The Matt Nagy Offseason Plan

[Rogerthat]

16 minutes ago, RTD said:

Hill had domestic violence charges and huge red flags during his draft season. That's why he fell to the 5th round. His talent and speed is #1 WR level.

other than Tavon Austin how many short fast WRs go in the top 10.  Hill wasn't going to be a first rounder even with a clean off field. 

you can also find these guys in the late rounds every year. Antonio Callaway is this year Hill and there will be another guy in 2019 and etc 

[Rogerthat]

4 minutes ago, topwop1 said:

I ain't Windy but Ridley is way too thin and frankly not good enough for me to be able to draft him as high as 8th overall.  I think he's a late 1st/early 2nd value wise.

He ran a 4.35 40 at bama's pro day as a sophomore that is top 10 speed. That's speed the bears need to make this offense work.

[TB 1]

26 minutes ago, topwop1 said:

I ain't Windy but Ridley is way too thin and frankly not good enough for me to be able to draft him as high as 8th overall.  I think he's a late 1st/early 2nd value wise.

 I Like taking an offensive tackle high over a WR's.  I bet 80% of top OT's are first round draft picks and WR's are easier to find in later rounds. I agree on Ridley. If  a wideout goes that high he better be Julio Jones.

[Sugashane]

1 hour ago, Rogerthat said:

Josh Bellamy is always on call. 

 

 

 

[Sugashane]

21 minutes ago, Rogerthat said:

other than Tavon Austin how many short fast WRs go in the top 10.  Hill wasn't going to be a first rounder even with a clean off field. 

you can also find these guys in the late rounds every year. Antonio Callaway is this year Hill and there will be another guy in 2019 and etc 

 

I do really like the idea of spending a 4th on Callaway. He is a first round talent, hopefully he can get it together.

[TB 1]

5 hours ago, WindyCity said:

Coaching

OC: David Culley [Bills QB Coach]

I would like someone with some play calling experience, but we also need someone who can really develop the WR position. Culley has been rumored as a possible OC for Nagy and it makes sense with the Bears needs.

DC: Vic Fangio

If they keep Fangio it would provide continuity for the defense, probably allows them to keep Donatel, which probably means they have a better chance of re-signing Fuller, it also buys Nagy instant credibility with the defense if the coordinator the defense loves choose to stay. There are a lot of positives to Fangio staying beyond his ability to run a defense on game day. I would offer him 4 years 12 million, assistant head coach title, and more of  voice in personnel decision regarding the defense.

Releases/Not Re-signed

QB Mike Glennon [11.5 million]-A complete failure of a free agent signing.
TE Dion Sims [4.5 million]-He has been mediocre at catching and blocking and there is an out in his contract
WR Markus Wheaton [5 million]-Has done nothing and been injured and an easy one to move on from
LB Jerrel Freeman[3.5 million]-Younger players took his job. He can still play, but you do not keep a 32 year old guy when you have young guys ready to play
LB Pernell McPhee [7 million]-injuries and a big contract
LB Willie Young [4.5 million]-injuries and age
CB Marcus Cooper [4.5 million]-has been a bust and I would rather keep Prince
C Hroniss Grasu [800k]-he sucks
FB- Michael Burton [700k]-he sucks as well
OT Bradley Sowell
OT Tom Compton

Re-signings/Extensions

Eddie Goldman 5 years 43.5 million/26 guaranteed
New Money: 4 years 42 million/26 guaranteed
Old Money: 1 year 1.5 million

CB Kyle Fuller 4 years 42 million/20 guaranteed [12]

CB Prince Amukamara 3 years 21 million/10 guaranteed [5]

LB Lamarr Houston 2 years 8 million/2 guaranteed [4]
LB Christian Jones 3 years 9 million/4 guaranteed [3]
P Pat O'Donnell 4 years 12 million/5 guaranteed [3]
WR Dontrelle Inman 2 years 5 million/1 guaranteed [2]
QB Mark Sanchez 2 years 5 million/2 guaranteed [2]
CB Sherrick McManis 2 years 4 million/.5 guaranteed [1.5]
DE Mitch Unrien 2 years 4.5 million/1.5 guaranteed [2.5]
RB Benny Cunningham 1 year 1.2 million/200k guaranteed [1.2]

