INDIANAPOLIS — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles echoed the same sentiment this week at the NFL scouting combine.
When they view the strengths of this year’s free-agent and draft classes, they match well with some of the top needs on the roster. That’s not always the case and time will tell if it proves to be true, but it sets up an intriguing lead-in to the start of free agency March 12 and the draft April 24-26.
How the Bears are able to assemble the puzzle pieces for a roster they believe underperformed during a 5-12 season in 2024 will be critical. Johnson labeled the Bears a “sleeping giant.” His former boss Dan Campbell used the same term in Detroit, and the Lions have been wide awake for a while.
Here are 10 thoughts on how the offseason could unfold, with news, nuggets and observations from a week canvassing the city.
1. The Trey Smith situation has come full circle.
After poking around about Smith during the middle of last season, the word I got was there was no way the Kansas City Chiefs right guard, who is out of contract, would make it to the marketplace. The Chiefs would do what it took to keep him in place as a premium interior protector for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
That changed shortly after the regular season ended, and there was real buzz at the Senior Bowl that the Chiefs would not be able to retain Smith and he would reach free agency as one of the top available players.
It was easy to connect the dots from Smith to Halas Hall. The Bears figure to be rebuilding the interior of their offensive line, and Ryan Poles was in Kansas City when the Chiefs drafted Smith in the sixth round in 2021. The Chiefs would like to retain linebacker Nick Bolton and probably have extensions in mind for cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end George Karlaftis. It’s one of those good problems to have that perennial winners encounter, especially when the quarterback is earning huge money.
But then the Chiefs were trampled in Super Bowl LIX as they struggled mightily to protect Mahomes. The buzz all this week was that they’re changing course again and will do what it takes to keep Smith. GM Brett Veach expressed optimism a deal would get done, and word spread Thursday afternoon that the Chiefs have informed Smith they will use the franchise tag on him with a goal of reaching agreement on a multiyear deal.
So much for Smith being an anchor for a rebuilt offensive line at Halas Hall. I don’t view that as a setback for the Bears, though. Smith will get a huge contract, with chatter for weeks about a deal paying $22 million annually, which would be tops in the league for an interior offensive lineman. That’s a massive commitment that some teams aren’t comfortable making.
Smith is an elite guard who plays at a very high level. He didn’t have a good showing in the Super Bowl, but he’s not the issue for the Chiefs, who are stuck with right tackle Jawaan Taylor on a regrettable free-agent contract. They need to find a new left tackle, move veteran Joe Thuney back inside to left guard and reset the line in front of Mahomes. Losing Smith in free agency would have added to their issues.
Big numbers are being thrown around for free-agent offensive linemen. Dan Moore of the Pittsburgh Steelers might be the top left tackle available. One team said he’s likely to get a contract in the range of $16 million per season. Another team said the number could reach $18 million. Cam Robinson of the Minnesota Vikings and Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens also will be available, although the Ravens reportedly might re-sign Stanley.
“Linemen get overpaid in free agency because everyone is searching for help,” one GM said. “And because everyone needs them, they get pushed up draft boards just like teams do with quarterbacks.”
The Bears will have to dig deep if they want to get more than short-term bridge options to solidify the offensive line. If it were only one or two holes, maybe they would be in a different position where they could splurge more freely on one player.
But I began the week wondering if a Cadillac plan for overhauling the line might not include Smith.
2. The Bears’ goal before the draft has to be reaching a position where they’re not picking for need and can go with the best player available at No. 10.
Every team talks about choosing the best player available and remaining true to its draft board and values, and that’s more utopia than reality. Reality is teams more times than not are choosing the best player available among a small group of need positions.
How close the Bears can get to that goal will hinge on how they fulfill goals in free agency. The NFL set the salary cap for 2025 on Thursday at $279.2 million. That’s a hefty increase of nearly $24 million from 2024 and $81 million more than it was just five years ago. Yes, business is a-boomin’.
