the better the OT who drops.
+1
That's a great point. I hadn't really given it any thought before you mentioned it. The Bears seem to have a great interior OL of young talent. It may be the best investment this year to get a rock solid OT instead of one of the guys left at QB when we draft. The new guy could start at RT this year and then next year move him to LT and part ways with Leno (in 2022). Then follow up in the 2022 draft with a RT. That would be a solid plan for the Bears to have an OL that would elevate the play of every skill player on offense for years to come. The "return on investment" would probably be MUCH higher than dumpster diving for what's left of the QBs when we get to draft at #20. And hey, if the Bears want to spend a draft pick on a QB who could possibly have some "potential" after a few years of "development" then get that guy in a round following the 1st round. The guy drafted at #20 probably won't be any better than the QBs left for rounds 2 and 3. Those guys are all going to be long-shots. But an OT at #20 this year (in particular) could be special indeed. The OTs in this draft look mighty good, and the talent deeper than many years.