Another busy and tumultuous week for the Chicago Bears has seen a commerce for defensive finish Montez Sweat, a commerce request from cornerback Jaylon Johnson, a second assistant coach depart the employees — and it began with one other blowout loss.
Before the Bears get again on the sphere Sunday in New Orleans, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs digs deep into the weekly Bears mailbag.
How shut are the Bears and Montez Sweat to an extension and why didn’t Ryan Poles have one in place earlier than buying and selling vital draft capital for him? — @wrigleykordt
In an ideal world, the Bears would have finalized a brand new contract with Sweat earlier than finishing the commerce with the Washington Commanders on Tuesday. However, a supply with information of the state of affairs instructed me Washington didn’t grant Sweat’s illustration permission to buy a commerce and new contract. That would have made it simpler for the Bears and eliminated a component of threat within the deal. The Commanders additionally may have elevated their asking value past a second-round decide had they prolonged that possibility.
However, there’s a nuance to this that it is advisable to perceive. Teams typically hesitate to grant permission for gamers to hunt trades as a result of that may take away their management of the state of affairs. In this occasion, the Commanders didn’t permit Sweat’s social gathering to seize the steering wheel, and that left them in place to dictate what they felt was greatest.
I wrote Tuesday in regards to the gamble related to the transfer — the Bears are betting on their means to get Sweat beneath contract previous this season — and when you think about the entire group’s wants and components looking forward to 2024 (each the draft and free company), the deal is sensible to me. It’s unlikely Sweat would have made it to free company if the Bears had not traded for him. So it’s not like they may sit again and hold their second-round decide and wait to pursue him as a free agent.
How shut the edges are is an effective query that I don’t have an awesome reply for proper now.
“I’m sure my agents are talking about it — my agents and them are talking about something,” Sweat mentioned Wednesday at Halas Hall earlier than even discovering out the place the locker room is. “But I’m not really in any of it right now. I’m just ready to get to work.”
General supervisor Ryan Poles mentioned he’s “really confident that we can get a deal done.”
Ideally they might attain a deal earlier than Sunday’s recreation in New Orleans. Is that affordable? That relies on how the Bears worth Sweat and what he’s in search of to be paid. When the Miami Dolphins traded with the Denver Broncos for edge rusher Bradley Chubb through the center of final season, they acquired a deal achieved in two days.
Sweat has leverage in understanding the Bears need to safe him long run to keep away from this being a catastrophe of a midseason rental for a 2-6 group. The Bears know they possible must overpay Sweat to make him comfortable, and Poles little question weighed that when contemplating whether or not to make the transfer.
That’s the problem right here. You need to overpay gamers in free company, and the Bears have given up a second-round decide and nonetheless must overpay. They are flush with cap house for 2024 and may make strikes to create further room. If wanted, they’ll put the franchise or transition tag on the desk in negotiations with Sweat.
“Obviously a player always wants to have security playing the sport that we’re playing,” Sweat mentioned. “I’m sure everything will work itself out.”
Love the addition of Montez Sweat. Will adore it extra if/when he’s signed to a brand new contract. What’s a ballpark for a brand new contract? — Ron M., Delray Beach, Fla.
That’s an awesome query that requires some guesswork. As I’ve written, Sweat has leverage as a result of the Bears have to increase him to ensure that him to be a constructing block for his or her future. The tremendous particulars aren’t in but on the extension the Green Bay Packers hammered out with Rashan Gary, however it has been reported to be $96 million over 4 seasons. Now, how that cash provides up is a giant query, however I’d use that as a common vary for Sweat and 4 seasons appears about proper.
I texted with Jason Fitzgerald, who runs OverTheCap.com, and requested him for a variety for a brand new cope with Sweat. He thought it will land between $24 million and $26 million yearly with a complete assure between about $65 million and $70 million. Of course, the assure can be based mostly on the variety of years within the contract.
Could the Bears tag Jaylon Johnson? After the season, how sensible of a transfer would that be? Best to get the deal achieved, proper? — @just_acy
Those are some actually good questions and we’ll need to see how this performs out. If Johnson is content material to play out the season and wager on himself, he has an opportunity to maximise his worth.
