The Bear’s Den, May 23, 2019

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

BEARRRSSSS / FREE AGENCY / DRAFT

Ellis: Reworking his fundamentals might be the key to unlocking Leonard Floyd's potential - NBC Sports Chicago - The 4th-year LB is ready to finally put it all together.

Under Center Podcast: Takeaways from Week 1 of OTAs | NBC Sports Chicago - JJ Stankevitz and Cam Ellis dive into a few interesting developments from OTAs at Halas Hall on Wednesday, including Bradley Sowell’s position change.

Barbieri: Chuck Pagano says Eddie Jackson has same traits as Ed Reed - Bears Wire - Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano sees similarities between safety Eddie Jackson and Baltimore Ravens legend Ed Reed.

Mayer: Sowell, Mizzell have new positions, numbers - ChicagoBears.com - Bradley Sowell has moved from tackle to tight end and switched from No. 79 to 85, while Taquan Mizzell has moved from running back to receiver and swapped No. 33 for No. 11.

Mayer: Transition to new DC Pagano going smoothly - ChicagoBears.com - Coach Matt Nagy knew that new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano would mesh well with Bears players and coaches, and that’s been evident throughout the first six weeks of the team’s offseason program.

Mayer: Ranking best Bears of all time: Nos. 26-50 - ChicagoBears.com - The list of 25 players ranked as the best in Bears history from No. 26-50 is highlighted by longtime teammates Olin Kreutz, Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman, a trio that combined to be voted to 15 Pro Bowls.

Dannehy: Kerrith Whyte Could Be Sleeper of ’19 Draft Class - Da Bears Blog - Matt Nagy’s eyes lit up when he described a play made by his rookie running back. “The quarterback looked at me and said ‘that’s a running back,’” Nagy said. “I said, ‘I know.’” The back wasn’t top pick David Montgomery. It was seventh-rounder Kerrith Whyte Jr. And he may be more ready to play now in the NFL than expected.

Potash: Chuck Pagano ‘like a kid again’ with Bears’ D - Chicago Sun-Times - Vic Fangio successor making good first impression with players: ‘He’s super in-touch’

Finley: ‘It’s just like Bama’ — the 4-word pitch that lured Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to Bears - Chicago Sun-Times - As one of only two new defensive starters — nickel cornerback Buster Skrine is the other — Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is working on fitting into the Bears’ brotherhood.

Morrissey: Top-100 Bears list that has Jay Cutler 85th tells sad story of franchise’s record on QBs - Chicago Sun-Times - Rather than blame the people who rated Cutler so low or call out Cutler for his erratic career, let’s lay the condemnation at the wingtips of the people who couldn’t draft or acquire more than the handful of quarterbacks good enough to end up on a top-100 list: Bears ownership and management.

Campbell: ‘I know I can trust him’ - Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Eddie Jackson are rebuilding their partnership in the Bears secondary - Chicago Tribune - Bears safeties Eddie Jackson and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix are building a partnership, and they sense a special best-case scenario.

Wiederer: 4 things we learned at Bears OTAs, including Chuck Pagano’s next big challenge with the defense - Chicago Tribune - Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano is currently “throwing a lot of mud at the wall to see what sticks.” So what’s next for Pagano’s new defense?

Photos: Bears OTAs at Halas Hall - Chicago Tribune - Photos from the Bears OTA practice at Halas Hall on May 22, 2019.

Stankevitz: Bears eye position changes in search for improved depth on offense - NBC Sports Chicago - Bradley Sowell is moving to tight end in an effort to inject some much-needed depth to that position, while James Daniels and Cody Whitehair indeed are swapping spots on the offensive line.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Jon Gruden on Antonio Brown in Oakland: I’m not in the relationship business – ProFootballTalk - Antonio Brown was traded from the Steelers to the Raiders in part because of his relationships with coaches and teammates in Pittsburgh. In Oakland, his coach says he's not going to concern himself with that. Ken's Note: Not only is Jon Gruden an idiot, he's also a jerk.

Redskins sign Jon Bostic, place Reuben Foster on IR - NFL.com - The Redskins on Monday announced that Reuben Foster (knee) was placed on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the Redskins announced the signing of linebacker Jon Bostic.

Which NFL head coach has best chance to win his first Super Bowl? - NFL.com - Adam Rank: Is this a serious question? Because the obvious answer is that young, genius head coach who was the toast of the NFL last season. That's right. Matt Nagy. You might know him better as the reigning NFL Coach of the Year.

NFL asks teams to stop Oklahoma drill, others - ESPN - In response to data that showed a high rate of concussions during the early part of training camp in recent years, the NFL has asked teams to eliminate some high-impact drills during practices.

NFL still mulling pass interference review options - ESPN - The NFL’s competition committee has been granted authority by league owners to tweak its procedures for reviewing pass interference.

Report: Scouting Combine drills will move to afternoon, night – ProFootballTalk - The NFL Scouting Combine will remain in Indianapolis through 2021, with a series of annual options after that, Judy Battista of NFL Media reports. But while the NFL isn’t moving the site of the Combine, it is moving the time of Combine workouts for 2020.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Detroit Lions tried to sign free agent WR Jermaine Kearse - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions couldn’t come to an agreement with the veteran receiver.

Stefon Diggs missed a couple days of OTAs, and seriously who cares? - Daily Norseman - They’re voluntary, after all

Wednesday Walkthroughs: Which veterans should the Packers consider cutting or trading? - Acme Packing Company - APC writers become the Turk for a day and deliver some bad news to a few veterans. Ken's Note: I've got about 40 suggestions if you guys want to ask...

NFL announces Cleveland and Kansas City to host 2021 and 2023 NFL Drafts - Acme Packing Company - Some other teams will get to make mistakes by the lake in a few years, but it seems unlikely that the city of Green Bay will get the 2022 event. Ken's Note: Seriously, the chances of Nebo, Illinois (Population 340) are probably better than Green Bay's for hosting the NFL Draft.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: James Daniels moving to center highlights several changes from OTAs - Windy City Gridiron - Let’s check in on all the news from today’s OTA at Halas Hall.

Householder & Berkes: Windy City Gridiron’s Top 100 Chicago Bears Players - Windy City Gridiron - Several staffers here have been working behind the scenes on a Top 100 Bears Players list to celebrate the team’s centennial

Snyder & Berkes’ Bears Over Beers Episode 9: 2019 Draft & UDFA Recap - Windy City Gridiron - Jeff and EJ are back in the saddle discussing all the talent Chicago added through the 2019 Draft and UDFA process

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

Windy City Gridiron Podcast Channel which includes Bear With Me from Robert Schmitz, Bears Over Beers featuring Jeff Berckes & EJ Snyder, and T Formation Conversation from Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.; Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert; and Robert Zeglinski’s The Blitz Network

THE RULES

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WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Schmitz; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.