RFA

WR Cam Meredith 2.4 million [2nd round tender]
CB Bryce Callahan 2.4 million [2nd round tender]
TE Daniel Brown 750K [Original Round] 

Free Agents

I think the Bears will add starting calibre WRs and fill in positions of need like they always do. I do not see a WR worth a massive investment in free agency this year and I do not see an OLB that comes in and instantly starts. The positions where the Bears could spend are CB, but I would rather bring back Fuller and Prince than pay Malcolm Butler 15 million a season and still nee a CB opposite of him.

WR Paul Richardson [Seattle] 4 years 34 million/16 guaranteed

There is no connection here other than the fact that Seattle is strapped for cap space and the Bears need some outside speed at the WR position. Richardson has the 4.4 speed that the Bears need on the outside and he is coming off his best season with 700 yards and 16 YPC. Richardson has had injury issues, is not a super polished WR and is not a #1 guy, but he gives them #2 production and missing speed.

WR Albert Wilson [Kansas City] 4 years 20 million/10 guaranteed

This makes too much sense and Ben Allbright was already tweeting about it. Wilson knows the system, knows the coach, and has the speed that the Bears are missing. He also can do the versatile stuff like jet sweeps, hand offs and shovel passes that the slot guy does in this offense. In this free agent market with how much money will be flying around personal connection between players and coaches will be huge.

OG/C Zach Fulton [Kansas City] 3 years 15 million/8 guaranteed

This may seem strange, but there are 2 reasons this move makes sense. The first is that Fulton is versatile with starts at C and OG and he knows the system. The second is that the Bears interior OL is a mess right now. Sitton missed time with injury, Long is a physical wreck right now, and there primary backup is coming off a horrendous hamstring injury. I am signing Fulton and letting the best/healthiest 3 interior players start. The Bears did not have enough depth this season and you cannot start guys like Grasu, Sowell and Compton and hope your QB will survive. Fulton has 46 career starts and my hope would be that he can possibly push Sitton off the roster to save some cash or he provides incredible depth at all 3 spots.

OLB Aaron Lynch [San Francisco] 2 years 8 million/3 guaranteed [Back-loaded]

This is a Fangio familair player and a reclamation project of a talented player that seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. Under Fangio as a rookie Lynch came in and had 6.5 sacks and looked like a steal in the 5th round. He was productive the year after Fangio left starting and notching 6 sacks again, but since then has fallen out of favor and out of the rotation. The OLB free agent group is bad and the Bears can try to reclaim the upside that existed with Lynch when he was drafted.

K Graham Gano [Carolina] 3 years 12 million/4 guaranteed [4]

The kicking situation passed from pathetic to embarrassing awhile ago and the Bears need to stop screwing around and get a real kicker in here to support the offense. Gano has been a steady kicker for the Panthers and has a strong enough leg to kick in conditions.

FB Anthony Sherman [Kansas City] 2 years 5 million/3 guaranteed [3]

I am not opposed to having a FB on the roster, but I am opposed when they suck like Michael Burton. Sherman can run, catch, and block. He is familiar with the offense and he can be a stand out special teams player.

Draft

1[8] OT Orlando Brown [OU] 6'8" 340lbs.

In Philadelphia and Kansas City huge investments were made in the OT position. The Chiefs do not like to leave a back or TE in to protect and they want to be able to run the ball without having to use TEs as key blockers. By upgrading at OT the Bears will be able to accomplish both of those things. Brown is a freak of nature. He is massive, with incredible length and good feet. He is punishing in the run game and he is so big that edge rushers have trouble with him because they get overwhelmed by his size. Brown has some rough edges and he needs to be coached and continue to focus on his conditioning, but the upside is incredible. By starting at RT he does not have to be perfect as a rookie and can work on these things. Trubisky is the most important player in the franchise then they need to invest in protecting him. Outside of Chubb I am not sure that there is an OLB worth the 8th pick.

