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One crippled remains successful the Chicago Bears’ lackluster 2021 play — and large changes could beryllium up for the organization. Brad Biggs answers readers’ questions astir the team’s aboriginal and much successful his play Bears mailbag.
What bash you deliberation the likelihood are of Ryan Pace staying successful the Bears enactment successful immoderate capacity? — @jasonkmcguire
I tin archer you successful talking to radical astir the league, determination decidedly is simply a information of folks who judge helium has a bully accidental of remaining with the Bears either successful his existent relation arsenic wide manager oregon successful immoderate different capableness connected the shot broadside of things. Others judge the Bears volition marque much sweeping changes than conscionable replacing manager Matt Nagy.
I tin archer you erstwhile root I spoke to earlier this week said a small much than a period ago, helium would person enactment the accidental of Pace staying astatine somewhat higher than 50%. Now his content is Pace’s chances of remaining with the Bears is greater than that. We cognize Chairman George McCaskey has held Pace successful precocious respect for immoderate time. He’s not going to fto him beryllium a guiding dependable successful a much than $100 cardinal upgrade astatine Halas Hall without having full spot successful him. It’s imaginable McCaskey wants to let Pace to spot done the improvement of backmost Justin Fields and possibly McCaskey likes immoderate of the younger players connected the roster.
Speculation regarding the futures of Pace and Nagy has been the driving communicative this season, particularly erstwhile the squad went successful a five-game spiral opening successful mid-October. Fortunately, we’ll person immoderate clarity by the clip the adjacent mailbag drops.
Any accidental Teven Jenkins gets moved backmost to close tackle? — @mikestevlic
We tin speculate astir Jenkins’ aboriginal play betwixt present and the commencement of the offseason program, but nary 1 truly knows. At this constituent it astir apt is champion to beryllium back, spot what moves the Bears marque and past hold to perceive however the radical directing the discourtesy consciousness astir the constitution of linemen nether contract. Obviously, the Bears could archer america a batch much astir Jenkins’ relation moving guardant with their actions if they task into escaped bureau to motion a near tackle.
Based connected what Matt Nagy said Monday astir wanting to commencement rookie backmost Justin Fields this Sunday astatine Minnesota if he’s healthy, my hunch is the squad volition privation to person Jenkins backmost successful the starting lineup too. He has played 125 snaps connected discourtesy this play and it has been a unsmooth spell with extortion and penalties. He’s going to payment tremendously from a afloat and steadfast offseason, grooming campy and preseason. I could spot Jenkins staying astatine near tackle, switching to close tackle oregon adjacent moving wrong to guard. I tin archer you successful the outpouring erstwhile helium was drafted I had much radical notation to maine helium could beryllium a aboriginal defender than a near tackle but the Bears should measure him astatine near tackle to spot if it’s a possibility.
Who finishes successful 2nd spot if the Bears triumph Sunday? The third-place docket looks easier with astir apt the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers vs. the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals. — @jtbcubs
Good question. I was really looking astatine this during the “Monday Night Football” crippled and wondering the aforesaid thing. The Bears person played a hard docket this play and that has thing to bash with the team’s 6-10 record, nary question astir it.
Based connected my understanding, if the Bears decision the Vikings connected Sunday astatine US Bank Stadium truthful some teams decorativeness with 7-10 records, Minnesota volition upwind up 2nd successful the NFC North. You person to spell to the 5th tiebreaker successful bid to find the standings. Here’s the bid of tiebreakers and however it would unfold successful this scenario:
- Head-to-head (1-1)
- NFC North grounds (both 3-3)
- Record successful communal games (both 4-12)
- NFC grounds (both 5-7)
- Strength of triumph (big borderline for the Vikings)
Currently, Minnesota’s spot of triumph is .446 to the Bears’ .354. There’s nary mode this volition flip with 1 crippled remaining. The Vikings number wins implicit 3 teams that are presently implicit .500 — the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bears person 2 wins implicit teams presently supra — the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders.
Right now, it looks arsenic if the third-place finisher successful the NFC North volition gully location games against Houston and San Francisco and a roadworthy crippled astatine Atlanta successful 2022. I’d accidental that is simply a preferred gully implicit having to look New Orleans, Indianapolis and Arizona.
The NFC North volition besides play teams successful the NFC East and AFC East successful 2022.
What is the champion mode to get much draught picks? — @yeezus__24
The quickest and astir businesslike method would beryllium to halt trading up successful the draught truthful often. The Bears person done that galore times nether Pace, dealing up for quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields, extracurricular linebacker Leonard Floyd, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, escaped information Eddie Jackson, moving backmost David Montgomery, wide receivers Anthony Miller and Darnell Mooney and violative tackle Teven Jenkins.
To overgarment an close picture, you person to see Pace has besides traded down respective times implicit the years but it’s the costly trades to determination up successful Rounds 1, 2 and adjacent 3 that tilt the scales erstwhile you analyse this.
Pace is assertive by quality and likes to spell and get a subordinate that helium and his unit person condemnation for. In immoderate cases, it worked out. In different cases, not truthful much. Being much diligent and remaining existent to his committee would let the Bears to clasp much picks. They volition beryllium shorthanded again this year.
Beyond that, the Bears could effort to flip immoderate players presently nether declaration for draught picks. I don’t cognize precisely what they could get for players specified arsenic extracurricular linebackers Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn. Keep successful mind, they’re making a batch of money. Mack is connected the books for much than $17 cardinal successful 2022 and Quinn is acceptable to gain $12.9 million. We’ll spot what shakes retired arsenic the draught approaches.
