Sunday Gravy
Footballguy
Great take. This is exactly how I see it and I think it's probably dead on.
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***Chicago Bears Thread*** Ben Johnson hired. The Resurrection Begins! (8 Viewers)
- Thread starter flapgreen
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Max Power
Footballguy
The first WTF rumor of the offseason. By a low level podcaster, so nothing to really dwell on, but made me think.
Vegas odds for the first Bears draft is a CB. Indicating it could be Will Johnson at #10. However the unsubstantiated rumor is that the Bears are interested in Travis Hunter. He'd play CB, but Ben Johnson would use him in certain packages on Offense. It made me stop and think for a minute because if there is a coach to maximize that usage of Hunter, Ben Johnson is a great candidate.
Vegas odds for the first Bears draft is a CB. Indicating it could be Will Johnson at #10. However the unsubstantiated rumor is that the Bears are interested in Travis Hunter. He'd play CB, but Ben Johnson would use him in certain packages on Offense. It made me stop and think for a minute because if there is a coach to maximize that usage of Hunter, Ben Johnson is a great candidate.
rockaction
Footballguy
The WTF about that is Travis Hunter being available that late. He's a top three pick, isn't he?
Max Power
Footballguy
Yeah, its more that the Bears would have to trade up to get him and then fill a position that isn't a hard need. The Bears have invested a lot of draft capital into the DB room over the last 3 years.
rockaction
Footballguy
Yeah, that's what I thought after I typed it (the moving up). They don't really need WR, either, but perhaps it's BPA in their heads. Or perhaps it's all just rank speculation.
Max Power
Footballguy
It excites me a little, but there are too many holes.
I also have no idea what to make of Travis Hunter. He's obviously an elite athlete, but the question of NFL fit is still in the back of my mind. He's probably going top 4 at worst. The ammo needed to get there from 10 doesn't seem worth all the risk.
rockaction
Footballguy
Yeah, I know what you're saying. You've got a guy with no defined position as of yet and you need to probably give up a first to move up to get him. Sounds like a lot of unneeded risk.
Max Power
Footballguy
I'm not thrilled with Will Johnson at #10, but that at least means we move on from Stevenson who probably needs a fresh start anyway.
rockaction
Footballguy
You have a good defensive backfield and not much of a pass rush, though, right? There are a bunch of good CBs that are becoming free agents. Maybe the guy from Penn State falls to you and you've got your EDGE.
2025 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 200 players set to enter free agency
From some marquee receivers to ageless impact veterans, here are PFF's top 200 free agents for 2025.
www.pff.com
Max Power
Footballguy
That would be a dream. I'd love Carter. Bears are weak outside of Sweat and even he had a down year. I don't think Carter will last until #10. Fallback is one of the DEs from Georgia.
You have a good defensive backfield and not much of a pass rush, though, right? There are a bunch of good CBs that are becoming free agents. Maybe the guy from Penn State falls to you and you've got your EDGE.
2025 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 200 players set to enter free agency
From some marquee receivers to ageless impact veterans, here are PFF's top 200 free agents for 2025.
rockaction
Footballguy
I don't think so, either. Most mocks have him latest at seven or so. I haven't delved too deeply into it, but will pay attention more as the draft nears.
Sunday Gravy
Footballguy
rschroeder1
Footballguy
In regard to the Hunter rumors, it is worth noting Detroit had "outside the box picks" at RB and ILB in the first round that were widely panned at first.
With that said, if all Ben Johnson's talk about stability is to be believed, trading up in the first round for an unknown like Hunter strikes me as unlikely.
I think the potential of Jeanty, and whether or not the Bears should make that investment at #10 is a more likely scenario to unfold.
With that said, if all Ben Johnson's talk about stability is to be believed, trading up in the first round for an unknown like Hunter strikes me as unlikely.
I think the potential of Jeanty, and whether or not the Bears should make that investment at #10 is a more likely scenario to unfold.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Yeah, the GB win shot down any hope of getting Carter. Mason Graham would be a great consolation prize though. They really need help at DT.That would be a dream. I'd love Carter. Bears are weak outside of Sweat and even he had a down year. I don't think Carter will last until #10. Fallback is one of the DEs from Georgia.
You have a good defensive backfield and not much of a pass rush, though, right? There are a bunch of good CBs that are becoming free agents. Maybe the guy from Penn State falls to you and you've got your EDGE.