Would Johnson prefer to see what the open market seems to be like with probably a number of bidders for his service?
“One hundred percent,” he mentioned Wednesday with a smile throughout his face.
You need to respect gamers keen to wager on themselves, and Johnson appears comfy with the damage threat for the ultimate 9 video games. The Bears tried to get the ball shifting towards an extension final weekend after they met with Johnson’s agent earlier than the Sunday night time recreation in Los Angeles.
“Not really too focused on (contract negotiations) right now,” Johnson mentioned. “Just want to continue to stack the season. Continue to build my resume best I can and I have some personal goals that I want to achieve, and then from there we’ll figure that out when that time comes. That’s not what I’m interested in right now. I’m trying to win.”
The Bears granted Johnson permission, briefly, to buy a commerce earlier than Tuesday’s deadline, and nothing materialized. Whether that was as a result of no group wished to fulfill the Bears’ asking value — one supply mentioned they have been in search of a late first-round decide in return — or as a result of Johnson didn’t just like the phrases of a possible contract groups have been keen to offer him, I don’t know. It’s potential each have been true.
It’s additionally potential the Bears allowed Johnson to buy a deal to evaluate his market worth. The solely manner for a participant to actually gauge his market worth is to turn into a free agent. Ryan Poles mentioned he granted permission out of respect for Johnson as a result of his facet requested it.
My hunch is the Bears can be averse to utilizing the franchise tag on Johnson; it initiatives to be about $19.5 million for cornerbacks in 2024. I’d say there’s a higher likelihood they might make use of the much less fashionable transition tag, which ought to are available in at somewhat beneath $17 million. Those can be final resorts, and I additionally imagine if that they had to decide on between gamers to tag, they might lean towards defensive finish Montez Sweat if his contract state of affairs remained unresolved.
Johnson has been wonderful this season — maybe the group’s greatest defensive participant via eight video games. Part of the explanation he has appeared so good is opponents have been selecting on rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson repeatedly. Stevenson has been focused 55 occasions in protection, tied for third-most within the NFL.
This will come right down to how the Bears worth Johnson, how they imagine younger cornerbacks Stevenson and Terell Smith are coming alongside and what the prospects seem like for including assist in free company and the draft. If Johnson believes he’s price considerably greater than the Bears are keen to pay, maybe he reaches free company — the objective of just about each participant in his state of affairs. Some evaluators I chat with imagine he has developed right into a top-flight No. 1 cornerback. Some don’t suppose he’s fairly there but and label him as extra of a excessive No. 2.
It’s not just like the Bears have gone towards a slew of high-caliber quarterbacks this season. Johnson missed half of the sport in Kansas City with a hamstring damage. His interceptions got here towards Las Vegas Raiders backups Brian Hoyer and Aidan O’Connell. I’m not trying to decrease something he has achieved this yr, because it’s vital to acknowledge his enchancment from final season. That’s a credit score to him and secondary coach Jon Hoke.
“I feel like, for one, I’ve played my best year that I’ve played at the Bears,” Johnson mentioned. “Two, I feel like my impact is greater than it has been. And I mean that I feel like, arguably, I’m the best corner in the game right now. Just going off that and continuing to play at a high level, that’s not going to change. That only increases my value. And it so happens that you strike iron while it’s hot. That’s what it’s about.”
Yes, it will be greatest if the Bears hold Johnson. We gained’t know the probabilities of that till we get a clearer image of the place both sides stands. The Bears have had ample dialogue with agent Chris Ellison, and a variety of soccer stays to be performed.
“I don’t want to lose Jaylon Johnson,” Poles mentioned Wednesday. “If I have been to lose Jaylon Johnson, I want to have a excessive share of hitting on one other Jaylon Johnson, which to me is a late first- and into early second-(spherical decide). Really easy there. That (commerce) didn’t occur.
“We are still open to getting a contract done. I know we’re going to follow Jaylon’s lead on how he wants to go about doing that, but we’re still open.”