That means the Bears have just less than $79.5 million in cap space, according to overthecap.com, the fourth-highest figure in the league. They also own eight draft picks:
- Round 1: No. 10
- Round 2: No. 39 (from Panthers)
- Round 2: No. 41
- Round 3: No. 72
- Round 5: TBD
- Round 6: TBD (from Steelers)
- Round 7: TBD (from Browns)
- Round 7: TBD (from Bengals)
There will be a pretty big gap between the third- and fifth-round selections. The precise order won’t be known until next month when the league assigns compensatory picks, but the 10th pick in Round 5 a year ago was No. 145. That would be a 73-pick gap between the third-rounder and the next one.
So what goals will the Bears be targeting as teams sign free agents and then try to complete the puzzle in the draft without being forced into choosing for need?
- Offensive line. The Bears likely need a new left guard, center and right guard. You can’t dismiss the possibility of a replacement for Braxton Jones at left tackle, but I’ve thought for some time the focus and priority will be on the interior.
- Defensive line. They need a starting end opposite Montez Sweat along with more depth.
- Running back. D’Andre Swift has big-play ability and should be better deployed by Ben Johnson, but the offense needs a tone setter. Fortunately, it’s a deep draft at the position.
- Tight end. Johnson coached tight ends in Miami and Detroit, and the Lions leaned heavily on the position. The Bears have Cole Kmet and need to fill in around him.
- Wide receiver. This isn’t a major need with DJ Moore on a lucrative contract and Rome Odunze entering Year 2, but it is a need. I think the Bears could fill it with Tim Patrick on a modest contract.
Patrick had 33 receptions for 394 yards for the Lions last season. He has good size at 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, and can be that physical slot receiver who does the dirty work and is an excellent run blocker. Patrick missed the entire 2022 and 2023 seasons for the Denver Broncos with a torn ACL and torn Achilles tendon, respectively, and the Lions got him on the cheap. He was healthy all season and is regarded for having excellent makeup.
If we’re doing an exercise to get the Bears from free agency to the draft in which they really can go with the best player available — and I’m not soliciting weekly questions for my mailbag about the possibility of Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty in the first round — what would it look like?
My list would start with a center and a guard (maybe two) in free agency. The Bears also have to get a defensive end they’re comfortable with playing a lot of snaps and maybe a tight end with experience.
Acquiring a defensive end — free agency is more likely than a trade — wouldn’t preclude Ryan Poles from drafting an edge rusher at No. 10. You can’t have enough good defensive linemen, and the Bears are a long way from having that issue. The running back crop in the draft is so good, they can leave that be until then. There are draft options at tight end, too, and I get into that position later.
If Poles emerges from the first week of free agency with two or three offensive linemen, an edge rusher and a role-playing tight end, options open up when you think about the 10th pick. But trying to overhaul the offensive line with only veterans when it’s a good draft for interior players could be an error. That can get expensive too. After the way last season went and how the Bears have invested on the offensive line, it would have to be something special to pull them away from taking an offensive lineman in the first round.
3. So how does this plan come together? Let’s start in the middle.
The Bears could begin their free-agent plan with Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman. They need to get this position stabilized for quarterback Caleb Williams. Left tackle is often viewed as the premier position on the offensive line, but the center is the glue for the unit and the Bears have been swapping out their glue too often. They’ve had four Week 1 starters in the last five seasons: Coleman Shelton, Lucas Patrick, Sam Mustipher and Cody Whitehair.
Whitehair was a durable performer for the Bears, and 61 of his 118 career starts for them came at center. He was probably best at guard, so the team’s issues at the position predate Ryan Poles’ hiring.
It’s not a good draft for centers and it sounds like Dalman is the most coveted free agent. The Falcons would love to keep him but are one of five teams currently over the cap. They won’t have the flexibility to re-sign him.
Dalman, 26, missed eight games in 2024 with an ankle injury but has made 40 starts over the last three seasons, and the 2021 fourth-round pick from Stanford is considered smart and a leader. His father, Chris, was an offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1990s, so he grew up around the sport and understands how to be a professional.
How much Dalman would cost is interesting. The Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey is tops at the position at $18 million per season. Supply and demand makes you wonder if Dalman’s agent, Steve Caric — with whom the Bears have done ample business in recent years — can get Dalman more than the Lions’ Frank Ragnow ($13.5 million).
