Chicago Sports

Will Roquan Smith be the next Wilber Marshall? Or Greg Olsen? Or Willie Gault?

Trading Pro Bowl- or All-Pro-caliber players in their prime generally yields mixed results at best. The Bears traded All-Pro defensive tackle Wally Chambers, 26, to the Buccaneers in 1978 and used the first-round pick they got in exchange to draft future Hall of Famer Dan Hampton.

But that was a bygone era, with Hall of Fame general manager Jim Finks working his magic. He traded a former All-Pro coming off knee surgery for the eventual fourth overall pick in 1979. Hampton became an all-time great. Chambers played two seasons for the Bucs before retiring at 29.

In 1988, the Bears traded wide receiver Gault, 27, to the Raiders for draft picks that turned into cornerback Donnell Woolford — an eight-year starter and one-time Pro Bowl player — and quarterback Peter Tom Willis. Gault was missed, but it wasn’t one of those deals that haunted the Bears for years to come. And whatever regret lingered from that deal doesn’t compare to what the Bears felt after general manager Jerry Angelo’s ill-fated trade of Olsen, 26, to the Panthers for a third-round pick at the start of 2011 training camp.

That wasn’t even about money but rather Olsen’s fit as a tight end in coordinator Mike Martz’s offense. A year later, Martz was gone and Olsen was emerging as one of the best tight ends in football, with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2014-16. The Bears packaged the draft pick they acquired from the Panthers with another third-round pick to get wide receiver Brandon Marshall. But that wasn’t nearly enough to quell the criticism of the Olsen deal as one of the most nonsensical trades in Bears history.

The Smith trade is most reminiscent of Marshall’s departure in 1988. The No. 11 overall pick in 1984, Marshall was a destructive outside linebacker who had emerged as the Bears’ best defensive player in the post-Super Bowl XX years. Like Smith, he was 25 and wanted to be the highest-paid player at his position.

Marshall was a restricted free agent after his fourth season in 1987. The Bears could have matched the Redskins’ five-year, $6 million offer, which made Marshall the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time,but instead took two first-round draft picks as compensation.

It was a regrettable move but didn’t quite elicit a historic Lou Brock/Greg Maddux level of regret. Marshall played at a Pro Bowl level for most of his five seasons with the Redskins, helping them win the Super Bowl after the 1991 season and being named a first-team All-Pro in 1992, but unlike Olsen, he wasn’t better with his new team than he was for the Bears. And the Bears acquired two productive starters with the first-round picks: wide receiver Wendell Davis (No. 27 in 1988) and defensive end Trace Armstrong (No. 12 in 1989).

The Bears led the NFL in scoring defense in 1988 with Jim Morrissey a capable replacement for Marshall. Theironce-vaunted defense faded from there, but it’s unlikely even Marshall could have prevented that. Quarterback Jim McMahon’s health is still the biggest reason the Bears won only one Super Bowl in the Mike Ditka coaching era.

2

Right now, trading Smith looks like a deal that could blow up in general manager Ryan Poles’ face. Smith is the kind of player who could flourish in the Ravens’ defense for several years. But given the realities of the NFL and the windows of opportunity that often close fast for players, as well as teams, things often aren’t as bad as they appear. Especially if you draft well.

3

The top six players the Bears regret losing: 1. Bobby Layne (Hall of Fame quarterback); 2. Bill Brown (four-time Pro Bowl running back); 3. Chuck Howley (five-time All-Pro linebacker and the only defensive player named MVP of the Super Bowl); 4. Olsen (three-time Pro Bowl tight end); 5. Marshall (All-Pro linebacker); 6. Don Meredith (three-time Pro Bowl quarterback).

4

The Bears liked Smith but didn’t love him, something that was made ever more clear when coach Matt Eberflus was asked if he would have wanted Colts GM Chris Ballard to draft Smith had guard Quenton Nelson not been available at No. 6 overall in 2018. The Bears took Smith two picks later. The Colts took linebacker Shaquille (nee Darius) Leonard at No. 36.

