The Bear’s Den, April 17, 2020

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

This week we are on to Notorious Earworm songs... those songs that you can’t get out of your head...

And... a freebie, a much more obscure song...

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

BEARRRSSSS

Which 2020 Draft-Eligible Offensive Linemen Make Sense for the Bears? - Bleacher Nation - The Chicago Bears’ needs along the offensive line cannot be overstated.

Potential Bears 2020 NFL Draft Targets: Notre Dame TE Cole Kmet - Bleacher Nation - Cole Kmet is widely viewed as the best TE prospect available in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Emma: Deep WR Class Could Benefit Bears - 670 The Score - Like many of his peers, Bears general manager Ryan Pace often drafts with his team’s positional needs for the next calendar year in mind. As the start of the NFL Draft looms for the Bears next Thursday, that could mean taking a long look at the receiver position.

Bears Retain Sherrick McManis On 1-Year Deal - 670 The Score - Veteran defensive back and key special teams contributor Sherrick McManis is back with the Bears.

Bears’ Over/Under Wins Total Set At 8.5 By Caesars - 670 The Score - The Bears’ over/under wins total has been set at 8.5 for the 2020 season by Ceasar’s Palace, which expects the NFC North race to be tightly contested.

Bears have unearthed gems late in NFL Draft - ChicagoBears.com - Not all of the greatest players in Bears history were high draft picks. Some emerged as stars after being selected in late rounds, like 1983 eighth-round choices Richard Dent and Mark Bortz.

Compensatory Draft Picks Cancellation Chart - Over the Cap - Compensatory draft pick cancellation chart. Ken’s Note: When browsing the teams be sure to check out Miami. Holy smokes!

NFL Draft Resources and Contract Estimates - Over The Cap - NFL draft resources including rookie contract estimates, compensatory pick projections, and draft order

NFL GM Power Rankings: Pace down to 19 - NFL.com - Smack dab in the middle of offseason roster reconstruction, the spotlight’s on NFL decision makers. Perfect time for Gregg Rosenthal to provide his annual GM Power Rankings! And at the moment, no general manager’s flying higher than Kansas City’s Brett Veach.

2020 NFL Draft: Prospect-pro comparisons - who is like Jay Cutler? - NFL.com - Gil Brandt identifies pro comparisons for his top seven quarterback prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft. What makes Tua Tagovailoa reminiscent of Drew Brees?

How exactly will the NFL’s virtual draft work? - Chicago Sun-Times - The NFL will have laptop cameras trained on all 32 head coaches and general managers during next week’s draft.

NFL Draft analysis: The time is now for Bears to find Prince Amukamara’s replacement - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears made Prince Amukamara a salary cap casualty on Feb. 21. Maybe on April 24 — two months and three days after they cut the veteran cornerback — they’ll actually find his replacement.

Bears bring back Sherrick McManis, their longest-tenured player - Chicago Sun-Times - Sherrick McManis, the special teams stalwart from Northwestern, signed a one-year deal.

Chicago Bears could unearth gem in 2020 NFL draft - Chicago Tribune - Can the Bears expect to land a true difference-maker with their two second round picks at Nos. 43 and 50 in the NFL Draft? The last two decades offer a promising outlook.

Chicago Bears: One Burning Question At Every Position Before the Draft - ChicagoAudible.com - With only two weeks before the 2020 NFL Draft, we discussed the big questions looming at every position for the Chicago Bears.

Chicago Bears Draft Board: Offensive Guard Studs, Steals, and Sleepers - Chicago Audible Blog - Guards projected to go at every stage of the upcoming NFL Draft that the Chicago Bears could select.

2020 NFL Draft: 5 cornerbacks Bears could pick in second round - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears could stand to add another cornerback to compete with Kevin Toliver II, Artie Burns and Tre Roberson, and there should be some good players available in the second round.

Bears bring back special teams star Sherrick McManis on a one-year deal - NBC Sports Chicago - It’ll be his ninth season in Chicago.

Allen Robinson and ESPN’s Ryan Clark trade barbs on if he’s a #1 receiver - NBC Sports Chicago - There’s nothing like some good ol’ fashioned player beef.

Sherrick McManis Signs Back for Ninth Bears Season - SI.com - Safety Sherrick McManis is a Bears link to the past and apparently now to the future.

Trading Down with These Teams in NFL Draft Makes Sense for Bears - SI.com - Trading up in Round 1 comes at steep prices, and moving up from Round 2 to do it costs even more.

Roster Move: Bears ink McManis to 1-year deal - ChicagoBears.com - Special-teams standout and reserve defensive back Sherrick McManis, the longest tenured player on the Bears roster, will return for a ninth season with the team after signing a one-year contract.

Singletary highlighted Bears’ stellar ‘81 draft - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer ranks the 1981 draft class, which featured second-round middle linebacker Mike Singletary from Baylor, as the fifth best crop in Bears history.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Von Miller on positive COVID-19 test: I'm in good spirits, not feeling sick - ProFootballTalk - Broncos pass rusher Von Miller said he got a cough a couple of days ago that concerned his girlfriend and assistant. So he got tested for COVID-19, and it came back positive Thursday.

Chiefs view Patrick Mahomes contract as a "priority" but no timeline in place - ProFootballTalk - When Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach visited PFT Live from the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, he said that a new contract for quarterback Patrick Mahomes will take time but it will get done well before there’s any chance of Mahomes leaving the team.

2020 NFL Draft: League execs, scouts, coaches assess QB class - NFL.com - How are top quarterback prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft viewed by the NFL? Tom Pelissero surveyed league execs, scouts and coaches from a dozen teams on this QB class. Here are their assessments and composite draft projections.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Green Bay: Nobody cares

Detroit: Nobody cares

Minnesota: Nobody cares

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Infante: Bears legend Kyle Long talks retirement, NFL career, involvement in community and more - Windy City Gridiron - The three-time Pro Bowler spoke exclusively with Windy City Gridiron about his involvement in Crown Royal’s #GenerosityHour, among many other topics.

Infante: Bears re-sign cornerback Sherrick McManis to one-year deal - Windy City Gridiron - McManis returns for what will be his ninth year with the team.

Zeglinski & Company: Familiarity with WCG - Caped and masked crusaders - Windy City Gridiron - Great power really does come with great responsibility.

Wiltfong: Grading Ryan Pace’s Fourth Round Draft Picks - Windy City Gridiron - In this seven-part series we’re asking you guys to grade each round of Ryan Pace’s drafts through the years.

THE RULES

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments. No personal attacks, politics, gender based insults of any kind, racial insults, etc.

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, Bears Banter hosted by Bill Zimmerman, and T Formation Conversation from Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.; Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert; and Robert Zeglinski’s The Blitz Network

Click on our names to follow us on Twitter: 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; Bill Zimmerman; Like us on Facebook.