Remydat 2nd Mock Offseason

[dennehy]

That’s fine. Affecting comp picks is my biggest issue. That and getting tied up with long term contracts for players that aren’t really worth it. The Bears seem to always fall for that trap.

I think they will sign a few three year or so deals, but nothing crazy, other than maybe one OL. I think they probably need at least one WR who they know can be serviceable, can't risk hanging Fields out to dry.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

I think they will sign a few three year or so deals, but nothing crazy, other than maybe one OL. I think they probably need at least one WR who they know can be serviceable, can't risk hanging Fields out to dry.

It’s a trap! ?

 

[dennehy]

It’s a trap! ?

Was just doing some research, and no team can get more than 4 comp picks. The Bears potentially have AR (4), Daniels (5), Hicks (5), Nichols (6), Dalton (6), Grant (7), and Ifedi (7) who could possibly count toward comp picks (probably round pick in parentheses). I guess maybe someone might be dumb enough to pay Jimmy Graham more than $2.5?

Anyway, that would mean you could sign four FAs who count against the cap, including two more costly ones, and still have a 5th and 2 sixths.

 

[ErinAndrewsPeephole]

Great stuff. Thanks for doing this Remy. Always enjoy the mock offseason musings.

 

[94SupraTT]

Makes no sense to cut Foles as then you eat the bulk of his cap hit and then have to replace him. Only real option would be to try and trade him.

Mack has been restructured a few times alread so not much more you can do with that contract. I refrained from restructuring the others because that pushes more money into the future for guys that I would probably prefer to cut or trade sooner rather than later. So you would be adding more dead cap.

Even a low pick for Foles would be great. I don't know what value Foles brings at this point. In theory when were supposed to be running a KC offense it made sense. We aren't anymore (nor did we ever lol). Mariota or Tyrod makes more sense to me if the money is right. Hell, either of them could push Fields if he faultered.

 

[HearshotKDS]

Not a bad mock, although i probably go with a Chark or if the Bears could free up a bit more cash a MIke Williams over OBJ. There are still holes on the team, but the Bears cap situation means the team has to eat a shit sandwhich for at least a season, and the best they can do is try and minimize which positions get effected. Depth is going to suck regardless of what path the team takes thanks to the trade and contract habits of our last GM.

 

[pdxbearsfan]

Would prefer Kirk to OBJ
Don’t like Cody at C. Would prefer Jensen or Bozeman and keep Cody at LG
Penciling in Borom and Jenkins as starters seems dangerous to me. Would prefer an OT in round 2. Wouldn’t mind bringing back Daniels at RG. Then have Jenkins/Borom/Rookie OT compete for the 2 starting spots.

I would do kirk also, not an OBJ fan, constant injury & drama too often.

 

[pdxbearsfan]

Not bad, and I think a lot of thought went into it.

I'm leery of Jenkins at LT, given the injuries he had this season. I think O-Line must be the priority (Fields had at least two injuries that had him missing starts). As everyone here knows, my guy for the O-Line is Faalele out of Minnesota to play Rt, with Borom at LT. His size (6'9", 400 pounds) will be huge in the run game - no pun intended, and that would be a big boost for Fields.

As for QB, I think the Bears are better off cutting Foles. Not that he's a bad backup, in fact I think he is one of the best QB2s in the league. My problem is that Fields is very mobile and can scramble, and Foles just isn't as athletic. I think QB1 and QB2 should be very similar in styles. I'd cut Foles, and look for Cam Newton or Marcus Mariota as the QB2, I've often grabbed Mariota when I do mocks, but Newton may be better given that Fields reminds me of Cam. The Bears look to draft someone in the late rounds or find a UDFA in that Fields/Newton mold for QB3.

Also, I think you're neglecting restructuring as a means of building more cap room. Restructuring Mack, Jackson, Goldman, and Whitehair gets about $20 million more cap room.

That can be to keep at least one of Hicks/Nichols, and maybe both. That bolsters the 3T position on defense. Or, better yet, maybe that "base 4-3" can be a 46 instead, with Hicks-Goldman-Nichols starting at three DL spots, Mack at RDE (Dent's position) with Gipson at SLB.

Just a few thoughts and musings.

I agree with your comment on QB # 2 being similar style to starter. Very important look @ what Ravens did with Huntley.

 

[remydat]

I see Gipson as a successor to Mack in the best-case scenario. Maybe he is more a solid DE vs. Mack's dominate status, but if you are in nickel a lot of the time, Gipson's a very good guy to have, and may even warrant trading Quinn for some draft capital this year.

If the Bears DO end up playing nickel 75% of the time, bringing Bruce Irvin back as your third "edge"/pass rusher coul dbe cheaper.

The question is, could Quinn net at least one second-round pick this year?

If we can get a 1st or 2nd round pick for Quinn then I obviously make the deal. Otherwise, Mack, Quinn, and Gipson is a good rotation at DE.