“Yeah, I don’t think at that time [that] Ballard was in the business of taking an off-the-ball linebacker at 8,” Eberflus said. “I don’t think I could have convinced him of that.”

5

Smith’s departure means none of former GM Ryan Pace’s five first-round draft picks has signed a second contract with the Bears. Kevin White (2015), Leonard Floyd (2016), Mitch Trubisky (2017) and now Smith (2018) are gone. Only quarterback Justin Fields (2021) is left.

In fact, since Mark Hatley, the Bears’ former vice president of football operations, signed linebacker Brian Urlacher in 2000, only four of 18 Bears first-round picks have played more than four complete seasons with the team: defensive lineman Tommie Harris (2004, seven seasons, 104 games); offensive lineman Kyle Long (2013, six-plus seasons, 77 games); quarterback Rex Grossman (2003, six seasons, 36 games); and cornerback Kyle Fuller (2014, six seasons, 96 games).

The Bears’ first-round picks since 2001 have averaged 4.2 full seasons with the Bears. Not good.

6

The 42 points the Bears’ defense allowed against the Cowboys on Sunday are more than what Eberflus’ defense with the Colts allowed in four seasons. That defense allowed a high of 38 points four times, once in each season.

The 42 against the Cowboys are also the most points a Bears defense has allowed since 2014, in back-to-back games against the Patriots (44) and Packers (48). Sunday’s breakdown was nowhere near as hapless as those games.

7

Eberflus plays the two-point conversion game too early. He went for two after Khalil Herbert’s 12-yard touchdown run cut the Cowboys’ lead to 28-23 with 9:42 left in the third quarter. A subsequent two-point conversion attempt after Fields’ 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet also failed, leaving the Bears behind 42-29 with 13:40 left in the fourth quarter. Had the Bears just kicked the PATs, they would have trailed 42-31 — within a field goal and a touchdown/two-point conversion.

John Fox, then the Panthers’ coach, did that in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Patriots in 2004. Had he just kicked a PAT after an early fourth-quarter touchdown, the Patriots’ field goal in the final seconds likely would have only tied the game instead of winning it.

8

Quentin Johnston watch: The 6-4, 215-pound TCU wide receiver, who has size and speed, showed off his grit against West Virginia last Saturday. Twice leaving the game with an ankle injury, he gutted it out and returned to catch a 55-yard touchdown pass in the Horned Frogs’ 41-31 road victory.

Johnston had four catches for 76 yards for the game. He has 42 catches for 650 yards (15.5 average) and four touchdowns in eight games this season.

9

Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Saints quarterback Andy Dalton completed 22 of 30 passes for 229 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 117.2 passer rating in a 24-0 rout of the Raiders at Caesars Superdome.

Special mention: Falcons wide receiver Damiere Byrd had three receptions for 67 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown that gave the Falcons the lead in a 37-34 overtime victory over the Panthers.

10

Bear-ometer: 7-10 — vs. Dolphins (L); vs. Lions (W); at Falcons (L); at Jets (L); vs. Packers (W); vs. Eagles (L); vs. Bills (L); at Lions (W); vs. Vikings (W).

Read More

BOSTON – DeMar DeRozan did his part.

All the ageless veteran tried to accomplish on Friday was throwing his entire team on his back and will them to a win against the Celtics.

Whether it was the season-high 46 points for DeRozan, the 22 free throw attempts, or the five assists, he was hell-bent on leading the Bulls (5-5) to a third-straight win. If only his teammates were more accommodating in the 123-119 loss.

Too many missed opportunities on key rebounds to go along with 17 turnovers, and just like that what could have been a signature win of the season ended up being another loss for a .500 team.

“He was just spectacular,” coach Billy Donovan said of DeRozan. “He has a refuse-to-die attitude. His scoring kept us close and gave us a chance late. He was incredible.”

There wasn’t much argument there.

