3/4 Through Mock Offseason

[WindyCity]

2019 Cap Space: 16 million

Cuts

Dion Sims 6 million

Sam Acho 2.1 million

Bradley Sowell 1.5 million

Cap Room: 27 million

Restructure 

Kyle Long: 10 million salary, 5 million cap hit, we meet in the middle at 7 million [3 million savings] 

Akiem Hicks: 6 million base salary converted to signing bonus [4 million savings]

Cap Room: 34 million

[WindyCity]

Re-signings

CB Bryce Callahan 4 years 30 million/14 guaranteed [8 SB]

Year 1:  3 million guaranteed salary, 2 million signing bonus [5]

Year 2: 3 million guaranteed salary, 2 million signing bonus [5] 

Year 3: 6 million salary, 2 million signing bonus [8]

Year 4: 10 million salary, 2 million signing bonus [12]

S Adrian Amos 4 years 28 million/14 guaranteed [6 SB]

Year 1:  3 million guaranteed salary, 1.5 million signing bonus [4.5]

Year 2: 5 million guaranteed salary, 1.5 million signing bonus [7] 

Year 3: 6 million salary, 1.5 million signing bonus [7.5]

Year 4: 8 million salary, 1.5 million signing bonus [9.5]

 

WR Josh Bellamy 2 years 3 million/1.5 million guaranteed [1]

OG Brian Witzmann 1 year 1 million/100k guaranteed [1]

P Pat O'Donnell 1 year 1.5 million [1.5]

RB Benny Cunningham 1 year 1.3 million/500k guaranteed [1.3]

LS Patrick Scales 1 year 750k/250k guaranteed [.75]

RFA

DE Roy Robertson-Harris [2nd round] 2.9 million

TE Ben Braunecker, non-tender, 1 year 750k

S Deandre Houston-Carson, non-tender, 1 year 750k

ERFA

OT Rashard Coward 602k

OLB Isaiah Irving 602k

Cap Room: 15.9 million

 

Training Camp Extension

Cody Whitehair 4 years 42 million/24 guaranteed + 1 year 1.3 million= 5 years 43.3 million/24 guaranteed [4.9]

The Bears can only afford to up Cody Whitehair's cap hit a little in 2019, but they can use the last year of his deal to get some leverage and work out an extension. This is one of the contract points that I have appreciated most about Pace, getting guys like Leno, Hicks, and Goldman, locked up before the free market can come around and sniff around your guys. Using the final year of their deals as leverage and to spread out the cap hit.

[WindyCity]

Free Agency

RB Kareem Hunt [Kansas City] 2 years 3 million/500k guaranteed [1]

This is really an unprecedented situation for this type of player. Hunt obviously will not play football again in 2018 and when he is suspended he should have 5 games knocked off for these games he is on the Commissioner's list. In 2019 I think that Hunt will be back in the NFL, I think that he will have to complete anger management and possibly AA before teams will take him in. But with the relationship between Nagy and Hunt, it was documented that he stood on the table in KC for him, and the fact that Hunt is very close with Mitch Trubisky makes this an obvious connection. Obviously, he will be on an exceptionally short leash,  but if he takes the necessary steps he deserves a 2nd chance.

OT LaAdrian Waddle [New England] 2 years 7 million/2 guaranteed [Cameron Fleming] [3]

If Massie is not coming back it appears the Bears are going to go young at OT, which leaves me wanting an experienced swing backup who has multiple starts at both OT positions. Waddle has made starts at both LT and RT and gives the Bears and experienced option if both of the young

Cap Room: 7 million

[WindyCity]

Draft [3 million]

Trade: The Bears trade Jordan Howard to the Miami Dolphins for a 4th round pick and a 6th round pick. Howard is clearly not going to be a long term Bear and they should get something for him before he leaves after the 2019 season. The role he is playing right now can pretty easily be replaced.

3[85] OT Bobby Evans [OU] 6'5" 300lbs.

