Welcome me in double Bears Weekly, a Chicago Bears Network production. Download the Chicago Bears official app brought to you by Verizon to follow the team on the Joe. Bears Weekly is brought to you by Advocate Healthcare, Beeth Rivers, CD telling, Connie's Pizza, and Miller liked. Now it's time for Bears Weekly with the Voice of the Bears Jeff Shodynia on the New Bears Radio Network.
Them New Bears drafted last week, providing more building blocks for the future. We hear from the men who built that class and from the tenth pick in Round one, offensive tackle Darnell right here in moments. Good to have you alongside this evening, great weather here in Chicagoland beautiful and this is Bears Weekly on ESPN Chicago and the Bears Radio Network. Joining me as always a broadcast partner, Tom Fair and from Serious XMNFL Radios. Moving the chains,
Jim Miller. We're here today until seven o'clock. Our producers Dan Really, Jordan Treadup. Thank you to the executive producer of the Bears Radio Network, Eric Ostrotski, and thank you Jay. Can't you taking care of business at the e PN one thousand studios, gentlemen, reactions dominating the headlines over the course of the week. Of course, everybody's grading everything. We don't do that, but what do our experts believe happen here? Tommy, We'll start with you.
Big Jeff. Thanks.
You know what, all I'm looking forward is to getting the rookies on their feet and look how they take the classroom onto the field and look to see what their assets have been presented to us.
Before they were ever drafted, to see.
Really how they fit into that role, to see how they're going to be able to fit into the competition of the position that they've been picked for.
So there's a lot of things that you have.
To look at individually about the player, but it's all about their athleticism, how they react according to the position they play.
And Jim, Yeah, you know, I like the draft. Obviously when you get Darnell right, many thought he was definitely one of the top right tackles in this draft. I mean, this guy was down at the Senior Bowl and he's just was ascending the whole time. You come away from the Senior Bowl. He started to work his way into the first round, and you know, I think they got themselves a nice right tackle. Well, we'll see how these defenders. I think Tyreek Stevenson, the cornerback from Miami, a lot
of length there. He's a bigger defensive back like a James Bradbury type of player for the Philadelphia Eagles. And you know, the defensive tackles both Gervin Dexter and Zach Pickens a little bit different when you look at the size. But Pickens to me is really quick off the ball, so we'll see if he can have an impact defensively. And rush On Johnson, the running back who they took
from Texas. Unfortunately he had the broken hand at the Senior Bowl and had to leave, But you know, when you're sharing time with one of the best running backs in the draft, Bijon Robinson, this guy is still a quality back that I think can be a player for the Chicago Bears as well. But a lot of picks. We'll see where they all find a spot and if they can all fit and they'll have that opportunity, because again, I don't think there's any sacred cows or anything slated
for everybody just to be an automatic starter. These guys are going to have to earn it.
Bears are already reportedly agreeted terms with their fifth round picks, linebacker Noah Sewell out of Oregon and cornerback Terrell Smith out of Minnesota. Too very athletic and very nasty players of their positions. All right, before we break things down, coming up tonight, we've got Ian Cunningham, the Bears assistant general manager, kind enough to join us for a second consecutive We will join us live coming up at the bottom of the hour. We'll also here from general manager
Ryan Poles. But I had a chance to sit down right after the draft and his arrival in Chicago with the first round pick, the tenth pick in the draft and hopefully signaling a long tenure career in Chicago tackle Darnell Right. You know, for me, it's always an honor to interview guys who get to this level because you're one tenth to one percent of the greatest athletes in the world to get the honor of playing this game.
And then you're doing it now for this franchise, charter franchise in the National Football League, just dripping with history. How's that settle away?
I mean it's crazy.
I mean, like you talk about a team or a franchise that's one of the original teams of football, probably popularized football for all of America.
Really, So it's just it's crazy that.
I'm here and they thought I could blend in and do something good for this program as much as I think that I can. So it's just I'm happy to be here.
