The Bear's Den, March 3, 2017

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS

Baffoe: Bears GM Ryan Pace Said A Little Something In A Lot Of Nothing Wednesday - CBS Chicago - It doesn't appear the Bears will be in the splash business this spring or reach for a quarterback at No. 3 overall in the draft.

STL: Will Jay Cutler return to the Bears? - CSN Chicago - The SportsTalk Live panel discuss the chances that Jay Cutler is back in a Bears uniform next season.

Alshon Jeffery: 'I don't have any hard feeling towards the Bears' - CSN Chicago - Alshon Jeffery might be suiting up for a different team by the time the 2017 season rolls around, but it won't be because of any ill will toward the Bears.

Bear Download podcast - Chicago Tribune - Welcome to the weekly Bear Download podcast with Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer.

Biggs: If Bears hope to turn the corner, they must prioritize secondary - Chicago Tribune - Do the Bears need cornerbacks? They set an NFL record for futility in a 16-game season with only 11 takeaways in 2016, one fewer than the 2006 Redskins.

DRAFT / PROSPECTS / FREE AGENCY

DeWitt Chicago Bears NFL Combine Preview (What Players Should You Keep an Eye On?) - Da Bears Brothers - In this episode, Da Bears Brothers are joined by Windy City Gridiron's Lester Wiltfong Jr. and preview the 2017 NFL Combine.

Hub Arkush: Will any team have the guts to take a QB in the top 3? - Pro Football Weekly - DeShone Kizer, Deshaun Watson and Mitch Trubisky all have warts

Mayer: Jeffery offers thoughts on free agency - ChicagoBears.com - One day after the Bears confirmed they would not place a franchise tag on Alshon Jeffery, the receiver released a statement Thursday addressing his impending free agency.

Mayer: Schefter talks Bears QB options, Jeffery - ChicagoBears.com - ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter chats with Larry Mayer at the NFL Combine to preview some of the Bears options this offseason.

Cox: Potential Bears draft target Jonathan Allen has arthritis in his shoulders - Bears Wire - Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen reportedly has arthritis in his shoulders, which could have a big effect on his draft stock.

Perez: Bears expected to pursue Bills CB Stephon Gilmore to fix secondary woes - Bears Wire - The Chicago Bears are expected to pursue Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore in free agency

Podcast: Is Alshon Jeffery's time up with the Bears? - Chicago Sun-Times - In the latest episode of Halas Intrigue, the Chicago Sun-Times' Patrick Finley asks whether Alshon Jeffery's time with the Bears is up:

Perez: Bears grab SEC defender in NFL.com’s latest first-round mock draft - Bears Wire - In a new 2017 NFL mock draft, NFL.com sends the Bears a decorated SEC defender

Jahns: Alshon Jeffery releases curious statement about free agency - Chicago Sun-Times - The Eagles, Titans and 49ers are all thought to be interested in signing Jeffery.

Finley: Union briefs agents on spat with Bears over workers' comp - Chicago Sun-Times - With free agency one week away, the NFL Players’ Association briefed agents Thursday on their ongoing disagreement with the Bears

Finley: In QB search, Bears hope combine meetings are 15 minutes to fame - Chicago Sun-Times - The highest-drafted quarterback of John Fox’s career came sight unseen, even to the coach himself.

Jahns: With need at QB, Bears must monitor Browns, 49ers closely - Chicago Sun-Times - Bears general manager Ryan Pace isn’t the only NFL decision-maker who speaks enthusiastically about his options.

NFL Combine: Running backs in the spotlight, QB's to watch - CSN Chicago - Running backs took the stage at Day 1 of the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

SportsTalk Live: Where will Alshon Jeffery land? - CSN Chicago - The SportsTalk Live panel talks about what teams Alshon Jeffery could land at.

Mullin: A year after using franchise tag, Bears preparing for post-Alshon Jeffery scenarios - CSN Chicago - Without actually saying it, Bears GM Ryan Pace made it clear that the team is prepping for life without wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.

Stankevitz: Taking a quarterback at No. 3 an issue of more than reach for Bears - CSN Chicago - The Bears need to determine whether any of the three top-rated quarterbacks is worth taking with the No. 3 pick in this spring's draft.

Mullin: Ryan Pace and John Fox unlikely to place win-now mandate on Bears' draft plans - CSN Chicago - Though their job statuses remain a topic of conversation, Ryan Pace and John Fox are unlikely to bring a win-now mentality to their draft plans.

LeGere: All signs indicate WR Jeffery won't return to Bears - Daily Herald - Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery does not sound like a player who expects to return to the Bears. GM Ryan Pace said the team will continue to negotiate with Jeffery, but it may already be too late.

Halas Hall Pass: Bears' offseason plans for bolstering offensive line - Chicago Tribune - Tribune reporters Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer discuss the Bears' offseason plans for bolstering the offensive line on March 2, 2017.