“If we’re having a great game from DeMar, we’re going to play off him,” Zach LaVine said. ” ‘Debo’ was rolling.”

Early on, DeRozan wasn’t alone.

Considering the difficulty most visiting teams have in the Garden, the Bulls couldn’t have asked for a better first quarter.

The offense kept the ball moving, and the defense kept the Celtics on lockdown. So when DeRozan hit a free throw with 3:14 left in that opening stanza, the lead was eight and the mood was energetic.

Then it wasn’t, and thank the bench for that.

The grouping of Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr., and Goran Dragic, along with LaVine, has usually been lights out this season, but with Andre Drummond (shoulder sprain) sidelined yet again, that was obviously a very important piece.

How important?

By halftime, Boston had grabbed back the lead and the Celtics bench had outscored the Bulls 21-5.

Neither team would budge much in the third, playing each other to a 30-30 tie, but the concern was LaVine, who only took one shot in that entire quarter and played just over six minutes.

“Just running the offense,” LaVine said of that third. “If the ball finds me it finds me.”

LaVine also admitted after that while the left knee is good enough for him to play, the explosion is still a work in progress. That’s why he was seemingly trying to draw fouls on the ground rather than the air.

“Trying to get the rhythm back,” LaVine said. “Obviously I’m not all the way back yet. Not going to lie. It’s coming. I’m not scared of that.”

LaVine also brought up the idea of changing his game a bit from his younger days, thinking long-term preservation rather than putting the opposition on a poster.

Even with all the back and forth, there were the Bulls in the final few minutes, hanging around.

With 1:24 left, DeRozan was at it again, as his two free throws cut it to a two-point game. Derrick White had an answer, however, and a loud one, nailing the three with 1:07 left to keep that five-point buffer for the home team.

But the Bulls weren’t going away, courtesy of Nikola Vucevic and the three-pointer he hit just six seconds later.

Then it became a street fight.

Jayson Tatum fought Patrick Williams for a rebound and earned a trip to the free throw line, and then after Williams took an unnecessary three-pointer with 22.9 seconds left and missed, Tatum went to the free throw line again, hitting both to stretch the lead back out to five with 19.5 seconds left.

The free throw contest continued for both teams, with DeRozan hitting on free throw 19 and 20, and Malcolm Brogdon returning the favor for Boston (5-3).

After an Ayo Dosunmu layup, Brogdon iced the game with 1.9 seconds, splitting a pair.

“Self-inflicted mistakes,” DeRozan said after. “The game came down to that.”

Read More

Neuqua Valley put together a solid season despite losing three-year starting quarterback Mark Mennecke for five games with an injury. Mennecke, a dynamic running and passing threat, was back for the Wildcats’ second-round Class 8A playoff game against Lincoln-Way East on Friday.

His presence gave Neuqua Valley a puncher’s chance against one of the state’s heavyweight programs, but it wasn’t enough. The Griffins held on for a 17-14 win in Naperville after running back James Kwiecinski fell on the Wildcats’ onside kick attempt in the final minute.

Kwiecinski has been Lincoln-Way East’s reliable offensive threat all season. The senior had 25 carries for 125 yards. His 10-yard touchdown run with 2:31 left in the third quarter provided the winning margin.

The biggest play of the game came early. Griffins quarterback Braden Tischer connected with Jimmy Curtin for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 5:45 to play in the first quarter. Lincoln-Way East only completed three more passes the rest of the way, but the seed was planted.

“Obviously they have one of the best defenses in the state,” Griffins linebacker Jake Scianna said. “It ruins your morale really, as a defense, and it made us feel a little bit better. That’s a big play for sure.”

Scianna made a big play of his own, blocking a Neuqua Valley field goal attempt late in the second quarter.

“We came out with this one because we were the more disciplined team,” Scianna said. “There are still things we need to improve on but we are coming together.”

Tischer was 5-for-10 passing for 111 yards with one touchdown. Senior Jimmy Curtin had three catches for 84 yards.

