The Bear's Den: April 7, 2016

BEAR DOWN!!!!

DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

NFL Player's Association Cap Report -  Bear's with more than $23 LARGE left in cap space.

Mullen: Bears looking at speed, size in pre-draft visits with receivers, linemen - CSN Chicago - The Bears made several pre-draft visits with potential draft-day targets at the tight end, wide receiver and lineman positions.

Biggs Tribune Mailbag: Given past with Vic Fangio, could Bears sign Donte Whitner? - Chicago Tribune - Given his past with Vic Fangio could the Bears sign Donte Whitner for added safety depth? - Well, I don’t see a player like Whitner being signed as a depth addition. I doubt that he is going to play for the minimum salary benefit anywhere so when you’re paying above that, you’re probably...

Bears Must Start Prepping To Replace Jay Cutler In NFL Draft -TPS - The rifle of an arm Cutler possesses will begin dropping in caliber in another few years and the Bears do not currently have his heir apparent... helmet tip on the link to benjamin.buehne...

Demovsky: Green Bay Packers to hold draft party in heart of Bears' territory - ESPN - The Packers announced Wednesday that they're hosting two draft-related events -- one of them on rival turf in Chicago.

BEARRRSSSS

Biggs: Ted Larsen's contract makes it clear Bears expect him to compete to start - Chicago Tribune - Bears are setting up competition for starting roles on the offensive line with signings of Ted Larsen and Manny Ramirez

Tirado: For the New York Jets trading Wilkerson to Bears makes sense - The New York Jets are better off trading defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson now rather than get nothing later. The Chicago Bears could be the perfect suitor.

Ottochian: Three Bears facing a make-or-break offseason - Bears Wire - The Bears have three defensive linemen who were once promising young pieces that are now facing the roster bubble.

Mullen: Bears 'culture veteran' Robbie Gould senses change coming - CSN Chicago - Robbie Gould has been a part of the Bears for more than a decade and the veteran kicker senses a change coming in the team's culture.

Biggs Tribune Mailbag: Should the Bears cut or keep QB David Fales? - Chicago Tribune - Is David Fales worth keeping? Shouldn't they give him a shot to be No. 2 or cut him? - There’s no rush to make a decision on Fales right now.He’s not going to win a roster spot or lose one in April. I think the Bears saw a little savvy in Fales last summer to the point that they...

Biggs Tribune Mailbag: Would the Bears give up their first-round pick for Muhammad Wilkerson? - Chicago Tribune - Do you think the Bears will give up their first-round pick for Muhammad Wilkerson? - In the illustrious history of the Bears Mailbag, few topics have generated more interest than this inquiry, especially in the last week or so. Reports out of New York indicate the Jets would certainly...

Mayer: Gould determined to win Super Bowl - Robbie Gould is already the Bears' all-time leading scorer and among the most accurate kickers in NFL history. But that's not enough for the 12th year pro, who is determined to help the franchise win a second Super Bowl.

Jahns: Sam Acho returns to Bears because of 'unfinished business' - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears brought back Sam Acho on a one-year deal to take care of some unfinished business.

BEARRRSSSS FOR LIFE

Chicago Bears in the Hall - George Blanda - A University of Kentucky product, Blanda started as a 12th round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1949. Except for a one-game "detour" with the 1950 Colts, he stayed in Chicago for a full decade.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Janssen: Yours for $5,000, the chance to watch the 2016 NFL draft in person - Chicago Tribune - Want to watch the NFL draft in the style of a spoiled princeling? If you have up to $5,000 burning a hole in your pocket, the league can accommodate you.

Patra: Roger Goodell says playoffs still 'likely' to expand - NFL.com - We haven't heard much chatter about playoff expansion this offseason after much discussion the previous two years. Commissioner Roger Goodell said expansion is still "likely" to happen at some point.

Ed Block Courage Award Foundation, Love, Hope and Courage - edblock.org - So what is the Ed Block Courage Award all about? Check out the foundation's website...

One Year Ago: The Bears Den: April 07, 2015 - Offseason Chicago Bears news & notes - Windy City Gridiron - The best in offseason Chicago Bears news and discussion from Windy City Gridiron.

Alper: Marvin Lewis says last season gets "buried" on April 18 - ProFootballTalk - At this point in the 2015 offseason, the Bengals were several months into questions about their fourth playoff loss in as many years and what they would do to get a better result the next time around.

Florio: Plaintiff claims punch from Brandon Marshall caused lingering eye, neck, and back injuries | ProFootballTalk - Tuesday was a bizarre day for Jets receiver Brandon Marshall. It ended with Marshall receiving the Ernie Accorsi Humanitarian Award from the New York Athletic Club. It began with a trial in a civil claim brought by a woman he allegedly punched in the face four years ago.

Florio: NFLPA proceeds with arbitration over validity of Commissioner’s exempt list - ProFootballTalk - After the NFL promulgated a new Personal Conduct Policy that included the power to place players accused of misconduct on the Commissioner's exempt list pending resolution of charges and the completion of a league investigation, the NFL Players Association filed a grievance challenging the ability t...

KNOW THY ENEMY

Hirschhorn & Western's Acme Podcasting Company: Packers free-agency analysis and 2016 NFL Draft preview - Acme Packing Company - Acme Packing Company's Jason B. Hirschhorn and Evan "Tex" Western analyze the Packers' offseason so far and preview the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft.

Hasan's Norse Code Podcast Episode 127: Draftalytics with PFF's Sam Monson - Daily Norseman - We bring on Sam Monson from Pro Football Focus to talk about the Vikings and the draft, with an emphasis on defensive backs and linebackers. We also talk about PFF in general, and how they assert their role in the NFL community.

DRAFT PROSPECTS OF INTEREST TO BEARS FANS

NFL Draft Profile: Notre Dame OL Ronnie Stanley | CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Baylor WR Corey Coleman | CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey | CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Penn State DL Austin Johnson | CSN Chicago

NFL Draft Profile: Ohio State LB Joshua Perry | CSN Chicago

Housekeeping notes:

1) I am intentionally not including mock drafts (except our FPOM entry) in the Den because the others on staff are doing a great job covering them.

2) The concept behind the "expanded version" of the Den is to present an "All-You-Can-Eat Buffet of Bears & NFL Info", and just like an all-you-can-eat place you can sample any or all that you like, but there will be stuff that you don't want to consume. That's cool, don't sweat it.

3) The following link is related to our poll

Public Policy Polling NFL Likes/Dislikes Poll (PDF) - Every time we've done a poll over the years on the most hated team in the NFL the Cowboys have won out. But this year there's a new sheriff in town