1/23/23 Mock Offseason

[dll2000]

I never do these fully, but I couldn't resist doing one of these on a dreary Monday.   Not going to do cap numbers.    I will try to keep it realistic throughout though with cap and Bears budget in mind.  

Resign:

RB…David Montgomery

FB…Khari Blasingame

TE…Ryan Griffin

OLB…Matthew Adams

LB..Nicholas Morrow

CB…Josh Blackwell (ERFA)

S…DeAndre Houston-Carson

LS…Patrick Scales

WR..N'Keal Harry

DT...Armon Watts

OC...Sam Mustipher

OG..Dieter Eislen

Note:  Some of you are looking at names and barfing, saying no way Dan you are crazy!  No, you are stupid I am not reading any further.   Listen, everyone below Montgomery and Blasingame will likely not make the team, hopefully not.   But many will come back to compete for a roster spot.    It's 90 guys for a long time, not 53.  90 is a lot.   They will want some vets in camp that know coaches schemes and can help others at least by example.    

Some more journeyman from other teams will join too.  

I think Montgomery, Blasingame, Scales, Blackwell and Houston Carson are most likely to make it.   Everyone else is looking at journeyman contracts that are cut able if someone in camp looks better or a lot of guys at that position get drafted.

Early Cuts:

Whitehair - play has really dipped for money he makes.  I think he is gone.  

Muhammad - he was bad and stayed bad.  Gone.

I was going to also cut Leatherwood, but it costs us 4 million to cut him so I guess he is staying.  He seems kind of worthless as this point.  We may just eat his deal unless he comes back fired up.  

Offseason trade:

Eddie Jackson for conditional 2024 3rd or 5th depending on 2023 starts.   I'd personally like to see Jackson back.  I like him.   But with the injury and him being part of old guard and money, I think he is gone.  I am hoping for a trade and others still see some value in him as I think there is some value in him.   

Extensions:

Darnell Mooney - now is time to get him locked in at a reasonable deal.  He is a good teammate.  He may choose to bet on himself in later FA, but I think a deal can get done.

Jaylon Johnson - I think Johnson will be tougher to negotiate with as he values himself very highly.  Still I would make a strong effort to extend him.  I know a lot of Bears fans don't love him due to lack of splash plays, but he is a solid football player at a premium position.  I would work very hard to extend him this offseason were I Poles.  

Draft:

Draft Trade:  Note I am running this on Pro Football Network Simulator and using trade point chart.  I think these trades are realistic, I was actually offered better and manually lowered trade with Indy.   I didn't add any players with trades as those are kind of rare when its draft pick(s) being offered in first place.  

As for draft board these are never accurate as to how draft board falls, especially this early, but nothing really is even the predicted boards of the GMs are wrong.  I will take player I most want as they fall in this sim:

Indy and Chicago:

They get no. 1.   We get 4, 35, 79 and 2024 first.  

We trade back again to 8 with Atlanta for 8, 44 and 2024 first and a 7th.  

• 
  8.
  Tyree Wilson

  EDGE Texas Tech
  
• 
  35.
  Felix Anudike-Uzomah

  EDGE Kansas State
  
• 
  44.
  Rashee Rice

  WR SMU
  
• 
  53.
  Dawand Jones

  OT Ohio State
   
• 
  64.
  Darnell Washington

  TE Georgia
   
• 
  79.
  Calijah Kancey

  DT Pittsburgh
  
• 
  101.
  Trey Dean III

  S Florida
   
• 
  132.
  Luke Musgrave

  TE Oregon State
   
• 
  133.
  Eric Gray

  RB Oklahoma
   
• 
  155.
  Daiyan Henley

  LB Washington State
   
• 
  197.
  Jadon Haselwood

  WR Arkansas
   
• 2024 IND 1st
• 2024 ATL 1st
• 2024 ATL 7th

 

I like the way draft turned out if board broke that way.   I wasn't expecting to draft two TEs, but that is way board broke and I think value was too good to pass on.   Honestly don't know much of anything about lower picks, but I think the first 5 picks all play right away.   Although with signing Jawaan Taylor and then drafting big Dawand Jones is going to mean someone is likely getting kicked inside who won't like it.   Likely the rookie.   But some young quality depth at OT would be nice for first time in a long time.  

