- Cordarrelle Patterson is working exclusively with the running backs. - EJax has seen time with the receivers - Bilal Nichols is getting the first look at replacing Eddie Goldman at NT
Nagy just can't help himself with Eddie Jackson I guess. He's crucial to the defense...if he gets hurt on offense I would never forgive the coach that made that decision. Nichols could fill Goldman's shoes quite nicely. Especially if RRH can step up with more playing time.
Why he's at it he should try Nick Foles at safety. That would make him a completely balanced stable genius.
WR coach Mike Furrey describing Anthony Miller: “He’s starting to understand defenses and coverages and leverages — that stuff, it’s not just playground. Now everything’s slowing down for him from a route-running standpoint. He gets in meetings, he can respond, he can communicate. He’s not tucking his hat down and giving one-word answers.” WR coach Mike Furrey describing Javon Wims: "We'll see how bad he wants it." Nichols has to. Goldman opted out, as did his primary backup John Jenkins on 7/30. So who's behind Nichols? Its nearly impossible to play NT 100% of the time. Per the bears' website, an undrafted rookie from Mississippi State Lee Autry is the guy. Well then... RRH? The dude was straight garbage last year and often invisible, speaking to the lack of 5 tech depth. He's a cheap body on this team, nothing more.
Jenkins wasn't an opt out...he was on the Covid reserve list and then activated. He's a backup at best. I disagree. He struggled at times last year but has everything it takes to be an average to slightly above lineman. He will benefit from having two legit outside pass rushers and a healthy Hicks inside with him.
Just when we thought wed seen it all with Nagy's cuteness. Outside of QB, the other two positional battles I'm interested in are CB and TE. I'm guessing Jaylon Johnson will start opposite Fuller, but that's going to be tough to get up to speed, especially with no preseason games. As for TE, can Kmet actually establish himself as starter before the season? Nagy will be pressured to start Graham, much to the detriment of the offense.
Johnson might be a good enough athlete to fake it until he learns enough to actually handle the position. But if he starts you can count on QB's testing him early as well as testing the Bears interior run defense without Goldman. I think starting Graham at TE makes sense...he isn't the guy he once was but he's also not a bum. Kmet needs time but will probably see a good amount of snaps.
Well apparently Artie Burns tore his ACL so I guess that means it's Jaylon Johnson's job to lose. No way Tolliver wins that job. And this is assuming Skrine is NB.
He had a white hot start to the season, really good those first 4-5 games, but he did seem to really tail off thru the second half of the season. I'd guess last year was comfortably the most snaps he'd had, dunno if that played a role in the dropoff. There has been progress no doubt, but it seems to come in fits and starts. I liked them hitting him with the 2nd round tender this offseason, but he's entering his 4th season now, i'd say this is a pretty make or break year for RRH. Straight up bum. Worst signing of any team in FA. We'll see it quickly. I'm a bit of a fan admittedly, but not knowing anything of how TC is going i would def be starting Tolliver. Whoever lines up across from Fuller is gonna be targeted, i would def be going with the guy who has a little more game time/NFL experience under his belt. CB is a hard position to come out of College and be NFL-effective and this is a terrible offseason to try and do from as well. Unless Johnson is lighting up TC i would've thought its Tolliver's to lose initially.
I actually like Tolliver too. I think he has potential. But Johnson is likely the better athlete. Not that that always correlates to being the better player.
Nobody was going to give the bears a 2nd for RRH... The guy was invisible last year. He showed in 2018 that he can be decent if Akeim Hicks and Khalil Mack can take up multiple blockers and he gets a cookie of an opposing OLineman to get past in Fangio's scheme where the defense looks the same every play but zone/man/blitz couldn't be figured out by a QB until he drops back. He doesn't disrupt and he stat-stuffed the first of two Minny games last season where the Vikes slept through Chase Daniel picking them apart after Mitch went down with the shoulder injury (1.5 of his 2.5 sacks and 2 of his 3 batted passes on the year). I had a very optimistic view of the guy after a very promising 2018, but oh man was he an utter disappointment in 2019, and to me, he's a candidate ripe for the old mantra: "what have you done for me lately?" Don't get me wrong, I'm not oblivious to the fact that having great, high paid stars in some positions means you can't have them at every position. Sometimes you need bodies in spots because a great unit masks the flaws of the individual. For example, its why Clinton Dicks looked like a functioning safety at times when in Dallas and GB he was the target of most competent QBs. Also given Pace's limited picks through his own jackassery, getting a decent 5 tech in the draft means you don't get a CB or a TE, two positions of obvious, larger need. I get why he's still here, but at this point--I'm at where most of us were with Aaron Lynch during his tenure here and I'll be that guy who thinks they could have gotten a better bargain for 3.25 mil that he's going to get this year at the 5 tech position (Adrian Clayborne 2.75 mil, Derek Wolfe 3 mil, Jihad Ward 1 and change mil, I could go on).
This. Which is why (for now) I like the Jaylon Johnson pick more. Mainly because Artie Burns was trash in Pittsburgh (and just tore his knee up apparently?) and the CFL "stud" the bears signed was released due to a non-football injury. One question. I get he's a Special teams ace and a fantastic contributor depth-wise (especially at the nickel) but what about Sherrick McMannis? With names dropping like flies, and a 2nd and 5th round CBs drafted, he's a name at the position, under contract. I'm not going to compare, but I see some Corey Graham potential in the guy (another former ST ace who went on to have a fantastic career when he left, though McMannis is 32 and Graham left the bears at 27 before becoming the ravens CB2 at 28 when someone got injured. Tolliver is hot and cold. I'd be okay with him getting 60-70% before the 2nd rounder gets 30-40% of playing time. If RRH proves me wrong, I'll happily volunteer. Wish I had your optimism. Or do I just need to drink more scotch first?
I'm not surprised. I'm really wondering what the impact will be on the players, their families and staff once the season starts.
