The Bear’s Den, March 24, 2018

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

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Finley: Notre Dame WR Equanimeous St. Brown out to make a name for himself in draft - Chicago Sun-Times - The 6-5, 214-pounder could land on the draft’s second day. The Bears, who figure to draft a receiver after the first round, could be interested.

Finley: Orange Dinosaur is done - former Bears TE Martellus Bennett to retire - Chicago Sun-Times - Calling himself the “Orange Dinosaur” and the “Black Unicorn,” the outspoken Bennett caught 90 passes for 916 yards in 2014.

Biggs: Will a guard be drafted in top 5? If so, Quenton Nelson won't make it to Bears - Chicago Tribune - Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson could become the highest-drafted guard in the NFL since the Cardinals selected Leonard Davis No. 2 overall in 2001. Is there a chance he's on the board when the Bears pick at No. 8?

Chicago Bears 7-Round Mock Draft: Pace Goes Heavy on Defense - Da Bears Brothers - With an offense-orientated free agency haul, Ryan Pace aims to bolster the Bears' defense in this complete mock draft.

SportsTalk Live Podcast: Will Cam Meredith return to the Bears? - NBC Sports Chicago - Hub Arkush (Pro Football Weekly/670 The Score), Mark Grote (670 The Score) and Mark Carman (WGN Radio) join Luke Stuckmeyer on the panel.

Santoromila: After releasing him, Bears reportedly bringing back Marcus Cooper - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears signed Marcus Cooper to a three-year deal before last season, but released him after one year. It appears he still may be returning.

Stankevitz: Plenty of possibilities loom ahead of Bears' draft pick - NBC Sports Chicago - Who winds up available when the Bears pick at No. 8 will depend largely on how many quarterbacks are drafted ahead of them.

PFW Chicago Podcast 108: On Cam, "the Kyles" and what's next for Bears and NFC North - Pro Football Week - The guys are back with an updated look at the Bears' biggest to-dos after free agency's first wave. Plus, the Cam Meredith situation, Kyle Fuller's contract, Kyle Long's winding road, Aaron Lynch's motivation and our latest assessment of the changing

Thorman: Free agent WR Kendall Wright visiting Kansas City Chiefs - Arrowhead Pride - The Kansas City Chiefs got the top receiver in free agency in Sammy Watkins to give them a dynamic pairing with Tyreek Hill. They’re not done yet. The Chiefs are bringing in free agent receiver K...

Breer's NFL Mock Draft: Bills trade up Giants, Broncos trade up - SI.com - Projecting two more teams trading up into the top four, with the Giants moving down. We ran it by execs across the league, and they could see it happening. Nelson to the Bears at 8.

Mayer: How big of a role will Burton play? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses how big of a role new tight end Trey Burton could play, how much Mitchell Trubisky's presence helped the Bears land free agents and Allen Robinson's recovery from a torn ACL.

Mayer: Lynch has traits to excel as pass rusher - ChicagoBears.com - One of the Bears' most intriguing free agent additions, outside linebacker Aaron Lynch is a player who GM Ryan Pace believes "has the traits to be a double-digit sack guy."

Mayer: Tips for Bears' schedule prediction challenge - ChicagoBears.com - Who, when and where will the Bears play this season? Senior writer Larry Mayer provides some tips for fans entering the annual Schedule Prediction Challenge.

Dickerson: Chase Daniel - Bears' Mitchell Trubisky ready for Matt Nagy's offense - Chicago Bears- ESPN - According to backup QB Chase Daniel, the Bears' new offense is "very quarterback-intensive," which could suit Mitchell Trubisky just fine.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Brooks: Stop overdrafting quarterbacks! Plus, JPP trade fallout and more - NFL.com - Bucky Brooks explains one of the biggest draft mistakes teams across the league routinely make. Plus, the impact of the Jason Pierre-Paul trade, New England's secret sauce and much more.

Troy Vincent: NFL defensive backs could game the system on pass interference – ProFootballTalk - The league's owners will vote next week on a proposal to shorten pass interference penalties to 15 yards. But the NFL's Executive Vice President of Football Operations -- who just happens to be a former NFL cornerback -- sounds skeptical.

Smith: NFL considers “Josh McDaniels rule” so coaches can take new jobs during playoffs – ProFootballTalk - During this year's playoffs, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels verbally agreed to become the next head coach of the Colts. But by rule, he couldn't sign with the Colts until the Patriots' postseason was over. And after the Super Bowl, McDaniels jilted the Colts and stayed in New England.

Smith: NFL not considering rule change on fumbles through the end zone – ProFootballTalk - The rule that says a fumble into the end zone and out of bounds goes to the defense on the 20-yard line seems illogical. But it's not going anywhere. Among the many rules changes the league will consider at next week's owners' meeting, there's nothing about the fumble touchback rule, which many f...

Gantt: Johnny Manziel - “This is the last of the last chances” – ProFootballTalk - Johnny Manziel says he's feeling better, and that doesn't have much to do with going 36-of-38 passing against air in a pro day workout yesterday. The former Browns first-rounder told Bruce Feldman of SI.com that he's almost 90 days sober, and hasn't done any hard drugs in over a year.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Thompson: Joe Berger Announces Retirement - Daily Norseman - The 13-year veteran offensive lineman is hanging it up.

Reisman: Don’t read too much into Matt Patricia, Bob Quinn skipping Michigan’s Pro Day - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions skipping out of Michigan’s Pro Day means very little.

Reisman: Detroit Lions free agency target G/C Joe Berger announces retirement - Pride Of Detroit - Scratch one veteran guard option off the list.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Superfans: Bears scouting long snapper Tanner Carew - Windy City Gridiron - Enough with the revolving door of long snappers in Chicago. It’s time for our beloved Bears to draft their next special teams mainstay and finally replace Patrick Mannelly.

Infante: For the third consecutive season, a first-round trade up could be in the cards for the Bears - Windy City Gridiron - Despite not having much in the way of draft capital, the Bears could end up trading up due to the events of free agency.

Householder: Chicago Bears nearly lead league in games lost to injury again - Windy City Gridiron - For the second straight year the Bears lost a lot of players to injury.

Zeglinski: Getting acquainted with Cody Parkey - Windy City Gridiron - After a forgettable couple of seasons at the position, the Bears have a kicker they can count on again. The Phinsider gives the lowdown on the young Parkey.

x160630: Is Quenton Nelson Generational? - Windy City Gridiron - A great post by Mike Ditka’s Cigar in the March 23rd Den got me thinking. Who is really a generational talent in the NFL? How many generational players have ever existed? What exactly is a...

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