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#Post#: 488194--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: vj Date: March 4, 2024, 9:38 pm
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@Zack_Pearson
Ryan Bates played 35 offensive snaps last season for Buffalo.
All 35 were at center.
In 2022, he played 947 snaps with 810 of those at right guard
and 137 at center.
#Bears #Bills
8:29 PM · Mar 4, 2024
@kfishbain
707 days after the Bills matched the Bears' attempt to sign
Bates as a restricted free agent, they get him for a 2024
fifth-round pick.
He started 15 games in 2022 and played in 17 games last season
with no starts.
8:23 PM · Mar 4, 2024
@jacobinfante24
New #Bears OL Ryan Bates played just 35 offensive snaps in 2023
for the Bills, but he had a PFF grade of 78.7.
Ryan Poles offered him an RFA deal before Buffalo matched it in
2022. In 1,434 career snaps, he has just 6 penalties and only 1
sack allowed.
8:21 PM · Mar 4, 2024
#Post#: 488196--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: Dave23 Date: March 4, 2024, 9:38 pm
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I think I read he only had 35 snaps all season. The Bills OL
stayed healthy all year.
#Post#: 488200--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: dallasbear Date: March 4, 2024, 10:51 pm
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Expect to see more positions addressed in free agency like wide
receiver, TE, safety, DT and DE.
#Post#: 488209--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: vj Date: March 5, 2024, 6:39 am
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Although a 3T is crucial to this defense, I think the Bears back
up the Brinks for a DE instead and invest in a vet FS.
It would be painful if the Bears trade down with Rome or Brock
staring them in the face. But it would not surprise me. The WR
depth in this draft is pretty solid this year.
#Post#: 488212--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: JeffH Date: March 5, 2024, 7:01 am
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Bates has a $4M cap hit each of the next two seasons.
#Post#: 488217--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: Dave23 Date: March 5, 2024, 7:41 am
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From what I’ve seen, Bills fans don’t seem particularly happy
about losing Bates…
#Post#: 488229--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: boogie Date: March 5, 2024, 11:16 am
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Here’s a stab at some players who could be on Poles’ wishlist,
should they become free agents next week.
NICK ALLEGRETTI - CHIEFS BACKUP INTERIOR LINEMAN
Not every free agent signing has to be a big splash to make a
big impact for a team. Allegretti might not hit the market since
he’s proven his worth to the Chiefs as the next man up on their
interior OL, but if he does he could help the Bears. Injuries
happen on the OL. Starters Teven Jenkins, Nate Jones and Lucas
Patrick all missed time due to injury and the Bears backups
weren’t always up to snuff. Ja’Tyre Carter has yet to develop
into a convincing option after the Bears selected him with a
seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft, and the Bears will need to
replace what Whitehair brought to the team as a versatile,
reliable player.
Allegretti proved he’s a warrior by playing through a torn UCL
in the Super Bowl. He’s also a Certified Local Guy from
Frankfort, and we know Poles loves bringing in Local Guys.
MARQUISE “HOLLYWOOD” BROWN - CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVER
Brown hasn’t been in the spotlight as much as one would expect
for a player who goes by Hollywood, but if the Bears draft a
promising rookie and don’t re-sign Darnell Mooney, he could be a
solid veteran to add to the mix.
Brown is a former first-round draft pick who started his career
in Baltimore, but never put together a massive season due to the
Ravens’ run-heavy offense. The Ravens ended up trading Brown and
a third-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for a
first-round pick, and he enjoyed some success in a reunion with
his college QB teammate, Kyler Murray. But injuries and
ineffectiveness across the entire Cardinals offense over the
past two seasons dragged his numbers down. Still, he’s a
sure-handed receiver who finds a way to score. In 72 career
games, Brown has 313 catches for 3,644 yards and 28 touchdowns.
MIKE EDWARDS - CHIEFS SAFETY
Edwards emerged as a reliable option for the Chiefs last season.
He took over at free safety when Bryan Cook went out with an
ankle injury in December and limited opposing quarterbacks to a
48.4% completion rate when targeted. Edwards also has eight
interceptions, five fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and
four defensive touchdowns over his five-year career, so he has
the requisite ballhawk skills to play in the Bears secondary. He
was effective in the Super Bowl as well, with seven tackles and
one PBU.
NOAH FANT - SEAHAWKS TIGHT END
The Bears signed Robert Tonyan last season with the hope that he
could work as a pass-catching tight end alongside Cole Kmet. It
didn’t work out. Tonyan finished the year with a paltry 11
catches for 112 yards with no scores.
New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron also likes to use two
tight-end sets, but it seems unlikely that Tonyan sticks around.
Enter Fant.
Fant is another former first-round draft pick who appeared to be
the next big thing when he caught 170 passes for 1,905 yards and
10 touchdowns over his first three seasons. However, Fant’s
production stagnated in 2022 and 2023, and he was held out of
the end zone entirely.
Fant is familiar with Waldron from their two seasons together in
Seattle, and he could be viewed as an asset to help Bears
players learn Waldron’s concepts and language, just like
Equanimeous St. Brown did for Luke Getsy over the past two
seasons.