He ought to be able to exceed Lloyd Cushenberry, who’s making $12.5 million annually in the four-year, $50 million contract he signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency last March. It’s not whether Dalman is the second- or third-best center in the league. It’s what the market will bear for a good center who makes it to unrestricted free agency.
If the Bears can start the process by adding Dalman, they could then turn their attention to guard. Trey Smith is not an option, but there are experienced options that ought to fit. The 49ers’ Aaron Banks, a second-round pick in 2021, wasn’t deemed a great fit for the team’s outside zone scheme when he was drafted but has proved more than capable. He was recruited to Notre Dame and coached as a freshman by former Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.
Banks made 43 starts over the last three seasons for the 49ers at left guard, and the feeling I get is they want to keep him but he will be priced out for them.
“Big and strong and stout in relation to his size (6-5, 325) and moves pretty well,” said one scout who has watched Banks closely. “He’s a guy who has gotten incrementally better each season. Good player and I think the 49ers would love to keep him. It’s not like (former 49ers right tackle) Mike McGlinchey, who they knew would get overpaid and didn’t want to go there.”
The price tag on Banks could be in the neighborhood of $15 million per season. Before the Trey Smith franchise tag news came out, I asked a GM about the combined cost of Dalman and Banks in free agency. His guess was a $30 million annual average for the two contracts. An assistant GM for another team thought that was a little rich and pegged it closer to $26 million. That gives you a range.
Will Fries of the Indianapolis Colts, Brandon Scherff of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Mekhi Becton of the Philadelphia Eagles are other possibilities. The Bears would have to get medical information on Fries, who suffered what was described as a “serious” right tibia injury in October. Scherff, 33, strikes me as a bridge option because he has been around so long.
Other veterans could be short-term options too. Kevin Zeitler played last season for the Lions. The Waukesha, Wis., native told me after the Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field that he has tried to get interest from the Bears in the past. He turns 35 on March 8, so you’re talking about another short-term fix, but maybe that’s a possibility if the Bears are thinking about a center (Dalman) in free agency and a guard in the first or second round of the draft. That would give them three new starters for the interior.
Alabama’s Tyler Booker is probably the top-rated guard in the class. Some are of the opinion No. 10 is too early to draft an interior offensive lineman, but if the Bears at least pondered the idea of paying Smith more than $20 million a season to play guard, that can’t be too early. Booker is powerful and was considered a rock in the Crimson Tide locker room. Evaluations of offensive linemen need to be driven intangibly, and that’s where a guy like Booker would be ideal.
Some project Missouri right tackle Armand Membou as a guard in the NFL. North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel, who stood out at the Senior Bowl, and Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson are other options for the first two rounds. Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. might ultimately be a left tackle, but teams have talked about his ability to slide inside.
I don’t think LSU’s Will Campbell will be in play for the Bears at No. 10. He will have short arms when they’re officially measured Sunday, but the response I got when talking to folks about Campbell’s future was “watch the tape.”
“He’s not Joe Alt and there isn’t a Joe Alt in this draft at left tackle,” one college scouting director said. “But Campbell is a really good player. Don’t get caught up in measurements.”
If the Bears can sign Dalman and a guard early in free agency, they would be on the way to reshaping the line and could leave open the option to fill a need (another guard) with one of the strengths of the draft. That’s the beginning of a Cadillac plan for Poles. It’s at least one option.
4. Quick quiz: Since the NFL introduced free agency in 1993, how many unrestricted free agents signed by the Bears have been selected to multiple Pro Bowls?
The answer is three — and only two were position players. Defensive end Julius Peppers, with whom the Bears got a deal done in the middle of the night in 2010 when the new league year used to begin at 11 p.m. Central time, was named to three Pro Bowls (2010-12). Cornerback Tim Jennings was a two-time Pro Bowl pick (2012-13), and return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson was selected in 2019 and 2020.
Five other unrestricted free agents the Bears signed were named to one Pro Bowl: nose tackle Ted Washington (2001), guard Ruben Brown (2006), tight end Martellus Bennett (2014), defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (2018) and defensive end Robert Quinn (2021). Washington (2001), Peppers (2010) and Patterson (2019-20) achieved first-team All-Pro status.