What is it that you think you can.
I don't think.
I don't only think I've already scratched the surfaces of what I could become, really, and I'm just happy to take that next step and see what that next level is.
You know.
Yeah, well, now you don't have to study classes anymore.
You don't have to be a college student.
Now you're a businessman, right, ready to play a sport that you.
Grew up love.
And that's also a big hurdle for some folks, you know, to getting over to that. Are you excited not just to be football focused no more?
You're not training for track anymore? No, right?
Yeah, I'm not running around and fan X. You know, yeah, I don't think it would be a big hurdle for me. You know, there's also there's that foundation you got to build, like anything, But you know, I'm happy to just focus straight ball. I mean, it's something that I've been I've loved to do since I don't know how long. But just to do it as a job of me is I feel like I'm I feel like I'm pulling the biggest trick ever. I'm out here making you know, money, just to do something I love to do.
So well, it'll get serious, man, It's gonna get serious.
And a lot of fun.
I heard one of the best quotes I read about you was one of the scouts that I follow said, he's a grizzly bear. Plays the game like a grizzly bear that's just coming out of hibernation.
You ever hear that one?
You know, I never heard that exact quote, But I mean, is that how you play? I mean, we'll see, we'll see.
I think you play with an edge of my friend and a little hungry like that bear. Now you're going from Grizzly Bear to Chicago Bear. So that's how they used to play in this team. Franchise history is all about that, that kind of nastiness, and you can see it in your snaps for sure. Is this something that you were born to do?
It's definitely in me, So you know, I just got to make sure I don't flip that switch too much, flip it game there so.
Well, you know I've heard you say that more than once. So do you need to flip a switch to get into.
That mode on game day? Or are you always on the edge a little bit?
You might hear the same people might say, you know, there's nobody that can just flip the switch. I think that's just I don't think that's real. You know, if I was sitting here staring at the face, you think this guy is probably something wrong with him, you know what I mean. But when it's you know, when it's time to go like it's you know, you feel that you get I don't know what to talk about it for real, might flip the switch right now?
Yeah, but I I'd love to see it.
What do you love about this game? And do you love this game at at a level that is beyond.
Passion for the sporting?
Yeah, it's I mean, this is I don't have a plan, and there's no plan b you know what I mean, there's no It's not like y'all be like, oh yeah, I have to make it. I'll do this and that's all I got. So this is what you see here is what I got to give.
So when did it crystallize for you that you were going to be NFL possible?
It doesn't necessarily just crystallize at once. I guess if you say it would have when it did crystallize, be like somewhere around my junior year in college. And but you know, you go through those times where you think maybe I'm not good enough, but then you get better and then you think, oh, I can really do this, so just it changes.
But we're here now.
So yeah, I think the SEC can make a lot of players think they're not good enough because it's essentially an extension of what we have right now in the NFL. Right you face to everybody. I mean you can go all the way back to your freshman year. Uh that did that harden your edge to get here to play the same I mean.
It's not gonna be too big for you.
Yeah.
Yeah, and definitely it's not gonna be too big. And I've I've obviously NFL you're not gonna get the competition that you're gonna get, and you're not gonna you're not facing the NFL players every single like every single player in the SEC. But it's the closest, like you said, it's the closest you can get to it, and it definitely helped me a lot.
Would it be fair to say it seems like maybe you got up for the big ones?
Though, I mean I think you everyone, I think everyone. I mean it's hard to not to. And in this league, everyone's the big one. So if that's my problem, you know, I guess we're all do it.
Yeah.
I enjoyed the personality, and you know, you flip on Tom and Jim the tapes of his play against Georgia, his play against will Anderson and Alabama, those are very signature moments and he really hauled himself up really well.
Tom overall reaction and head over to Jim.
You know.
You know the thing about it is when you're six five plus three hundred and thirty three pounds, you don't blend in.
You are it.
