Biggs Mailbag: Roquan and the Packers, O-Line changes, etc.

Toast88

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...ith-veterans-bubble-biggs-20180815-story.html

Chicago Tribune
Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.

Does Roquan Smith start Week 1 against Green Bay? — @zr_1ls9


If that isn’t the first question most people have about the Bears’ first-round pick, it’s the second. I don’t expect the team to answer anytime soon. Barring something unexpected, Smith will almost certainly play in that game, and I expect the inside linebacker to get up to speed quickly. Maybe the team decides to keep Nick Kwiatkoski in the lineup to start the season; he’s had a pretty good training camp, but Smith will be the starter sooner than later. Although Smith missed the entire Bourbonnais experience, he’s arrived in time to contribute Week 1. That’s what matters most in this situation.

Can you explain the Bears’ logic when it comes to their offensive line? They flip Kyle Long from guard to tackle and back to guard. They draft a guard (Cody Whitehair) and switch him to center. They draft a dominant college center (James Daniels) and promptly shift him to guard. I understand the appeal of position flexibility, but it seems the Bears are repeatedly playing their best O-linemen away from their natural spots. Furthermore, how is it that career reserve/swing lineman Eric Kush, coming off a season-derailing injury, is suddenly the projected starting left guard? It just feels like the Bears are being too clever for their own good. — David D., Rogers Park


That’s a lot of ground to cover. If there is a consistent theme in the Mailbag, it’s that some readers constantly are in search of position changes. Usually it’s on the offensive line, but not too long ago a vocal group wanted Kyle Fuller moved to safety. Perhaps those folks were the same ones who wanted Charles Tillman shifted to safety. It’s easier to understand the questions about the offensive line. The first thing I would say is we’re more than three weeks away from the start of the regular season. Nothing is set in stone, and as offensive line coach Harry Hiestand said during the spring, the true evaluation of the linemen wouldn’t begin until they put on pads. Let’s allow this process to play out and see what the team decides. Moving Long to right tackle, I think the Bears would admit, was a mistake, but at the time they were shorthanded and he was better than their other options. I think Whitehair’s best NFL efforts have been at center, and he’s actually played more center than guard after two seasons. Does that mean he stays there? Not necessarily. Daniels also played guard at Iowa before taking over as the team’s center, and there’s nothing wrong with positional flexibility, especially if he’s the sixth lineman to begin the season. Daniels has a chance to be a very good pro, but he’s still 20 and there’s no reason to rush things. I talked to Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz about Daniels and where he would end up playing in the NFL, and he made a really good point. When Jonathan Ogden was a rookie with the Ravens in 1996 and Ferentz was the team’s offensive line coach, they played the first-round draft pick at left guard. Ogden went on to be one of the best left tackles in the history of the game, but the Ravens had a solid left tackle, Tony Jones, for that season. The point I’m trying to make is I wouldn’t tie myself in a knot over where the players are lining up right now. As far as Kush, he’s a player the Bears like, and he would have seen significant action last season had he not suffered the season-ending hamstring injury in training camp. Let’s see what shakes out.

With the new renovations at Halas Hall, are the Bears going to eventually ditch training camp at Bourbonnais? — @knee_mart

Nothing lasts forever. The Bears spent 18 summers training in Platteville, Wis., and they’ve been at Olivet Nazarene University for 17 years now. That being said, I don’t know of any plans to move training camp to Halas Hall. The Bears used new practice fields that were built behind the Walter Payton Center for the first time Tuesday before departing for Denver. With additional outdoor fields, it certainly gives the team options. However, it seems unlikely the Bears could host crowds anywhere near what they draw in Bourbonnais to Halas Hall if they wanted to remain open to the public. Additionally, off-campus parking and a shuttle service would have to be used. I believe Bears ownership likes having the team connect with the fan base at ONU, and the facilities there are quite good when compared to what other teams that go away for training camp have. Construction is ongoing at Halas Hall, and we’ll see if the team’s goals for training camp shift when it’s completed in 2019. For now, I think the ONU arrangement is working well for the club.
 

Toast88

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Besides Hroniss Grasu, which other vets are on the bubble? — @rradulski

The Bears have turned over the roster a good deal and gotten significantly younger, shedding the kind of veterans who have been around for a while and are in jeopardy of losing a job. Had Eric Kush not been lost for the season in training camp last summer, I don’t think Grasu would have made the team. I agree he looks to be on the outside looking in. Cornerback Marcus Cooper, who was cut and then re-signed, had a rough game in Cincinnati. He could be in a battle for a job. I don’t see a lot of veterans, at least ones with roots at Halas Hall, on the bubble right now. Outside linebacker Aaron Lynch is going to have to prove he deserves a spot. He was injured in the spring with an ankle issue, and a hamstring injury has prevented him from practicing this summer. Lynch hasn’t played for the Bears previously. Of course, a name could pop up in the next few weeks we aren’t thinking about.

Given the roster he inherited, how would you grade the job Ryan Pace has done turning over this team, including the coaching staff? — @stewart_errol

What do you grade general managers, head coaches and quarterbacks by? Their record. Pace’s 14-34 mark is well below standards. The best grade you could give the GM right now is an incomplete as we wait to see how his second coach — Matt Nagy — and his quarterback — Mitch Trubisky — pan out. The roster has gotten significantly younger this season, and Pace has a record for being aggressive, which I believe is a positive. Not sure what you mean by turning over the coaching staff, as Pace will tell you he was the one who hired John Fox in the first place. Reality is, Pace received a contract extension when Fox was fired and before he launched into the hiring process that brought Nagy to the Bears. So he’s entrenched now and has the benefit of time when it comes to the development of the rookie coach and second-year quarterback. How we grade Pace’s work to this point is therefore immaterial right now. The Bears have a new scheme, some fresh energy and a greatly reshaped roster. Hopefully it translates into more wins because, as I said, that is the bottom line for general managers.


