Over the next few days, my hope is to detail the names and faces behind a few of my favorite options for Chicago at #9 overall.

Today, we’ll kick off the miniseries with a cut-up of University of Texas 3-Technique Byron Murphy II, whose tape I imagine will make Matt Eberflus jumping out of his chair. We know Eberflus wants an explosive 3-Tech in the middle of his defense, and that’s exactly who Murphy is — a disruptive playmaking machine with experience across the entire defensive interior.

When Murphy flashes, he flashes. At times, Murphy’s combination of lower-body power and dynamic hand-usage makes him look unblockable while rushing the passer. Check out the first 4 clips of the cut-up below — his offensive linemen barely stop his momentum en route to the quarterback. At times, they don’t even get a hand on him.

The Tape:

Byron Murphy's tape is a blast — his explosiveness is obvious, his motor is relentless, but it's his hand-usage & feel for leverage that put him over the top imo. Can rush speed-to-power, swat hands, and win 1v1 rush lanes.

21 years old. Have to think the #Bears are interested pic.twitter.com/B3JsIB54KC

— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) April 2, 2024

The Athlete:

Athletically speaking, Murphy is quite short in stature but excellent in most other measurable categories. His 10 yard split & broad/vertical jumps are great signals for his explosiveness, but Murphy’s weight also stands out to me — weighing at 297lbs at the combine (and listed at 308 on Texas’ official website), Murphy stayed away from being a size outlier and instead registers as ‘pretty small’. In a league that’s moving closer and closer to 280lb 3-techniques every day, I think the extra 10-15lbs he’ll to carry compared to other defenders of similar quickness will be a major advantage for him in run defense.

Read More …

Deep in the NFL Offseason, sometimes all we’re left with to talk about is drama. It doesn’t always have to be interesting, either — nearly anyone can go viral for saying something inflammatory, be they an ESPN Analyst, a former NFL Quarterback, or even just a fan with a take that’s truly out of left field.

Yesterday saw a perfect example of that juicy juicy drama catch fire all over the Chicago sect of Twitter — JT O’Sullivan, the analyst that runs the YouTube Channel The QB School, had this to say about Chicago in relation to Caleb Williams:

“Is it the ideal situation for him to go where he’s going to go? I mean… absolutely not…. the track record is the track record. If I could pick where he would go… that’s just not what I would want for him”

https://twitter.com/DCdude202/status/1774267071687180349

Obviously I’m cherry-picking one take to talk about amidst a long, well-done podcast by Bootleg Football, but I’d like to talk about it nevertheless — I think this take is tired, largely because I think Chicago’s ‘Track Record’ has become overblown over time.

Let’s re-contextualize the Bears’ five most recent 1st round Quarterback selections, stretching past the last 37 years — maybe you’ll see the same trend I do:

• 1987 — Jim Harbaugh | Pick #26 | QB4 in his class
• 1999 — Cade McNown | Pick #12 | QB5
• 2003 — Rex Grossman | Pick #22 | QB4
• 2017 — Mitchell Trubisky | Pick #2 (Trade Up) | QB1
• 2021 — Justin Fields | Pick #11 (Trade Up) | QB4

The picks have yielded poor results, no doubt. But should we be shocked that Chicago’s consistent inability to select a better option than the 4th/5th best QB in a draft class might be just as large a problem as their inability to surround those QBs with talent?

Read More …

It’s been a busy week for me in real life, so thanks for putting up with two audio posts back to back. Hoping to dig into some film by the end of the week.

Nick and I had a blast recording this last one — we talk through…

• Where Vegas has the Bears’ current Over/Under (8.5 wins) and what we think about that
• Caleb Williams’ Pro Day
• The Keenan Allen addition & how he fits into the Bears’ puzzle
• What to do at #9 Overall
• What to expect from Caleb Williams as a rookie
• And much, much more

Read More …

With Justin Fields officially traded, it feels like the Chicago Bears are at the dawning of a new age. That means change — some good, some bad, and a whole lot of ‘New’.

That means new additions around DBB as well — Jeff & I will be hosting a show we’re calling Saturday Spaces (creative, I know) that you can expect weekly starting the weekend after Easter. The two of us recorded similar shows throughout this last Bears season, and I think they turned out well.

I recorded this last weekend’s show for your listening pleasure — check it out at the link below and let me know what you think.

https://t.co/wipYe8LVpq

— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) March 23, 2024

Your Turn: What Bears-related topics will you focus on over the next month?

The Bears showed out in force for Caleb Williams’ USC Pro Day. Their contingent included Ryan Poles, Matt Eberflus, Ian Cunningham, Shane Waldron, and even Chicago’s newest WR…

Keenan Allen showed up to USC’s Pro Day in some Bears gear to watch Caleb Williams pic.twitter.com/AHM5QWg44h

— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) March 20, 2024

What does it all mean? Probably what it looks like — Chicago is gearing up to select Williams #1 overall in late April.

