The Bear’s Den, May 2, 2022

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

Why Bears valued Senior Bowl in 2022 NFL Draft evaluations - RSN - The Bears drafted four players from non-Power 5 conferences, and strong Senior Bowl performances were a recurring theme from the team’s scouts.

2022 NFL Draft: Bears’ undrafted free agent tracker - RSN - Here is every player the Chicago Bears signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2022 NFL Draft.

Da Bears Blog - Secondary Rebuilt, Weapons Lacking: Assessing the 2022 NFL Draft in the Context of 2023 - The texts buzzed my nightstand unprompted, piercing through the endless, awkward chuckling of Robert Mays and Nate Tice, as I tried to force myself to sleep on Friday evening. (I decided to take a brief, week-long booze sabbatical and it makes slumber a tricky enterprise.) The scout who I have relied upon this week to fill me in on all things draft was giving his assessment of Ryan Poles’ work over rounds two and three.

Report: Bears to release reserve quarterback Nick Foles - 670 The Score - The Bears will release reserve quarterback Nick Foles, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported Saturday night. Dating back to their previous regime, the Bears had been looking to trade Foles for a year.

Bernstein: At least Ryan Poles knows how bad the Bears are - 670 The Score - First-year general manager Ryan Poles’ approach to his first NFL Draft in Chicago evinced the kind of clear-eyed awareness of somebody who watches something more than whatever Bears games have been for too long.

Ryan Poles: It would have been ‘huge mistake’ to draft WR in Round 2 - Chicago Sun-Times - A week before conducting his first draft as Bears general manager, Ryan Poles had a meeting with the most important player in his building: quarterback Justin Fields. The two watched tape of potential draft picks together during the weekend of April 23.

Chicago Bears undrafted free-agent tracker: GM Ryan Poles adds several WRs and DBs on deals or minicamp invites – Chicago Tribune - Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles ended Saturday with 11 newly draft players, but that wasn’t enough to fill his roster needs.

Chicago Bears release QB Nick Foles after being unable to find a taker for the former Super Bowl MVP – Chicago Tribune - The Chicago Bears made a slew of trades Saturday. The deal they couldn’t pull off was one to move Nick Foles, who was released.

How a flurry of trades by new GM Ryan Poles gave the Chicago Bears more swings in the NFL draft – Chicago Tribune - How many of the Chicago Bears' 11 draft picks will pan out is unknown. But Ryan Poles is pleased to add competition at a few positions.

Will and Nick's post-draft roundtable: Is this the start of something special for the Bears? - CHGO - CHGO's Nicholas Moreano and Will DeWitt give their analysis on some big picture questions surrounding the Chicago Bears' 2022 draft class.

Closer look at the Chicago Bears’ 2022 draft picks - Bears Wire - We're taking a closer look at the Bears' draft class, including breakdowns, player profiles and scouting reports on the new rookies.

Bears release quarterback Nick Foles - RSN - The Chicago Bears released quarterback Nick Foles.

Twitter reacts to Chicago Bears releasing QB Nick Foles - Bears Wire - It's an end of an era as the Bears are releasing QB Nick Foles. As you can imagine, the reaction around the NFL world is an interesting one.

List of every player Bears picked in 2022 NFL Draft - RSN - Here is every player the Chicago Bears picked in the 2022 NFL Draft.

NFL Draft 2022: Bears reshape offensive line with four picks - RSN - The Bears wouldn't go as far as to say any incoming rookie will start Week 1, but they're not putting a ceiling on any of the prospects, either.

More swings at the fences: Bears shift approach to the draft with Ryan Poles - The Athletic - Before Day 3 of the draft began, Bears general manager Ryan Poles had a request for his scouts. “I asked the guys to walk in front of the board with a notepad and write down three guys that they’re absolutely convicted about,” Poles said. “We put stars on all their tags.”

Bears’ post-draft review: Did Ryan Poles get enough help for Justin Fields? - Chicago Sun-Times - Poles made a flurry of trades to get 11 draft picks, but still left some questions unanswered. Here’s a look at some of them after the first waves of free agency, the draft, and the release of Nick Foles.

Analysis: Where GM Ryan Poles, Bears stand after the draft - Chicago Sun-Times - The Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley breaks down the state of the Bears on the heels of the draft:

7 questions for Bears after draft, including whether they’ve helped Justin Fields enough - Chicago Sun-Times - Plus, a look at who the Bears could’ve had in the second round, which draft pick will make the biggest impact immediately and more.

Bears to release QB Nick Foles - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears traded for Foles two years ago and are cutting him with a year left on his contract.

Why Bears valued Senior Bowl in 2022 NFL Draft evaluations - RSN - The Bears drafted four players from non-Power 5 conferences, and strong Senior Bowl performances were a recurring theme from the team’s scouts.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

2022 NFL Draft grades: Detroit Lions’ picks ranked top 5 by PFF, ESPN, USA Today, SI - Pride Of Detroit - By national grades, it appears to be a near-consensus that the Detroit Lions had one of the best 2022 NFL Draft hauls.

Your Minnesota Vikings 2022 Draft Class - Daily Norseman - Here’s the whole crew

POLISH SAUSAGE

Bryce Young is the way-too-early favorite to be the first overall pick in 2023 - ProFootballTalk - The countdown to the 2023 draft has begun. (It started on Thursday, apparently.) And you can now place an early bet on the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s process.

Last Year: Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler is favored to be the first overall pick in 2022 - ProFootballTalk - This pick was so wrong it's funny.

Former first-round prospect Justyn Ross goes undrafted, hopes for one chance - ProFootballTalk - Ross went undrafted over the weekend, and now he’s just hoping that some team gives him a shot as an undrafted free agent.

Emotional Kevin Colbert exits as General Manager of the Steelers - ProFootballTalk - One of the most underrated and overlooked executives in football — undoubtedly by his own preference — is Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert. With the conclusion of the 2022 draft, Colbert exits the franchise after more than 20 years with the team.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears undrafted free agent news and rumor tracker - Windy City Gridiron - Keeping everything updated for the Chicago Bears and their search through the undrafted free agent pool, and once they make an announcement official we’ll have even more on their new players.

Grade the Bears 2022 Draft Class - Windy City Gridiron - It’s time for you guys to grade the work done by first year GM Ryan Poles in the draft.

Wiltfong: Bears have released Nick Foles - Windy City Gridiron - It’s now official, the Bears have moved on from Nick Foles.

Berckes: Does Ryan Poles have a Type? - Windy City Gridiron - Ryan Poles seemed to favor extreme athletes in the 2022 NFL Draft

Salo: Did the Bears Win or Lose the 2022 NFL Draft? - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears traded back multiple times, acquiring youth after some major roster overhaul.

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