The reason that you were picked in the first round is you guys have to come in here and be a difference maker on this football team is that struggled last year on the offensive line and is searching for immediate help. So this is not a passive approach to football. In the flipping the switch thing. I think it's more
of a game day adrenaline. You don't carry the same adrenaline a round with you Monday through Saturday during the course of week of preparation and practice, but you have that adrenaline flow unlike any other on game day, whether it's Saturday, Sunday, Monday night, Thursday, whatever the case is. So I like his personality. I think he'll be more engaging the more time he has. But Darnell, it's not time to blend in, it's time.
To be in.
Yeah, he's He's definitely not a band aid on the offensive line. This guy's going to be a foundational player. Agree with the tape on Will Anderson. He kind of just swallowed him up that whole game against Alabama. When I talked to Darnell, he thought the toughest pass rusher he went against was bj Ojulari. But this guy's a bulldozer. When he gets his hands on you, forget it, it's over. He can physically redirect you, and very rarely do you see that happen in the NFL, where an O lineman
can physically move a defender. Normally it's about stalemates. Tom can talk about that, but This guy can physically like redirect defensive opponents that he's going against. This is a very strong football player.
YEP six five and three h three thirty three the last listed weight for darn l Right. He was named the best blocker by opposing linebackers and defensive tackles during Senior Bowl practices.
He definitely had a great week.
When we come back, a conversation with general manager Ryan Poles. This Bears Weekly on AESPN one thousand and the Chicago Bears Radio Network.
This is Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for twenty three years, Jeff jony Aik on the Bears Radio Network.
Tom a student one day, prepare for the combine and all the testing season the next drafted, then you're in town, meet the media. This week you're at mini camp and a couple of guys already signed this Bears draft class, reportedly Noah Sewell and Terrell Smith out of Oregon to Minnesota respectively. Before we rejoined, Jim and Tom sat down with the general manager, Ryan Poles. Look back at what occurred last week.
In the draft. All right, can you exhale now?
Yeah, just a little bit, just a little bit.
Hey, recap the four months January, February, March, April, and did you check all your boxes?
Yeah?
I think we did, I really do. You know, once the draft ended, you kind of sat back in your chair and I had our guys pull up our depth chart, and I just I couldn't be happier about the work that we put in and the progress that we've made.
The roster's heading in the right direction. Again.
The goal is to compete for championships, and you got to have the players to do that.
You know, our.
Job is to build a football team. It's to build a locker room. It's to build a culture that can withstand a lot.
Of different things. And so there's different pieces.
It's the talent, and we do a fantastic job in this room identifying talent. But then it's the person, the makeup. How do they what do they bring into our locker room? What do they bring to our team. I've talked about it before. You know, we're gonna go through some hard times. You always do, no matter if you have a Super Bowl roster or a roster that you're just trying to get up off the floor. And that resilience piece, that group that can stay together. That's so important to us,
so we always keep that in mind. We want to bring a really good group in here that can play well together.
So that's the emphasis.
And a lot of times you may find some really good talent that at the time it just doesn't make sense for your roster at that time.
Culture's big. Obviously it was established, you've established it. Same mind thought on it process with Matt Eberfluss. Was there anything about it that it needed a boost in in terms.
Of the locker room, in terms of culture, I.
Just say, just continue to bring in some good young players that have energy, that have charisma that they're hungry, and that's what we did. All these guys have a chip on their shoulder and they want to prove that they can play in this league and then help this organization win championship.
Are you only looking for guys with chips on their shoulder? Yes, I mean, I mean a lot of these guys, man, they were five star prospects, had great careers in some of the big conferences like the SEC. Obviously in the Big ten that do most drafted conferences. But even those guys have chips on their shoulders.
They do because you know they're driven to prove that they can do it.
At the next level.
They might be five star recruits, they have a good college career. Now that next step is to be great at the highest.
Level, at the pinnacle of this game.
And you can tell through our research, through you know, folks at the schools that are with these players, to sitting down and interviewing them, you know one on one that they have something.