I see that point. An NFL team could do a lot worse than Foles when it comes to QB2. But is he the best choice for QB2 and for Fields (and the Bears) in the long run, given who else is available in free agency? To me, the answer is no, and that's because we have Cam Newton and Marcus Mariota as free agents.

Honestly, I'd take the cap hit from releasing Foles if I can get Cam Newton as QB2. During his rookie deal and in his prime, Cam Newton was the best athlete on the field the vast majority of the games he played, just like Justin Fields arguably is right now. It makes sense to have Newton.

I guess the point is why take the cap hit just to swap out backups for 1 year. Just not a good use of resources given all our needs and limited cap.

 

[remydat]

Walker is more of a Sam… channing tindall is my choice for will linebacker. A simple correction I was talking about travon walker. I still stand by Channing tindall being the better choice over quay walker doe.

Quan is your Will. Walker is a guy that TDN projected as a Will but I am saying he has the skills to play Mike since he is better at taking on blocks than Quan. Walker is projected as a late 2nd or 3rd rounder. Tindall is projected as a late 4th/early 5 rounder and we don't have a 4th and pick to late in the 5th for him. Of course that is entirely a projection so he may move up or down when it is all said and down but just going off of where TDN have them ranked.

 

[remydat]

So we’re giving him a moniker of Sam linebacker but he’s not a Sam—he’s a rotating DE?

This is not that complicated. We play nickel 75% of the time. So for 75% of the time it will be he will rotate in as a DE either to spell Quinn and Mack or you move Mack inside at times on passing downs to get all 3 on the field at the same time.

The other 25% of the time I am saying he can play SAM. Of that 25% he will only be in coverage around 5-10% of the time since teams run more when 2 WR and 2 TE/FB sets. In a 70 play game that means he is in coverage around 6 or 7 times and that is assuming he doesn't blitz every which you probably have him blitz from time to time as well.

So the point SAM is a backup position in the modern NFL. Teams play 11 personnel so much now that most defense respond by having a NB in even on 1st and 2nd down rather than risk a SAM getting caught guarding a WR.

 

[remydat]

I don't want OBJ on a team with a developing quarterback. The last thing you need in developing Fields is asking him to worry about keeping OBJ happy with targets instead of just making his reads and getting the ball where it needs to be on-time. The rest is cool, I'd call it a successful offseason. I appreciate the effort to put that all together @remydat.

I get the concern but think it is unwarranted here. OBJ's skill set is exactly what Fields likes to do which is attack downfield. Furthermore his issue was Baker missed tons of reads where he was open particularly downfield. If Fields is making his reads then he will find OBJ open.

The reality is OBJ was right about Baker. The Browns basically fell apart in the end because Baker simply couldn't hack it. So much so that he actually finished with a slightly lower grade than Fields despite being in a much better situation with an elite OL, elite RBs and comparable WRs not to mention being a 4 year vet. By contrast you would expect fields to improve upon this year.

 

[remydat]

Do we know that Flus wants to run a 4-3 for sure?

Nah, but probably some, and he hasplayed nickel or dime close to 80% the last few years. The EDGE players are going to be in 4 man fronts the vast majority of the time.

He confirmed at his press conference he was switching to 4-3 and noted he has undergone transitions from 3-4 to 4-3 before. Having said that it will be 4-2-5 most of the time which was true this year. Bears ran nickel or dime (ie 4-2-5 or 4-1-6) 75% of the time and Eberflus ran it around 80% of the time.

 

[remydat]

I really hope they don’t go big in free agency.

There is nothing they can do in free agency that will make this team a Super Bowl contender next year. A lot of signings do nothing but hamper the team down the road with big cap hits and don’t have a big payoff.

Poles needs to:

1. Learn the roster and decide which of our free agents he needs to re-sign. (Daniels is the big one)

2. Nail the draft. (As much as he can with limited resources)

3. Hopefully get some good UDFA’s in the pipeline as there will be plenty of jobs to compete for.

4. Sign fee agents after the draft that are more of the one year types. Aim for younger vets on “prove it” deals.

5. Extend Quan.

The worst thing Poles can do is think he has to make a big “splash” this year. Take it slow. Don’t make big moves that will cost you down the road. Next year after he really knows the roster and has all his front office guys in place is the year for that big splash.

I think the main issue is you have to fix the OL this year IMO as it is necessary for Fields development. And I don't know that you want to fix it by having a ton of young guys on the line trying to figure shit out. So whether you go with Tomlinson and Williams or Daniels plus one other vet OL, the point is you need to get some semblance of a competent OL this offseason so that Fields can develop.

I was building on the premise those moves at least have us competing for the playoffs next year but if you wanted to just take stock and make 2023 the first year you really try to compete then I would probably trade a few players like Quinn, Mack, Whitehair, Jackson, Cohen, etc converting salary into SB if I needed to make some of those guys more attractive and then focus on the draft this year hopefully with a few more draft picks due to those trades, get a better 1st rounder next year because I will suck and then have about 100m or so for 2023.