“This was a tough draw,” Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar said. “They were every bit who we thought they were.”

With five minutes left the Griffins (11-0) led by 10 points. Mennecke was injured while sliding and left the game. Junior Ryan Mohler took over and on his second drive led the Wildcats (8-3) on a scoring drive. He connected with Grant Larkin on a 58-yard pass and then Carter Stare caught a 27-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds left.

But Lincoln-Way East recovered the onside kick, ending the threat.

“We have a bunch of guys here with huge hearts,” Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus said. “They battled until the very end. We just feel three points short.”

Larkin had seven catches for 186 yards for the Wildcats. Mennecke was 13 of 24 passing for 193 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“Shout out to [Mennecke] for playing through that ankle injury,” Scianna said. “He’s a great player, really mobile with a good arm.”

Mennecke’s standout athleticism and daring make him an intensely fun player to watch. But circumstances (covid shutdown and this year’s injury) have hampered his recruitment.

“The kid is a college football player,” Ellinghous said. “He can play with the best of them. He’s got a ton of arm and a ton of talent and he’s a fierce competitor. I don’t know why teams wouldn’t want to take a shot on him because he’s unbelievable.”

Lincoln-Way East will host the Warren vs. Andrew winner in the quarterfinals next weekend.

“We have to be better finishers,” Zvonar said. “We had a chance to shut the door. The offense has got to punch one in there in the fourth quarter and the defense has to keep them out. The onside hands team shouldn’t have had to go and save the game. But we are excited as heck to come back home in the quarterfinals.”

Read More

BOSTON – Billy Donovan has hope.

That’s going to have to do for now.

While Bulls guard Lonzo Ball and his injured left knee were making positive strides, according to the coach, there is still an unknown. It’s that unknown that the organization has no choice but to keep operating in.

“Everything is very, very optimistic right now,” Donovan said of Ball’s status on Friday. “I think there are things that he is able to do that he feels a lot freer that he did prior to the surgery. The biggest part was allowing the incision inside of his knee to heal. And then he started to do some things. He has done some running on a treadmill in the water, which is a positive sign. There are things he’s doing that he wasn’t able to do.”

But what Donovan and the medical staff still aren’t able to do was offer up a more detailed timeline.

Ball had the second surgery on Sept. 28, and was given a re-evaluation date of four-to-six weeks. While the Bulls have been working with Ball’s team evaluating him on a daily basis in that window, there are still major obstacles that have to be figured out. Many of those won’t come until the guard is able to start basketball activity and really test his discomfort level.

That’s why when Donovan was flat-out asked if he thought Ball would even play this season, he responded, “I’m hopeful.”

Vague? Cryptic? It can be taken in many ways. Or simply that too much is still up in the air.

What Donovan was clear about was that when Ball told the media leading up to the surgery that he wasn’t going to rush back, all sides involved are on that same page. This wasn’t a situation where Ball’s team wanted one thing as far as a timetable and the Bulls want another.

“When guys get second opinions and you have other really smart people in the room talking and collaborating and working together, you have more minds involved,” Donovan said. “Certainly he’s going to be the driver of how he’s feeling. And his communication is going to be very important. But along with him, the doctor in LA, our medical staff, our orthopedic surgeon, they’re all going to communicate. Very much so everybody is on the same page.”

MASH unit

The Ball injury wasn’t the only one that still had more questions than answers surrounding it.

Andre Drummond injured his left shoulder midway through the loss to San Antonio last week – a game in which he remarkably finished – and while the MRI showed it was a left shoulder sprain, the initial feeling was it would be days.

Days could now easily be weeks for the reserve center.

“Obviously the MRI was clean, it’s a sprain, but what happens is he probably had way better mobility the following morning and then there was a period of time it just got worse, which is normal with a sprain,” Donovan said, when asked why the reports went south days after the injury happened. “So he’s still having difficulty raising his arm over his head, and as a big guy that rebounds like he does, they just want to be cautious of him ever getting yanked back and it turning out to be something more significant.”

