2024 Offseason Program

[HisRoyalSweetness]

The Bears offseason program started today. Per nfl.com:

Phase One consists of two weeks with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning and physical rehab only.

Phase Two takes place the following three weeks and includes on-field workouts, which may be individual or group instruction with drills conducted at a walk-through pace. No live contact or team offense versus team defense drills are permitted.

Phase Three ramps up the workouts to include well-known organized team activities (OTAs). Phase three is the final four weeks of the offseason program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of OTAs. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

The offseason program is voluntary outside of mandatory minicamps held in early June -- during Phase Three.

https://www.nfl.com/news/twenty-five-nf ... gram-today

So here's a thread for nuggets of information anyone comes across relating to any of the above.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Bears begin voluntary offseason program

For the first time since January, Bears players returned to Halas Hall en masse Monday for the start of the team's voluntary offseason program.

"It almost feels like the first day of school," said linebacker Jack Sanborn. "Everybody's been gone doing their own thing for the past 3-4 months, so to get everyone back in the building and to see the guys, it's an exciting time."

"It's like that first time you go to college and then you leave for Christmas break, and you come back and see everybody," added fullback Khari Blasingame. "It's like a reunion. It's energetic because we've got high expectations, high goals. The energy's definitely high. Everybody's excited."

Coach Matt Eberflus kicked off the proceedings by conducting a team meeting Monday morning. His message, according to Sanborn, involved "just setting the standard on Day 1 of what he wants the team to look like, what we all want to be and where we want to go."
...

Full article: https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears ... ce-phase-1

Photos of the players arriving: https://www.chicagobears.com/photos/pla ... eeebf4c0bb

[Arkansasbear]

Bears begin voluntary offseason program

For the first time since January, Bears players returned to Halas Hall en masse Monday for the start of the team's voluntary offseason program.

"It almost feels like the first day of school," said linebacker Jack Sanborn. "Everybody's been gone doing their own thing for the past 3-4 months, so to get everyone back in the building and to see the guys, it's an exciting time."

"It's like that first time you go to college and then you leave for Christmas break, and you come back and see everybody," added fullback Khari Blasingame. "It's like a reunion. It's energetic because we've got high expectations, high goals. The energy's definitely high. Everybody's excited."

Coach Matt Eberflus kicked off the proceedings by conducting a team meeting Monday morning. His message, according to Sanborn, involved "just setting the standard on Day 1 of what he wants the team to look like, what we all want to be and where we want to go."
...

Full article: https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears ... ce-phase-1

Photos of the players arriving: https://www.chicagobears.com/photos/pla ... eeebf4c0bb

No crazy outfits. I like that for the first time I can remember they gave the players names. Seems like in the past sometimes they would just have photos and I'd go "who's that guy?"

[HisRoyalSweetness]

I like that for the first time I can remember they gave the players names. Seems like in the past sometimes they would just have photos and I'd go "who's that guy?"

The program's voluntary at this stage and I haven't seen any reports on attendance or absences so I was trying to figure out if anyone hadn't turned up from the photos. I noticed Keenan Allen was missing... but then realised so was Kmet and he was quoted in the other article so obviously is there.

[wab]

I know it's tough to tell much from photos... but some things stood out.

1 - The offensive linemen look lean. Especially Darnell Wright and Larry Borom.
2 - Matt Pryor is a huge human being
3 - Gervon Dexter looks to be in phenomenal shape
4 - Jack Sanborn looks like he's put on weight
5 - Dexter and Ja'tyre Carter are wearing the same pants
6 - DomRob has absolutely been hitting the gym
7 - I wanna hang out with Cairo Santos and Patrick Scales
8 - Bill Murray looks less like an NFL offensive lineman and more like a dad at Whole Foods
9 - Pickens has lost weight
10 - Braxton Jones looks bigger than Tevin Jenkins

[G08]

I know it's tough to tell much from photos... but some things stood out.

1 - The offensive linemen look lean. Especially Darnell Wright and Larry Borom.
2 - Matt Pryor is a huge human being
3 - Gervon Dexter looks to be in phenomenal shape
4 - Jack Sanborn looks like he's put on weight
5 - Dexter and Ja'tyre Carter are wearing the same pants
6 - DomRob has absolutely been hitting the gym
7 - I wanna hang out with Cairo Santos and Patrick Scales *no diddy*
8 - Bill Murray looks less like an NFL offensive lineman and more like a dad at Whole Foods
9 - Pickens has lost weight
10 - Braxton Jones looks bigger than Tevin Jenkins

FIFY

[Moriarty]

I know it's tough to tell much from photos... but some things stood out.