 

*Trade: The Chicago Bears trade 2[39] to the Buffalo Bills for 2[53], 3[95], 5th and a 4th in 2019. The Ryan Pace 2nd round trade down is almost becoming a tradition and needing picks my guess is we see it again.

2[53] OLB Lorenzo Carter [Georgia] 6'6" 245lbs.

Ryan Pace and Fangio clearly have a type at OLB and they appear to value length and burst. Carter has both of those things and can be coached up by Fangio to develop his pass rush technique. This is a potential pick as Carter only had 4.5 sacks this season, but the talent is there and after seeing the steps that Leonard Floyd has taken I am trusting Fangio to not only develop Carter in a similar way, but also to find a situational role for him as a rookie.

3[91] OLB Chad Thomas [Miami] 6'6" 265lbs.

While Carter gives the Bears another long speed rusher to go with Floyd, Thomas profiles more as a strongside OLB and someone who can set the edge and provide a power rush. Thomas is a physical rusher who uses his hands well to collapse the pocket and drive OTs back into the QB. Thomas can work behind Lynch and Houston while he develops and gives the Bears another talent/youth infusion at a key position.

4. CB Quentin Meeks [Stanford] 6'1" 205lbs.

The Bears need a 3rd outside CB and they need someone with some size as Leblanc and Callahan are woefully undersized on the outside. With Fuller and Prince starting Meeks gets some time to work on his technique with arguably the best position coach the Bears have had. Meeks has the physical talent to be an NFL starter and he comes from a system that Fangio installed at Stanford, I would be excited to see what Donatell can turn him into over the course of 2018. A pylon would be an upgrade over what Marcus Cooper gave the Bears last season as the backup outside CB.

4. NT Jeremy Tillery [Notre Dame] 6'6" 315lbs.

Hicks and Goldman play way too many snaps for guys of their size and you can see them wear down late in games and late in the season. The Bears need to add more young players who are capable of giving those guys more rest during the games. Tillery is a huge player with the length the Bears want on the DL and he can play NT and DE. Tillery is a really active player for a man of his size and gives the Bears someone who hopefully can jump into the rotation early and be more active than John Jenkins.

5. TE Ian Thomas [Indiana] 6'5" 252lbs.

Dion Sims just does not fit what Nagy does in the passing game and on top of it he is a mediocre blocker and makes too much money. Thomas is a receiving threat. He has the athletic ability to run the routes required of the TE in this offense and he had his best game this season against a very good Ohio St secondary. Thomas can pair with Shaheen to give the Bears 3 young dynamic receiving TEs. 

5. WR Steve Ishmael [Syracuse] 6'2" 210lbs.

With veteran free agents added to stabilize the WR core the Bears can push it down in the draft and draft a developmental player for 2018. Ishmael comes from a spread offense so he will need work on his routes and technique, but he has speed and size and the physical tools are there for him to be an NFL WR. For Syracuse he catches about 1 long pass a game and if he can find that role in the NFL that would be huge for an offense that struggles to get downfield.

6. QB Mike White [Western Kentucky] 6'4" 225lbs.

If you are going to invest so much in developing the QB [Nagy, Sanchez, etc] and are going to make it a priority you might as well get another young QB in the room and see if you can hit the lottery. Your biggest coaching asset right now is Nagy who specializes in the QB and while Trubisky is doing drills you might as well have another young guy doing the exact same drills. White has NFL skills, but like Trubisky comes from a wide open spread system and needs work. More than likely White never becomes anything and is the 3rd QB for a couple of seasons, but it is worth the risk even if you get a long term backup out of it.

 7. ILB Nyles Morgan [Notre Dame] 6'1" 245lbs.

The Bears inside LB position has had the depth tested every single year and the Bears need to continue to add options, specifically behind Trevathan. Morgan is an all around LB that has the size and physicality to hold up in the 3-4 defense. Morgan is better against the run right now, but he has the athletic skills to improve in coverage. At a minimum in 2018 he can play short yardage snaps and on special teams.

