The Bear’s Den, May 3, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS / DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Biggs: Is versatile James Daniels ready for leap from Iowa to the Bears and from center to guard? - Chicago Tribune - Bears second-round draft pick James Daniels started at center the last two seasons at Iowa, but the Bears plan to move the 6-foot-3, 306-pounder to left guard.

Biggs Bears Q&A: Is there enough depth at outside linebacker? Why move James Daniels to guard? - Chicago Tribune - Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly. Lots of folks are wondering about the depth chart at outside linebacker after the team waited until Round 6 to draft one. Is it a big concern? Why play Cody Whitehair at center and have James Daniels learn left guard? Plus much more.

Campbell: Bears decline Kevin White's fifth-year option - Chicago Tribune - The Bears declined receiver Kevin White's fifth-year option, putting GM Ryan Pace's first draft pick into a contract year as he attempts to bounce back from a third consecutive season lost to a bone fracture.

Kane: Former Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman announces retirement - Chicago Tribune - Former Bears inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman announced his retirement on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

Chicago Bears Draft Recap & Analysis: Part Two (Adam Jahns) - Da Bears Brother Podcast - Listen as Da Bears Brothers are joined by Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times and continue their recap the Bears' 2018 Draft Class including some UDFA talk.

LeGere: Chicago Bears decline fifth-year option on WR White - Pro Football Weekly - Injury-plagued 2015 1st-rounder has played just 5 games

Perez: Roquan Smith’s positional value is the only reason NFL execs question Bears’ pick - Bears Wire - ESPN.com surveyed NFL executives about each team's NFL draft haul and for the Bears, the positional value of Roquan Smith was at issue

Mayer: Kiper expects Smith to make instant impact - ChicagoBears.com - Bears rookie linebacker Roquan Smith is among six NFL first-round picks that ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. believes will make an immediate impact this season.

Mayer: McShay calls Daniels Bears' best draft pick - ChicagoBears.com - Of the Bears’ seven picks in the NFL Draft, ESPN analyst Todd McShay feels that second-round choice James Daniels, an offensive lineman from Iowa, was their best selection.

Mayer: Ex-Bear Freeman announces retirement from NFL - ChicagoBears.com - Former Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman on Wednesday announced his retirement from the NFL.

Dannehy: Don’t Sleep on Kevin White - Da Bears Blog - Understandably, fans don’t want to hear about how good Kevin White can be or how big an impact he can have. Not when he’s had so much trouble simply staying on the field. But while I don’t think anybody is still projecting White to be a star, it would be foolish to rule him out. The Bears clearly have a plan for White and how much of an impact he makes in 2018 will be up to him…and his fragile body.

Gandia: High Praise For Bears & Their Draft – Bears Barroom - Could this era of Chicago Bears football be the foundation of championships to come? While no one is predicting the Bears to be a Super Bowl contending team in 2018, there is a growing portion of the media that’s beginning to applaud what general manager Ryan Pace is constructing.

Dickerson: Chicago Bears will decline fifth-year contract option on wide receiver Kevin White - ESPN - A league source tells ESPN that the Chicago Bears will decline the fifth-year contract option on wide receiver Kevin White.

Wiedman: Chicago Bears Building a Wall of Defense - Our Turf Football - OTFB's Wanda Wiedman brings you up-to-date on the Undrafted Free Agents (UDFA) signed so far by the Chicago Bears.

Eurich: Bears land at No. 24 on Power Rankings for NFL.com - 247Sports - The Chicago Bears have a new ranking in NFL.com's power rankings.

Jones: Packers listed as favorites to win NFC North - 247Sports - The Packers have won the NFC North five times the last seven seasons.

Ostrowski: Over Or Under Of 6.5 Wins For Bears? An Investigation - 670 The Score - A new coach works in the Bears' favor, but they will encounter some elite quarterbacks.

Fifth-year option tracker for 2015 first-round picks - NFL.com - With the deadline for 2015 first-round picks to have their 2019 options picked up quickly approaching, Kevin Patra takes a rundown of the players who have had their option exercised.

Link: The Perfect Finish to the Bears Offseason - The Loop Sports - In the past four months, the Chicago Bears have fired John Fox, hired Matt Nagy and his staff, added offensive firepower in free agency, and had a universally lauded draft. The excitement inside of Halas Hall is palpable, and for good reason.