And just in case the Bears had any concerns, Williams left the contingent without anything to be concerned about on the field. Each of Caleb’s throws looked easy and the ball leapt off his hand. It’s easy to wax poetic about a throwing motion like his, but we can save that for another day — for now, excitement seems to be building for the 22-year-old Washingtonian. If getting excited is your thing, don’t be afraid to get swept up in the fervor.

Your Turn: What’s your take on Williams these days? Did anything change after the Pro Day?

Your Turn: How impactful do you think Keenan Allen will be next year?

Late last night, the Chicago Bears acquired Chargers all-star WR Keenan Allen for their 4th round pick (#110) in the 2024 NFL Draft. I’ve got some quick thoughts on the move:

• Turns out that hole in the Bears’ cap created from Jaylon Johnson & D’Andre Swift’s deals had a purpose
• Obviously this is a move focused on 2024, but I don’t mind the emphasis on next season. 2024 is a massive year for the entire Bears’ organization — in all likelihood, they’ll attempt to develop a rookie QB while competing for a playoff spot. If, therefore, the biggest critique of this move is that Chicago paid too much draft capital & 2024 salary dollars for an offensive leader that should spur the rookie’s development, I think we’ll all survive. Frankly, I think it’s refreshing to see the Bears over-address the young QB’s supporting cast for once.
• Regardless of which Quarterback ultimately starts for the Bears next year, Keenan Allen should be a stabilizing force in the Bears’ down-to-down passing offense. He specializes in option routes, short-yardage routes, and playing within structure — all of which Caleb Williams and Justin Fields struggle with, meaning Allen could provide a strong guiding hand.
  • If we’re splitting hairs, I think timing routes will likely remain an issue for Justin Fields whereas Caleb Williams’ college tape shows signs of inconsistency more than an outright inability to play within structure, but this isn’t a Caleb Williams breakdown. Regardless of starter, Keenan should help sharpen a short-passing blade that was quite dull throughout 2023.

My overall grade? I like it. The fun factor is ~10/10. I’ve also already assumed that Matt Eberflus begged Poles to let him draft a 1st round defender anyways, so if this move is Poles’ way of making sure Chicago has weapons for a key 2024 season? I dig it.

This does make me wonder what the Bears’ plan is at WR going forward, but we can cross that bridge later. I’d love to draft a 2nd or 3rd round WR to develop throughout the year (Keon Coleman, Roman Wilson, Ricky Pearsall, etc), but I don’t know that the Bears will prioritize that. Also, is Keenan getting extended past 2024? I could see it, but he’ll be 33 next season. We’ll have to wait and see.

For now… Chicago added a 6-time Pro Bowler that’s a god amongst chain-moving WRs. He pairs perfectly with DJ Moore’s ability to threaten all levels of the field as well — those two should be monsters in 12-personnel.

I’m excited to see how this plays out — what an exciting time to be a Bears fan! What will Poles do from here? We’re just going to have to wait and see,

Bonus: Breaking Down Keenan Allen’s Route Running

Below I threw in some of my favorite clips from a light film study last night — check it out and let me know what you think.

Read More …

Bonus:

Kevin Byard, D’Andre Swift, Gerald Everett, and Jonathan Owens are now Chicago Bears! But how good are they? What do they bring to the team? And who remains unsigned that Ryan Poles may target? Robert & Nick review all this and more on the latest episode of Bear With Us!

Your Turn: Who’s left out there that you’d like to see signed?

According to a PFF metric called “True Cap Space” (shown below), your Chicago Bears have the 3rd most cap space to make use of over the next few days.

Does that mean we’ll see splash signings? I really don’t know — Ryan Poles’ cagey approach to the Bears’ Free Agency plans has left me grasping at straws when looking for future moves. But with cap space like this to burn, I’d be surprised if Chicago doesn’t have at least one major signing by the time Monday’s dust has settled — who will it be? Let’s find out together.

The fact that we heard a lot about coaches willing to take over LAC was either

– a sign that those coaches have little idea which teams are well-prepared for the mid-term future

– a sign that ressources don't matter when coaches want to work w/ Justin Herbert.

Probably both. pic.twitter.com/cTQFsbXxF4

— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) March 10, 2024

As if he’s anticipating a big week, Ryan Poles got the Bears’ Free Agency party started early with the signing of former Titans and Eagles safety Kevin Byard — my brief thoughts on him are listed below, but we’ll have more on each of the signed Free Agents later throughout the week.

Kevin Byard's tape has Eberflus written all over it. I can see why the #Bears felt they needed to move quickly with him.

Handles deep space well in both half-field & center-field roles, but his eyes stand out to me — he reads the offense with confidence & breaks accordingly.

— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) March 11, 2024

Read More …

The latest episode of Bear With Us is out — give it a listen below!

In it, we talk through:

• Thoughts on Ryan Poles trading for Ryan Bates
• What does Jaylon Johnson’s franchise tag mean for his long-term extension?
• More discussion surrounding what to do at Pick #9 (or #5, as recent mocks have suggested)
• Nick’s list of potential Free Agents that tick all his Bears boxes
• And much, much more

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Your Turn: What moves do you want to see made in the upcoming Free Agency window?