Depth Chart

QB: Trubisky, Sanchez, White
RB: Howard, Cohen, Cunningham
WR: Richardson, Meredith, Wilson, Inman, Ishmael, White
TE: Shaheen, Brown, Thomas
LT: Leno
LG: Sitton, Fulton
C: Whithair, Kush
RG: Long, Morgan
RT: Brown, Massie

RE: Bullard/Robertson-Harris
NT: Goldman, Tillery
LE: Hicks, Unrien
OLB: Floyd, Carter
ILB: Kwaitowski, Jones
ILB: Trevathan, Timu, Morgan
OLB: Lynch, Houston, Thomas
CB: Fuller, Amukamara, Meeks, Callahan, Leblanc, McManis
SS: Amos, Hall/Bush
FS: Jackson, Demps

Good Offseason plan. The Bears badly need an OT. You also get potential pass rushers for a team with a weak edge rush. In the modern NFL you will not win important games  without hitting the QB.

[Rogerthat]

8 minutes ago, Sugashane said:

 

I do really like the idea of spending a 4th on Callaway. He is a first round talent, hopefully he can get it together.

He has gang banger friends you remove the bad friends you get a different result

[RTD]

1 hour ago, Rogerthat said:

other than Tavon Austin how many short fast WRs go in the top 10.  Hill wasn't going to be a first rounder even with a clean off field. 

you can also find these guys in the late rounds every year. Antonio Callaway is this year Hill and there will be another guy in 2019 and etc 

I agree with you on short WRs not going in top 15 Roger and I did not mean that we needed to get one with the 8th pick. Just that we will need to throw FA dollars at a good speed WR. But you are right that Pace doesn't need to over spend on an elite WR.

[AZBearsFan]

Some critique, some devil’s advocate:

-I continue to not see what you do in Amukamara. He is replacement level to me, and at that price I think you can do better even in a short term replacement. Not only did he not have an INT this year, he has just 1 in the past 3 seasons combined and only 7 total in 7 years. He’s had more than 1 INT in a season once in 7 years. He’s played 16 games once in 7 years. He’s not a liability in coverage, but beyond that he’s just a guy. That doesn’t justify a multi-year deal at starter money to me. 

-Re: Richardson 700 yards is not solid #2 production in 2018. The market is going to be flooded with cash and guys will definitely be overpaid but paying a #3 talent at a #1/2 rate troubles me. In your scenario is Richardson expected to be playing the Tyreek Hill role? He’s going to need to make a sizable jump to even remotely justify that contract. Not saying he can’t - I do like him and liked him coming out 4 years ago a lot, but I really dislike the price tag.

-If Fulton is worth 3/15 wouldn’t you think he’d sign somewhere he would have more of a guarantee to play in 2018? I think if you’re signing a player to that deal you’ve probably already decided that you’re releasing Sitton. And I’d be fine with that in that scenario. But how many backup OL in the NFL make $5M per? 

-You’re making Sherman the 2nd highest paid FB in the NFL here. Is he that good a blocker to justify that? Does Nagy use a FB enough for that to even matter? (Asking not to criticize but because I don’t know) I don’t see him as a guy you sign because of his ability to run and catch though - I think that’s a big stretch. He has 20 total carries and 55 catches in 7 seasons. 

 

[Sugashane]

5 hours ago, Rogerthat said:

He has gang banger friends you remove the bad friends you get a different result

 

And I try to hook him up with Trubisky, Shaheen, and Howard. Try to make them emulate Manning, Clark, James, and he can potentially be a Harrison. Not sure where Cohen fits, but get him in there too. That is a solid group as far as character goes from all accounts.

 

From what I read Callaway moved in with his agent to get into a better place away from those "distractions."

