Even though the NFL season does not officially start until Wednesday, teams are already active. One of the most active already are the Chicago Bears.
As predicted, the bears no longer have DJ Moore or Tremaine Edmunds on their roster... or at least they won't next Wednesday. While Edmunds, was already officially released with the Bears getting no compensation in return, the Bears did do a nice job of getting an excellent return for wide receiver DJ Moore. They trade Moore and his enormous $26 million salary to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a second round pick. The Bears also threw in a 5th round draft pick to round out the deal. I was very impressed with that return. Even though the Bills are getting back a true number one receiver, everyone in the league knew the bears could not afford to pay DJ Moore to just be an equal partner in a four receiver system (and I'm counting TE Colston Loveland as one of those four). This means there must have been multiple teams pursuing Moore. And that just make sense. he is a sensational route runner but also just a good guy. He won the Bears Walter Payton Award for his humanitarian efforts this past season. This is a rare occasion where all parties ended up better off. Moore becomes Josh Allen's number one option so he should have sensational numbers next year. The Bills get a true number one receiver and the Bears get cap space and a high pick that they can use to fill one of their many holes.
Speaking of those holes, the Bears still have a huge one to fill at Center after the surprise retirement of Drew Dalman. The idea that the problem would be solved instantly by signing Tyler Biadasz is no longer an option as Biadasz just sing with the San Diego Chargers (they will always be the San Diego Chargers to me!)
This means the Bears need a center, left tackle, two safeties, and two linebackers. They also really need to upgrade their pass rush so they also need a defensive end and/or a defensive tackle. And that is without replacing DJ Moore. The NFL is a very tough league.
Luckily it seems the Bears have some options. Not only should they be aiming to fill three of those positions with their first round and two second round picks in this year's draft, there are some surprising options available starting Monday. Remember when I said the year starts on Wednesday? Well on Monday teams start the"legal tampering" period where they can work out free agent deals with players. They just can't officially sign until Wednesday. "Legal tampering"? Isn't that an oxymoron? The NFL is a very confusing league.
Anyway, Bears general manager Ryan Poles better be locked in his office all weekend trying to fill all of those holes.
Here are some players I hope he takes a look at.
Center Tyler Linderbaum. This is the big one. He is one of the top three centers in the league and is only 25 years old. This is one guy I would not mind the Bears overspending on. He is that good and they have a huge need.
If they strike out on him, there is a solid backup plan in Kyle McGovern who was on the Bills last year. He is another solid center who is about as good as the player they lost in Dalman.
Although defensive end Trey Hendrickson is considered the top free agent on the market, he is coming off of an injury and he is 31 years old. If the Bears didn't have so many other needs, this might be the answer. But they should still see if his price slips.
Cheaper options might be Jaelan Phillips or Odafe Oweh. Plus Khalil Mack will be out there if they want to roll the dice on him having one more great season in him.
If the Bears were able to land OT Rasheed Walker, it would be a double whammy. Not only would they improve their offensive line but they would be taking him away from their rival the Green Bay Packers. Braden Smith of the Colts might be a little bit cheaper here. If they really want a bargain, Tyler Decker asked to be released from the Detroit Lions. He did a great job under Ben Johnson when he was the offensive coordinator there.
I would love it if the Bears could bring back safety Kevin Byard who had a great year. As always, it just all depends on the price.
Because the Bears have so many holes to fill, they are going to have to rely on the draft. If they can sign one veteran linebacker who can call the plays, perhaps they can use one of those high picks to draft a linebacker who can rely on their athleticism to get them through their rookie season.
They also might be wise to look to the draft to improve their defensive tackle position. this seems to be another position where a rookie can make an immediate impact.
This would mean they could use their cap space to concentrate on the offensive line... exactly like they did last year. But unlike last year when they went very offensive heavy in the early rounds of the draft, they could use those to improve the defense.
I have no idea what the Bears are going to do on Monday, but for the first time in about 40 years, I actually trust that they will make some smart moves.
Go Bears!