To prove, and that's what you look for. Lukeatz, you had the Senior Bowl.
A lot of your coaches for the top five drafted from the Senior by accident or was that really an important evaluation process in terms of find out what makes guys tick?
Yeah, important part of the evaluation process.
We had a unique view.
Just with Luke being the head coach, we had an opportunity to even go into.
Myself and coach Eberflues. We had the opportunity to go into the meeting rooms as well.
So I remember sitting behind Darnell, you know, in those offensive line rooms and first of all seeing how wide his shoulders are, big head, big neck, but also how he approached the game, how he interacted with his teammates, and then seeing him going on the field and executed at a high level. Being up close and personal. You got to feel that part. And then just when you get good competition going against you know, other top end talent,
you can see how they react. I remember, you know, Stevenson, just the poise that he had in coverage and the speed and the size and his press technique up and close and personal. So you carry those things through the process and I think it helps.
All right, let's talk about Darnell. What was your opinion of him before testing season and what was your opinion clearly after?
Yeah, you know, I think we did a good job identifying that he was going to be a good tester for his size. And I try not to get too crazy with the testing part for offensive lineman, but you want some of those top end traits in your guys. So by his tape, I could see for how big of a man he was to move with light feet on contact, you see shock on defenders, and from there you could see, Okay, this guy's explosive, he's got good quickness. We look at lean body mass. He's got big, lean body.
He's a big human being. He's got functional mass to him. So you can see that on tape. So just the testing part was a confirmation that he had all of those things.
And you like to check both both boxes, all right.
So many coaches that I've spoken to many in this scheme defensively say hey, if I had a started defense, I'm starting on the defensive line, but I'm starting at the interior defensive line. Yeah, and do you agree with that?
Do you subscribe to that? I do.
I talked about this the other day. You know, those guys can be multipliers. They can help everybody else around them. The linebackers flying around free, blitzing free, They dent the pocket to create a shorter edge for defensive ends and blitzers on the outside, and then they just when you have a stout defense, especially in this division late in the season. To me, I think that's a key component to being a championship caliber team. So we invested in that space and we made some good shrites.
Yeah, give me a little nugget on Javon Dexter out of Florida and Zach Pickens's South Caroline.
Yeah.
What stands out with Gravan is just it's the athlete and the traits that he has to develop to be a top end interior player. Really let on his feet, former basketball player who also has that density to him on contact, can shed blockers off of his body and find the ball with good quickness and feet.
So all of those pieces came together.
And I think even with his tape and what he was asked to do in that scheme down there, I think it masked some of the high end penetrating and pass rush that he actually has in his body. I think we'll be able to bring that out even more here.
Pickens, Yeah, Pickens.
Another one just long armed, ability to shock and keep offensive, you know, blockers off of his body, shed to the ball. Another guy that has some high end physical traits. And then through our sports science program, we even see more growth coming in his body in terms of lean mass, getting even bigger than what he is. So and both of those guys play extremely hard too, which is also big for coach Flufs.
You have drafted six defensive backs in two years. Yeah, and now you add a guy that is long Yep, seems nasty. Does he like to tackle on the run game, Tyrek Stevenson.
Yeah, loves the tackle, loves to play physical. Another big man with great length. The one thing that stands out when you watch his press tape. He will get in your face and disrupt timing, which is one again, a multiplayer that can help everybody else the safeties over the top of the pass rush to get home.
So we're excited about what he has to offer. And what is that Terrell Smith bring you? Yeah, speed in size.
He's the guy that has all the trace and you know from his tape you can see vertically going against other players that could run. He was comfortable at top end speed stand in the phase and.
I know that.
You know, the next step in his development is just continuing to work on finishing.
And he showed his flashes of that. So I think he's gonna get better too.
John City, I've never seen a scout look me in the eye.
Yeah, repeatedly and.
Say this guy is different. Roseean Johnson there running back from texts.