JORDAN FULLER - RAMS SAFETY
The Rams drafted Fuller in the sixth round of the 2020 draft,
and he quickly developed into a leader on the defense. He was a
two-time captain over his four-year rookie contract. Fuller has
the range, ballhawking and tackling skills that the Bears are
looking for in Eddie Jackson’s replacement. He has seven
interceptions and four forced fumbles to his name over 48 games.
Fuller also led the Rams with 113 tackles in 2021 and finished
second on the team with 94 tackles last year. But he’s been
plagued by injuries like Jackson, too. Fuller missed time due to
injury in all four of his pro seasons.
GRAHAM GLASGOW - LIONS INTERIOR LINEMAN
Glasgow is coming off the worst year of his eight-year career,
so don’t expect him to push for a starting job. But Poles could
look at him as a veteran backup to shore up the depth on the
interior of the line without breaking the bank. For the most
part, Glasgow has been a reliable player on Detroit’s vaunted
o-line and could help the team bridge the gap as they continue
to get younger and invest up front. He gets bonus points for
Poles because he’s another Certified Local Guy from DeKalb.
RANDY GREGORY - 49ERS DEFENSIVE END
It doesn’t seem likely that the Bears will retain Yannick
Ngakoue and Dominique Robinson hasn’t developed into an
effective pass rusher in two seasons with the team. Many folks
have the Bears picking an edge rusher or two in the upcoming
draft, but that wouldn’t preclude them from adding another end
in free agency.
The 49ers acquired Gregory partway through the season and he’s
been a rotational edge rusher for the team this year. He’s also
familiar with Matt Eberflus from their time together in Dallas
in 2015 and 2016. A seven-year NFL veteran, Gregory has 22
career sacks, 10 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Gregory has four tackles and one TFL for the 49ers in this
postseason.
HUNTER HENRY - PATRIOTS TIGHT END
Henry is another option to join the team as a second tight end,
with a longer track record of pass-catching production than
Fant. He’s not particularly well-known for his run blocking, but
that’s not as big of a deal for the Bears since Kmet has
significantly improved in that area. In seven seasons with the
Chargers and Patriots, Henry caught 329 passes for 3,853 yards
and 38 touchdowns.
DANIELLE HUNTER - VIKINGS DEFENSIVE END
Recent reports have indicated the Bears are high on Hunter this
year, if he hits the market. It’s easy to understand why, since
they’ve seen how Hunter can wreck plays up close. In 14 games
against the Bears, Hunter has 7.5 sacks, 14 TFL and a forced
fumble. Hunter is a little older than some of the other players
on this list since he’s set to turn 30 this year, but he hasn’t
lost a step yet. Hunter has double digit sacks every season
dating back to 2018, except for 2020 when he required
season-ending surgery to fix a neck injury. He set a career high
with 16.5 sacks last year, too.
CHRIS JONES - CHIEFS DEFENSIVE TACKLE
The Chiefs used their franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed on Monday,
so if they can’t get a deal done with Jones he’ll become a free
agent next week. Jones and the Chiefs were at an impasse for
much of the 2023 offseason and at one point it seemed like they
were headed towards a divorce. But the two sides agreed to a
one-year deal and Jones proved once again that he’s one of the
best defensive tackles in the game. Pairing him with Montez
Sweat would not only boost the pass rush, but it would allow
Gervon Dexter more time to develop and thrive as a second-wave
lineman.
Jones racked up 10.5 sacks and 13 TFL in 2023, which earned him
First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. He’s got a history of
success in the Super Bowl, too. He batted three balls down at
the line of scrimmage in the team’s 2020 victory over the 49ers,
made five tackles in their loss to the Bucs one year later and
made three tackles in last year’s win. This year, Jones added
four more tackles to his Super Bowl resume and two QB hits.
Jones also forced a fumble in the Chiefs’ AFC Championship win
over the Bills this year.
JUSTIN MADUBUIKE - RAVENS DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Madubuike is another player who may never hit the market because
of his dominant performance over the 2023 season. The Ravens
drafted Madubuike in the third round of the 2020 draft and he
steadily developed and earned more snaps every year of his
career. He exploded for 13 sacks last season, which led all
interior defensive linemen. He’s no slouch against the run
either, with an extremely low 2.5% missed tackle rate on runs
snaps per PFF.
MICHAEL PITTMAN JR. - COLTS WIDE RECEIVER
This is another player who falls into the “unlikely to hit the
market” category. Pittman is young, athletic and has proven he
can produce as a WR1 on a Colts team with few other
pass-catching threats. It wouldn’t make sense for the Colts to
move off of him, especially as they try to build an offense
around second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson.
In the unlikely event that Pittman does reach free agency, and
if the Bears sign him in free agency, he and Moore would become
one of the most sure-handed duos in the NFL. Last season, Moore
and Pittman tied for the fourth-best contested catch rate among
all wide receivers with at least 100 targets, at 53.6%. Moore
led that same group with a tiny 2% drop rate, while Pittman was
14th with a 4.4% drop rate.
Pittman and Moore are both just 26 years old, so each man is
just entering his prime.