 

I was impressed with Coward in the preseason, but going into next season without serious competition is leaving the Bears incredibly thin at an important position. The Bears need a draft pick that can come in and reasonably be expected to play in 2019 if Coward struggles. Evans, who has LT athletic tools, but plays RT for OU gives the Bears a player that can compete from day 1. Evans has the length and athletic ability to be an OT in this system. Coming from a spread system he will need some technique work and he could use 10-15lbs. of weight room strength, but he can execute the pulls and screens that this system demands. Best case scenario is Coward plays well and Evans is developed at LT or RG to eventually replace one of the expensive lineman on the team.

 

4. CB Derrick Baity [Kentucky] 6'2" 190lbs.

Ed Donatell may be the Bears best position coach. Every year he is handed day 3 picks or UDFAs and he turns them into contributing players. The Bears should continue to give him late round DBs to develop while they have their starting CB tandem. Baity is another long and tall SEC CB that has the size and athletic tools than Fangio and Donatell look for. He can come in and develop alongside of Tolliver in the event that there is an injury or for when the team moves on from Prince. CB depth is something that you can never have enough of and part of that is to consistently add bodies to the group to develop and work with. My hope is that one of Baity or Tolliver can replace Prince after 2019 when his contract is not guaranteed.

4. OLB Jaylon Ferguson [La Tech] 6'5" 265lbs.

The Bears have tried the super athletic developmental pass rusher in Floyd and Fitts and neither has really done what you expect from where they were drafted. The Bears should add a young pass rusher with some power and pass rush refinement to go along with production. Ferguson has 15 sacks this season and 42 on his career, he has been incredibly productive. The problem is that he is not an elite athlete. He is not going to blow away the combine and when you combine that with a lower level of competition you have a day 3 pick. But the Bears do not need him to be an elite pass rusher, they need him to be a complimentary rusher and use his power and hands to be a 4-8 sack guy across from Mack.

 

5. OG Andre Dillard [Washington St] 6'5" 306lbs.

 

The Bears need to do what the Chiefs and Saints do and consistently draft and develop OLmen to ensure that they never run out and that they can develop some cheap talent. The Bears are going to need a RG of the future as Long has simply gotten beaten up to the point that he is unreliable. Both the Chiefs and the Saints draft college OTs and convert them to OG as it gives them the length and athletic ability in pass pro. Dillard was a LT at Washington St and has the physical tools to be a OT, but his size and athletic ability may be a better fit at OG.

 

6. QB Gardner Minshew [Washington St] 6'2" 220lbs.

This may seem like a wasted pick too many, with limited draft resources already present, but the Bears have a unique QB incubator set up and while they are developing Mitch they might as well be developing another QB. Minshew comes from the air raid system that a lot of what the Bears are running. He has the physical tools to be an NFL QB, although he is a little on the short side, and perhaps the Bears can develop him into a backup or a trade commodity. The Bears should 100% take advantage of the coaching staff they have and the preseason reps they have to see if they can create some value for themselves. Chase Daniel is a great locker room guy and mentor, but he is not very good on the field and the Bears do not want to play him for an extended stretch.

7. NT Trysten Hill [UCF] 6'3" 330lbs.

With the new cap reality of the Bears there are spots where they should save some money as the player will not be heavily used and will not be rushed into a role. The Bears really play 5 DLmen and those guys are under contract, which means the 6th spot can be a developmental spot for 2020 when RRH and Bullard are free agents. Hill has the size and build that the Bears seem to prefer. He is a big physical space eater that can have a limited run stuffing role as a rookie.

7. WR Tyron Johnson [Oklahoma St] 6'1" 190lbs.

The Bears do not really have a lot of speed at WR outside of Gabriel and if he went down they would be left without the true deep threat. Johnson needs a lot of work, but he has the speed and big play ability that can be used in specific situations. On the season Johnson has 20 catches 400 yards and at 20 YPC he is pretty much a deep threat specialist.