As for back-up guard Coby White, he was still dealing with a deep thigh contusion, and missed his third-straight game. White remained day-to-day.

Read More

Class 8ASecond Round

(1) Lincoln-Way East at (17) Neuqua Valley, Fri. 6

(8) Warren at (24) Andrew, Sat. 7

(13) Maine South at (4) South Elgin, Fri. 7

(12) Glenbrook South at (5) Glenbard West, Sat. 1

(2) York at (18) Marist, Sat. 1

(7) Palatine at (23) Minooka, Fri. 7

(14) Lyons at (3) Plainfield North, Fri. 7

(6) Loyola at (22) Edwardsville, Sat. 1

Class 7ASecond Round

(1) Mount Carmel at (17) Downers Grove North, Sat. 1

(8) Collinsville at (24) Brother Rice, Sat. 6

(4) St. Charles North at (20) Hoffman Estates, Sat. 2

(12) St. Rita at (5) Prospect, Fri. 7

(2) Hersey at (18) Batavia, Sat. 1

(10) Moline at (7) Yorkville, Fri. 7

(3) Pekin at (19) Normal, Fri. 7

(11) Lake Zurich at (6) Wheaton North, Sat. 4

Class 6ASecond Round

(8) Notre Dame at (1) Wauconda, Fri. 7

(4) St. Ignatius at (12) Grayslake Central, Fri. 7

(7) Kaneland at (2) Prairie Ridge, Sat. 1

(3) Grayslake North at (11) Harlem, Sat. 6

(1) Lemont at (9) Quincy, Sat. 3

(5) Bremen vs. (13) Kenwood at Lane, Sat. 1

(7) Crete-Monee vs. (2) Simeon at Gately, Sat. 1

(6) East St. Louis at (3) Normal West, Sat. 1

Class 5ASecond Round

(1) Sycamore at (9) Carmel, Sat. 2

(5) Sterling vs. (4) Goode at Lane, Sat. 5:30

(7) Payton vs. (2) Morgan Park at Gately, Fri. 7

(3) Boylan at (11) Nazareth, Sat. 1

(8) Metamora at (1) Mahomet-Seymour, Sat. 7

(4) Morris at (12) Centralia, Sat. 3

(7) Mascoutah at (2) Highland, Sat. 2

(6) Kankakee at (3) Peoria, Fri. 7

Class 4ASecond Round

(8) UP-Bronzeville at (1) Richmond-Burton, Fri. 7

(5) Joliet Catholic at (13) Providence, Sat. 1

(7) Rochelle at (15) Johnsburg, Fri. 7

(6) Evergreen Park at (3) St. Francis, Sat. 1

(8) Coal City at (1) Carterville, Sat. 1

(5) Breese Central at (4) Rochester, Sat. 4:30

(2) Sacred Heart-Griffin at (10) Waterloo, Sat. 5

(6) Murphysboro at (3) Macomb, Sat. 3

Class 3ASecond Round

(8) Genoa-Kingston at (1) Princeton, Sat. 1

(5) Stillman Valley at (4) IC Catholic, Sat. 3

(7) Pecatonica at (2) Reed-Custer, Sat. 5

(6) Byron at (3) Seneca, Fri. 7

(1) Prairie Central at (9) Roxana, Sat. 2

(5) Mt. Carmel, Ill. at (4) Tolono Unity, Sat. 2

(7) St. Joseph-Ogden at (15) Olympia, Sat. 6

(6) Eureka at (3) Williamsville, Sat. 3

Class 2ASecond Round

(8) Farmington at (1) Maroa-Forsyth, Sat. 1

(4) Rockridge at (12) Bloomington Central, Sat. 1

(7) Knoxville at (2) Bismarck-Henning, Sat. 1

(6) Tri-Valley at (3) Wilmington, Sat. 6

(1) St. Teresa at (9) Athens, Sat. 1

(4) Pana at (12) Fairfield, Sat. 4

(2) Johnston City at (10) Arthur-Lovington, Sat. 3

(6) Red Bud at (14) Althoff, Sat. 1

Class 1ASecond Round

(8) Oneida at (1) Lena-Winslow, Sat. 1

(4) Fulton at (12) Rockford Lutheran, Sat. 1

(2) Hope Academy at (10) Forreston, Sat. 2

(3) Ottawa Marquette at (11) Dakota, Sat. 1

(1) Ridgeview-Lexington at (9) Salt Fork, Sat. 2

(5) Routt at (4) Tuscola, Sat. 2

(7) Sesser-Valier at (2) Camp Point Central, Sat. 2

(6) Cumberland at (3) Greenfield-Northwestern, Sat. 2

Read More

Dave Butz, one of the best football players in Illinois state history who went on to win two Super Bowls, has died. He was 72.

A spokesman for the Washington Commanders confirmed that Butz’s family informed the team about the All-Pro defensive lineman’s death Friday. It was not immediately known where Butz died or the cause of his death.