Multiple experiences that Montez Sweat wished to go to Atlanta and that Ryan Poles didn’t work out an understanding for an extension previous to the commerce. What have you ever heard and does this forged shadows on Poles’ administration of the roster? — @xsubco
I used to be instructed by a number of sources, shortly after information of the deal unfold Tuesday, that Sweat certainly hoped to be traded to the Falcons. He performed highschool soccer in Stone Mountain, Ga., about 20 miles northeast of Atlanta. As I detailed above, Poles didn’t have permission to barter with Sweat earlier than the commerce. That would have been tampering, which may result in severe penalties. I don’t suppose this casts a shadow on the transfer or his roster administration in any respect. He has to do what’s greatest for his group, and the Bears may have a chance to make Sweat very comfortable to name Halas Hall residence.
“My agent told me (Atlanta) was in the (trade) talks,” Sweat mentioned. “I’m actually from Georgia; it was a place of interest. It’s the NFL. Obviously they wanted me here more. This is where I am.”
If Sweat was bummed out, he appears to have rebounded simply tremendous. And whereas he has to regulate to a brand new metropolis and new group, I believe the Bears perceive what it would take to make him very comfortable to be part of the group.
What’s your tackle David Walker’s dismissal with the Bears? Doesn’t sound good if it’s true the human assets division was concerned on this. — @mred315
It’s a disgrace the Bears couldn’t hold the main target Wednesday on the acquisition of Montez Sweat and as a substitute had coach Matt Eberflus spending the vast majority of his media availability fielding questions on Walker’s firing as working backs coach and the standing of the group lower than two months after defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned over conduct-related points. One factor is clear: The Bears HR division has gotten manner an excessive amount of press this season. That’s by no means a superb factor.
“As the head coach, we are building a program and have standards to uphold to as a staff and organization both on and off the field, and those standards were not met,” Eberflus mentioned. “It’s disappointing from my vantage point. But we have a standard to uphold to. When that standard is not met, we act accordingly and that’s what we did.”
Eberflus was requested if the Bears have a tradition situation, and for those who’re an everyday reader of the mailbag, you understand how I really feel about that topic. “Culture” is a type of company phrases that will get thrown round in soccer, normally for groups making an attempt to climb out of shedding methods. As I’ve written, the Kansas City Chiefs led the NFL in tradition final season as a result of they walked away from the Super Bowl carrying the Lombardi Trophy. The NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles have been the runner-up within the tradition standings.
Everyone understands the Bears try to construct one thing, and that’s the place I can perceive the need to ascertain a manner of going about issues. But finally you might be what your report says you might be, not what your tradition meter reads.
“The culture in our building is outstanding,” Eberflus mentioned. “The guys work hard every single day. The relationship piece is there. We care about each other. We’re working diligently to get this thing turned. We’re 2-2 in our last four. One game was real close, we had a chance at that one. We really feel we’re turning the corner there, and we are excited about this week. But to answer your question, our culture is awesome.”
Unfortunately their report isn’t superior, and on the finish of the season, it will be comprehensible if Eberflus has to reply for the group’s efficiency in addition to points on a training employees he chosen in a enterprise the place the buck stops with the top coach.
With the Bears buying Montez Sweat, does the defensive finish place turn into strengthened, in flip probably enabling the group to draft different positions as a precedence? — @livingsuccess24
The Bears are higher at defensive finish, however with Sweat and DeMarcus Walker the projected starters subsequent season, it’s nonetheless nowhere close to what the group desires. Look at what the San Francisco 49ers have on their line of defense. Take a have a look at the waves of proficient gamers the Philadelphia Eagles have had up entrance the final couple of seasons. Sweat is a pleasant begin, however the Bears need to proceed to build up expertise to win within the trenches. This needs to be a precedence.
Why would a rebuilding group nonetheless on the backside of the league commerce beneficial draft capital for any participant? Especially after the identical actions harm them within the draft final yr. — @barbersquires
I give credit score to Ryan Poles for not permitting the error he made final yr in buying and selling for large receiver Chase Claypool have an effect on his considering on this state of affairs. The straightforward transfer would have been to face pat at 2-6 and wait till the offseason to start addressing wants on each side of the ball.