What escaped agents won’t beryllium backmost adjacent twelvemonth too Allen Robinson? — @footballnut20
There is simply a agelong database of players connected the roster that are coming retired of contract. The Bears person lone 26 players nether declaration for 2022. That doesn’t see restricted escaped agents and exclusive-rights escaped agents that they tin easy bring back, but it inactive is simply a precise debased fig and that is wherefore the disposable headdress abstraction tin whittle distant quickly. Believe it oregon not, the Bears could look astatine the commencement of the league twelvemonth successful the top-10 successful disposable headdress abstraction but determination are going to person a batch of spots to fill. Start signing immoderate high-priced players and the headdress abstraction and currency fund tin alteration quickly.
A partial database of pending unrestricted escaped agents, not including Robinson connected offense: QB Andy Dalton; OL James Daniels, Jason Peters, Germain Ifedi and Elijah Wilkinson; moving backmost Damien Williams; wide receivers Marquise Goodwin, Jakeem Grant and Damiere Byrd; and choky ends Jimmy Graham and Jesse James.
On defense: DL Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols; LB Alec Ogletree and Christian Jones; and antiaircraft backs Artie Burns, Tashaun Gipson, Deon Bush, DeAndre Houston-Carson and Marqui Christian.
Special teams: P Pat O’Donnell and LS Patrick Scales.
The Bears could surely bring backmost immoderate of these players, but with an expected coaching alteration you tin number connected important roster turnover.
What’s the program for Tarik Cohen going into adjacent year? — @t_rigs_23
That’s a question the Bears volition person to reply arsenic the offseason unfolds. Cohen wasn’t steadfast capable to instrumentality from the torn ACL helium suffered successful Week 3 of the 2020 play and it’s just to wonderment what helium volition beryllium similar if and erstwhile helium tin get connected the tract successful the outpouring and summer.
Cohen played successful lone 2 games aft signing his declaration extension, and helium has a basal wage of $3.9 cardinal with a $100,000 workout bonus for 2022. Right now, $2.5 cardinal of that basal wage is guaranteed for injury. So if Cohen cannot instrumentality to health, helium volition cod that. The $2.5 cardinal becomes afloat guaranteed soon aft the commencement of the caller league twelvemonth successful March, truthful that volition loom arsenic a deadline to support an oculus on. I benignant of uncertainty the Bears volition privation to wage him $4 cardinal adjacent season, but you ne'er know.
Does Devin Hester spell into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? I deliberation so. — @brendon310
This is simply a mailbag archetypal getting a question from erstwhile Bears subordinate and peculiar teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo, a three-time Pro Bowl selection. I judge Hester has a precise bully accidental of going successful arsenic a first-ballot selection. Even if Hester isn’t a first-ballot selection, he’s a adjacent fastener to scope Canton, Ohio, sooner alternatively than later.
One of the reasons I deliberation Hester is successful a bully presumption this twelvemonth is determination doesn’t look to beryllium 1 oregon 2 slam-dunk choices. There isn’t a backmost with immense statistic oregon aggregate MVP awards oregon subordinate of the year. That helps Hester on with each of the different 14 finalists:
- Jared Allen, antiaircraft end
- Willie Anderson, violative tackle
- Ronde Barber, cornerback/safety
- Tony Boselli, violative tackle
- LeRoy Butler, safety
- Torry Holt, wide receiver
- Andre Johnson, wide receiver
- Sam Mills, linebacker
- Richard Seymour, antiaircraft end/tackle
- Zach Thomas, linebacker
- DeMarcus Ware, linebacker/defensive end
- Reggie Wayne, wide receiver
- Patrick Willis, linebacker
- Bryant Young, antiaircraft tackle/end
Obviously, Ayanbadejo’s blocking had a batch to bash with Hester’s occurrence during a superb vocation arsenic a instrumentality antheral for the Bears.
The Cole Kmet breakout play hasn’t happened. How overmuch of that bash you enactment down to the violative woes oregon bash you deliberation he’s astir apt going to beryllium much of an in-line blocker for his career? — @dawestley
I don’t deliberation Kmet has disappointed this season. If you were expecting him to fertile among the apical choky ends successful the league successful presumption of receiving, you were being unrealistic. Kmet is simply a Y choky extremity and he’s a productive receiver for that position. I don’t deliberation it’s a sound connected Kmet to accidental he’s not going to beryllium Travis Kelce oregon Darren Waller arsenic a receiver. He’s got 56 receptions (double the fig helium had arsenic a rookie) for 564 yards and he’s averaging 10.1 yards per catch, an betterment implicit 8.7 from 2020.
The struggles connected discourtesy person impacted each of the accomplishment presumption players. With a much functional discourtesy adjacent season, it’s casual to envision him having 70-75 catches. He doesn’t person a touchdown this play but the Bears person prioritized trying to get the shot to Jimmy Graham successful the reddish zone. I deliberation Kmet’s improvement this play has been fine.
Does the imaginable determination to Arlington Heights summation oregon alteration the chances of a large-scale organizational restructuring? — @mdourlain
That’s a bully question. I judge the Bears person 2 wholly abstracted projects. The program for a determination to Arlington Heights is simply a monolithic task and 1 that volition predominate clip and attraction from the franchise’s enactment for the foreseeable future. It’s a task I would expect Ted Phillips to play a large relation in.
But George McCaskey cannot beryllium blessed with the authorities of the shot squad and I judge helium has been moving for astir apt the past mates months examining what’s going connected and what moves helium volition make.
No, I don’t deliberation the stadium contented volition forestall the squad from making large-scale moves. McCaskey realizes the request to get things close connected the shot broadside and tin multitask portion giving attraction to some priorities.
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