Butz was a three-sport star at Maine South. He was an All-American football player, scored more than 1,500 points in basketball and held the state discus record for 13 years.

Butz spent 14 of his 16 NFL seasons with Washington after breaking into the league with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played his first two years (1973 and 1974). As one of the league’s biggest players at the time at 6-8 and nearly 300 pounds, he was a key part of Washington’s defense for the franchise’s first two Super Bowl-winning teams in the 1982 and 1987 seasons.

“Every quarterback I hit knows I hit him,” Butz said upon his retirement after the 1988 season.

The fifth overall pick from Purdue in 1973, Butz was an All-Pro selection in 1983 and finished second in voting for AP Defensive Player of the Year when he started all 16 games for Washington and had 11 1/2 sacks. He also made the Pro Bowl that season.

Butz retired after the 1988 season, is a member of Washington’s Ring of Fame and was chosen as one of the organization’s 90 greatest players earlier this year when the team commemorated its 90th anniversary.

The team said on Twitter it was “heartbroken” over the loss of a “Washington legend.”

Former teammate and Washington quarterback Joe Theismann posted: “Lost a dear friend today. Dave Butz. Dave, Mark [Moseley] and I used to ride to games together. A true gentle giant. Rest In Peace my friend.”

Butz had 64 sacks in 216 regular-season games with St. Louis and Washington. He became a free agent after his second season with the Cardinals after an error in his rookie contract. Washington gave up two first-round picks and a second-rounder to the Cardinals as compensation for signing him.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame made him a second-team all-1980s selection for his play during the decade.

Butz is a member of Purdue’s all-time football team. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

In his final NFL season in 1988, Butz played in his 197th game for Washington, at the time a franchise record. In an interview with the Washington Post around the time he set the record, Butz recalled coming up six inches short of a touchdown on one of his two career interceptions — in 1981 against the Bears.

“Only good thing was Walter Payton didn’t catch me,” Butz said of his near score, mentioning the Bears’ legendary running back. “Bad part was that the center did.”

Butz got the game ball the day he broke the record. It was inscribed, “Six inches too short.”

Read More

Momentum continued to build for the Bears’ offense Friday with the expectation that two starting offensive linemen will be back Sunday against the Dolphins.

The Bears activated left guardCody Whitehairwill from injured reserve, and right tackleLarry Boromcleared the concussion protocol and practiced in full for the first time Friday.

Whitehair started 99 of a possible 101 games before spraining his right knee in Week 4 against the Giants and missing four games. He has been back at practice for a week, and his performance was convincing as the Bears debated whether he should return.

“His movement’s good; his jumps were good,” coachMatt Eberflussaid. “The strength staff did a nice job of getting him ready to go, and he’s looked good in practice.”

