Braxton Jones Has Regressed & Bears Drafted Kiran Amegadjie

In my line of work I see Second Generation ownership that has a small fraction of the talent that the First Generation owner had all the time.

First Generation put their blood, sweat and tears into the business. Second Generation grew up fat and happy as a result and didn't have to put the work in.

So when Second Generation takes over, they have no idea what to do. They either want the paychecks to keep rolling in or they want to cash out and live in the Bahamas.

With the McCaskeys, they've had ample opportunity over the years to get The Guy that would convince me they were serious about winning and they've never done it. I'm specifically referring to established front office or HC talent. Jim Harbaugh being the latest example of that.

The drop off in skills, from Papa Bear to the McCaskeys, is just astounding, but it is what it is.

That being said, the McCaskeys are willing to sign free agents over the past few years. When a star player has been available they've made their play whether it's Peppers, Mack, or the recent FA signings and extending our own players.

I don't claim to know what is best as far as what specific players need to be replaced.  I have my own meatball ideas, but admit I'm just a fan...

... but personally, I would add that it disappoints me, how many fans seem to have this "good enough" is good enough attitude towards the offensive line unit.  Then we wonder why the team is mediocre most years (worse in some years too).  They fail to understand how the offensive line is what often sets the ceiling of the offense from the franchise QB to the WR's, the TE's and the run game too.  And if the "good enough" offensive line is mediocre (or worse) then the offense will have a lowered ceiling.  Players won't play to their full-potential.  In the modern NFL a championship team needs a championship offense.  Why on earth would you cripple your team with a "good enough" offensive line that is not good enough?

This makes zero sense to me.  Don't settle for mediocre.  Mediocre doesn't win championships.  

And winning football in the modern age is all about R.O.I. - return on investment.  There is no greater R.O.I. than investing in the OL.  Think about it.  That is the key to unlocking the full-potential of your franchise QB (especially a young rookie QB1) and the entire offense.  Investing high-level resources in the OL has an R.O.I. that elevates the offense (critically important in the modern NFL) and can elevate the team from mediocrity to championship level.  Mediocrity is NOT okay if you want to win in this league.  It starts by building the best rock-solid foundation piece as a strength of the team - the offensive line.  Meatball fans scratch their heads and wonder "why" the Bears can't win in the modern era.  The team has had over 40 different starting quarterbacks who have not gotten it done here.  Ever wonder "why" the team is mediocre or worse?  A large reason why they don't win is that they put together a weak foundation - a "good enough" offensive line that is NOT good enough.  SMH.  JMO.

Just my $0.02 on what is good enough for the OL. Rather than get all granular as to what position in the draft is required, I am more interested in the level of performance of the OL as a unit. I want the franchise to be a consistent SB contender (meaning get into the playoffs > 75% of the time and into the divisional championship game around 50% of time time).

IMO that requires a top 10 OL.  I don't care if they are all UDFAs.  Obviously, that would be extremely unlikely.  But I am not fixated on the specific rounds that an individual player is take, just their level of performance.

And by performance, I mean ranked on overall statistics (and not a PFF ranking).  I'd be more comfortable with PFF if they were transparent on how the calculate their scoring.  Until they do that, I will maintain it is done with a combination of voodoo and pixie dust.

I agree with that.  It's not our jobs as fans to know how to best get offensive linemen that perform at a top-10 in the NFL level as a unit.  I agree that draft position doesn't always equate to a great player.  It's the old "Tom Brady was a 6th round pick" thing.  But we know you have a better chance of getting a better player in the top few rounds of the draft.  I figure the Bears need all the help they can get building that top-10 OL, so they'd best be aggressive going after the players needed.  That includes both the draft resources and FA money.  I have to believe that Poles will do this in 2025 and beyond... because there is zero reason to NOT get the OL fixed (truly fixed) for this team.  They have the resources next year to put this problem to rest.