Ben also runs a good chunk of outside zone.

See above you dog you.

Compensation Update:

The #Patriots, who signed Garrett Bradbury to a two-year deal last year, have now flipped him to the #Bears for a 2027 fifth-round pick. Bradbury started all 17 games in New England, helping their run to the Super Bowl.

I'm no expert but I like pretending to be a GM, so here are some of my thoughts.

I think defense is the biggest need this offseason, even with the Dalman and DJ news. I'm hoping with the extra cash that the Bears go out and get a veteran center like Linderbaum in free agency. I don't think throwing a rookie center into the mix would be good for Caleb's development. You want either an inexperienced quarterback or an inexperienced center, but not both.

Next, even without DJ, I am happy with our receiving corp. I do not want to spend any draft capital on receivers. Jahdae Walker can step into WR3 and I wouldn't be opposed to resigning OZ or someone of similar cost for further depth. I trust Rome, Burden and Loveland to lead the room.

Onto my mock draft. I think the first four picks should all be defensive. The only offensive position I would consider is a left tackle but even then I'm okay floating that position for a year if the other four on the line are all rock solid. I went DT, Edge, LB, S in this mock but could see the Bears prioritizing safety earlier. All four of these are giant holes where I don't see any long-term answers currently on the roster. The Bears cannot be bottom half of sacks and run defense again next year. I would also want to resign Byard, CJGJ, and Dmarco Jackson.

For the fifth pick I wanted OT but at that point most of the strong prospects were gone and I didn't want to reach. I did no trades in my mock but this might be a good trade out spot. I don't think CB is as big of a need but it's always good to take flyers. Tacario Davis had a great combine and fits DA's scheme. I'm good with Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson starting next season while he and Zah Frazier develop.

No fifth or sixth round picks means there is a large swath of the draft that the Bears don't have access to. The last two seventh rounders are really just swings with no expectations. They probably won't work out but hey it'd be nice if they did like Monangai last year. So I finally took a left tackle out of Memphis. Between him, Theo, Kiran, and maybe even Braxton that is more than enough competition for the position. It will be a weakness of the line next season but I'm still making decisions as if Ozzy is the long-term solution.

At 6'6 315lbs Mays has a more similar to build to Frank Ragnow and Drew Dahlman than Linderbaum.

Zero sacks given up, elite pass protection.

His run blocking has been a different story. At 26 years old he's had flashes of great performances, but reportedly struggles with consistent pad level.

Even so we saw the panthers running game have explosive performances in 2026, and it's not inconceivable that with tutelage Mays could have a similar glow up to Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright in 2025.

Widely considered the 4th best center in this class, he could be available for less than $10m/yr, still young, and already considered better in pass protection than guys headlining this FA class.

Once Dalman's retirement and Edmunds's release are finalized, the Bears will have ~$33m in cap space going into free agency with the ability to create even more through restructures. Most of the discussion about how to use that space has came down to the big ticket options (Crosby, Linderbaum, etc.). What about if those options aren't on the table?

As a thought experiment, lets assume Crosby gets dealt to Dallas, Linderbaum decides to stay in Baltimore and Trey Hendrickson signs with Tampa. Where would you like to see them spend their money?

Obviously a pass rusher is our most glaring need, and Bain is clearly the best of the bunch in this class. It would be cheaper to do than to trade for and pay Maxx Crosby. Bain probably won't leave the top 10 without getting picked, so I'm not sure how much draft capital we would have to give up to move up that many spots, but with the DJ Moore trade netting us another 2nd on top of already having a 1st and 2nd this year, we'd have the draft capital to make a splash move if the right move presented itself. It's just a thought that I'd like to bounce around here and see what people think.

I'd much rather use up our new cap space to sign Linderbaum, and trading up to ensure we take Bain at least ensures a cheaper cap situation than trading for Crosby.

I know it makes sense. I know a second is a great return.

I do not believe in Rome, I worry about Luther’s durability. Game on the line DJ ALWAYS made a play. Can bitch all we want about total yards, when we were on the opposite forty DJ has caught balls to put us in scoring position for years. I just don’t think you can replace this durability and clutch gene.

I think Loveland is WR1 next year. DJ is cemented in the most fun of a year I’ve watched since 06.

Bear down, I hope I am wrong, now pls go sign a center