Yeah, he's different.
When you watch the tape, when he had his opportunities, it flashed and it was impressive.
And then when you get to meet the person.
From my chair, when I listened to my scouts talk, the conviction that came out of them was incredible.
I actually joked with them like, oh, you don't like him, do you?
And they actually got mad at me, like they love this kid.
We love this kid his makeup.
When you hear your scouts talk and they say, you know, it's gonna be hard for this guy to fail because of his makeup.
Those are the things that you love.
So again, he's another player that I think is gonna, you know, come here and help us get to where we're trying to go.
He's a blur and that Cincinnati program turning out a lot of really good offensive players.
Tell us about Tyler Scott, Yeah, Tyler's explosive. The one thing that you see is he gets off the spot with a very quick, you know, first step, and then he has the rare ability to get faster as he goes down the We thought that that combination with Justin's deep ball would be a really good combination and a good duo where we can create explosive plays with all of our receivers at this point, so we've gotten faster
at that. And then he's also a really good special teams player too, so he's going to compete.
He's going to press the guys in the room.
But what stands out to me is just the explosive, big playability that he has, so it.
Looks like all three phases have been improved. Yes, I believe all ten draft picks finished on the relative athletic score. I don't know if you follow that at all, but it's this process that they If it's a ten point scale, they're all over eight.
Yep.
So you got some better athletes, you got some nasty players, you got some violent players. So how do you think this team has improved overall?
Yeah, you know, we got like you said, bigger, longer, faster, more athletic. I think offensively, just we've gotten more explosive, you know, at the receiver position, but also given our quarterback time with protection, and then probably enhance our run game as well, which is a really good combination because at the end of the day, I think teams that can stay balanced can be highly productive and score a
lot of points, which is important. And then defensively, again, bigger, longer, faster, defensive backs that can fly, and interior players that are going to allow to be disruptive in both the run of the pass game. So I think we took the next step. We're getting better. I've always mentioned it's on paper now, but we have to put it to action and all these players that to come in and compete and we'll see what we got.
We use this analogy.
Last year, you're building the house, so okay, you put the studs up the roof sign. Now I think the walls are up and you can start decorating.
Yeah, we're getting closer to the decorating part. And that's kind of the you know, what we're going with this year is just elevate. Everyone's got to elevate off the foundation that we built and elevate their game and the little details and get a little bit better.
And that's what we're after.
Bears general manager Ryan Polls back here on Bears Weekly, Jeff Joniak time there, Jim Miller Fellas, I think we get a clear idea now after two drafts, exactly what kind of player Ryan Poles digs for the Chicago Bears.
Yeah.
You know one thing, Jeff is last year when I was sitting here talking, I was talking about one of the most uncompetitive positions on this football team is the defensive backfield. I think with the picks that you mentioned, six picks in the last two years, the defensive backfield is probably the most competitive position on the football team
right now. In its high quality competition, from the experience the guys got that were drafted last year to the traits that you see on tape of the young guys he's bringing in this year. So I'm excited to see the continuous development of that position. However, it's about the offensive defensive line, how they improved, and how they make the running back and receivers better on offense and the linebackers and defensive backs better on defense.
Jennating a signal in that conversation that that caught your attention.
