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Bears 2023


Bobref

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The new NFL year is starting, so let’s start a new Bears’ thread. And the notion that the Bears will accumulate draft capital and still get the best OT in the draft is exciting. For me, I’d rather see them address wide receiver in the draft and go to free agency for the OL. But as long as they adequately address both those areas, I’m good.

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/todd-mcshay-mock-draft-has-bears-trading-twice-drafting-peter-skoronski

McShay mock has Bears trading twice, drafting Skoronski

Talk of the Bears trading away the No. 1 pick in the draft have picked up steam since the NFL Combine started, and consensus now is that Ryan Poles wants to acquire more capital to fill more holes on his roster. Add in growing fervor for several teams to add one of the intriguing quarterback options, and it seems like the climate is right for a blockbuster deal. As more information emerges from the Combine, however, it seems more teams than previously expected are interested in trading up. And so, the idea that the Bears can trade back twice before finally picking is starting to become popular.T

That’s exactly what Todd McShay projected in his latest mock draft, starting with a swap with the Colts to go from No. 1 to No. 4.

“It's time for a long-term solution at QB for the Colts, and that might just mean moving to the top of the board,” wrote McShay. “No team scored fewer points than Indianapolis (15.8 per game) last season, the team's fifth straight season with a new Week 1 starter under center. The Colts will make it six straight, but this time, it should stick. With a handful of QB-needy teams lurking in the top 10 and the Bears listening on trade offers, Indy can get its top choice by jumping the line.”

McShay says exactly how much the Bears receive from Indy in the trade will depend on how much they covet one specific QB. He believes that player is Bryce Young, and that the return could be the No. 4 pick, the No. 35 pick, a 2023 fifth-rounder and a 2024 first round pick.

Following the Colts trade, McShay mocks C.J. Stroud to the Texans and Will Anderson to the Cardinals. With uncertainty swirling around Jalen Carter, McShay has the Bears trading with another QB-needy team: the Las Vegas Raiders, who currently control the No. 7 pick.

“If this comes together, the Bears would be the third team since 1967 to trade twice in the top 10 of a draft, joining the 1983 Oilers and 1997 Jets, according to ESPN Stats & Information research,” wrote McShay. “But if the price is right, why not keep moving down? The Bears have Justin Fields under center and plenty of other needs, so draft capital is king for them right now.”

McShay projects the return from the Raiders to include at least a third and fourth round pick, with the chance to get a second round pick, too. All told, that means Poles will add four or five extra picks to his war chest for 2023. That’s huge considering the Bears are still trying to build the foundation of their team.

In his projections, McShay has the Raiders selecting Anthony Richardson at No. 4. Directly after that, the Seahawks pick defensive lineman Tyree Wilson and the Lions pick cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Then, finally, McShay has Poles adding a building block to his team, offensive lineman Peter Skoronski.

“There were already questions about whether Skoronski fits better as a tackle or guard at the next level, and his 32¼-inch arm length measurement at the combine will keep that chatter alive,” wrote McShay. “Offensive tackles ideally have 34-inch length or more. But he is sudden, almost always balanced in his set and powerful. And the explosion showed up in his vertical (34.5 inches) and broad jump (9-foot-7), both second-best among offensive linemen. Plus, only three sacks over 33 career starts were attributed to him at Northwestern. Braxton Jones looked impressive as a rookie, but the Bears need help on the offensive line.”

Justin Fields was sacked 55 times last season, which tied for the NFL lead alongside Russell Wilson. Some of that can be explained by Fields holding onto the ball too long as he tried to keep plays alive, but in too many cases Fields had a defender in his lap before plays had a chance to develop. If the Bears draft Skoronski, the hope is that improved protection will help everyone in the offense succeed. Further, if Skoronski slides into the left tackle spot, the Bears will be able to move Braxton Jones to right tackle, shoring up two positions at once.

Skoronski is a Park Ridge native, and said it would be a dream come true to play for his hometown team, even though he grew up a Packers fan. Skoronski’s grandfather, Bob, played left tackle for the Packers under Vince Lombardi in 1956, then again from 1959-1968. He won five NFL Championships and two Super Bowls with Green Bay. That family history wouldn’t stop Skoronski from suiting up in navy and blue.

“Obviously, you know, I'm not going to be some Packers fan saying I won't play for them,” Skoronski said on 670TheScore earlier this year. “It’d be an absolute honor to, you know, play for that franchise for sure.”

The NFL Draft begins Apr. 27

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Saw this proposed 3 team trade involving the Bears. What do you think?

Bears acquire Lamar Jackson, No. 22 overall pick in 2023 (via Ravens), 2024 second-round pick (via Colts), 2025 third-round pick (via Colts)

Ravens acquire QB Justin Fields (via Bears), No. 4 overall pick in 2023 (via Colts), 2024 first-round pick (via Colts)

Colts acquire No. 1 overall pick in 2023 (via Bears), 2024 fourth-round pick (via Ravens), 2025 fourth-round pick (via Ravens)

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Tee Higgins, Bengals WR, to the Bears for draft choices. Bengals won’t be able to afford Higgins after they pay Burrow and Chase. Bears will have lots of draft capital if they trade down from #1. I love this idea.

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14 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Tee Higgins, Bengals WR, to the Bears for draft choices. Bengals won’t be able to afford Higgins after they pay Burrow and Chase. Bears will have lots of draft capital if they trade down from #1. I love this idea.

Agreed. Not a bad idea.

