The Bear’s Den, Monday, February 19, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS / DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Biggs: As free agency nears, Bears must make call on some previous buys - Chicago Tribune - With the start of the new league year approaching, the Bears have roster decisions to make, many based on players they signed in free agency. March 16 is a key date for eight players with potential guarantees or roster bonuses.

LeGere's Chicago Bears offseason positional analysis: Tight Ends - Pro Football Weekly - Do Bears need pass-catching tight end to pair with youngster Shaheen?

Easterling: Get to know some of the 2018 NFL draft’s top prospects - The Draft Wire - Check out Draft Wire's series of exclusive interviews with some of the top prospects in the 2018 NFL draft class

Cox: These 3 Bears could face chopping block this March - Bears Wire - A handful of Chicago Bears players are due roster bonuses in March, and the team could look to make some cuts to save salary cap space.

Mayer: Vietnam vets win Super Bowl trip from Bears - ChicagoBears.com - Nearly 50 years after Randy Kusiak (left) helped save Jim Zwit's life in a Vietnamese jungle, their close bond earned the lifelong Bears fans a trip to Super Bowl LII from their favorite team.

Ottochian: Draft Dr. Phil’s Favorite Player In The Draft Is Maurice Hurst – Bears Barroom - My favorite player in the 2018 NFL Draft is Maurice Hurst Jr. the defensive lineman from Michigan. He is a versatile system fit who dominates up front, has a nose for the football, great hands and explosive quickness.

Infante: Meet Tim Settle, the defensive line prospect who moves like a linebacker - The Draft Wire - Virginia Tech's Tim Settle spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his athleticism, and why he can't remember anyone who tried to block him

Mike Mayock's 2018 NFL Draft position rankings - NFL.com - With the NFL Scouting Combine just around the corner, Mike Mayock unveils his initial position-by-position rankings for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Rosenthal's 2018 NFL franchise-tag primer: Eight most likely candidates - NFL.com - Will the Steelers franchise Le'Veon Bell for the second straight year? Could the Cowboys use their tag on breakout pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence? Gregg Rosenthal identifies guys who could receive the designation in the coming weeks.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Kenny: Jay Cutler's not-so-secret Instagram account will make your day - Chicago Sun Times - Jay Cutler has always been standoffish and guarded. He's basically the leader of the anti-social media movement.

Cahill: Examining Jim McMahon's claim that Mike Ditka bet on William Perry Super Bowl TD - Chicago Sun-Times - Whether it's the golf course or the card table, Mike Ditka has always enjoyed a friendly wager.

Report: Texans will release Brian Cushing – ProFootballTalk - The Texans will release inside linebacker Brian Cushing before the league year begins March 14, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports. The emergence of second-year linebackers Zach Cunningham and Dylan Cole made Cushing expendable. Houston will save $7.

Mets G.M.: Tim Tebow will play in the major leagues – ProFootballTalk - Six years after a hot-potato trade from the Broncos to the Jets killed the football version of Tebowmania, Tim Tebow is trying to get to the highest rungs of another sport. He has made it to the New York Mets' major-league training camp, and G.M.

Florio: Favre fears that “tomorrow I may not remember who I am” – ProFootballTalk - Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre played most of his career at a time when the NFL had yet to wake up to the long-term problems associated with head injuries. Which puts Favre among the thousands of former NFL players who may develop cognitive issues later in life.

Florio: Is Marcus Peters available in trade? – ProFootballTalk - With the Chiefs adding veteran cornerback David Amerson and, officially in three weeks, acquiring cornerback Kendall Fuller as part of the Alex Smith trade, some in league circles are wondering whether the Chiefs will be making another transaction involving a cornerback.

Florio: NFL should open trade window earlier – ProFootballTalk - The window for making trade in the NFL closes on the Tuesday after Week Eight. It opens on the first day of the league year. It should open sooner than that. That's not simply because teams should have the ability at any time to make a trade (although they should).

KNOW THY ENEMY

Gates: Vikings’ rookie class gets “B+” grade from NFL.com - Daily Norseman - Probably better than many were expecting

PFT: Teddy Bridgewater contract tolling won’t be an issue - Daily Norseman - What do they mean by that? Who knows?

Gates: Luft Krigare takes a look at Rick Spielman’s draft record - Daily Norseman - There’s a lot of information, but it’s all good stuff

2017 Detroit Lions roster review: Rodney Coe, a sleeper defensive tackle - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions brought in several guys to compete for spots in 2018 and Rodney Coe just might stick to the roster.

Bukowski: Do the Packers' wide receivers really struggle to separate? - Acme Packing Company - NFL Next Gen stats suggests the narrative around the Green Bay passing game may be wrong.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong's Chicago Bears 2018 Roster Turnover: Outside linebacker help is needed - Windy City Gridiron - In this 13-part series we’ll take an in depth look at each position group for the Chicago Bears with an eye towards the 2018 season. We’ll speculate on who stays, who goes, and some potential additions we’d like to see general manager Ryan Pace make.

Infante: 2018 NFL Draft - Realistic two-round scenarios for the Bears - Windy City Gridiron - With draft discussions under way, let’s look at a few possible scenarios that could happen for the Bears in the first two rounds.

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

2 Minute Drill - Website - iTunes - Andrew Link; Steven’s Streaming – Twitch – Steven Schweickert; T-Formation Conversation - Website - iTunes - Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; WCG Radio - Website - Robert Zeglinski

THE RULES

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