[WindyCity]

Depth Chart

 

QB: Trubisky, Daniel, Minshew

RB: Hunt, Cohen, Cunningham, Mizzell

WR: Robinson, Gabriel, Miller, Wims, Bellamy, Johnson [PR]

TE: Burton, Shaheen Braunecker

LT: Leno, Waddle

LG: Daniel, Dillard

C: Whitehair

RG: Long, Witzmann

RT: Coward, Evans

 

RE: RRH, Bullard

NT: Goldman, Hill

LE: Hicks, Nichols

OLB: Mack, Irving, Fitts

ILB: Smith, Iggy

ILB: Trevathan, Kwiatowski

OLB: Floyd, Ferguson

CB: Fuller, Prince, Callahan, Tolliver, McManis, Baitty

FS: Jackson, Houston-Carson

SS: Amos, Bush

[Damikeeeee]

Let's hope not. 

[WindyCity]

Just now, Damikeeeee said:

Let's hope not. 

Probably the best we can afford.

Or is this a week Kareem Hunt take?

[Damikeeeee]

16 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

Probably the best we can afford.

Or is this a week Kareem Hunt take?

What Hunt did was weak. If we trade Howard and sign Hunt I really hope we have enough high character players on our team that this would be a locker room issue and I wouldn't want to bring in a moron. 

[G08]

I don't think the McCaskeys will sign off on Kareem Hunt unfortunately.

Know who would be a stud in this offense and should be cheap? Duke Johnson. Bah and then I realized he signed an extension with Cleveland

[blkwdw13]

48 minutes ago, G08 said:

I don't think the McCaskeys will sign off on Kareem Hunt unfortunately.

Know who would be a stud in this offense and should be cheap? Duke Johnson

He is signed thru 2021 from $3-5.9 mil per year, so not cheap at all unless he is cut.

[dll2000]

15 hours ago, G08 said:

I don't think the McCaskeys will sign off on Kareem Hunt unfortunately.

Know who would be a stud in this offense and should be cheap? Duke Johnson. Bah and then I realized he signed an extension with Cleveland

Ha.  I briefly thought same thing around a month ago.  Then looked and saw he signed.  For quite a bit of money too if I recall.  Cleveland does nothing right.  

[dll2000]

Best duel threat RBs for system are in order (off top of my head):

1) Barkley

2) Gurley

3) Kamara

4) Hunt

Hunt just became available.  I can see how that would be enticing. 

 

[dll2000]

Its a who knows situation as always with these mocks, and they are almost always miles off because of all the variables, but this is a pretty well thought and logical one Windy.

Nice work.

 

 

[dll2000]

I think Bears may have had one of the best drafts in NFL last year and it just hasn't shown up all the way yet due to circumstance, depth chart, injury or age so people outside are completely unaware.

Smith - has largely under achieved for his slot and position, but you could argue that was because of hold out and other off season problems.  You see flashes from him and steady improvement all season.  Many thought he would be DROY.  Next year he could remind people why.

Daniels - Is a baby with incredible talent and has also shown flashes of greatness.

Miller- Most missed wide open WR in history of the world.  Has work ethic and attitude to be great.

Joel - Don't know anything about him.  Maybe he sucks.

Nichols - Has shown flashes of greatness, also very young with a high ceiling.

Fitts - Has shown athletic potential to do something in the league before his time is done.  Maybe he sucks.  

Wims -  Was often best WR on the field in pre season.  Bears have so many weapons he hasn't had any opportunities to play.  

UFA - Tolliver has shown flashes of real solid play at arguably 2nd hardest position to play in football.

All that in one draft  why Bears fans are giggling a bit at GB and other outsiders laughing at cost of acquiring Mack and loss of draft capital recently.  A good draft is 2 good players added to your roster and a serviceable starter who doesn't hurt you.  Bears added 4 or 5 potential difference makers in one go in addition to adding 4 high quality free agents to their roster.

They don't need a lot of new players or hardly any through draft or free agency.  They have their squad in place.  They just need some depth and to get better.

 

 

 

 

[Damikeeeee]

22 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

Best duel threat RBs for system are in order (off top of my head):

1) Barkley

2) Gurley

3) Kamara

4) Hunt

Hunt just became available.  I can see how that would be enticing. 

 

Bell