That’s it for top accolades. There have been other hits in free agency. Running back Thomas Jones was a main cog for the team that reached Super Bowl XLI in the 2006 season. Quarterback Erik Kramer holds single-season team passing records. Left tackle Jermon Bushrod, linebacker Danny Trevathan and wide receiver Allen Robinson made significant impacts. On the current team, weak-side linebacker T.J. Edwards and defensive tackle Andrew Billings have been quality additions.
The list of UFAs who received rich contracts and didn’t play up to their deals is longer, though, and it’s a reminder of why former Bears GM Ryan Pace used the term “dangerous waters” to describe free agency.
Some of the best situations in free agency were deals that didn’t come to fruition. The Bears were reportedly strongly involved with wide receiver Kenny Golladay, the St. Rita and Northern Illinois alumnus, when he reached the open market in 2021. Golladay wound up signing a four-year, $72 million contract with the New York Giants. He caught 43 passes and scored one touchdown for them in two seasons.
In the same 2016 offseason in which the Bears added Trevathan, they pursued one of his Denver Broncos teammates, defensive tackle Malik Jackson. The Jacksonville Jaguars wound up landing Jackson on a six-year, $86.1 million contract that included $42 million guaranteed. He spent three seasons in Jacksonville as one of the big prizes in a three-year stretch during which the Jaguars led the NFL in free-agent spending and had a grand total of 11 wins to show for it.
The point is some sobriety is needed when you start projecting what the Bears can do with all of their cap space this offseason. They can and should get better in free agency, but when you talk about building the core of the roster, that’s where it can be tricky. There’s a distinct difference between players who become part of your foundation and guys who are short-term rentals. When you pay players like guard Nate Davis or cornerback Thomas Smith or wide receiver Markus Wheaton to become part of the team’s nucleus and they don’t, it perpetuates a problem.
“There is a certain tier of player that doesn’t reach free agency,” one team source said.
That’s because smart teams find ways to lock up their best players to keep them from becoming free agents in the prime years of their careers. The franchise tag plays a big role in that as well. Gems can be found in free agency, but they’re the exception.
I’m not trying to discount what the Bears can do to enhance their roster in Ben Johnson’s first year, but free agency is a means to fill a hole here and there, not to build a sustainable winner from the ground up. Too often that gets lost in the hoopla surrounding cap space and the opportunity to be aggressive.
5. I was going through my notes from last year’s combine and came across a conversation I had with an assistant GM with the Bears on the verge of using the No. 1 pick on quarterback Caleb Williams.
“Do the Bears have everything in place they need to handle this?” he said. “I don’t know. Guess you’ll find out.”
The answer a year later, after a series of firings and building an entirely new coaching staff under Ben Johnson, is a resounding no. They didn’t have everything in place. GM Ryan Poles survived and has another chance to put Williams in a position to succeed.
What are the steps to make it work this time?
“It’s got to be the O-line,” said a player personnel director for another team. “It has to start there. They’ve got the two wide receivers. They have got to get the run game going. They’re going to draft a running back to complement D’Andre Swift and they’ve got to fix the O-line. They’ve got to run the hell out of the ball, play action, and then get into Ben Johnson’s stuff.”
“They’ve got to get the run game going,” a GM said. “That was Detroit’s secret sauce. They had (David) Montgomery and (Jahmyr) Gibbs and the run game was really good. Ben does a really nice job with protections and getting them answers. It will be a vast improvement.”
“If they’re going to achieve Ben’s vision, how that offense was in Detroit, they’ve got to add a physical aspect and component that has been missing in Chicago,” a pro personnel director said. “You’re asking about the quarterback, but the Bears didn’t have an identity and they need to fix that O-line if they want to make anything work.”
Johnson has lauded Williams’ ability to make off-schedule plays and his athleticism. He also has answered questions about the quarterback broadly, referring to the entire team. That’s smart because he wasn’t brought in just to rebuild Williams and get him off and running. He was hired to lead the entire operation.
“(In) the springtime, not just for Caleb but for the entire team, we’re going to go back to the basics,” Johnson said. “And that’s the fundamentals of each position: blocking, tackling, catching the football, running after the catch, ball security. We’re going to break it down to the studs and work to develop it from there.”