Finley: Bears not picking up WR Kevin White's fifth-year option - Chicago Sun-Times - Kevin White is, as expected, entering a walk year. The Bears decided not to exercise his fifth-year option ahead of Wednesday’s 11:59 p.m. deadline

POLISH SAUSAGE

The NFL begins a challenging task: Trying to explain its new helmet-hitting rule - Chicago Tribune - Coaches, owners, NFL representatives, the NFLPA, former players and officials begin a two-day player safety summit at the league's offices in Manhattan.

Williams: Shame? Insufficient. It's time to relegate the junk teams in sports. - Chicago Tribune - Guess what. If you follow American sport, you support a system that celebrates and rewards mediocrity. Sorry. Some call it “parity.” They’re fools. It’s codified adequacy.

Chicago State hires former Bears, Notre Dame DT Chris Zorich as AD - Chicago Sun-Times - Zorich replaces interim AD Tracy Dildy. The school says he will start work on May 8.

NFL Power Rankings: Giants climb after 2018 draft; Bills drop - NFL.com - With the 2018 NFL Draft in the books, Elliot Harrison considers the NFL hierarchy. Which teams are up in the Power Rankings? Who took a step (or two) down?

Kickoffs set to undergo makeover in order to make play safer - NFL.com - The kickoff isn't going away for the 2018 NFL season, but it will look different. Jim Trotter outlines the ways the kickoff is changing in order to make the play safer.

Eagles sign Markus Wheaton – ProFootballTalk - The Eagles signed a former Bears wide receiver to a one-year deal last offseason and bringing Alshon Jeffery to Philadelphia paid off for the team. Markus Wheaton won't be expected to have the same kind of impact as Jeffery, but he'll also get a chance to continue his career with the Eagles.

KNOW THY ENEMY

The NFL doesn’t know how to punt, or the case against the Packers drafting JK Scott - Acme Packing Company - Paul Noonan discusses what the NFL gets wrong about how and when to punt and why the Packers’ 5th-round pick was a mistake even if JK Scott is good at what he does.

Breaking Down Hercules Mata’afa - Daily Norseman - Another of the more intriguing UDFAs the Vikings have signed is Hercules Mata’afa, out of Washington State. Weighing in at around 250 lbs., he dominated as an interior defensive linemen in...

Breaking Down Jayln Holmes - Daily Norseman - The Vikings drafted DL Jayln Holmes with the second pick in the fourth round, moving down and out of the third round prior to doing so.

This is all on the owners - Pride Of Detroit - This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong, Mitchell, Link, Householder & Duerrwaechter: What’s your theory on the new Ryan Pace? - Windy City Gridiron - This Chicago Bears’ offseason has felt a little different than the last few under general manager Ryan Pace. The WCG crew wonders why...

Infante: Breaking down the Bears’ roster after the 2018 NFL Draft - Windy City Gridiron - Let’s take a look at what Chicago’s roster looks like after the events of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Infante: Chicago Bears to decline Kevin White’s fifth-year option - Windy City Gridiron - Injury issues leading to four career starts for White made this an easy move for the Bears.

Sunderbruch: This Class Sucks Too - A Hot Take on the Bears’ 2018 Draft - Windy City Gridiron - Having too much fun enjoying the class of 2018? Feel like the enthusiasm in the Kool-Aid has gotten too toxic? Well, here is the antidote.

Zeglinski: At his pace, Ryan Pace has turned the Chicago Bears into a contender - Windy City Gridiron - It’s taken awhile, but Pace built the Bears his way. He has them at the doorstep of relevancy and more.

Zeglinski: Former Chicago Bear Jerrell Freeman retires from the NFL - Windy City Gridiron - The linebacker calls it quits after six seasons to focus on his health.

IOftenPanic's 2019 NFL Draft: Quick Preview - Windy City Gridiron - Yes, it's too early for this, but with the 2018 NFL Draft in the books... work begins on 2019. And since I can't use my 2018 data for anything public anymore, I thought I'd give a quick glimpse...

Roman F: An alternate version of the Bears’ off season - Windy City Gridiron - I’m really excited about this draft class, Anthony Miller in particular. But, I do think the Bears could be closer if Pace had instead done the following:

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

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