The Bear’s Den, February 23, 2023

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

CHGO Bears Podcast: Are the Chicago Bears & Indianapolis Colts destined to be trade partners? - CHGO - In this episode, the crew looks at the chances of the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts being perfect trade partners. Clay Harbor joins the show!

How Commanders tagging Daron Payne will impact Bears’ offseason plan - NBC Sports Chicago - The Commander reportedly plan to tag Daron Payne, removing a key target from the Bears’ free-agent wishlist and potentially altering their draft strategy.

Bears’ Justin Fields ranked top-10 QB per NFL WAR - NBC Sports Chicago - Advanced metrics like WAR aren’t as robust in football as they are in baseball, but this one model says Justin Fields is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Bears among favorites to sign free agent Saquon Barkley - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears have the most salary cap space in the NFL. Will they use some of it to bring in one of the most exciting running backs in the league?

Wood: Zooming in on the Chicago Defensive Tackles: A Cupboard Decidedly Bare - Da Bears Blog - The Bears had four defensive tackles with at least 150 pass rush snaps in 2022, and three of them – Armon Watts, Angelo Blackson, and Mike Pennel Jr. – are free agents, so it will be very easy to remake this position substantially if they want to.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

Calvin Johnson excited to be around the Lions, with an improved relationship - ProFootballTalk - Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson finally appears to be ready to bury the hatchet with the Lions.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Andrew Brandt: Quarterback contracts are not bad for NFL teams’ salary cap space - Sports Illustrated - Former Packers exec debunks one of the biggest contract misconceptions in the league: how football teams can sign huge QB deals and still build a team.

Could Lamar Jackson sit out 2023? - ProFootballTalk - Nothing about Lamar Jackson’s contract situation has unfolded in the expected way. The only reliable expectation for the coming weeks, then, is that the unexpected should be expected.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Zimmerman: ESPN report suggests Aaron Rodgers will remain with Green Bay Packers - Windy City Gridiron - ESPN’s Jeff Darlington had some interesting comments on Aaron Rodgers

Wiltfong: Chicago Bears 2023 NFL Draft - 7 Round BPA Mock - Windy City Gridiron - Lester’s first theme mock of mock draft season is always a strict BPA exercise, but this board fell pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Zimmerman: Washington’s Daron Payne appears headed towards the franchise tag - Windy City Gridiron - It appears Daron Payne will be staying in Washington DC

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THE RULES

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