Woike: NFL combine scores with fans, team executives for different reasons - Chicago Tribune - The half mile or so that leads you from Hall A to Hall K is full of distractions. There are sessions on "Deadly Dust" … "A Safer Look at Welding" …  "A Safety Manager’s Guide to Millennials" … A cardboard cutout of Pope Francis has instructions on how to find a worship area. But, no offense to...

Ranking the top 25 NFL free agents - Chicago Tribune - Here are the top 25 unrestricted free agents.

Biggs: Bears could be loading up for run at CB Stephon Gilmore, QB Mike Glennon - Chicago Tribune - The Bears' areas of need are well-documented. Quarterback and cornerback are the first two, and there aren't many positions that couldn't use an upgrade.

NFL Mock Draft 2017: Four Rounds! - The San Diego Union-Tribune - Looking forward to the NFL Draft? Let us tell you what will happen.

2017 NFL Mock Draft Round 1 - DraftTek - Drafttek.com uses a computer program to simulate a 7-round 2017 NFL Mock Draft. Each team has an individual analyst who supplies data on 2017 NFL Draft Team Needs. The team needs are matched up against a list of 2017 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings (Big Board) in order to generate each selection in our 2017 NFL Mock Draft.

NFL mock draft: Expect Myles Garrett to go first, five from Alabama to be taken in first round - LA Times - Assembling a mock draft before the NFL scouting combine is a risky proposition. Many players rise and fall with their performance at the league’s annual evaluation event, their campus pro days, and depending on how deeply teams weigh into the free-agent market. Still, who can resist a little fantasy...

Kadar: What we learned about the 2017 NFL draft on the first day of the combine - SBNation.com - The Bengals are taking a running back, and some teams will be hot after offensive linemen.

Bucky Brooks mock draft 2.0: Year of the quarterback slide? - NFL.com - The last time an NFL draft failed to have a quarterback taken in the top half of the first round was in 2000. In his latest mock draft, Bucky Brooks sees a similar scenario playing out this year.

Kadar: Mitch Trubisky is 6’2 and that’s just right for Hue Jackson and the Browns - SBNation.com - Is the North Carolina quarterback starting to look like a fit for Cleveland?

Sessler: Eagles QB Chase Daniel drawing interest on market - NFL.com - The Eagles made waves last season when they traded Sam Bradford to the Vikings just prior to Week 1. Could Philly send Chase Daniel packing in similar fashion? Ian Rapoport reports the veteran is drawing interest.

Alper: Alshon Jeffery looking for the "best situation to win a championship right now" - ProFootballTalk - The Bears changed course from last year and passed on placing a franchise tag on wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, leaving the wideout on track to become an unrestricted free agent on March 9.

Kadar: John Lynch thinks it’s ‘liberating’ that the 49ers have no quarterbacks - SBNation.com - San Francisco’s new general manager had good things to say about the top QBs in the draft.

TAKING A LOOK AT BEARS HISTORY WITH HONEYBEAR HOUSEHOLDER

This offseason I will be linking the outstanding series that Honeybear Householder put together a few years ago so that those of you who missed out on it the first time can enjoy it and learn more about the storied history of your Chicago Bears!

HoneyBearHouseholder : Taking a Look in the Bears History Book: Kevin Butler - Windy City Gridiron - Kevin Gregory "Butthead" Butler was born July 24, 1962 in Savannah, Georgia. On Redan High School's football team, Butler was a defensive back and kicker and an all-state selection in soccer. He would have likely been a position player in college had he not suffered a knee injury in the first game of his senior year at Redan.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Gates: Adrian Peterson, Man On The Street - Daily Norseman - Part of his free agency preparations, no doubt.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Two former Bears’ assistants named top 10 head coaches, John Fox 18th - Windy City Gridiron - Where would the Chicago Bears’ franchise be had they not let one of these two assistant coaches get away?

FANPOSTS

vs.cbears20 8 Buy Low Free Agents - Windy City Gridiron - I've seen a lot of mock off-season articles lately, and I decided instead to just touch on 8 buy low free agents that the Bears should sign. The reason I did this is because I wanted to find...

PowerTool: So Chris Long is Available - Windy City Gridiron - I'm not just mentioning this because I added Chris to the Bears while playing franchise mode on Madden 17. Chris Long has announced he will not be re-signing with the Patriots. As you might...

FanPosts - Recent - Windy City Gridiron - Here's a link to our FanPost section, where YOU have the opportunity to contribute to Windy City Gridiron. Take a few minutes and write a post about what you are thinking about regarding the Chicago Bears, and there'a chance it will be linked right here in the Den.

THE RULES

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments, FanPosts, usernames or anywhere else in an SB Nation community: Comments, FanPosts or usernames that are intolerant or prejudiced; Personal attacks or threats on community members; Gendered insults of any kind; Trolling; Click link for full information.

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