1 - The offensive linemen look lean. Especially Darnell Wright and Larry Borom.
2 - Matt Pryor is a huge human being
3 - Gervon Dexter looks to be in phenomenal shape
4 - Jack Sanborn looks like he's put on weight
5 - Dexter and Ja'tyre Carter are wearing the same pants

The same style or the actual same pair of pants?

[spudbear]

I know it's tough to tell much from photos... but some things stood out.

1 - The offensive linemen look lean. Especially Darnell Wright and Larry Borom.
2 - Matt Pryor is a huge human being
3 - Gervon Dexter looks to be in phenomenal shape
4 - Jack Sanborn looks like he's put on weight
5 - Dexter and Ja'tyre Carter are wearing the same pants
6 - DomRob has absolutely been hitting the gym
7 - I wanna hang out with Cairo Santos and Patrick Scales
8 - Bill Murray looks less like an NFL offensive lineman and more like a dad at Whole Foods
9 - Pickens has lost weight
10 - Braxton Jones looks bigger than Tevin Jenkins

Agree on the first three.
Don't know about Sanborn as I've only seen him in games.
It looked like a bunch of them were wearing the same thing, some kind of sweats with white splotches on them.

Will this be the season that DomRob puts everything together and raises his game a quantum level? Hope so, but previous history is not helping to support that.
It'd be funny if Bill Murray does a Carl Spackler impersonation in the locker room.
Pickens was wearing loose clothing.

With all of the talk about replacing Braxton Jones with a rookie, I think this will be a big year for Jones. Having him paired with Jenkins could result in some serious road grading.

[wab]

Pickens was wearing loose clothing.

Maybe his clothing is loose.... because he lost weight.

[thunderspirit]

8 - Bill Murray looks less like an NFL offensive lineman and more like a dad at Whole Foods

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Not exactly part of the offseason program, but...

Bears hire Chiefs' executive Ted Crews to run public relations ahead of QB Caleb Williams' likely arrival
By Jason Lieser

As the Bears venture into a new era with USC quarterback Caleb Williams likely arriving next week as the No. 1 pick in the draft, they are restructuring their public relations department under someone who has plenty of experience handling the nonstop attention Williams will draw.

They announced the hiring of Ted Crews, the Chiefs’ executive vice president of communications throughout their run of championships, as special adviser to president Kevin Warren and chief administrative officer. He will oversee corporate and football communications.

Crews is a longtime friend of Bears general manager Ryan Poles from their time together with the Chiefs. Crews arrived in Kansas City in 2012 and worked there through last season, when the Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five seasons; Poles worked in their personnel department from 2009 through ’21.

The Bears fired former vice president of communications Brandon Faber last week and have fired two other media relations employees over the last two years.

Crews’ experience with the Chiefs was solid preparation for the scrutiny Williams and the Bears will face. Not only were they the focal point of the NFL because they won, but Patrick Mahomes’ stardom has transcended the sport, and All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce became a celebrity beyond football last season while dating Taylor Swift.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2024 ... ly-arrival

[Bearfacts]

The expansion of EVP and SVP personnel along with every other front office position tallies as many or more than there are players on an active roster. Things sure have changed in the last 50 years or so when back then it was GSH, Mugs, and their coffee boy Ed McCaskey.

[Hoog]

I am really pumped for this season, probably higher on this team then the second year of Nagy, lol. Hope the results are better.

I have a good feeling that Dexter and Pickens are going to shine this year, especially if we get a DE opposite of Sweat. Also love having Moore, Allen, Kmet for CW to trust.

Love the Bates addition, that picture just enhances my feelings, lol. He's going to be a brawler and a the fans will love him.

This team is actually set up nicely for success, lets hope no one fucks it up.

[dplank]

I am really pumped for this season, probably higher on this team then the second year of Nagy, lol. Hope the results are better.