There’s not a lot of mystery to how this project will begin. Poles will put a new stamp on the line, the Bears will get a few new pieces around Williams and Johnson will be methodical in teaching the position and the offense.
I’m curious how intricate the Bears will get from the start. The Lions were pretty complex with some of their calls and the number of options they had in certain situations based on how the defense presented itself presnap. That’s not necessarily the stuff you want to throw at a young quarterback working to establish confidence, but it’s absolutely the kind of material you would look to grow into.
6. The Bears have a real need for a tight end, and signs are they’ll look to the draft to supplement Cole Kmet.
They ought to know what a good one looks like in what is considered a strong draft for the position. Senior director of player personnel Jeff King spent eight seasons in the NFL as a tight end. Ryan Poles was the college scouting coordinator in Kansas City when the Chiefs drafted Travis Kelce in the third round in 2013. Assistant GM Ian Cunningham was the director of college scouting in Philadelphia when the Eagles chose Dallas Goedert in the second round in 2018.
The team’s vision for Gerald Everett — released last week one year into a two-year, $12 million contract — didn’t pan out. He was signed in large part because of the influence the team gave former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
The Detroit Lions leaned on the position under Ben Johnson, and while he will build the offense at Halas Hall around the personnel he has, the Bears have to add depth behind Kmet. The Lions used 12 personnel (one running back, two wide receivers, two tight ends) 32.2% of the time last season. That was the third-highest percentage in the league, way ahead of the Bears, who were 19th at 19.1%.
When Poles and Johnson talked about the supply this offseason — in free agency and the draft — aligning well with the team’s needs, this is no doubt one of the positions they were thinking about. It’s thin pickings for tight ends in free agency, and that’s fine. It’s a really good draft for tight ends, with Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland likely first-round picks.
If the Bears do sift through free-agent options, Juwan Johnson is the top available tight end, according to a variety of league sources. The 28-year-old spent the last five seasons with the New Orleans Saints, so offensive coordinator Declan Doyle knows him well. Johnson had a career-high 50 receptions and 548 yards last season. He’s probably in line for a contract that averages about $7 million a year.
Mike Gesicki of the Cincinnati Bengals, Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson of the Indianapolis Colts, Tommy Tremble of the Carolina Panthers and John Bates of the Washington Commanders are in the mix, too, but probably not frontline targets. Gesicki was a second-round pick by the Dolphins in 2018, Johnson’s final season in Miami when he served as wide receivers coach.
One college scouting director I chatted with said LSU’s Mason Taylor, the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor, was “off the charts” in terms of makeup during a formal interview. Texas’ Gunnar Helm, Miami’s Elijah Arroyo — who excelled at the Senior Bowl — and Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson are part of a deep class of draft prospects. Those are just a few names you will hear between now and April 24.
The question is who will be on the board when the Bears are picking and how the value stacks up against other positions, such as both lines and running back. Figure the Bears will have small groups of tight ends they will keep an eye on at various stages of the draft: Rounds 2, 3 and 5.
7. I was dismissing the idea the Bears would consider signing 34-year-old Khalil Mack in free agency — because it’s a short-term fix for a long-term problem — when the person I was chatting with had a worthy reply.
“They’ve got to get somebody to play on the other side of Montez Sweat,” he said.
If the Bears are going to get somebody, it might as well be someone who can make a positive impact. Mack is a consummate pro, and while hardly any players are still around who played with him in his first go-round with the Bears, he also has a history with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen from their time together in Oakland.
Mack might cost more than the Bears are willing to pay an edge rusher, and he could be the defensive version of the 2024 trade for Keenan Allen, an expensive move that didn’t really bring a positive net return.
When I spoke with one defensive coordinator Thursday morning, he was beaming with anticipation for the workouts.
“There are more than 70 defensive linemen here,” he said. “Great group. I can’t wait.”
The group is particularly rich on the inside, and the Bears should be looking to add talent and depth. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said he has 24 defensive tackles in this class with starting grades after finding only 12 in the 2024 draft.