2025 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 200 players set to enter free agency
From some marquee receivers to ageless impact veterans, here are PFF's top 200 free agents for 2025.
nirad3
Footballguy
Graham will be gone, IMO.Yeah, the GB win shot down any hope of getting Carter. Mason Graham would be a great consolation prize though. They really need help at DT.That would be a dream. I'd love Carter. Bears are weak outside of Sweat and even he had a down year. I don't think Carter will last until #10. Fallback is one of the DEs from Georgia.
You have a good defensive backfield and not much of a pass rush, though, right? There are a bunch of good CBs that are becoming free agents. Maybe the guy from Penn State falls to you and you've got your EDGE.
2025 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 200 players set to enter free agency
From some marquee receivers to ageless impact veterans, here are PFF's top 200 free agents for 2025.
I think Bears are looking at Banks the OT from UTexas as the pick.
doeseatplace
Footballguy
Thoughts and prayers....
Bears | Press Taylor joining coaching staff Wed Jan 29, 07:15 PM
Former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor is being hired by the Chicago Bears as their passing game coordinator, according to sources.
Bears | Press Taylor joining coaching staff Wed Jan 29, 07:15 PM
Former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor is being hired by the Chicago Bears as their passing game coordinator, according to sources.
Max Power
Footballguy
I don't know how I should feel about this. Seems like a demotion for EB. Is he that hard to work with?
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
He worked for the Chiefs for 10+ years with some really good teams. I suspect he wanted complete control as OC and had a difficult time delegating. I know RB coaches tend to be younger, up-and-comers, but I like this hire for the experience EB brings to the table. Given Doyle's relative lack of experience this seems like a home run hire.
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
WIthout Bieniemy, the average age of the offensive coaching staff is under 35. Doyle is 29, Taylor is 37, Barrett is 30, Dray is 38. Still have an OL position to fill, which will be a critical hire, but I like the makeup of this staff so far on offense.
Its a deserved demotion. RB coach is the role he's an asset at. Everywhere else he's overmatched.
Encyclopedia Brown
Footballguy
Calvin Johnson has been hired as an assistant WR coach.
ChiefD
Footballguy
He will be the bad cop. This is a good hire.
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
64 YO Dan Roushar was hired today as OL coach. Sneaky hire, here. He worked under Sean Peyton and Dennis Allen at New Orleans with some very good OLs. He also did a pretty nice job with Tulane's OL while he was with them in 2023 and 2024. He has experience as TEs and RBs coach as well. Honestly, I had to look up this guy's name. Isn't that what we all want from an OL coach?
Sunday Gravy
Footballguy
No he hasn't
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
I really dislike all the jerks on twitter who post false information just to get engagement.
nirad3
Footballguy
Agreed, love the Bienemy hire.
nirad3
Footballguy
FairWarning
Footballguy
The inheritance taxes will be enormous, good chance the family sells.
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
RIP, Mrs. McCaskey.
Max Power
Footballguy
I'm not clamoring for Jeanty, but it's nice to see him mention the Bears with a smile on his face. If he is the BPA at 10, I'd be ok with it as long as OL is addressed heavily in FA.
www.nbcsports.com
Jeanty spotlights Bears as potential landing spot
Ashton Jeanty joins Fantasy Football Happy Hour to explain why the Chicago Bears could be a great destination for him, discuss his experience playing in Italy and project his 40-yard dash time.
www.nbcsports.com
Came up in conversation at a Super Bowl party, but could the Bears be a player for Myles Garrett?
They have a higher 1st than the other teams (Detroit, Washington) discussed, they have the cap space, they need an EDGE opposite Sweat, and don't have a QB need. They did it once with Khalil Mack, and while they didn't have playoff success with him, I'd very much argue that trade was a win, as Mack (in my opinion) is the best Bears player of the last 15 years.
They have a higher 1st than the other teams (Detroit, Washington) discussed, they have the cap space, they need an EDGE opposite Sweat, and don't have a QB need. They did it once with Khalil Mack, and while they didn't have playoff success with him, I'd very much argue that trade was a win, as Mack (in my opinion) is the best Bears player of the last 15 years.
Sunday Gravy
Footballguy
No interest. Getting up there in years and he tried to murder Mason Rudolph on live tv. If Jalen Carter isn't on our d line then I sure as hell don't want this ******* at the expense of a first round pick.