I have a good feeling that Dexter and Pickens are going to shine this year, especially if we get a DE opposite of Sweat. Also love having Moore, Allen, Kmet for CW to trust.

Love the Bates addition, that picture just enhances my feelings, lol. He's going to be a brawler and a the fans will love him.

This team is actually set up nicely for success, lets hope no one fucks it up.

Love it Hoog, I’m super excited also! Don’t sleep on Swift either, I think he was a sneaky big addition that will have a big impact on our offense. We are stacked, Poles has done an outstanding job. All we really need is for CW to be as good as advertised and we are going to be a very dangerous team

[wulfy]

I just can't believe they traded Justin before they could invite him to the STH Draft Party.

[HurricaneBear]

I am really pumped for this season, probably higher on this team then the second year of Nagy, lol. Hope the results are better.

I have a good feeling that Dexter and Pickens are going to shine this year, especially if we get a DE opposite of Sweat. Also love having Moore, Allen, Kmet for CW to trust.

Love the Bates addition, that picture just enhances my feelings, lol. He's going to be a brawler and a the fans will love him.

This team is actually set up nicely for success, lets hope no one fucks it up.

Love it Hoog, I’m super excited also! Don’t sleep on Swift either, I think he was a sneaky big addition that will have a big impact on our offense. We are stacked, Poles has done an outstanding job. All we really need is for CW to be as good as advertised and we are going to be a very dangerous team

Man do i ever hope you are right. It still burns me that Poles commited the unforgivable sin of paying a god damn running back. Swift better be top 3 this year.

We also need health. The offense quickly becomes a house of cards with an injury

[Arkansasbear]

Love it Hoog, I’m super excited also! Don’t sleep on Swift either, I think he was a sneaky big addition that will have a big impact on our offense. We are stacked, Poles has done an outstanding job. All we really need is for CW to be as good as advertised and we are going to be a very dangerous team

Man do i ever hope you are right. It still burns me that Poles commited the unforgivable sin of paying a god damn running back. Swift better be top 3 this year.

We also need health. The offense quickly becomes a house of cards with an injury

If he's a top 3 RB, you guys in the Keeper League are in trouble!!!!!!!!!!

But I'm sure the season will go like it always does for me - one of the top scoring offenses, top team going into the playoffs, first playoff game have a record low scoring week and get bounced in the first week. I'm thinking this year, I might rest my starters the final regular season game and maybe giving them some rest they will play better the first week of the playoffs.

[Arkansasbear]

I just can't believe they traded Justin before they could invite him to the STH Draft Party.

That's cold.

[dplank]

Love it Hoog, I’m super excited also! Don’t sleep on Swift either, I think he was a sneaky big addition that will have a big impact on our offense. We are stacked, Poles has done an outstanding job. All we really need is for CW to be as good as advertised and we are going to be a very dangerous team

Man do i ever hope you are right. It still burns me that Poles commited the unforgivable sin of paying a god damn running back. Swift better be top 3 this year.

We also need health. The offense quickly becomes a house of cards with an injury

lol...I think the league had overcorrected on RB value and this offseason kinda brought RB value back up again. But we'll see. Swift brings an element we lack and I think he's going to have a lot of big plays for us this year.

As for injuries, this is largely true for every team, but for us I think we have fantastic depth on offense. The problem as usual will be the OL, an injury or two there can devastate our chances. The larger issue, as I keep pining about, is our DL. If Sweat goes down, that's a true house of cards effect. We could revert back to a bottom 5 defense fast IMO, which is what we were for a year and a half prior to his arrival. DL must stand up for everything else to work.

[dplank]

Man do i ever hope you are right. It still burns me that Poles commited the unforgivable sin of paying a god damn running back. Swift better be top 3 this year.

We also need health. The offense quickly becomes a house of cards with an injury

If he's a top 3 RB, you guys in the Keeper League are in trouble!!!!!!!!!!

But I'm sure the season will go like it always does for me - one of the top scoring offenses, top team going into the playoffs, first playoff game have a record low scoring week and get bounced in the first week. I'm thinking this year, I might rest my starters the final regular season game and maybe giving them some rest they will play better the first week of the playoffs.