The Bears made the transfer as a result of Montez Sweat was extremely unlikely to make it to free company. So sit again and watch one other group retain his providers and think about different choices in free company? Or make a transfer every now and then take the required steps to maintain Sweat in place? Sure, a excessive second-round decide is effective draft capital, however the Bears can probably recoup some by buying and selling down with one in all their first-round picks or buying and selling Justin Fields in the event that they plan to pick out a quarterback.
Danielle Hunter possible will attain free company except the Minnesota Vikings can re-sign him. They can’t use a tag to maintain him. He would stand out as an elite free agent with a number of bidders if he stays wholesome for the rest of the season. After that, there can be an enormous drop-off in free-agent edge rushers. Maybe the Bears will take a swing at Hunter. But I don’t suppose the next-best edge rusher accessible can be pretty much as good as Sweat.
What are the possibilities Ryan Poles was having a facet dialog with Montez Sweat’s agent on an extension in precept earlier than pulling the set off? — @mightyquinn72
Highly unlikely as that might represent tampering. However, it’s protected to say Poles has a superb relationship with Sweat’s agent, Demarius Bilbo, and that possible will assist in hammering out a contract extension.
Montez Sweat for a superb second-round decide. Chase Young for a nasty third. How? — @dmorr80
I’m unsure there’s such a factor as a “bad” third-round decide, however you’re referring to the excessive second-round decide the Commanders will obtain for Sweat versus the supplemental decide the 49ers despatched to Washington for Young. It may wind up a distinction of roughly 65 picks, and that’s appreciable. The very first thing I might say is the Bears don’t personal what seems to be to be a late third-round decide the 49ers gave up. They would have needed to counter with a excessive fourth-round decide.
More importantly, it is advisable to perceive the Bears obtained the higher participant of the 2 within the estimation of evaluators I spoke with. There are questions in regards to the stability of Young’s proper knee after he missed 1 1/2 seasons with a torn ACL and ruptured patellar tendon. This wasn’t a regular ACL restoration, so he heads to San Francisco with medical questions. Moreover, there are soccer character questions on Young, and a few have characterised his departure from Washington as “addition by subtraction.”
Yes, Young was the No. 2 decide in 2020 and the defensive rookie of the yr and has higher title recognition, however the Bears acquired the higher participant by paying extra.
Do you anticipate Matt Eberflus to bookend Montez Sweat and Yannick Ngakoue? — Marc B., Nashville, Tenn.
That’s a superb query and we’ll get a good suggestion Sunday in New Orleans towards a Saints group that has been common defending quarterback Derek Carr. They rank sixteenth in sacks per go try at 6.91%, and 11 of Carr’s 19 sacks have come within the final three video games.
The addition of Sweat ought to permit the Bears to reshuffle issues somewhat bit. How rapidly that occurs stays to be seen. They have to get him up to the mark with the scheme, however it’s comparatively straightforward at that place. My preliminary thought is it will permit the Bears to scale back Ngakoue’s snap depend and make the most of him in clear passing conditions within the sub package deal. DeMarcus Walker is a conventional 4-3 left finish with the flexibility to play each side. I believe having Sweat and Walker on the sphere on base downs is the perfect transfer.
On passing downs, Walker can kick inside, the place he’s more practical as a go rusher. The hope needs to be Sweat’s presence may help Ngakoue have extra success. He has been stagnant the previous few weeks, and I might think about future opponents can be extra involved with Sweat.
One issue you need to think about right here is Sweat was a member of a stacked defensive entrance in Washington, one in all 4 first-round draft picks. He had nice success lining up subsequent to Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen and working video games with them. The Bears don’t have the identical caliber of inside defenders, so it’s most likely not lifelike to suppose Sweat may be plugged in and have the identical stage of manufacturing immediately.
I’d have a look at Sweat as a constructing block for the defensive entrance with the Bears hoping rookie tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens can develop.
When are we going to see Justin Fields again on the sphere? — Jimmy N., Northwest Side
It can be fascinating to see if Fields can return on a brief week for the Bears’ Thursday night time recreation towards the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 9 at Soldier Field. The Bears held an precise observe earlier than their Thursday recreation at Washington final month, and in the event that they get again on the observe fields subsequent week at Halas Hall, it is going to be a chance to see the place Fields is in his therapeutic from a dislocated proper thumb.