Second-year player Isaiah Irving seems to be a diamond in the rough. Do you think he could push for the other starting outside linebacker position? —@coryrokks


From my vantage point, veteran Sam Acho is pretty well entrenched as the starting outside linebacker opposite Leonard Floyd. Irving will push for a spot in the rotation, though, and the good news with him is he returned to the practice field Sunday in Bourbonnais after sitting out the Thursday’s exhibition in Cincinnati with an ankle injury. Irving has some traits as a pass rusher that can help the Bears but he has to prove he can be productive against starting-caliber offensive linemen. I think the best-case scenario for Irving this season is he plays in the rotation. If he can do that and do it well, he will be valuable to what the team is doing on defense.

How does the emergence of Anthony Miller in camp impact Taylor Gabriel? — @danjnolte

I don’t think Miller really affects Gabriel. Not right now anyway. Miller projects to be the slot receiver, and the Bears have been using Gabriel on the outside for the most part. Miller’s potential certainly has flashed during training camp, but he’s still got a long way to go. Nagy noted that Miller made a critical mistake near the goal line in Cincinnati on what was supposed to be a bubble screen. He never turned to look for the pass from quarterback Chase Daniel. It’s not like Miller and Gabriel are in a battle to earn playing time. They’re competing, for the most part, against different receivers.

What are some realistic expectations for the offense? — @live2ride_mke

I would expect the Bears to be more explosive in a more wide-open attack. They certainly should improve upon the 16.5 points they averaged in 2017, which ranked 29th of 32 teams. Jordan Howard should remain an effective ball carrier, and from there, how good the offense is hinges on how quickly Mitch Trubisky grasps the system and how well he performs. It should be more exciting to watch, and the offense, combined with what is a good defense, should have the Bears in a lot of games in the fourth quarter.

Deiondre’ Hall had some nice, aggressive hits against the Bengals. Unfortunately, they came after completed passes. What’s his outlook? — @billmiller1991

I’d say Hall faces a bit of an uphill battle for a roster spot. I think it’s fair to say Deon Bush is ahead of Hall right now, and DeAndre Houston-Carson quietly has had a strong camp. Bush and Houston-Carson both have more experience on special teams. Sherrick McManis has gotten a little work at safety as well. Hall needs to make a strong push in the next three weeks.
 

Toast88

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Now that Roquan Smith is signed, do you think the Bears might explore the possibility of signing a guy like Johnathan Hankins to help fill the spot next to Akiem Hicks? — @austinb043

I got a lot of mailbag questions about Hankins in the spring when the Bears did not have interest in him. I think Eddie Goldman looks pretty good next to Hicks on the defensive line. Hankins will reportedly work out for the Browns in the near future. I would be a little surprised if the Bears have reversed their position on Hankins, but you never say never.

Will the terrible special teams be improved this season? — @dsjaegerse

I would not describe last season’s special teams as terrible. Inconsistent? Sure. Average? Probably. I think the Bears have a chance to be better there this season. They have improved team speed and have a nice blend of veterans to work into the unit as well. They need new kicker Cody Parkey to be good. He’s eighth in the league at his position with an annual average salary of $3.75 million. It’s hard to really judge special teams from exhibition action, but I’m optimistic that things will be better in 2018.

There are bound to be some formerly marquee players on other teams that end up as late training camp cuts. Not expecting a Josh Sitton, and it’s hard to speculate without knowing the players, but will the Bears be in the market? What position(s)? — @mike__chicago

Yes, the Bears will be monitoring cuts just like they — and the other 31 teams — do at this time every summer. Every team has a roster they work off for the other teams. They project who makes the cut and who doesn’t and identify positions in which each team might be heavy or light. It keeps them prepared for which players could be cut loose. Teams are active on the phones at this time of year too. It’s hard to say which positions the Bears would look at. Obviously, they will keep a close eye on outside linebacker. Injuries could play a factor as well. To wit, they signed veteran running back Knile Davis over the weekend with Benny Cunningham sidelined with a shoulder injury. Stay tuned.

Does Ryan Pace make a call to the Raiders about Khalil Mack? What is a reasonable price to pay given the contract he will demand? — @jtbcubs


No team is going to pry Mack from the Raiders for a “reasonable” price. If the Raiders were to shop the pass rusher, I’d guess they would seek a package starting with two first-round picks. Mack will want to be one of the two or three highest-paid defensive players in the league as well.

Thankfully, Roquan Smith is signed. Looking back on his and Joey Bosa’s holdouts, do you think CAA and other agencies are being forced to do the work of protecting players — work that already should have been done by the notoriously weak players union? — @tomwogan

That’s an interesting point and probably a fair one. Teams have had latitude when it comes to voiding certain guarantees, and players certainly take notice of the fully guaranteed contracts that players sign in other sports. Fortunately, the discussion about Smith now turns to action on the gridiron.
 

Bearly

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I'd hate to lose Hall. Those catches weren't his responsibility. looks like exactly what you'd want on ST.
 

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