I'll trade you Fields for Swift straight up

[Moriarty]

Love it Hoog, I’m super excited also! Don’t sleep on Swift either, I think he was a sneaky big addition that will have a big impact on our offense. We are stacked, Poles has done an outstanding job. All we really need is for CW to be as good as advertised and we are going to be a very dangerous team

It still burns me that Poles commited the unforgivable sin of paying a god damn running back. Swift better be top 3 this year.

Yep.
It's not that I don't like him as a player.
But (a) don't pay running backs unless they're healthy and elite and (b) we had a very, very effective run game going with a cheap, by committee approach. The need just wasn't there.

<hit quote to see the BR link>

https://www.the33rdteam.com/2024-nfl-fr ... rly-moves/
https://lastwordonsports.com/nfl/2024/0 ... s-of-2024/


Byard also got some downvotes.
They may have overpaid there, relative to a buyers market. But I'm less bothered by that one, given that they're paying less and getting a better player than last year. It's a step forward in all respects, even if it wasn't as efficient as it should have been.


But, overall, yes, if Caleb finds his stride by midseason, it could be a team people don't look forward to, for the first time in a while.

[wulfy]

I think at some point, you've got to move past the Money Ball approach to roster building (there is a time and place for it) and focus on acquiring playmakers. Swift's versatility is super exciting and having two quality backups will be necessary in an NFL season. With the amount of cap space they had/have, a slight market overpay to get the guy you really wanted is okay.

That said, wish they took that same attitude with Christian Wilkins, but I trust Poles.

[Hoog]

Sorry, still can't get on the Swift move. Too many disappointments when he played here for the Lions. Always hurt or had excuses. Didn't seem to give a damn. I hope he's changed and I'll root for him but not overly excited about the move. Not a Swifty in more ways than one, lol

[Arkansasbear]

Sorry, still can't get on the Swift move. Too many disappointments when he played here for the Lions. Always hurt or had excuses. Didn't seem to give a damn. I hope he's changed and I'll root for him but not overly excited about the move. Not a Swifty in more ways than one, lol

Speaking of Swifty

[Bearfacts]

It still burns me that Poles commited the unforgivable sin of paying a god damn running back. Swift better be top 3 this year.

Yep.
It's not that I don't like him as a player.
But (a) don't pay running backs unless they're healthy and elite and (b) we had a very, very effective run game going with a cheap, by committee approach. The need just wasn't there.

<hit quote to see the BR link>

https://www.the33rdteam.com/2024-nfl-fr ... rly-moves/
https://lastwordonsports.com/nfl/2024/0 ... s-of-2024/


Byard also got some downvotes.
They may have overpaid there, relative to a buyers market. But I'm less bothered by that one, given that they're paying less and getting a better player than last year. It's a step forward in all respects, even if it wasn't as efficient as it should have been.


But, overall, yes, if Caleb finds his stride by midseason, it could be a team people don't look forward to, for the first time in a while.

And yet many wanted Poles to sign Saquon Barkley for even more money. I don't believe I've ever seen Poles sign a player in FA there was no need to sign. Swift is a 3 down back which is more than we can say for Herbert. This is also Herbert's contract year and I have a feeling Poles would like to trade him.

[dplank]

Herbert has no trade value IMO, better keeping him as depth.

[RichH55]

Tyson's photo is just screaming Lets put the Woman and Children to Bed and go looking for Dinner

[Bearfacts]

Herbert has no trade value IMO, better keeping him as depth.

I wouldn't say he has no trade value. Poles can get pretty creative sometimes. Maybe he can be used to improve on a current position as opposed to accepting a 6th or 7th round pick for him. If there are no offers now wait 'til camps open and teams begin to lose players to injuries. Herbert is a proven NFL RB with a fairly high average YPC and breakaway speed.

[RichH55]

Herbert has no trade value IMO, better keeping him as depth.

I wouldn't say he has no trade value. Poles can get pretty creative sometimes. Maybe he can be used to improve on a current position as opposed to accepting a 6th or 7th round pick for him. If there are no offers now wait 'til camps open and teams begin to lose players to injuries. Herbert is a proven NFL RB with a fairly high average YPC and breakaway speed.

When you start talking 6ths or 6th/7th Swaps - that is essentially no trade value in practice IMHO

[cblaz11]

We have last years starter who was better in a backup role back in a backup role..Why would we trade him? By adding Swift we upgraded RB1 and RB2…I don’t see the need to move Herbert