Whitehair began his career as a center and made the Pro Bowl there in 2018, but has mostly played left guard the last four seasons. The Bears likely will keepSam Mustipherat center and play Whitehair in his natural spot.

Whitehair is the Bears’ longest-tenured player, but missing significant time during a season was new to him. Nonetheless, he felt fully confident about jumping back in after the layoff.

“It will take a little bit of time to adjust, but I’ve played enough ball,” he said. “It will be like riding a bike.”

The Bears still haven’t gotten their intended starting offensive line on the field and won’t any time soon because centerLucas Patrickis out with a toe injury. He is on injured reserve and can’t return until Week 12 against the Jets.

The only offensive lineman who hasn’t missed time this season is rookie left tackleBraxton Jones. He is the only player on the roster to play 100% of the snaps.

Bolstering the offensive line should only help quarterbackJustin Fieldsand an offense that has been significantly better over the last four week. The Bears also hope to get a boost from new wide receiverChase Claypool, whom they acquired from the Steelers this week.

Read More

The Bears were headed to this point all along. It just took them a while to get there.

There was no doubt new general manager Ryan Poles needed to teardown much of therosterthat went 6-11 last season. This wouldn’t be a one-year fix, and it was time to set a course to be competitive in 2023 and contending in 2024. Even that timeline will be tough to meet, but that’s about as long as most organizations are willing to wait.

But Poles needed to do it surgically so he didn’t hinder quarterback Justin Fields’ development, and there has been significant concern that he did. All of his offensive line and wide receiver acquisitions were low-cost, and it’s difficult to get good personnel on the cheap.

Poles finally finished the initial phase of his plan over the last two weeks. He dealt defensive end Robert Quinn and his enormous contract, eliminated the prospect of paying linebacker Roquan Smith by trading him and, at long last, helped Fields by landing wide receiver Chase Claypool.

There are no more moves to make. So now what?

The Bears will begin answering that question Sunday against the Dolphins. They have nine games remaining, and those should be viewed through the lens of what they signal about next season and beyond.

That starts with Fields, as always.

He’s in the most efficient four-game stretch of his career. The next step is to up the production. He has averaged 182 yards passing and 69.3 yards rushing over the last four games — good, but not great.

If he is regularly putting up 250 yards passing per game by the end of the season, that would justify the Bears cementing him as their centerpiece and looking to add major talent around him in the upcoming draft rather than hit reset at the position.

Then there’s coach Matt Eberflus. The Bears need to be just as sure about his capability as they are about the quarterback. And a big piece of that equation is seeing what he does with a depleted defense.

The Bears just gave up 49 points to the Cowboys, and now — after losing Smith — they face a most prolific passing attack with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

It would be reasonable to expect the rest of this season to look somewhat like that loss to the Cowboys: Promising play by the offense, but a defense that is simply outmanned.

But it has to get better. Regardless of the roster, it’s unacceptable to continue giving up 40-plus points.

Eberflus was hired, in part, on the strength of his defensive expertise. He’s not a magician, but he must embrace the challenge of making this defense respectable.

“I love the way they learn,” he said of coaching a defense stocked with unproven players. “When a guy learns and progresses in the game, that’s very exciting. To be able to help a guy and put him in position to make plays with technique and fundamentals… that’s very enjoyable.

“Then the effort’s got to be there. That’s our No. 1 principle. That’s what we stand on.”

In some ways, this entire season is also an extensive tryout for long-term starting jobs.

The Bears went into the season with three players who seemingly had secured them: Smith, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and wide receiver Darnell Mooney. The list has fluctuated since.

Johnson and Mooney are still fixtures of the future, as are Claypool and rookie safety Jaquan Brisker. Fields is working toward it, along with running back David Montgomery, tight end Cole Kmet, rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon and others.

The more of them who prove themselves, the better off the Bears will be and the faster their rebuild will go. And that responsibility falls to Eberflus.

