chw42

Why are people trying to tie Mac Jones to Fields? Jones started out well but has regressed heavily to the point where he got benched for Bailey Zappe on a 4 win Patriots team. Fields is a better thrower and runner than Jones and has actually shown improvement year to year in almost every advanced metric, even if he did not take the leap people were expecting last year. They are not and should not be in the same neighborhood of value.

Johnson's cap hit is only $13 mil this year. That leaves the Bears about 49 mil in cap space when you already account for paying draft picks. I'm expecting at least one impact signing (Hunter or Wilkins), a FS (I really like McKinney), hopefully a veteran center, a WR3, a 3 down RB, and TE2.

If it's one thing I've learned about the Bulls this year, it's that they'll lure you in when you don't expect it and then when they're about to hit .500, they disappoint you.

Speculation is that the cap hit is only $15 mil. So Bears should have close to $50 mil in space for Monday.

Pollard was so frustrating last year. Part of it was that Dallas had so many mouths to feed on offense last year, but even when he did get chances to run, he was very average. You can't really blame them for not giving him more carries near the goal line when he usually didn't score. Unless it's Saquon or an actual difference maker, the Bears should just ride with the RBs they already have.

No thanks on Jacobs. He fell off a cliff last year. I'd rather them not spend money on average RBs when they could spend it on more premium positions. If they do decide to spend at RB I'd rather they get someone who is actually a receiving threat. Jacobs is an average RB receiver at best.

With people like Gabriel on the scouting staff, you start to understand how the Bears were never able to scout, draft, or develop a QB.

I can't help but feel like this is Lucas Patrick all over again.

There is absolutely some value in waiting to see where Cousins lands. If he goes back to the Vikings, then Atlanta is gonna be a lot more interested in Fields. And as of right now, as long as Atlanta can chase Cousins, they're not gonna trade for Fields anyways. MIke Greenberg was just talking himself into the Giants possibly trading for Fields. I don't see how that'd work, but hey, I wouldn't mind swapping #9 and #6.

Poles always gets his guy... It just so happens that Bates had a RAS of 9.56. Pace loves high RAS guys like KW loves past their prime vets.

We really have to hope the Chargers love Brock Bowers.

I'm not sure Turner gets past 8 unless the Falcons trade up for a QB. I still think the best scenario is for the Bears to get Odunze and sign an EDGE in FA. Evans might get 25 mil a year. I don't see Hunter getting that much, maybe more years though.

I'm sure the trade would have happened already if they can get a 2nd. If there really aren't suitors who view him as a starter, you're possibly looking at a 3rd round pick or maybe even a 4th with a conditional pick next year. As much as I'd like to say, "well then you might as well keep him", the locker room and media distraction with Fields and Williams on the team would be way too much. With Cousins possibly switching teams and the crop of QBs that should be available in the 2nd round, the Fields market is looking pretty bad. We should all be rooting for the Vikings to give Kirk a long term deal and for Wilson to go to the Raiders. The Bears' best bet is for Pittsburgh and Atlanta to both need QBs.

The problem is that if you keep him and don't pick up his 5th year option, he's gonna end up being the backup if they draft a QB with #1. His trade value will probably never be higher than it is prior to his 5th year option deadline.

Bears have no leverage.

Depends on who you ask but I don't think the line was terrible. Pretty much all the metrics put them somewhere in the middle of the pack despite having one of the worst centers in the league. Jones graded out well as a pass blocker. It's hard for any offensive line to look good when your QB takes the longest in the NFL to throw the ball. Before you tell me that Williams also has the same problem, this is a good read on that issue: https://www.dabearsblog.com/2024/all-kinds-of-time-caleb-williams-justin-fields-time-to-throw.

I can't believe they let Carter play so much last night and Bitim was just sitting on the bench. The guy can play a little bit.

You realize that Braxton Jones was probably the 2nd best lineman on the team last year right? The tackles weren't the issue with this offensive line last year. It was mostly center and RG. I wouldn't oppose drafting Alt or Fashanu at 9 if they're there, but you're trying to patch a hole that really isn't there when there are bigger issues with the team.

How likely is it that Waldron already has a playbook ready? He's only been hired for a month.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39614907/caleb-williams-intrigued-bears-commanders-top-draft Williams saying all the right things in this article.

Grifol is like Trestman without any offensive upside.

I also don't think New England cares about winning much next year. So Fields doesn't really fit their timeline.

If they know they're taking Williams and are getting offered a 2nd for Fields, they really should take that and run. By my count, there are 5 teams that need a new QB: Atlanta, Denver, Pittsburgh, New England, Las Vegas. You can probably cross off Vegas from the teams that are interested in Fields. There's no way they think Getsy + Fields will work a 2nd time. Denver wants to get rid of a QB that has a similar problem to Fields: holding onto the ball for way too long and they're willing to eat a lot of dead money to do it. So they're probably out. They're way more likely to draft McCarthy at 12. Pittsburgh is a fit as they do not have a high 1st rounder to draft a high-end QB. But Arthur Smith's history with Tannehill and them already having Pickett could mean that they go the cheap route and sign Tannehill for peanuts to create a QB competition. That's way cheaper than giving up draft picks for Fields. They could also be in the sweepstakes for Russell Wilson. Atlanta is another good fit and he'd step into a good situation there. The question is, why wouldn't they just try to get Russell Wilson? Or if New England passes on Jayden Daniels, why not draft him instead of trading for Fields? Sure, it's the 8th pick vs. the 43rd in that situation, but you're also getting someone for 5 years instead of 2. New England is a fit, especially if they go for MHJ at 3 instead of Daniels. But in the case they go QB at #3, they'd have no reason to trade for Fields. Even if they go MHJ at 3, they would also be in the Wilson sweepstakes. I guess you could argue that of the 4 teams (ATL, PIT, NE, LV) that are probably in on Wilson, 3 will end up being interested in Fields, but 2 of those teams have a top 10 pick and could end up taking a QB. Vegas isn't really an option for Fields. Ideally, Vegas gets Wilson. Then you'll have PIT, ATL, and NE possibly chasing after Fields. Only 1 of NE or ATL can draft Daniels. So it's likely one of them still needs a QB. Competition for Fields' services will probably depend on what Pittsburgh wants to do. If they end up going cheap and signing Tannehill, there might only be 1 team that will actually want Fields. I think they'll get a deal done, I just don't expect a bidding war.

Both of those teams can sign Russell Wilson for essentially free. I honestly don't see a huge market for Fields.

If I had to guess, a 2nd and a 2025 pick based on performance that could be as high as another 2nd, but will most likely be a 3rd or 4th next year.