But the Bears need to find a starter at end or at minimum a situational player, as they didn’t get a lot from Austin Booker last season. Josh Sweat of the Philadelphia Eagles should get paid handsomely. One assistant GM suggested keeping an eye on Dayo Odeyingbo of the Indianapolis Colts.
“Big, long-body player. Kind of guy you see in a Dennis Allen system,” one GM said.
Odeyingbo (6-6, 286) had three sacks last season after totaling five in 2023. I got a range that was all over the place when asking what people thought he might get in the way of a contract. So I’m not sure what to think here.
Azeez Ojulari is a high-intensity player who had six sacks for the New York Giants last season. Not sure if he’s the right size at 6-3, 240 to profile as an every-down player for the Bears, but he’s a decent free-agent name who is only 24.
The Bears could draft a pass rusher in the first or second round and hope to finally get a player who can blossom. Since Alex Brown led the team with six sacks in 2008, the Bears have had only one homegrown player lead them in that category: strong safety Jaquan Brisker with four in 2022.
The other single-season sack leaders since Brown: Adewale Ogunleye, Israel Idonije, Julius Peppers, Willie Young, Lamarr Houston, Akiem Hicks, Mack, Robert Quinn and Montez Sweat.
8. The feeling among a handful of special teams coordinators is that the kickoff rule, which was completely revamped in 2024, will be tweaked to create even more action.
The NFL wanted to make kickoffs safer and also reduce the high rate of touchbacks — though the emphasis was really on safety. Results were mixed.
The play became a lot safer. Concussions on kickoffs were down 43% in 2024 from the three-year average in 2021-23, according to the league. But touchbacks were still pretty prevalent as teams chose to boot the ball into the end zone and allow their opponents to start at the 30-yard line — as opposed to the 25, where touchbacks previously were spotted.
The “dynamic kickoff” led to a 57% increase in returns, but I think the league believed there would be more action. The Bears returned 27 kickoffs, four more than they did in 2023. Their opponents returned 31 kickoffs, 16 more than in 2023. It varied from team to team.
The prevailing thought among the five coordinators I chatted with is that touchbacks will be moved out to the 35-yard line. Of course, it’s not up to the coaches. The original plan last year was to spot touchbacks at the 35, but that was amended at the last minute, possibly to get leaguewide approval. Another possibility is moving the kickoff back from the 30-yard line to the 25, but the coaches seemed to think it will be the touchback that is shifted — and that could lead to a real spike in returns.
The NFL also could tinker with the alignment of players on the return team, perhaps allowing another player or two to move back. Under last season’s rule, nine players on the receiving team had to be in the setup zone (between the 35- and 30-yard lines). Allowing teams to move one or two players closer to the goal line could create different angles and more flexibility for creative returns.
Stay tuned to see how this unfolds in the spring.
9. The combine could be on the move after next year.
The NFL is signed up to hold the 2026 combine in Indianapolis, which has hosted the event since 1987, but after that it could have a new home. The league has explored the possibility of moving the event around the country since 2021, accepting bids from other cities, despite the remarkable convenience of having it in Circle City. The league could be aiming to fix something that isn’t broken.
One longtime scout said the rumor he has heard — and it’s all rumors at this point — is that the 2027 combine will go to Dallas and after that it will rotate, potentially returning to Indianapolis every other year.
Indianapolis is the perfect destination for a variety of reasons. It’s centrally located in the middle of the country. There are enough medical centers downtown for players — 329 of them this year — to be shuttled to and from for physicals and tests, arguably the most crucial element of the combine.
Downtown Indy is remarkably easy to navigate. Players, front-office executives, coaches and agents can get around the city quickly on foot, often without having to step outside going between hotels, the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium.
The efficiency getting around downtown makes it easy for teams to schedule meetings with agents, who crisscross the city morning, afternoon and evening, laying the groundwork for free agency. Everyone’s familiarity with the layout makes the week seamless, and teams are able to maximize their time meeting with prospects, agents and their own staff.
It seems incredibly shortsighted of the NFL to consider relocating the event, even on occasion, but the league has shown it will go to any length to chase an extra dollar. It’s one thing to shift the draft from city to city every year — it’s in Green Bay in April. That’s a landmark event and the league has moved it around successfully.