Well, I think it's clear they do value traits. You know, when you look at go look at the player's numbers, whether it's the broad jump, the vertical jump, you know, these are explosive numbers that they're looking for. You know, we call it the explosion. There is an explosion number out there. It's the bench plus the broad plus the vertical, and these guys all tested well in those where they get close to a good explosion number is seventy. If
those add up to seventy, it's an explosion number. Clearly, they value the traits. Obviously, the size aspect, when you're drafting cornerbacks that are over six foot I think those check all the boxes there, and I think the key thing that he said they're about, you know, here they're trying to make this jump from year one to year two under Eberflus. You know, last year they're watching tape of Indianapolis, right and how to this is how I
want you to play defense. This year, they'll be watching themselves, at least for the players that have been in there, and these players will now see what the Bears are
trying to accomplish offensively and defensively. But they'll be watching Chicago Bear tape at the end of the day and what is expected where it needs to be, and really they'll they'll learn a lot faster, in my opinion, on how they incorporate these young players into it watching what they're trying to do as their own team on tape rather than say a team, you know, because it's always odd. I remember, coach, we go in there. Yeah, we were going to watch a lot of you know, we were installing
the West Coast offense. We watched a lot of Raider tape, you know, and here I'm watching rich Gannon and hey, this is how they do it, this is how we want to do it. But then when we get in the year two, we're watching ourselves all we need to be better here. This is where we need to be better. But it's about yourself in order to make that jump and take it to another level. And I think that's a good thing for the Bears.
I enjoyed the conversation. I love the idea that he thinks all his ten member class and maybe these undrafted free agents that they just signed officially, it just came out the fourteen that will join the rookies at Rookie Minicamp starting tomorrow, that they have chips on their shoulder.
I know Jim Miller, did I know? Tom Thayer did for sure? Hey, even I got one. Even I got one.
I'm unfortunately not an NFL player, but I'd put it to good U. When we come back, we'll be joined by the assistant general manager, Ian Cunningham will join us live here on ESPN Chicago.
Here on Bears Weekly on the Bears Radio Network.
This is Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for twenty three years, Jeff j on the Bears Radio Network.
Welcome back to Bears Weekly.
As the Bears officially have signed fourteen undrafted free agents, including Tyson badget the quarterback out of Shepherd. They'll be up at Hallis all this weekend. Bears Minicamp getting rolling, reporting today, meetings tonight, back on the practice field on Friday and Saturday. Jeff Joniak along with Tom Thayer and Jim Metal from Serious x MNFL Radio's Move the Chains and kind of Enough to join us once again this
week becoming a regular. We're back to back weeks for Assistant general manager Ian Cunningham.
Ian, how you doing tonight?
How you feeling I'm feeling great, guys. I'm feeling great. You know, I thought you guys would bring me into It's the most wonderful time of the year because it's got a Christmas field here at Hallis. We're ready to unwrap our present tomorrow.
Oh yeah, isn't that some what's that feeling like it? Since you opened that door, let's.
Go walk through it.
Yeah, it's exciting. I mean, we get to see these guys. We just been sure first team meeting with the rookies. There's a great team meeting. Good to see those guys walk around, get to get their picture taken, put them through the physicals, all those sorts of things. Got a chance to talk to a few of them here earlier. Yeah, we're just excited to have them in the building.
Hey, Ian, how you doing this top there? When you so it's nice to hear Ryan Pole saying we look for players that have a chip on their shoulder. And then I like to hear earlier in the interview that Darnell Wright said that he had no other options, and that describes exactly what I was about.
Coming out of college. I was disappointed.
I was drafting the fourth round and I didn't leave college with any other options at wanting to make the NFL. When you're interviewing these players, you're reading them. Can you read that part of that chip on their shoulder or the dedication and the no other option type of attitude?
Yeah, I think I think you can. I think you got to take into account their background as well, and our Scott's do a really good job of getting that background for us. And then when you couple that with just the demeanor and their outlook on life or their outlook on football, and you know when he says he has no other options, those sorts of things, and then you couple that with his work ethic and his toughness
and how he plays on the field. Those sorts of things, you have a better feel for the person and what you're getting. So I do think that plays a plays a part in and plays into account, you know what.
I'm kind of interested in.
You guys had a late pick in the draft, maybe two fifty eight or something.
How do you process going from draft to free agency?
And can you describe a little bit of that process of the guys that you were you know or taught.
