AZBearsFan Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 WR is our biggest positional need and it’s not close. I know this isn’t earth shattering news. But the Cam Meredith injury creates an interesting wrinkle to how we approach the offseason from two points: - We still have a limited sample size to what he can be long term - We don’t know when (if) he’ll be back to 100% We can retain him as a RFA next year and I think if we do most likely is with a 2nd round tender (about $2.8M in 2017). He gets a significant raise from his current league minimum salary and we get another look to better assess what he’ll be beyond 2018. Nobody is likely to sign him to an offer sheet coming off an ACL. Totally reasonable and a safe move. But is it the best one? I’m not sure. If we go this route and he ends up in 2018 what we likely thought he’d be this year before the injury and stays healthy (a 1000 yard WR) he’s going to command $10M a year or so next year. Assuming we add a big contract FA this year (a virtual certainty in the opinion of most) we may not be able to afford to keep him at that rate ($ wise we could make it work but that’d be a ton invested in one position) at least not without sacrificing a valuable player at another spot. We probably can’t afford the WR franchise tag. We could be legitimately looking at having developed a UDFA QB into a legit WR only to have him leave. That’s a long term worst case scenario IMO. We could extend him now banking on a full ACL recovery with a Kenny Stills-ish 4/32 and take a leap of faith hoping the deal looks like a bargain in a year or two. It’s risky as well and is probably complemented by another significant add at the position, but if they believe he’s a solid starter or better going forward then it’s a move that makes some sense. It’s also a move that puts more heat on Pace than a busted outside signing because it has the feel of a status quo move coming off of this year (it isn’t since he’s been out but that’ll be the perception because people are largely idiots). I wouldn’t be mad with this approach but I think it’s the riskiest for Pace and as such probably the least likely. Would he be open to a 2/10 bridge deal type contract? Say we make it more enticing by guaranteeing most of it. It’s a scenario that has pros for both sides. Meredith gets paid a little (an 800% raise over 2017), more security and still a shot to be UFA at 28. We buy a longer look at a player we think will be good and might be better than that at a totally palatable price and minimize the risk that he doesn’t totally bounce back from the ACL. Still risk for Pace, but less risk. Assuming Cam is open to it I think the bridge deal makes the most sense, but I’m fascinated to see how it plays out because I think it will dictate a lot of how our offseason goes next year from an offensive personnel standpoint. You could make a legitimate argument for any of the options to be honest. I think what we see from Dontrelle Inman the next 7 weeks could play a not-so-small role in what happens with Meredith given their comparable skill sets. If Inman proves a legit #2 option AND we can extend him for reasonable $ then we can be a little looser with Meredith (depending on what we do in FA and the draft of course). If he’s a flop then the Meredith decision becomes more difficult. If Inman plays like last week for the next few weeks do we look to extend him before the year? Say he goes for 200 yards over the next 3 games in non-garbage time production. That gives us a month of legit starter production from a 28 year old WR with size and speed. In our situation that’s a must retain player over whom we at present have no control beyond this year. I’d look to lock him in for a few years at a reasonable rate right then and stabilize the position heading into the offseason somewhat. Think that through further though and say that happens. Say Inman proves legit and Meredith is deemed on path for a full recovery by May or June. That’s probably 2 of your top 3 WR next year. Certainly 2 of your top 4. People will be pissed, but a healthy Meredith and Inman playing like like he did last week is light years ahead of where we’ve been most of this year and the makings of a functional NFL passing game. It’s by no means a finished product, but how much more are you adding from there? It’s probably not your top need any more. Say from there you add a FA like Jordan Matthews and draft a 2nd round WR. Now the guy in which we have the least investment from there is Meredith (assuming the RFA tender here), and when healthy and with another year of development he may well be the best of the 4 players. There are so many moving parts to this whole thing. I haven’t even touched here on who might be calling the plays for all of this which is a factor obviously at play as well. This could go a dozen ways and several of those ways will have people pissed