Three number ones in 2024 will be pretty sweet to look forward too.  I hope Poles pulls something like that off.  You can make trades each year for multiple high picks for a handful of years to come and keep team reloading with young talent.  Probably not, but we can dream.   

Free Agents:

I am not going to sign as many guys as @Madmike90as I think Poles really wants to build through draft despite the cap space.  I think he makes a couple of splash plays though.

Big FA Signings:

Daron Payne - Washington Stupid Name - 25 years Old

Jawaan Taylor - Jaguars (how do you all pronounce 'Jaguar' I am curious.   I pronounce it Jag waar. - 25 years old.  

Matt Gay - I like @Madmike90plan of getting a young big leg kicker in building, especially for Soldier Field.   For those who remember a lot of people were mocking him to Bears in draft when he came out.   Almost everyone was LOL.   Be nice to see him a Bears uniform.   Looking forward to Bears not having to kick in Soldier Field in a handful of years.  

If you are going to sign a big FA you want a young one.  The linemen are both 25 coming at big needs.   Payne is going to be stupidly expensive, but he is good and we really need him and we have the most money - this signing makes sense.  Just hope other teams don't bid us up too high where we are looking to dump him in a few years.   

I think their will be several other signings, but most are going to be journeyman to be honest.   I know everyone thinks we need a WR/Edge and we do.  But I think Claypool trade was our WR FA move.   I don't think Poles likes the 2023 WR FAs (hence the trade for Claypool) and there isn't much of note on Edge market.  

I can see us making a move for a 2nd tier vet TE like Foster Moreau, but I can also more so see Pace just wanting journeyman TEs and taking swings at TE talent in draft.

More FA moves will happen to fill out roster, but none will be as exciting as above.   

I would say Poles might take a swing on a Ju-Ju Smith Schuster or DJ Chark or Slayton as well in FA, but again I believe in his heart of hearts he wants to draft a WR in first two rounds or perhaps early 3rd of this draft and he knows that guy is guaranteed to be on 53 if he comes in first two rounds.    Given that he may not want to take away the time from a longer term plan guy with a larger FA deal to another vet.   

I think Poles is okay with Draft pick, Mooney, Claypool, Velus and St. Brown as main WR guys for 2023 as disappointing as that may sound to some Bears fans.   In my draft that would be Rashee Rice added to mix.    But it could be bigger name like Quentin Johnson or Jordan Addison or Smith-Njigba depending on how board falls, but that would mean we get lessor line of scrimmage talent.   

However he does it, draft or FA, I think Bears need an influx of an upper level talent at WR position to add to room.   Not as important as upgrading OL and DL, but definitely important.  

 

 

[Ty21]

no way Dan you are crazy!  No, you are stupid I am not reading any further.

[dll2000]

12 minutes ago, Ty21 said:

no way Dan you are crazy!  No, you are stupid I am not reading any further.

My predictive abilities are amazing.  

[dll2000]

I like how Bears blogs or whatever on Twitter are like:

Bears trade down one spot to Texans and get all the Texans high picks for next two years.

Then trade down two spots to 4 and get all of Indy's as well.    Then Bears magically get the top 15 prospects in draft at all their positions of need.

Then say, "What do you think Bears fans?"

 

[Sugashane]

So what will the OL look like with this?

 

B. Jones - D. Jones - Patrick - Jenkins - Taylor  (and I will always say Jag-war, not Jag-you-are (or Jag-you-uh?)).

Borom as the swing OT, Leatherwood the swing OG, and Musty the pray-for-Patrick's-health?

 

I am leaning more and more into forcing Whitehair to be OL5, get the best 4 guys on the line and he is either the LG or C based on the long-term players.

 

Big fan of stealing Payne away from Washington Stupid Name, those sumb****es.

