Twitter is not the avenue for nuance. Hopefully DBB can be. My thoughts on Martellus Bennett’s trade to New England:

• I completely understand the trade from the front office perspective. Ryan Pace is a young GM in a high-pressure gig and he’s not going to employ anyone he views as not having bought into his program.
• Nobody begrudges Bennett wanting more money as he’s one of the best tight ends in the league. But when his lack of commitment on the field was perceived as linked to financial demands, his hour glass flipped.
• Hard to criticize a player for not trying hard but I’ve done so with Bennett multiple times this season. It was also very clear from watching the games that Jay Cutler didn’t believe Bennett fought hard enough for balls thrown in his direction.
• The phrase “buy in” puts everything on Bennett. But did the Bears try and sell him? Did Pace ever sit Bennett down and explain how he can thrive in this system, with this quarterback? It was in the best interest of both parties to make this work.

Read More …

Few things of note worth weighing in on.

• Martellus Bennett is now a Patriot. This should thrill a player who cares about one thing: money. Ryan Pace doesn’t hesitate to dump players who don’t fit the culture. But I will reiterate what I’ve said for months. Bears should have spent entire offseason convincing Marty to buy-in. They’re worse without him.
• Bears signed former Broncos snapper Aaron Brewer to a one-year deal. Most interesting thought on the signing comes from the Twitter feed of former Bears scout Greg Gabriel: “Don’t think for a minute the Bears signing a new snapper wasn’t all about Gould’s misses last year. That’s ALL it was about.” Do I buy the snapper being to blame for Robbie blowing games? No. Do I doubt the team considers it a factor? No.
• Per Jimmy Shapiro at Bovada the Besrs have gone from 50/1 to 40/1 to win the Super Bowl this year. Have to say that’s a substantial jump considering the lack of sexiness surrounding their free agent haul. Vegas clearly understands the Bears are better today than they were ten days ago.
• Based on CJ Anderson’s comments (re: chasing more money to Chicago) one has to assume the Bears had interest in the Broncos back. My only question is…why?  Anderson is an okay back but can’t you find a bunch of him in the middle of the draft? And why would the Bears want to put money into a position there they could potentially have a young star at cost?
• Zach Miller was always coming back to Chicago, barring a huge divide in compensation. I don’t play the source game but here’s something I know: Cutler lobbied Miller aggressively to return. Don’t be surprised if Miller isn’t rewarded on the stat sheet next season.

Free agency success does not often equate to the field. Frequently the team making the largest cash splash in March lands with a deadened thump come September and beyond. But what Bears GM Ryan Pace has achieved in the first week of free agency is nothing short of a miracle.

Go through the league. Every team. And find the most improved position groups. Outside of the Giants defensive line, whose makeover cost about three hundred zillion dollars, one could argue the two most significantly upgraded positions in the NFL are on the Chicago Bears roster at inside linebacker and right guard.

Read More …

It was an exciting opening of the league year for the Chicago Bears. And one thing is absolutely certain: they got better. Five thoughts…

• The signings of Danny Trevathan and Bobby Massie mean the 2016 Bears will open the season significantly better at inside linebacker and right tackle. It also means they will see their most significant upgrade at right guard. Vlad Ducasse is horrible. Kyle Long is one of the best guards in the game.
• There will be a lot of chatter about the money given to Tracy Porter but it won’t come from me. Porter is not a shut down corner but he had a solid 2015 and the Bears didn’t need to create another hole in a secondary full of them.

Read More …

Three thoughts:

• Massie is a solid, professional tackle. He’s not elite but the Bears don’t necessarily need elite on the right edge.
• I was excited earlier today thinking the Bears might sign Jeff Allen to play right guard. Instead they’ll start one of the best guards in the sports: Kyle Long.
• Love that this Bears front office doesn’t run from roster deficiencies. Stubborn regimes of yesteryear would have kept Long outside and ignored a majority of the 2015 tape.

UPDATE 1. Adam Schefter broke the news of the signing on Twitter. Trevathan was the most logical free agency target for the Bears as they faced a glaring need in the middle of their defense. Is Trevathan great? Not really. But he improves a unit in desperate need of improvement.

UPDATE 2.

ILB Danny Trevathan is known as a fast, rangy tackler who also can cover. He’s a bit undersized (6-1, 240), which deepens need for stout DL

— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) March 9, 2016

Monday 5:35 AM CST – Expect news to break rapidly over the next day or so as teams are now allowed to enter into contract negotiations with free agents. Last year we pretty much knew every major deal before the start of the league year. Stay tuned to DBB for updates as news comes in.

Monday 11:42 AM – Nothing is happening.

Monday 1:00 PM – This is actually a pretty good breakdown of the potential targets for the Bears by Moon. Seems to me the need at inside linebacker and marketplace are in alignment. 

Monday 4:20 PM – I imagine teams/agents are all debating how long they can take before they leak the contract terms they’ve been illegally negotiating for weeks. Since they’ve only been “allowed to speak” since 4, what do you think? 5:30?

Monday 5:45 PM – Brace yourself, Bears fans.

Active market for LB Shea McClellin. Teams love his versatility. 3-4 teams like him at Mike and OLB. 4-3 teams like him at Mike and SAM.

— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) March 7, 2016

Monday 7:06 PM – Dwayne Allen was paid about 5 times what he’s worth by the Colts and Mike Klis reports Malik Jackson is a Bears target.

Tuesday 4:39 AM – What’s weird about this time of year is I wake up expecting to see big news having broken on my Twitter timeline overnight. Woke up this morning. Nothing. Won’t be available this morning (playing golf) so next update will be early afternoon.

Two things I’ve heard and believe. (1) Yes, the Bears are interested in both Danny Trevathan and Malik Jackson. But they seem more comfortable paying Trevathan, who could quarterback the defense. (2) Another primary target is the interior of the offensive line. Pace and Fox were not paying lip service to Charles Leno with recent comments. They are content with him starting on the edge in 2016. The player they should target is Richie Incognito but the Ray McDonald debacle looms large there.

Tuesday 2:48 PM – All signs pointing to a Bears/Trevathan deal. Stay tuned.

Wednesday 5:11 AM – Reports last night indicated the Falcons are also interested in Danny Trevathan and that Trevathan may be looking for more than the $7 million or so per the Bears are offering. Nevertheless, Trevathan seems to be the Bears initial target to start free agency.

Wednesday 8:51 AM – Marvin Jones has left the Bengals for the Lions, spurning the advances of former offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Lesson for Bears while pursuing Trevathan. Players always choose more cash over a coach they liked.

Wednesday 12:20 PM – Bears are now being linked with Chiefs guard Jeff Allen. 

The Bears have needs. Many needs. So I’ve decided to apply a point value to those needs. 0 points would mean the Bears have absolutely no need to address this position during free agency. 10 points would mean the Bears are in trouble come 2016 if they don’t make a significant move. Here are the rankings, with a single sentence of rationale for each.

9.2 Defensive Line

Yes, Eddie Goldman looked like a long-term contributor for the Bears up front, but this unit was the least explosive on the entirety of the roster in 2015.

8.3 Inside Linebacker

McClellin, Timu and Anderson each had moments last season but the Bears need a true run-stuffing thumper in the middle of their defense.

8.1 Offensive Line

With so much talent available in the middle of the line (Mack, Boone, Incognito) the Bears would be doing their run game in 2016 a tremendous disservice by entering the season with so many question marks along the line.

8.0 Tight End

If Martellus Bennett is truly headed out the door (as the whole world is reporting) the Bears not only need to sign Zach Miller but also pair him with another player to threaten the middle of the field.

Read More …