What's in store for the Bears?

Some of you may be rubbing your eyes. Is this idiot really going to start writing about the Bears?

Yes. Yes I am.

But don't worry, I have ZERO aspirations of writing anything beyond brain dumping my terrible football takes. When it comes to the football stupid, I reign king.

With the NFL Combine underway, General Manager Ryan Poles has his task list set up for him this summer. He'll have to be a bit more careful with the cap and be smart about players he wants to resign. He addressed the media alongside Ben Johnson to address some questions. The below quote was from Johnson on backup QB Tyson Bagent:

“We’ll always do what’s best for our team and our organization. I do think there’s a lot of merit to having a strong No. 2 quarterback, which, he certainly fits that bill. I’m of the mind that he’s probably one of the best 32 in the NFL. His preseason tape over that last few years has (probably) confirmed that, in my opinion.”

Quite the bold declaration, isn't it? Although the Pittsburgh Steelers certainly could use a QB (hello Malik Willis), I don't think Poles and Johnson are fooling anyone. And if anyone in the NFL bites, I'm not so sure the price is going to be anything nice (certainly not a first-round pick).

I'm not sure packaging Bagent with a first-round pick to acquire a better player is something that might be a good idea, either. Maxx Crosby is out there on the market, but do the Bears want to address their edge rush game by acquiring the drama and massive contract with Crosby? The Raiders want two first-round picks and a player for Crosby. A trade like that with the Bears would be entering win-now mode, and Poles has made it clear that he wants to avoid the mistakes of previous regimes.

The Bears have a need to fill at left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo is out for most of the season, if not all of it next year. Trapilo was going to be their starter, and now that's a need the Bears are going to address. Joe Thuny will probably play left guard, and Braxton Jones will be a free agent. The Bears could bring Jones back or find their answer in the free agency market as a whole.

The Bears are currently just shy of $5 million in the red for cap space. Caleb Williams will be due a new contract next season, so that needs to be a consideration. That means some Bears might not return, some Bears should return (DJ Moore), and it makes the signing of a big splash in the off-season less likely.

And then there's the draft, which I don't think the Bears will have an immediate answer to their needs there (they're picking 25th overall).

We'll revisit the Bears when there's stuff worth talking about, but I do plan on writing more about them in the near future. Once the regular season kicks off, we'll see what I plan on doing. Probably post-game thoughts, much like I do with the Hawks.