at Pace heading into 2018 even though they’re totally reasonable and prudent approaches likely more appropriate than the overpay like crazy in FA approach most will want. Now that we’re out of it for 2017 I just want to see it start to play out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugashane Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 I think that would be a hell of a start, I would be open to the bridge deal. He gets a respectable salary and is not a hindrance cap-wise should he have any issues recovering. Another facet to make things more fluid is Shaheen. If we have Reich come over, then he becomes a key cog (look at their reliance on Ertz). And also Inman and Meredith seem to be able to both run out of the slot as well (though they seem better on the outside). So that allows a bit of flexibility with the WR to be looked at. Maybe they swing for the fences and get a talented raw product and roll with Meredith/Inman on the outside, Wright on the inside, and Shaheen as the TE. Let the WR develop as they try to see who is the long-term option. Add in Cohen being used competently and you have plenty of choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G08 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I wish I had read this sooner, I'm going through the same thought process in my mind! I think Trubisky has been developing a nice trust factor with Inman, and I'm definitely curious to see how the rest of this season plays out. I see him as more of a 3 or a 4 in my mind because, knowing our luck with injuries, that will bump him up to a 2 or 3. He's also a wonderful hedge to Cameron Meredith, whom I think the Bears will retain. So as locks in my mind for next season, we will have Cameron Meredith, Dontrelle Inman, and Kevin White. I don't trust Kevin White whatsoever, but I don't see Ryan Pace giving up on him. Here's to hoping Pace is smart enough to not rely on White for anything (hence making him WR4 and if he earns a higher spot in camp, great). That still leaves a gaping hole for a true #1 WR, and I am hoping that's where Pace gets aggressive in free agency. I'd love to get one of Watkins or Robinson, but Robinson coming off an ACL (along with Meredith coming off a torn ACL and slight MCL tear) might be too much risk to "Bear", especially since Kevin White can't stay healthy at all. Maybe he offers WR1 money to Jordan Matthews? 1. Jordan Matthews 2. Cameron Meredith 3. Dontrelle Inman 4. Kevin White 5. Tre McBride Maybe in a perfect world, the light turns on for Kevin White and we get Matthews/White on the outside with Meredith/Inman in the slot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 51 minutes ago, G08 said: I wish I had read this sooner, I'm going through the same thought process in my mind! I think Trubisky has been developing a nice trust factor with Inman, and I'm definitely curious to see how the rest of this season plays out. I see him as more of a 3 or a 4 in my mind because, knowing our luck with injuries, that will bump him up to a 2 or 3. He's also a wonderful hedge to Cameron Meredith, whom I think the Bears will retain. So as locks in my mind for next season, we will have Cameron Meredith, Dontrelle Inman, and Kevin White. I don't trust Kevin White whatsoever, but I don't see Ryan Pace giving up on him. Here's to hoping Pace is smart enough to not rely on White for anything (hence making him WR4 and if he earns a higher spot in camp, great). That still leaves a gaping hole for a true #1 WR, and I am hoping that's where Pace gets aggressive in free agency. I'd love to get one of Watkins or Robinson, but Robinson coming off an ACL (along with Meredith coming off a torn ACL and slight MCL tear) might be too much risk to "Bear", especially since Kevin White can't stay healthy at all. Maybe he offers WR1 money to Jordan Matthews? 1. Jordan Matthews 2. Cameron Meredith 3. Dontrelle Inman 4. Kevin White 5. Tre McBride Maybe in a perfect world, the light turns on for Kevin White and we get Matthews/White on the outside with Meredith/Inman in the slot... I mentioned Matthews in the OP because I think he’s a realistic but not budget crushing option for us. I think we can probably land him with something pretty comparable to a Kenny Stills level deal (4/32 with 19 guaranteed). He, Meredith and Inman give you three legit guys with size who can play both outside and inside. I would then pair that with a 2nd round WR like James Washington with #1 potential and more speed. Those 4 and White as a 4/5 is a group we can do a lot with and isn’t a group cost wise that prevents us from extending Meredith if he blows up next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G08 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 You don't think Washington goes round 1? This will be fun to watch unfold... TONS of moving pieces once Black Monday hits. I. Um. I'm pretty sure I'm firmly