BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!
BEARRRSSSS / DRAFT / FREE AGENCY
Campbell: Matt Forte to sign a one-day contract to officially retire with the Bears - Chicago Tribune - Matt Forte’s NFL run will finish with the Bears, after all. Forte, one of the best running backs in franchise history, will sign a one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Bears.
Finley: Kyle Fuller transition tag: Bears retain rights to star cornerback - Chicago Sun Times - Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller posted his best season last year, intercepting two passes and deflecting 22 more.
DeWitt: NFL Combine Review (And Free Agency Primer) - Da Bears Brothers - Listen as Da Bears Brothers share everything you need to know from the NFL Combine and get you prepared for the impending free agency period.
Campbell: Edged out - Draft class will challenge Bears to fill major pass rush need - Chicago Tribune - The Bears suddenly have a major need for pass rushers but the NFL draft might not offer enough help. They must consider Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds despite his extensive experience playing inside linebacker instead of outside.
Biggs: Bears place transition tag on cornerback Kyle Fuller - Chicago Tribune - Kyle Fuller will almost certainly be in a Bears uniform this season. The Bears all but guaranteed that Tuesday by placing the seldom-used transition tag on the cornerback before the 3 p.m. deadline, giving the team the opportunity to match any offer he might receive.
Chicago Bears place transition tag on cornerback Kyle Fuller - Daily Herald - The Chicago Bears came up with a more creative and less expensive way of keeping free-agent cornerback Kyle Fuller, placing the rarely used transition tag on Fuller just hours before the Tuesday deadline.
Jason La Canfora saying CB Kyle Fuller won't be returning to the #Bears next year, which means you can count on the exact opposite happening.
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) February 16, 2018
Moreano: Who impressed Nick at the NFL Combine? - Da Bears Brothers - With the NFL Combine over, here is who Nick believes the Bears should look at to help fill the current holes at receiver and outside linebacker.
Tidwell: No Cutting Corners - Bears Place Transition Tag on Kyle Fuller - ESPN - The Chicago Bears have placed the transition tag on cornerback Kyle Fuller.
Stankevitz: Four key tagging decisions bring free agency into focus for Bears - NBC Sports Chicago - Beyond Kyle Fuller, who received the transition tag, three other players who didn't receive the franchise tag on Tuesday will help shape the Bears' free agency plans.
Bears Use Transition Tag On Cornerback Kyle Fuller - CBS Chicago - The tag guarantees Fuller a $12.971 million salary for the 2018 season and gives the Bears until July 16 to work out a long-term contract.
LeGere: Jacksonville Jaguars won't tag WR Robinson - Pro Football Weekly - Former Pro Bowl receiver could be target of Bears
LeGere: Combine provides plenty for Chicago Bears, NFC North to digest - Pro Football Weekly - The good, the bad and the ugly from Indianapolis
LeGere: Chicago Bears use transition tag on Kyle Fuller, a creative way to keep top CB long term - Pro Football Weekly - Bears will continue pursuing multi-year deal for Fuller after his breakout 2017
Hoge: 2018 Bears Mock Draft 2.0 - WGN Radio - The NFL Combine is behind us, which means we have a lot more clarity on how draft prospects are stacking up. For the sake of clarity, there are four players I absolutely love for the Bears at No. 8 overall.
Palazzolo: Bears get Iowa CB Josh Jackson in PFF's 2018 NFL Mock Draft 3 - Pro Football Focus - Fresh from the NFL Combine, Lead Draft Analyst Steve Palazzolo brings us the PFF Mock Draft 3. Did the combine manage to shake up any of the early picks?
Perez: Kyle Fuller is 1st Bears player to receive transition tag in 17 years - Bears Wire - The Chicago Bears used the transition tag for the first time in 17 years Tuesday when they announced its use on CB Kyle Fuller
Perez: Sammy Watkins, Allen Robinson will be high on FA wish list for Bears - Bears Wire - Both Sammy Watkins and Allen Robinson will be hit the free agent market, and the Chicago Bears are expected to be all in
Mayer: Behind-the-scenes at the NFL Combine - ChicagoBears.com - ChicagoBears.com takes you behind-the-scenes at the NFL Combine inside the Bears suite at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during player workouts.
Mayer: Pace, Nagy have formed strong partnership - ChicagoBears.com - The communication and collaboration between Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy remains strong two months after Pace hired Nagy.