Read More

Chicago Bears injury report Friday looks good

The Chicago Bears had several starters on their Week 9 injury report Wednesday. Defensive backs Kyler Gordon and Eddie Jackson were limited in practice earlier this week. Offensive lineman Larry Borom was out Wednesday, still battling a concussion. Offensive lineman Teven Jenkins was battling a back injury that had him limited at Practice on Wednesday.

According to the injury report released by the Bears Friday, all four of those players were full participants in Friday’s practice and do not have a designation for the game. Offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter was added to the list on Friday and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

Borom’s return is great news for the offensive line, who were missing several starters last week against the Dallas Cowboys. It’s possible the Chicago Bears could have Cody Whitehair back for the Dolphins game. An upgraded offensive line could help quarterback Justin Fields have more time to hit his new wide receiver, Chase Claypool.

The secondary needs Gordon and Jackson to be healthy this week as they take on one of the best wide receiver corps in the league. The Dolphins head to Chicago in Week 9 with the NFL’s third-highest passing yard average at 292.5 yards per game.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Read More

The Bears finally helped quarterback Justin Fields at the trade deadline.

The Dolphins, though, have been building around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa since they drafted him– even when they weren’t sure that he was the answer.

The difference between the two approaches will be on full display when Tagovailoa leads the NFL’s best passing offense Sunday at Soldier Field. The third-year quarterback boasts the league’s highest passer rating and two of the NFL’s top four receivers.

Tagovailoa is 5-0 in games he finishes — he missed two starts after a scary concussion –and has been sacked on just 4.1 percent of his dropbacks, the fifth-best mark in the league. Pro Football Focus grades him as their third-best quarterback, one spot ahead of Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.

None of it is by accident.

The Bears have only begun to invest in Fields. Trading for Steelers receiver Chase Claypool on Tuesday was the largest offensive commitment general manager Ryan Poles made since being hired in January. The Bears will have the most salary cap space in the NFL this offseason — and, for only the second time in five years, their own first-round pick.

Poles can only hope to build the structure around their quarterback that the Dolphins established over the last three seasons.

The Dolphins gave Tagovailoa two tackles, two receivers and a play-caller — and paid a steep price to do it. Consider:

o Less than two hours after drafting Tagovailoa No. 5 overall in 2020, the Dolphins drafted right tackle Austin Jackson at No. 18. The Bears haven’t drafted a tackle that high since they took Chris Williams No. 14 in 2008.

o In 2021, they chose Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle sixth overall. The Bears have never drafted a receiver that high.

o In February, they hired 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as their head coach and play-caller. A month earlier, bucking league trends, the Bears made Matt Eberflus the only defensive coordinator in the hiring cycle to get a head coaching job without already working for the franchise.

o In March, they signed Saints left tackle Terron Armstead to a five-year deal worth $43.4 million guaranteed and up to $87.5 million overall. The Bears have never written a check that large for a tackle.

o One day later, they dealt five draft picks for Chiefs for Tyreek Hill, then gave him a four-year, $120 million extension with $72.2 million guaranteed, the largest contract for a wideout in the history of the sport.

What’s remarkable about that level of investment is this: the Dolphins might not even be convinced their quarterback is a star.

The NFL punished the Dolphins in August for having impermissible contact with quarterback Tom Brady during both 2019 and 2021. The league found the Dolphins talked to Brady last year, while he was a member of the Buccaneers, about becoming a limited partner — and also perhaps playing for them.

The league stripped the Dolphins of next year’s first-round pick as part of their punishment. When the Dolphins traded their other 2023 first-round pick Tuesday for Broncos edge rusher Bradley Chubb, McDaniel confirmed it was an indication the team had seen enough to believe in Tagovailoa. Without a first-round pick in 2023, they couldn’t replace him if they tried.

“From the get-go,” McDaniel told reporters, “I’ve fully seen Tua as our quarterback.”

If the Bears come to the same conclusion about Fields at the end of the year, it will come with the opposite reasoning: that he succeeded despite the supporting cast, not because of it.

Read More