 

[remydat]

And like most mocks, we can now cross these guys off the list…do people ever get FA’s/draft pick mock guesses correct?!

I mean, I’m sure once in a blue moon…a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while

11- Justin Fields - Predicated on the idea that Niners go Lance or Jones (hopefully Jones) and that no team jumps higher than 11 (looking at you Pats) for a QB. I think there is enough talent at other positions with OL, WRs and Pitts that the teams in the top 10 may not be too fond of the idea of trading out of the top 10. Fields seems to be dropping some but he is a Newton-Wilson hybrid IMO and worth the gamble. As it is only 9 spots, able to get the Giants pick for a first and 3rd next year similar to the trade for Mahomes and Watson.

Remydat's Final Mock Draft

11- Justin Fields - Predicated on the idea that Niners go Lance or Jones (hopefully Jones) and that no team jumps higher than 11 (looking at you Pats) for a QB. I think there is enough talent at other positions with OL, WRs and Pitts that the teams in the top 10 may not be too found of the idea...

www.chicitysports.com

I will be milking this prediction until the day I die.

 

[wazzupi]

Quan is your Will. Walker is a guy that TDN projected as a Will but I am saying he has the skills to play Mike since he is better at taking on blocks than Quan. Walker is projected as a late 2nd or 3rd rounder. Tindall is projected as a late 4th/early 5 rounder and we don't have a 4th and pick to late in the 5th for him. Of course that is entirely a projection so he may move up or down when it is all said and down but just going off of where TDN have them ranked.

like I said I was talking about the wrong walker... and I was stating I'd take Tindall over Quan Walker.

 

[nc0gnet0]

39
Drake London, WR, USC
We have Mooney as the smaller vertical WR so this is about adding a Mike Evans bigger WR that can still stretch the field vertically while offering a bit more physicality especially from a YAC and run blocking perspective.

71
Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
While his draft profile projects more as a Will, he has the skills to be a modern day Mike backer. Excellent in coverage so can play in base and nickel but more importantly he is very good at block deconstruction as his scouting profile notes. That is a must at Mike and something Quan doesn’t provide hence why Quan is best suited for Will and Walker for the Mike spot. I was tempted to go with Winfrey here but felt we could survive at 3Tech with a combination of Blackson/Edwards/Mack whereas we really need another 3 down LB.

146
Akayleb Evans, CB, Missouri
I actually wanted to go IDL or IOL here but went with the BPA available. Despite already signing Nelson, Evans would be a steal here and the eventual heir apparent as the big and physical CB that can play Cover and Cover 3.

148
Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE, Maryland
Again was looking for IDL or IOL but in keeping with the BPA theme decided to get a pretty good TE prospect who unlike Kmet is a better fit as a move TE/H-Back who can get vertical and great at YAC. His comp is Njoku but I see him as a potential cross between Kyle J and Kittle which works for a Shanny type O.

185
Chris Paul, IOL, Tulsa
Definitely a little later than I would have linked but the value wasn’t there in the earlier rounds IMO. Plus already went a long way to address OL by signing 2 guards in FA. In any event Paul represents a development guard with some size and power.

Calvin Austin - Memphis WR​

 

[remydat]

like I said I was talking about the wrong walker... and I was stating I'd take Tindall over Quan Walker.

Yes and I was saying given where TDN had Walker and Tindall ranked, Tindall was not an option. It was too early for me to take him at 71 and he was gone by the time I picked again at 146 and he was ranked around the 120 range.

Calvin Austin - Memphis WR​

He was ranked a late 3rd round pick and I went WR in the early 2nd.

 

[nc0gnet0]

Yes and I was saying given where TDN had Walker and Tindall ranked, Tindall was not an option. It was too early for me to take him at 71 and he was gone by the time I picked again at 146 and he was ranked around the 120 range.



He was ranked a late 3rd round pick and I went WR in the early 2nd.

I heard he was turning a lot of heads at the Senior Bowl practices. And I think the Bears should consider trading down if they have a reasonable offer and pick up additional picks.

 

[Hutch1975]

If we can get a 1st or 2nd round pick for Quinn then I obviously make the deal. Otherwise, Mack, Quinn, and Gipson is a good rotation at DE.

Mack/Quinn/Gipson is an awesome rotation at DE. Mack/Gipson/Irwin, though, isn't that bad, especially if we net an extra pick in the second round.

I guess the point is why take the cap hit just to swap out backups for 1 year. Just not a good use of resources given all our needs and limited cap.

For me, the issue is about Fields for the long term. Newton might be good for a year or two if you can get a QB3 who becomes the eventual QB2. Mariota could be a longer-term answer at QB2 with more gas in the tank.