What about Parsons?
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
The Bears are realistically more than 1 DE away from superbowl contention. We don't need to mortgage the future (both Parsons and Garrett will cost more at least 2 1st rounders plus market contract) to get this team going in the right direction. Draft an Edge or OT early, a DT and IOL in the 2nd and then BPA with the remainder of the draft.
Sunday Gravy
Footballguy
Now we're talking. Also heard maybe Maxx Crosby becomes available. I'd love that the most I think.
Sunday Gravy
Footballguy
This is very true as well. We already have big money going to one DE. You don't see two guys at the same position getting monster money very often, if ever.
I kinda disagree. I think one elite game changing defender could make all the difference, as long as Caleb takes that step forward, which I think has little to do with the OL (which was fine) and everything to with playcalling (Ben Johnson)
I like the idea of getting an elite player while you have that rookie QB deal. Maybe Garrett is pushing it with age, but I'd happily give up the #10, a 2026 1st, and 35 million a year for 26-year-old Micah Parsons. Especially since it really isn't mortgaging the future THAT much as they have that extra 2nd rounder from Carolina still this year.
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
Ryan Pace, is that you?
I will maintain the Mack trade was a good move and would have been an excellent move IF Trubisky had panned out.Ryan Pace, is that you?
flapgreen
Footballguy
Don't worry. It'll wane about halfway through next season when they start unraveling again.
Sunday Gravy
Footballguy
$25 million per for Trey Smith. We doing it?
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
with 64mil in space, I don't think it's a bad idea at all. It also frees up draft picks to help continue both the OL and DL.
ZWK
Footballguy
Quick overview of the situations for the Bears' starting 22 from last year:
Free Agent
WR Keenan Allen
G Teven Jenkins
G Matt Pryor
C Coleman Shelton
Bad?
HB D'Andre Swift
CB Tyrique Stevenson
Not Under Contract Past 2025
OT Braxton Jones
DT Andrew Billings (was injured in 2024)
EDGE/DT DeMarcus Walker
LB TJ Edwards
LB Tremaine Edmunds (not a FA, but not worth his $15M 2026 salary)
SCB Kyler Gordon
S Jaquan Brisker (was injured in 2024)
S Kevin Byard
Under Contract Past 2025
QB Caleb Williams
WR DJ Moore
WR Rome Odunze
TE Cole Kmet
OT Darnell Wright
DT Gervon Dexter
EDGE Montez Sweat
CB Jaylon Johnson
That covers the 22 starters. I think that all the non-FAs have a good chance to stay on the roster, since Swift & Stevenson each cost less than $2M in new money to keep another year, but Swift & Stevenson could be demoted to backups and some others like Walker could shift to a smaller rotational role. If the Bears are looking to cut some guys to save money, these seem like the main possibilities (amount here is the new money saved by cutting them):
$7M S Kevin Byard
$6.8M LB Tremaine Edmunds
$5.5M LB TJ Edwards
$5.25M EDGE/DT DeMarcus Walker
And here's the contract situation for the most relevant depth players. Only 3 of them would bring >$2M in new money saved by cutting them; I've included those amounts in parentheses.
Unrestricted Free Agent
OT Larry Borom
DT Chris Williams
DT Byron Cowart
EDGE Darrell Taylor
Not Under Contract Past 2025
TE Gerald Everett ($5.5M new money in 2025)
G Ryan Bates ($4M new money in 2025)
LB Jack Sanborn
CB Josh Blackwell
S Jonathan Owens
S Elijah Hicks
Under Contract Past 2025
HB Roschon Johnson
OT Kiran Amegadjie
DT Zacch Pickens
EDGE Austin Booker
CB Terell Smith
PK Cairo Santos ($3.2M new money in 2025)
Free Agent
WR Keenan Allen
G Teven Jenkins
G Matt Pryor
C Coleman Shelton
Bad?