The combine never will become as popular as the draft, and changing something that is so significant to the predraft process and free agency for the sake of change — and maybe chasing an extra buck or two — just doesn’t make sense.
10. The Bears could use the restricted free agent tender to keep a couple of players in place.
Defensive tackle Chris Williams and cornerback Josh Blackwell, a core special teams performer, are the top candidates for an RFA tender that would be worth a little more than $3 million. Don’t rule out the possibility of a tag for strong-side linebacker Jack Sanborn, but the first two seem likelier.
RFA tenders aren’t guaranteed, so the Bears have to be thoughtful about how they proceed. They don’t want to tender a player unless he almost definitely fits in their plans. It’s not a good look if a team keeps a player on the tender and then decides he’s not worth that much money and cuts him in late August, when most of the jobs around the league have been scooped up. Sometimes you see RFAs sign one-year contracts that are worth more than the minimum but less than the tender.
A tender for Williams could make sense because defensive linemen are always in demand and he came on a little at the end of the season when he got more playing time. Blackwell has versatility on special teams and as a backup slot cornerback. Teams were circling last summer to see if he might be available.
Don’t rule out the possibility of multiyear contracts for some of the RFA tender candidates. If the Bears don’t want to go to the tender level for one season, you could see something like a two-year deal worth between $5 million and $5.5 million with a guarantee of roughly half that. Just a thought.
10a. It will be interesting to see if the Bears shop for a veteran backup quarterback. They value Tyson Bagent and believe he has a future with the team. He has the right demeanor as the No. 2 behind Caleb Williams and will be challenged to improve himself in the new offense. It might come down to determining if there’s a veteran with the experience the Bears would like who also is good enough to unseat Bagent. Then you have to figure in cost as well.
10b. There was a little buzz during the week that the Bears might be making progress on the stadium initiative that has seen very little progress since it began. President/CEO Kevin Warren hasn’t just doubled down on the idea the project will get rolling in 2025 — he has tripled down, saying repeatedly he expects a shovel to be in the ground this year.
The only place that makes any sense is the Arlington Heights property the team owns, and Mayor Tom Hayes told the Tribune’s Robert McCoppin on Thursday that, while “there’s certainly no done deal yet,” the team will submit traffic and financial studies soon.
The Bears have spent a year — and who knows how much money — focused on a lakefront project that has gone nowhere. I’d imagine they’ll do their very best to control the message and timing. I can envision an email on a random Wednesday this spring announcing a news conference at 11 a.m. the next day. It would take something unexpected, in my opinion, for this to happen anywhere but Arlington Heights.
10c. I’d imagine the Bears got together this week with the agents for nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon. He’s the one player under contract most likely to be in line for an extension, and with the Bears flush with cap space, it makes sense to see if they can get something done before the final year of Gordon’s rookie contract.
What a new contract would look like, I don’t know. One thing Ryan Poles has been pretty consistent with is four-year extensions for players such as cornerback Jaylon Johnson, tight end Cole Kmet and kicker Cairo Santos. Even defensive end Montez Sweat got four new years tacked on after he was acquired in a trade.
Teams feel like they should get a little bit of a deal by going to a player in advance as they incur the injury risk. With the cap going up, it’s probably realistic for Gordon to be at or near the top of the market for nickel corners. Michael Carter II of the New York Jets and Taron Johnson of the Buffalo Bills are at the top right now at $10.25 million annually. Kenny Moore of the Indianapolis Colts is at $10 million.
10d. Long snapper business isn’t a priority for the Bears, but they need to add one and it probably makes sense to re-sign Scott Daly. The Notre Dame and Downers Grove South product played in all 17 games last season.
10e. The Senior Bowl was dealt a big loss this week. Executive director Jim Nagy, who ran the college all-star game the last seven years, stepped down to become general manager of football operations for Oklahoma.
Nagy really elevated the game during his tenure and began attracting more and more first-round talent. He has interviewed for a few NFL general manager jobs in recent cycles, including with the Jets this year, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if one day he winds up in the league. There are big shoes to fill in Mobile, Ala.