hopping on the Josh McDaniels bandwagon. The more I read about this dude after his Denver Debacle, the more convinced I am that he wasn't ready to be a head coach (his words) and that he's learned a ton about what he would do better. This is the dude I want married to Mitch Trubisky. Flame away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 1 hour ago, G08 said: You don't think Washington goes round 1? This will be fun to watch unfold... TONS of moving pieces once Black Monday hits. I. Um. I'm pretty sure I'm firmly hopping on the Josh McDaniels bandwagon. The more I read about this dude after his Denver Debacle, the more convinced I am that he wasn't ready to be a head coach (his words) and that he's learned a ton about what he would do better. This is the dude I want married to Mitch Trubisky. Flame away. I think there are a bunch of WR in that 20-45 range with him, Kirk, Sutton, Cain and maybe Pettis. Any of them can fill the role of 2nd round WR to my satisfaction. Washington is my early bet to fall a bit but it’s totally a hunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blkwdw13 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 10 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said: I think there are a bunch of WR in that 20-45 range with him, Kirk, Sutton, Cain and maybe Pettis. Any of them can fill the role of 2nd round WR to my satisfaction. Washington is my early bet to fall a bit but it’s totally a hunch. I like Anthony Miller in the 2nd and Kirk also if he falls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTD Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Quote Very thought provoking post AZ. I never thought about solving the WR issue this way but it has merit. I would probably go after Richardson instead of Mathews but it is the same process you suggest. I think we can be pretty certain Pace will give White another shot and Inman will be one of the 5 WR if he doesn't fall flat on his face in the next 5 games. Meredith, if healthy, will be there also. How he fills the last 2 slots will be important being year 4 of 5 in the "rebuild" and the amount of cap cash he has to spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EaglesPeteC Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Jordan Matthews is not an outside WR. He is a good not great slot WR. Dont waste your money if your looking for a #1 or #2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugashane Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 5 hours ago, EaglesPeteC said: Jordan Matthews is not an outside WR. He is a good not great slot WR. Dont waste your money if your looking for a #1 or #2 Seems accurate from what (admittedly limited) I have seen. Unless Reich would be hired he is a consolidation prize to me. Inman/Wright would be the more cost effective signong while we develop a young guy IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmike90 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I struggle to see Washington not going top 20...at the top of the 2nd I love Pettis...I think he is a tougher more polished Johnny Knox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 19 minutes ago, Madmike90 said: I struggle to see Washington not going top 20...at the top of the 2nd I love Pettis...I think he is a tougher more polished Johnny Knox. Not the end all be all by any means but neither Kiper nor Matt Miller have him even in their top 25. Like I said he might, but there are a bunch of WR in that 20-45ish window. Washington is somewhere in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskieBear Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I want Courtland Sutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogerthat Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 On 11/22/2017 at 9:02 PM, G08 said: You don't think Washington goes round 1? This will be fun to watch unfold... TONS of moving pieces once Black Monday hits. I. Um. I'm pretty sure I'm firmly hopping on the Josh McDaniels bandwagon. The more I read about this dude after his Denver Debacle, the more convinced I am that he wasn't ready to be a head coach (his words) and that he's learned a ton about what he would do better. This is the dude I want married to Mitch Trubisky. Flame away. Washington is a 3 or 4 rounder. I love watching the highlights of this guy but I think the pre draft process knocks him down a lot. first off he is playing in a wide open offense next he is burning poor defensive back talent. finally he is built like a RB not a WR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogerthat Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 On 11/22/2017 at 10:18 PM, blkwdw13 said: I like Anthony Miller in the 2nd and Kirk also if he falls. OLB or LT in round one Kirk in round 2 would be amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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