 

I'd be really excited about the first 5 picks (IDK the 6th) and you have a  Florida Gator, so I will accept the draft. 😁 Seeing Washington go that late would be awesome, I think with him and Kmet there is a lot of versatility that could be had, and a 12 personnel with Claypool - Kmet - Washington - Mooney offers a LOT of mismatch potential. Rice falls right in line with that with his size/sped/movement skills (I think he is the best slot option if you want a guy who runs really sharp routes). Add in Velus Jones' speed and Harry's size and you have some pieces to work with.

 

[Bowler1215]

So Mustipher stays at OC?   I don't mind him being a back up, but whenever I do mock simulations, I almost always draft OC.  Remember last years draft Poles drafted 4 O-linemen, I expect 3 or 4 this year(after trading back a couple times)  No issue going edge rusher with our 1st two picks, we need pass rushers badly.  And Fields needs weapons if he's expected to be a better passer. 

[beardown3231]

Good offseason but that draft is unrealistic

[dll2000]

17 hours ago, Sugashane said:

So what will the OL look like with this?

 

B. Jones - D. Jones - Patrick - Jenkins - Taylor  (and I will always say Jag-war, not Jag-you-are (or Jag-you-uh?)).

Borom as the swing OT, Leatherwood the swing OG, and Musty the pray-for-Patrick's-health?

 

I am leaning more and more into forcing Whitehair to be OL5, get the best 4 guys on the line and he is either the LG or C based on the long-term players.

 

Big fan of stealing Payne away from Washington Stupid Name, those sumb****es.

 

I'd be really excited about the first 5 picks (IDK the 6th) and you have a  Florida Gator, so I will accept the draft. 😁 Seeing Washington go that late would be awesome, I think with him and Kmet there is a lot of versatility that could be had, and a 12 personnel with Claypool - Kmet - Washington - Mooney offers a LOT of mismatch potential. Rice falls right in line with that with his size/sped/movement skills (I think he is the best slot option if you want a guy who runs really sharp routes). Add in Velus Jones' speed and Harry's size and you have some pieces to work with.

 

I am not sure how OL will pan out in that scenario.  I just know I added two plus OL to mix via FA and draft.   Or one and a huge rookie with good potential.  

The TN OL was off the board.  Our OL is getting very physical under me.  That doesn’t sound right, but you know what I mean. 

I would still bring in journeyman vet help.  Including competition at center.  You can’t fix everything in one year when I have to remake both the O and DL.

  I have 3 number ones to play with next season and I would probably trade down with one of those for more picks - hopefully for a one the following year.  

Edited January 24, 2023 by dll2000

[dll2000]

12 hours ago, beardown3231 said:

Good offseason but that draft is unrealistic

Probably.  

[Sugashane]

25 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

I am not sure how OL will pan out in that scenario.  I just know I added two plus OL to mix via FA and draft.   Or one and a huge rookie with good potential.  

The TN OL was off the board.  Our OL is getting very physical under me.  That doesn’t sound right, but you know what I mean. 

I would still bring in journeyman vet help.  Including competition at center.  You can’t fix everything in one year when I have to remake both the O and DL.

  I have 3 number ones to play with next season and I would probably trade down with one of those for more picks - hopefully for a one the following year.  

In a game of inches it sounds soooo right. 😂

[Bigbear72]

20 minutes ago, Sugashane said:

In a game of inches it sounds soooo right. 😂

Somebody had to say it! 😂

[MonserinNC]

I'm not super into the crazy trade down method....we eventually need to get a Nick Bosa/Myles Garrett type dude....just go for it and get Will Anderson or Jalen Carter....

I think this year we really should get that QB of the defense type guy....in do understand we need bodies but does anybody really remember who played next to Aaron Donald in LA(ironically I think Floyd was one of the guys)

I do want to trade back once, but I think we go for a game wrecker and fill in the rest with FA's.....we have by far the most cap in the league.....we legit can overpay....I'm sort of coming around on this just making Saquan the highest paid RB thing....like why not?