Errr, what? Please don't tell me this is for big money. So much better uses, especially after the earlier signing.
I honestly don't have an issue with this. Bears have seriously upgraded their run defense and middle of the field pass defense today.
What the hell? For a non-pass rushing LB, waaay too much. I like the idea of the shopping spree but that contract makes no sense.
If by run D you mean missing less tackles 5yards past the LOS then yeah absolutely. DL's effect run D way more than LB. A pass rush is useful for your pass D. Wake me when Poles gets his priorities straight.
Its straight up too much money relative to the position and its a position need that should be way down the list. You know, since the Bears were historically bad in generating pressures, also stunk at stopping the run and themselves led the league in QB pressures given up on Offense. This feels like Poles' first misstep.
For now I'm happy with the G signing and the LB from the Eagles but why on earth was off-the-ball LBs a top priority today is beyond me. It might mean that Poles is 100% committed to going OL and DL virtually every draft pick. But we do need at least 1 impact FA on each line badly. Then you can fill out the rest of guys with draft picks or the scrap heap.
One thing about this Nate Davis signing, we know 1 of 2 things is happening. Either Whitehair is gone or Jenkins is going back out to RT. I'd actually like both ha. I think Whitehair is done and ive always said Jenkins best position is RT.
FFS, the LIons just resigned Anzalone for 6mil per. That is such a good signing. That guy can really play and its not even costing them much.
So Urlacher and Briggs didn’t make the Bears run defense better? Bears definitely need upgrades on the line. My guess is Poles is aware of that. But good linebackers help a hell of a lot. Especially in a gap control system.
Great example from 15years ago but im thinking more recently, like a few months back when our DL was getting blown off the ball constantly. Im not saying Edmunds is a bad player, he's not, he's a very good player but "it all starts at the 2nd level" is not the saying for a reason. The Bears will get serious about their trenches this offseason or they will have a losing record next year, it really is that simple. There's still time, we'll see. But when you think just how bad they were on both lines last year then yeah i have a problem with paying an off-ball LB $18mil per in the first hour of FA.
That Davis contract is 3years $30mil with 19guaranteed. That is another good contract tbh. Poles so far has 1 overpay(i use the term loosely cos it was always gonna cost a bit for him) and 2 very nice value deals for good players. Waiting for more..
That division was trash this year too though, and they still got #9 overall, and now they don't have Moore. Not saying they can't improve, FA and the draft might make them better, and TB without TB will certainly be worse, but the Saints with Carr will be better if not world beaters, and who knows about the Falcons. A top 10 pick is still 7 wins, like I said last year when arguing if the Bears would have a top 10 pick (one of the few times I was right, and man was I ever right, I did not expect #1 overall, heh). Yeah, it probably won't be Top 5, but Top 10 I think is a pretty reasonable expectation. That run heavy offense doesn't have CMC to rely on anymore. They will have a rookie QB taking his lumps. I'm not sold at all.
I like the Nate Davis signing, but I am in complete meatball mode of "TRENCHES". I want DL/OL. Pat had me convinced that there was going to be a lot in the way of capable DL to pick up. Maybe after this initial wave of overpay there will be some better priced candidates. It's probably one of the few times though we can overpay and front load though, #1 in cap space by a mile. What I don't want to see is anything that hamstrings us down the line OR "all in" kind of bullshit. Wasn't it Mitch's 3rd year that Captain Dumbass went all in on Mack like we were already built? Improve slow and steady, I don't mind things thus far, but if say, Mustipher is our starting C next year I will lose my goddamn mind.
I'm also loving that Rodgers is still holding the Packers hostage, though it will suck if they get a big haul, I'd much rather he retire and leave them holding the bag. It does seem pretty likely he's not playing for GB next year.
I don’t think signing Edmunds means they aren’t investing in the trench. I think Poles struck where he could. He’s obviously taking age into account with the deals made and not made today. Bears seem set to use the draft now to address the line with the back 7 seemingly set for this defense. They 100% need help up front but both linebackers signed today will improve this defense. I think a lot of these deals are dictated by the agents. If an agent says hey my guy is set to sign now with this team, match or better the offer….a GM has to move. I don’t think these signings mean Poles valued linebackers over linemen…he’s riding the wave of the market and striking out where he has to strike. I could be totally wrong but I don’t think it’s always so black and white the way fans like to think.
I think that Poles is telling us what he thinks of the LB's in the draft. He traded for WR's because he said that the off-season crop - FA or draft - didn't impress him. Now, on day one, he goes hard after two LB's. All of that aligns with the general feeling on the draft class, which is that WR and LB are thinner positions. Poles is spending on younger guys with NFL experience at positions where he feels he'd have to overdraft talent. If that's the case, I'm good with that. I called them bringing in LB's and probably moving Sanborn over to Sam, letting him be more of a rushing down guy, which aligns with his athletic ceiling. That's a group of three you can be happy about. Signing Edmunds for not much less than Roquan did tells me that Eberflus was really not a fan of Roquan. Time will tell whether that's the right call or not. And yeah, that first contract looked a LITTLE rich to me, but now seeing everything else go down in free agency, I'm leaning towards agreeing with BWW that it was actually more a steal of a deal than anything else. Stupid money is flying. On that note, Dre'mont Jones goes to Seattle for a contract that I would've been happy giving him. Davenport on a one year deal to the Vikings. Impact guys on the DL are being snapped up, and Chicago is left empty-handed. Considering they need to go hard on DL and OL, I was hoping to see more free agency action to take pressure off the draft. I guess we'll see. I expected them to sign a guard, just not on day one as a priority. I'm curious what that means for their interior plans. I felt like Jenkins was a RT from day one, but he's been jerked around so much that I'm in favor of keeping him at RG now. He's very good there, and was the best player on the line last year. He has a violence and suddenness that you need to play OG - a trait that I think a lot of pundits forget about when they project a college OT as an NFL OG. Curious to see how this plays out. Overall, a good first day. They plugged holes with good players - LB and interior OL look like team strengths now. However, I feel like they put bigger money on players there than maybe I would've expected, without making splashes at OT or DL, positions of arguably greater need. The deals they gave weren't too rich or too long, and to young players with good track records. Add DJ Moore, and that's a good start.
