The Bear’s Den, March 31, 2023

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

Bears podcast: CEO Kevin Warren talks Justin Fields, Ryan Poles and Arlington Heights stadium - Chicago Sun-Times - The new Bears president/CEO sits down at the NFL annual meetings.

All of Bears GM Ryan Poles’ moves hinge on his biggest one: Committing to Justin Fields - Chicago Sun-Times - Every careful move Poles has made has been predicated on Fields growing into a franchise quarterback. He has to be right about Fields for those other decisions to matter.

CHGO Bears Podcast: What can the Chicago Bears expect in return if GM Ryan Poles trades the No. 9 Pick? - CHGO - Explore trade-back options for Bears GM Ryan Poles & the No. 9 pick, and debate offense vs defense strategy in this episode of the CHGO Bears Podcast.

Bears overreactions: Did Ryan Poles make big mistake with offseason moves? - NBC Sports Chicago - Did Ryan Poles error with how he handled free agency? Is Braxton Jones the biggest weakness on the O-line? Does trading down for Jaxon Smith-Njigba make sense? What about Jeffery Simmons?

Bears first-round draft pick history is not encouraging - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears have acquired very few impactful players over the past 15 years with their first-round draft picks.

Mike Singletary’s knowledge highlights why Bears’ offseason strategy was odd - NBC Sports Chicago - Mike Singletary is a defensive savant. He understands the pieces the Bears need in place to make Matt Eberflus’ defense work. But they only did half the work this offseason.

Nathan Peterman to re-sign with Bears - ProFootballTalk - Nathan Peterman is re-signing with the Bears, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media.

INFANTE DRAFT GUIDE

WCG’s lead draft analyst Jacob Infante’s 2023 NFL Draft guide is out now on his Patreon! - Make sure to subscribe if you haven’t already. For just $1 a month, you’ll get access to his entire big board, a 7-round mock draft for each team, in-depth scouting reports, player comparisons and more exclusive content! Ken’s Note: Denmaster Ken recommended!

POLISH SAUSAGE

Kyle Shanahan: Sam Darnold has as good of a skillset as there is - ProFootballTalk - The 49ers signed Sam Darnold to give themselves another option at quarterback with Brock Purdy‘s status unclear after his elbow surgery.

Jets now have the longest playoff drought in NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL - ProFootballTalk - The Sacramento Kings clinched an NBA playoff berth for the first time in 16 years on Wednesday night, and that gave the Jets a dubious distinction. The Jets now have the longest playoff drought among any NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL team.

NFL seems to be moving toward Tuesdays and Wednesdays (and maybe Fridays and Saturdays) - ProFootballTalk - The expanded use of short weeks and the inclination to shuffle games from Thursdays to Sundays and Sundays to Thursdays suggests a not-too-distant future in which the NFL stages weekly games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And perhaps, eventually, on Fridays and Saturdays.

Report: Raiders will not consider Jalen Carter in draft - ProFootballTalk - Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com reports that that process will not be an extensive one when it comes to Carter, however. Tafur reports that Carter has “already been crossed off by the team.”

Cowboys didn't offer Ezekiel Elliott a reduced deal to avoid "insulting" him - ProFootballTalk - The Cowboys bungled the original Ezekiel Elliott contract, paying too much money and building in guarantees that made it impossible to move on before this year. But the Cowboys also may have managed his departure to perfection.

What's the end game for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens? No one seems to know - ProFootballTalk - Let’s consider the possible outcomes for the looming negotiations between Jackson and the Ravens.

Scott Fitterer: Anthony Richardson "more than a project," he's a really good player - ProFootballTalk - The Panthers wrapped up their Pro Day visits with this year’s top quarterback prospects by watching Anthony Richardson work out at the University of Florida on Thursday.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Nathan Peterman is back with the Bears - Windy City Gridiron - Chicago re-signs the QB3.

Bear Bones: A Chicago Bears podcast Mock Draft Extravaganza! - Windy City Gridiron - Stop by our 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel for Bear Bones LIVE at FIVE as we get in on some mock draft fun!

Schmitz: Building the Chicago Bears Draft Board - Evaluating (more) Edge Rushers - Windy City Gridiron - Our Chicago Bears’ Building the Board scouts look at their second group of Edge Defenders right here.

Making Monsters: Travis Homer could be the Bears’ running back specialist - Windy City Gridiron - Gregg Bell, Seahawks beat writer for the Tacoma News Tribune, joined our latest Making Monsters podcast to fill us in on running back Travis Homer.

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THE RULES

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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, Making Monsters with Taylor Doll and Dylan Ryan, Bear Bones from Dr. Mason West and Danny Meehan, Bear & Balanced from Jeff and Lester A. Wiltfong Jr., and T Formation Conversation from Lester; EJ also co-hosts The Bootleg Football Podcast with Brett Kollmann; and Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert is another fun one.

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