 

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Word is they wanted to work the same deal with the Colts with the WR being Pittman. 

I was texting a friend as this kind of reminded me of when the Colts many years ago now traded to get a QB with the 1st pick; trading their WR1 at the time. It's an odd move; try to get who you think will be THE QB, but trade the best target he would have to get him.
BUT, the Colts 1 upped the Panthers, because the Colts traded their best OL as well. so not only did they leave the QB without a real target, they left no one to really protect him...lol 

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15 hours ago, Irishman said:

Word is they wanted to work the same deal with the Colts with the WR being Pittman. 

I was texting a friend as this kind of reminded me of when the Colts many years ago now traded to get a QB with the 1st pick; trading their WR1 at the time. It's an odd move; try to get who you think will be THE QB, but trade the best target he would have to get him.
BUT, the Colts 1 upped the Panthers, because the Colts traded their best OL as well. so not only did they leave the QB without a real target, they left no one to really protect him...lol 

And what a horrible mistake that was. He could be totally protected and just throw the ball on the ground.

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On 3/10/2023 at 9:11 PM, Bobref said:

Vikings release Adam Thielen. He might look good in a Bears uniform. Were the Bears represented at OBJ’s workout today?

Mr. Thielen is an intriguing prospect.  

And I sure hope the Bears were not at OBJ's workout.  

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Bears agree to terms with T.J. Edwards on three-year deal, per report

Edwards had 159 tackles for the Eagles last season
         
The Chicago Bears landed one of the prized linebackers in free agency, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with T.J. Edwards minutes after the legal tampering period started. Edwards, one of the many free agents on the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, will receive $19.5 million over three years, per NFL Network. 

The Bears had an interest in Edwards from the start of the legal tampering period, hence the quick agreement. Former Eagles executive Ian Cunningham is an assistant general manager of the Bears and was part of the braintrust when Philadelphia signed Edwards as an unrestricted free agent back in 2019. Edwards also went to high school in Chicago, so he'll be returning to his hometown.

Edwards ranked tied for sixth in the NFL with 159 tackles last season. He's also seventh in the league with 289 tackles over the last two seasons. Edwards had 159 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven passes defensed, five quarterback hits, two sacks, and one fumble recovery for the Eagles last season. He had the fewest yards per attempt allowed (4.4) in coverage last season (among 75 players with 70-plus targets).

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Ryan Poles is schooling the rest of the League so far.

Bears’ scorecard since Friday:

💰 LB Tremaine Edmunds (four years, $72M)
💰 G Nate Davis (three years, $30M)
💰 LB T.J. Edwards (three years, $19.5M)
💰 No. 9, No. 61, a 2024 first-round pick, a second-round selection in 2025 and WR D.J. Moore.

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54 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Ryan Poles is schooling the rest of the League so far.

Bears’ scorecard since Friday:

💰 LB Tremaine Edmunds (four years, $72M)
💰 G Nate Davis (three years, $30M)
💰 LB T.J. Edwards (three years, $19.5M)
💰 No. 9, No. 61, a 2024 first-round pick, a second-round selection in 2025 and WR D.J. Moore.

Currently having more spending money than anyone else in the NFL is nice, until that spending comes back to bite you in 3-4 years.

 

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2 hours ago, Bobref said:

Ryan Poles is schooling the rest of the League so far.

Bears’ scorecard since Friday:

💰 LB Tremaine Edmunds (four years, $72M)
💰 G Nate Davis (three years, $30M)
💰 LB T.J. Edwards (three years, $19.5M)
💰 No. 9, No. 61, a 2024 first-round pick, a second-round selection in 2025 and WR D.J. Moore.

That 2024 1st rounder from Carolina could end up being a top 5 pick. They could be awful next year with a rookie starting at QB.

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1 hour ago, Boilernation said:

That 2024 1st rounder from Carolina could end up being a top 5 pick. They could be awful next year with a rookie starting at QB.

Several “NFL insiders” have used the term “fleeced” in describing what Poles did to Carolina in that trade.

On 3/13/2023 at 8:14 AM, Muda69 said:

And I sure hope the Bears were not at OBJ's workout. 

As I find myself explaining to my wife with some frequency, it doesn’t hurt just to look. 😂

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47 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Several “NFL insiders” have used the term “fleeced” in describing what Poles did to Carolina in that trade.

 

That's great. It feels really good as a Bears fan to finally have a front office that is competent. I've heard one the NFL insider say that Carolina was trying to extend out to the 2026 1st round pick and that Poles insisted the deal would only work if Moore was added in lieu of the 2026 pick. That's awesome. Moore isn't a Chase, Jefferson, Higgins etc., but he's still a solid #1 with a good QB. 

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1 minute ago, Muda69 said:

I wouldn't go that far, yet.   After all a broken clock is still correct twice a day.

So far, they get an A. But free agency is only the midterm. Final grades don’t come out until after the draft.

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8 hours ago, Boilernation said:

That 2024 1st rounder from Carolina could end up being a top 5 pick. They could be awful next year with a rookie starting at QB.

If it’s the 1st pick wait till you see the bounty Caleb williams will get, I wouldn’t be surprised if the bears picked him dude looks like the next Mahomes 

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1 hour ago, Whiting89 said:

If it’s the 1st pick wait till you see the bounty Caleb williams will get, I wouldn’t be surprised if the bears picked him dude looks like the next Mahomes 

You would think the Bears are definately going QB in the 1st round next year if Fields doesn't progressive this year. The question is how much progression is good enough for Poles and Flus.

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