Some have instructed the Bears have been coy with Fields’ standing, and I don’t essentially purchase that. They’re lower than forthcoming about practically all damage points, so you need to attempt to learn between the traces and lean on different info. This wasn’t a one- or two-week damage.
I known as former Bears quarterback Jim Miller to ask about his expertise with a thumb damage. Miller suffered a damaged proper thumb as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s a unique damage however the identical physique half, so there are commonalities within the restoration.
“I had to tape it for a while,” Miller mentioned. “To get the energy again in it, you’re doing a variety of Silly Putty, rice buckets, issues like that to get the energy again within the thumb. I needed to put somewhat tape across the knuckle after which I taped it round my hand, however I used to be capable of throw with how I taped it.
“It’s a legit injury and the recovery took some time and the grip strength … that’s why I had to tape it to make sure it was stable and I could get a grip on the football. That’s his livelihood.”
If Fields isn’t cleared in time to face the Panthers, I might suppose chances are high good he’s prepared for the Week 11 recreation on Nov. 19 in Detroit.
There is a variety of discuss in regards to the Bears having one or each of the highest two picks. We understand how loopy the NFL is, so I’m curious your ideas on what occurs if the Bears find yourself with out the highest decide? Best participant accessible? — Kevin
I imagine the Bears will use their first decide to pick out a quarterback. Right now, the highest selections can be USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and I lately did a deep dive into every of them, talking extensively with evaluators throughout the league. You can’t rule out different choices equivalent to Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, however I might give attention to the primary two in the meanwhile.
After that, the Bears may have a wealth of choices. Some will recommend they commerce down and add draft capital. I’m of the thoughts that this roster wants distinction makers, elite gamers who could make large performs when video games are on the road. That’s what the Bears are lacking proper now. They have one participant on offense — large receiver DJ Moore — who can try this. They might need two on protection who can begin to try this: defensive finish Montez Sweat and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. They want a bunch extra.
So I like the concept of staying put with the second of their picks or a modest commerce down — they should keep within the high 10 — to get a participant they really feel may be elite at virtually any place.
After every futile loss, Bears gamers say issues like “we didn’t play up to our standards.” Unfortunately, with every loss they’re enjoying as much as their requirements. They merely have an enormous expertise hole from most NFL groups. I see little to recommend this hole is closing, even with huge signings equivalent to Tremaine Edmunds. Do you see it in a different way? — Jim A., Plymouth, Minn.
No query they’ve a expertise situation, and that’s why the margin for error is so slim. Coaches and gamers bemoaned a few of the penalties that set the Bears again in Sunday’s 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. They had seven penalties for 53 yards, and one was an iffy 15-yard name on Velus Jones for fair-catch interference. Even counting that one, that shouldn’t be insurmountable.
But the Bears wrestle to generate explosive performs on offense when they aren’t getting the ball to DJ Moore, they’ll’t rush the quarterback and so they actually get in a gap after they lose the turnover battle. They lack clear defensive distinction makers, and that’s why they splurged to signal Edmunds and swung a commerce this week for Montez Sweat.
The feeling within the constructing is the group has slowly accrued a layer of base starters — guys who may be profitable rank-and-file gamers — and now the roster must be boosted with higher expertise. That course of takes time, and I might anticipate the Bears to be energetic in each possible manner to enhance the roster within the offseason, when they are going to be flush with salary-cap house and can personal two excessive first-round picks. You’re not improper in your evaluation.
Is Dominique Robinson’s time with the Bears about to finish? Between being a wholesome scratch final week and Ryan Poles buying and selling for Montez Sweat, it’s not wanting too good for him. He has been invisible since his first recreation as a Bear. Thoughts? — Chris R.
I don’t know if Robinson’s time with the Bears is coming to an finish immediately, however he’s definitely on the backside of the depth chart and possibly would want some attrition in entrance of him to get again within the combine. Some of us have requested why he’s nonetheless on the roster, and my response is who’re you going to interchange him with. It’s not like there are twitchy, productive edge rushers on the road simply ready for his or her telephones to ring.
Robinson hasn’t made the developmental strides the group hoped to see in his second season. He has to enhance if he desires a shot to stay.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com