[topwop1]

16 hours ago, Rogerthat said:

He ran a 4.35 40 at bama's pro day as a sophomore that is top 10 speed. That's speed the bears need to make this offense work.

You can find guys at WR with 4.35 speed in the later rounds.  I don;t believe this makes you a top-10 pick.  Ridley will be a 24 year old rookie at 190 lbs.

[G08]

With Nagy coming into the fold, I am expecting quick, dynamic, speed athletes to be brought into the receiver position.

 

[AZBearsFan]

1 hour ago, topwop1 said:

You can find guys at WR with 4.35 speed in the later rounds.  I don;t believe this makes you a top-10 pick.  Ridley will be a 24 year old rookie at 190 lbs.

People say that like it’s a huge knock but I don’t see it that way at all. A 24 year old WR realistically has, what, a 9-10 year career if he’s a top player? Instead of 11-12 if he were 22? That’s not moving me off of him as a prospect at all. You’re still buying the entirety of his athletic prime. 

Long was 25 as a rookie but has been a pro bowl level performer from the outset. Even if he were to retire tomorrow getting that level of play even for 4-5 years justifies taking him early. You worry about his age when that first deal is up, but that’s five years down the road, which in the NFL is an eternity. 

[WindyCity]

15 hours ago, AZBearsFan said:

Some critique, some devil’s advocate:

-I continue to not see what you do in Amukamara. He is replacement level to me, and at that price I think you can do better even in a short term replacement. Not only did he not have an INT this year, he has just 1 in the past 3 seasons combined and only 7 total in 7 years. He’s had more than 1 INT in a season once in 7 years. He’s played 16 games once in 7 years. He’s not a liability in coverage, but beyond that he’s just a guy. That doesn’t justify a multi-year deal at starter money to me. 

-Re: Richardson 700 yards is not solid #2 production in 2018. The market is going to be flooded with cash and guys will definitely be overpaid but paying a #3 talent at a #1/2 rate troubles me. In your scenario is Richardson expected to be playing the Tyreek Hill role? He’s going to need to make a sizable jump to even remotely justify that contract. Not saying he can’t - I do like him and liked him coming out 4 years ago a lot, but I really dislike the price tag.

-If Fulton is worth 3/15 wouldn’t you think he’d sign somewhere he would have more of a guarantee to play in 2018? I think if you’re signing a player to that deal you’ve probably already decided that you’re releasing Sitton. And I’d be fine with that in that scenario. But how many backup OL in the NFL make $5M per? 

-You’re making Sherman the 2nd highest paid FB in the NFL here. Is he that good a blocker to justify that? Does Nagy use a FB enough for that to even matter? (Asking not to criticize but because I don’t know) I don’t see him as a guy you sign because of his ability to run and catch though - I think that’s a big stretch. He has 20 total carries and 55 catches in 7 seasons. 

 

Amukamara may not pick off passes, but he was well above replacement level this season.

We are going to overpay a WR and probably one that can run fast. 700 yards and 6 TDs is totally fine for a #2 option and would be a lot by #2 WR standards in this offense. The Bears are desperate and they need someone who can start and run.

In my world Sitton would be released in camp if Fulton beats him out. If not Fulton will probably start the year at RG and then fill in till 2019.

Sherman is paid that by the Chiefs so I will assume he has that value to the offense.

[topwop1]

41 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said:

People say that like it’s a huge knock but I don’t see it that way at all. A 24 year old WR realistically has, what, a 9-10 year career if he’s a top player? Instead of 11-12 if he were 22? That’s not moving me off of him as a prospect at all. You’re still buying the entirety of his athletic prime. 

Long was 25 as a rookie but has been a pro bowl level performer from the outset. Even if he were to retire tomorrow getting that level of play even for 4-5 years justifies taking him early. You worry about his age when that first deal is up, but that’s five years down the road, which in the NFL is an eternity. 

I don't think it's a huge knock but it's just another factor to take into consideration.  Personally I don't see the appeal of drafting Ridley that high, especially from what we've seen from the high WR draft picks the past few years, but that's just me.