JOSH REYNOLDS - LIONS WIDE RECEIVER
Reynolds is not in the same tier as Pittman Jr. and probably
fits best as a WR3 or 4, but he could help the team as a
big-play threat. The Bears have looked for a consistently
explosive receiving option since Alshon Jeffery left the team in
2017 and haven’t found a guy to stick. Recently, the team has
tried to draft field stretchers like Velus Jones Jr. and Tyler
Scott. Jones Jr. hasn’t been able to make a big positive impact
over his first two seasons, and Scott looked every bit the raw
receiving prospect he was billed to be in his rookie season.
Reynolds has seven years of experience working as the big play
guy for the Rams, Titans and Lions. His 15.4 yards/reception
rate in 2023 was 14th-highest among wide receivers with at least
50 targets.
DALTON SCHULTZ - TEXANS TIGHT END
Among the tight ends in this list, Schultz is probably the best
pass catcher. He took over as the Cowboys primary tight end when
future Hall of Famer Jason Witten left the team for the Raiders
in 2020. Schultz didn’t match the production that Witten brought
to the offense when Witten was in his prime, but by 2021 he was
one of the most dynamic tight ends in the league with 78 catches
for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. Schultz’ numbers dipped a
bit in 2022 and the team let him leave for the Texans in 2023.
Last season, Schultz was a key part of the Texans offense, and
C.J. Stroud’s success as a rookie. His 65 receptions, 715 yards
and 38 catches for first downs all ranked second on the team.
COLEMAN SHELTON - RAMS CENTER
Shelton wasn’t expected to be a free agent this offseason, but
according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, Shelton had a clause in
his contract that allowed him to become a free agent this year
if he played more than 55% of the Rams’ offensive snaps in 2023.
He blew by that threshold when he won the starting center job
and retained it for the full year.
The new Bears offense is expected to look like an offshoot of
the Rams offense, so Shelton should be familiar with the scheme
in Chicago. Experts also point to Shelton as a solid run
blocker, which is a must for the Bears. He’s no slouch in pass
pro either, with just two sacks, 12 hits and 22 pressures
allowed in 1,171 snaps last year, per PFF.
GENO STONE - RAVENS SAFETY
Stone may hit the market just because the Ravens need to
allocate resources elsewhere, like retaining Madubuike. If he
does, there should be several teams vying for his services in
addition to the Bears. Understandable considering Stone came off
the bench for the Ravens after Marcus Williams went down with an
injury, and ended up finishing second in the NFL with seven
interceptions. Stone is a former seventh-round pick coming off
his rookie contract, and we know Poles loves players who worked
their way up as late-round picks or UDFAs.
CHRISTIAN WILKINS - DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Wilkins is a surprise addition to the list after multiple
reports said the Dolphins will not franchise tag him. The Bears
are in the market for another DT this season since Justin Jones’
contract is set to expire next week. It’s unclear if the Bears
believe Gervon Dexter is ready to take over as the team’s
starting three-tech tackle as an NFL sophomore this season. If
they do, they might draft another rookie DT to continue to build
out the position group. If not, look for them to add a veteran
to the mix. And if the Bears decide to pursue Wilkins, they
won’t be alone. Disruptive defensive tackles are always in
demand and several teams could benefit by adding him to their
roster.
Wilkins, a former first-round pick, set a career high with nine
sacks last season and added 10 TFL, one forced fumble and two
fumble recoveries. Over his five-year career, Wilkins has 20.5
sacks, 43 TFL, four forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.
CONNOR WILLIAMS - DOLPHINS CENTER
Williams has been considered one of the top centers in the
league for several years now, and was working on one of the best
years of his career in 2023. But a groin injury cost him four
games in the first half of the season, and a torn ACL cost him
the last four games of the season, plus the Dolphins’ playoff
game.
If the medicals say Williams won’t be able to play well into the
2024 season, the Bears will likely pass on him in free agency.
But if he can reasonably return close to Week 1, he could be a
guy to keep an eye on.
CHASE YOUNG - 49ERS DEFENSIVE END
Poles opted to bring in Montez Sweat rather than his former
Commanders teammate, Young, at the trade deadline. Their play
over the second half of the season showed Poles made the right
choice.
Young looked out of sorts through most of his half-season with
the 49ers, and injuries have kept him from reaching the full
potential people saw when he won Defensive Rookie of the Year in
2020. But he put on a good showing at the Super Bowl with one
sack, one TFL and two QB hits. His athletic traits are still
tempting and it’s not unthinkable that the Bears would consider
bringing him in on a small, short-term deal if no big market
emerges for his services.
#Post#: 488233--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: dallasbear Date: March 5, 2024, 11:50 am
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Alohi Gilman - safety for the LA Chargers - check him out.
Chargers are in the 3rd worst shape cap wise.
#Post#: 488234--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: JACKIEJOKEMAN REDUX Date: March 5, 2024, 12:06 pm
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Ryan Bates sounds like a good backup at LG C RG.
#Post#: 488243--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2024 Chicago Bears
By: davebear Date: March 5, 2024, 1:20 pm
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Looks like the tag for JJ. $19.8m
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