HB D'Andre Swift
CB Tyrique Stevenson
Not Under Contract Past 2025
OT Braxton Jones
DT Andrew Billings (was injured in 2024)
EDGE/DT DeMarcus Walker
LB TJ Edwards
LB Tremaine Edmunds (not a FA, but not worth his $15M 2026 salary)
SCB Kyler Gordon
S Jaquan Brisker (was injured in 2024)
S Kevin Byard
Under Contract Past 2025
QB Caleb Williams
WR DJ Moore
WR Rome Odunze
TE Cole Kmet
OT Darnell Wright
DT Gervon Dexter
EDGE Montez Sweat
CB Jaylon Johnson
That covers the 22 starters. I think that all the non-FAs have a good chance to stay on the roster, since Swift & Stevenson each cost less than $2M in new money to keep another year, but Swift & Stevenson could be demoted to backups and some others like Walker could shift to a smaller rotational role. If the Bears are looking to cut some guys to save money, these seem like the main possibilities (amount here is the new money saved by cutting them):
$7M S Kevin Byard
$6.8M LB Tremaine Edmunds
$5.5M LB TJ Edwards
$5.25M EDGE/DT DeMarcus Walker
And here's the contract situation for the most relevant depth players. Only 3 of them would bring >$2M in new money saved by cutting them; I've included those amounts in parentheses.
Unrestricted Free Agent
OT Larry Borom
DT Chris Williams
DT Byron Cowart
EDGE Darrell Taylor
Not Under Contract Past 2025
TE Gerald Everett ($5.5M new money in 2025)
G Ryan Bates ($4M new money in 2025)
LB Jack Sanborn
CB Josh Blackwell
S Jonathan Owens
S Elijah Hicks
Under Contract Past 2025
HB Roschon Johnson
OT Kiran Amegadjie
DT Zacch Pickens
EDGE Austin Booker
CB Terell Smith
PK Cairo Santos ($3.2M new money in 2025)
Last edited:
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
I'd expect the Bears to resign Shelton, Borom and Pryor. All 3 had middling PFF grades for the 2025 season. Conversely, I'd expect Jenkins to be gone. He grades high, but we need stability on the line and he was unable to stay in the lineup. Cap situation is still great, so a high end OG or OC in free agency (like a Trey Smith) would be spectacular. Maybe this will be the season that Poles realizes he needs to spend some $$ on the Oline and not try to get cast offs and reclamation projects.
ChiefD
Footballguy
I'm not sure the Chiefs are going to let him go.
ZWK
Footballguy
Bears are trading for Rams G Jonah Jackson, giving up a 6th round pick. He'll cost the Bears $17.5M this year, and they have a team option for $17M for 2026.
Jackson was a slightly above average guard for the Lions in 2021-2023, according to PFF, who graded him as the 22nd, 23rd, and 32nd best guard out of the 60ish who played >50% of the snaps in 2021, 2022, and 2023. For the 2021 season, he went to the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
Last year the Rams signed him to a 3 year, $51M deal and used him as their starting center to begin the season. He started a couple games, then missed half the season with a shoulder injury, came back and started 1 game, then was benched for rookie 6th rounder Beaux Limmer.
$17.5M is a lot to pay for a guy who was benched last year, and it's even fairly pricey for a slightly above average starter.
Jackson was a slightly above average guard for the Lions in 2021-2023, according to PFF, who graded him as the 22nd, 23rd, and 32nd best guard out of the 60ish who played >50% of the snaps in 2021, 2022, and 2023. For the 2021 season, he went to the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
Last year the Rams signed him to a 3 year, $51M deal and used him as their starting center to begin the season. He started a couple games, then missed half the season with a shoulder injury, came back and started 1 game, then was benched for rookie 6th rounder Beaux Limmer.
$17.5M is a lot to pay for a guy who was benched last year, and it's even fairly pricey for a slightly above average starter.
I am OK with this for 3 main reasons:
1) What the Bears need (O line) is not readily available in the draft or free agency - sometimes you have to pay a premium because of a need that is in short supply.
2) Ben Johnson spent 3 years with this guy. I don't think he would have signed off on the move if Jackson were the Nate Davis type.
3) The guaranteed money is only for 2025. If things don't work out, they can move on with no penalty in 2026. If he is good, he can be extended or kept via franchise tag through 2027. He is still pretty young.
Interior O line is 100% a need, we just have to bite the bullet and pay the price. Throw in Dalman and Zeitler and suddenly I'm pretty happy with this line.
InDitkaWeTrust
Footballguy
4. The flexibility of having a G that can slide over to the C position and start is huge.
I still think the Bears sign at least two more OL in free agency. I'd love to see them nab Dalman and either Aaron Banks or Will Fries and then draft a day 2 tackle to compete and/or add to the rotation.