Wood: Outlining My Ideal Free Agency - Da Bears Blog - The Combine just ended and NFL free agency is about to kick off. Teams and agents were already talking in Indianapolis, and the official legal tampering period starts next Monday. With that in mind, I’m going to lay out both positions and players I think the Bears should target. I’ll explain my rationale for each, detail why they are a good fit, and try to provide a contract estimate. I’m not going to address smaller depth needs – backup QB, 3rd RB, etc. Just the main contracts that will take up most of the cap room.
Mayer: Bears put transition tag on Fuller - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears on Tuesday placed a transition tag on cornerback Kyle Fuller. "Kyle is a player we value," said GM Ryan Pace. "This allows us to continue to work together on a long-term deal."
NFL Insiders predict, preview 2018 offseason - Free agency, trades, signings, cuts - ESPN - The Patriots' benching of the cornerback in the Super Bowl again called into question their long-term plan for him. Now he's about to be a free agent. Where will he play next season? Our NFL Insiders weigh in on the biggest topics of the offseason.
Dickerson: Chicago Bears use transition tag on Kyle Fuller, have right to match any offers - ESPN - The Chicago Bears placed the transition tag on cornerback Kyle Fuller, who had his best season in 2017. The transition tag gives the Bears the right to match any offer, but if they don't, they won't get any compensation.
Hawley: Bears apply the transition tag to cornerback Kyle Fuller - WGN-TV - The Bears didn't go as far as they could to retain the services of Kyle Fuller, but they're not going to let him go without a fight. On Tuesday, the Bears officially place the Transition Tag on the cornerback, opting to use this instead of the Franchise Tag, which would have locked...
Cox: Gauging the free-agent wide receiver market - Locked On Bears - Matt Harmon from NFL.com joined the podcast to preview the most notable free-agent wide receivers the Chicago Bears could be interested in.
Under Center Podcast: Matt Forte joins the pod and shares his favorite moments as a Bear - NBC Sports Chicago - On the heels of his retirement announcement, Matt Forte joins the Under Center Podcast and announces that he will retire as a Bear.
POLISH SAUSAGE
Gantt: Referees Ed Hochuli and Jeff Triplette retiring – ProFootballTalk - NFL teams aren't the only ones going through personnel change this offseason, and replacing veterans with young talent. The league office is doing the same, with its most high-profile referee walking away as his son walks in.
KNOW THY ENEMY
Florio: Could Teddy Bridgewater be this year’s Mike Glennon? – ProFootballTalk - If a "handful" of teams envision quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as a starter, an important caveat possibly applies. Assuming that, after free agency opens, a team without a No.
2018 NFL Combine Workout Results: Cornerbacks & safeties - Acme Packing Company - It was an impressive Monday to close down the 2018 Combine as several defensive backs put up some great testing results.
Gates: Church provides no sanctuary from QB questions for Rick Spielman - Daily Norseman - Even at church, he’s getting questions
Gates: NFL officially sets salary cap at $177.2 million - Daily Norseman - That represents a $10.2 million increase
Free agency rumors: Jeremiah Attaochu an ‘under-the-radar’ option for Lions - Pride Of Detroit - With a need for more edge rushers, the Lions could add Jeremiah Attaochu—someone who’s equally in need of a fresh start himself—in free agency.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON
Wiltfong: Bears met with a couple small school offensive linemen at the NFL Combine - Windy City Gridiron - So far all the reports of prospect visits at the NFL Combine for the Chicago Bears revolved around Division I Football Bowl Subdivision players at the "skill" positions. The latest report from C...
Link's Layman’s Guide to Bears Free Agency: Cornerbacks - Windy City Gridiron - Have you ever gone into free agency and hear scores of names but aren’t quite sure who these players are? Well, you’re not alone.
Wiltfong: Official NFL 2018 Draft Order - Chicago Bears only have 2 picks in the top 100 - Windy City Gridiron - All the compensatory picks are handed out and the coin flips are done, so the 2018 NFL Draft order is official. The Draft will take place from April 26 through April 28.
Duerrwaechter: Bears Use Transition Tag on Kyle Fuller - Windy City Gridiron - A key contributor for the Bears’ defense has potentially been locked up for the 2018 season.
Zeglinski: A Slow Pace - Grading each of Ryan Pace's Bears free agent signings - Windy City Gridiron - Pace has been up and down with the Bears in free agency so far. Evaluating each of his previous signings with another open market on the horizon.
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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