Yeah, that process really starts two to three weeks ahead of time. Our scouts do a really good job of evaluating the back end of the draft and those backboard players that we call them, and we make sure to get with our coaches, and they do a good job of kind of setting that board with the coaches so they have a feel for the players at their cross
check positions. The coaches have a feel for the players and the particular players in which we're targeting through the draft, and then in real time, we're adjusting that board digitally while we're you know, while the draft is going on. So as players get taken, some of those guys that we're targeting as free agents, those guys are getting drafted
in the seventh round. So we're adjusting that board as the draft goes on, and once the draft is over, we're making sure the coaches and our scouts are talking to the players and we're trying to recruit those players here. And we have a lot of coaches that have had experience in recruiting before, so they do a really good job of getting on the phone with the players and
the agent's trying to get those guys here. And I feel like we did a really good job of getting you know, fourteen undrafted guys here, and we actually have thirty three tryal guys here tomorrow in this weekend too.
Hey and Jim Miller, congratulations on the draft, and man, everybody's wheeling to deal in these days. You guys make the trade before the draft from one to nine, then you make three trades during the draft, you know, obviously to trade down one spot with Philadelphia, and then to trade up five spots to get Tyreek Stevenson, and then to trade down twelve spots to get Roshan Johnson. Just
to read the tea leaves. Obviously, the Philadelphia move, you know that everybody kind of knew what was going on there, but to have the conviction or reading the tea leaves that hey, we need to trade up to get Tyreek Stevenson and then to trade down twelve spots to get Roshawn Johnson. And it sounds like, just listening to Ryan Pole's interview, everybody in the building love this kid.
You know.
How do you know when you trade down twelve spots read in the tea leaves that another organization didn't love the kid as much as you guys did. What a talented running back from Texas right right.
Our guys are pro staffed. They do a really good job of setting our team needs. So we go into it kind of looking at those teams that are behind us and try to almost try to predict if they're going to take a running back or take a position that we're targeting at that spot. Obviously, there's no exact science. We try to read the TV leaves like you said, but you know, trying to just make sure that we do our best job of projecting, Hey, this guy's going to be there. And in that case, we were able
to trade back those twelve spots. Rochann was there. We were fired up high five and everybody was excited. But within that trade back we were able to recoup that fifth round pick that we lost in that trade up that we did for Tyreek, So that was you know, I feel like it was a win win and we were just fortunate to be able to get Rochar when we did.
Yeah, and that's for the players because it sounds like you already got them in there. Are they gonna fly back? And then when they come back again, they'll be there for the long haul? Like, how does the schedule work for these young men as you get them introduced to your schemes offensively and defensively.
Yep, they'll be here this weekend. We'll have two days, we'll practice on Friday, we'll practice on Saturday, they'll fly out, they'll be gone for a week, and then they'll come back the following weekend. Then they can get with the rest of the team. And that's going to be really fun and exciting when they all get together.
Good assistant gm Ian Cunningham here joining us on Bears Weekly, Jeff joniak tm Fayer and Jim Miller from Serious x MNFL Radio moving the chains. So Larry Merrier did a nice job in an interview with Ryan about Grizzlies and the Bears logo that goes on some of these potential draft picks, and it signifies a lot. The name alone tells you that you want some fierce players there, and that all of these guys had that tag. You're not gonna only draft those guys. But why is that so important?
Is it have to do a lot with you know, the passion for the game and find out if they love the game.
Yeah, that's really what is about. You know, Ryan touched on them with the Grizzlies. We look for those guys who we designate as Grizzlies, people that have passion for the game. They have a high pain tolerance, they're coachable, they're dependable, they have a high they're resilient, and they
have really good work ethics. So those are the things in which we really look for in Chicago Bears and Ryan gave it the name of the Grizzly tag, and so our scouts go out there and we try to find as many Grizzlies as we can.
I love it.
No prospects on blemish, no matter how high you pick them to my hot, no matter how you love them. And you can see it on tape, but within the snap, you know if the technique isn't perfect, but they adjust and still get the job done. And then you bring your coaches in to the mix throughout the course of this process. How important is their input on what?
Hey, you know what? I I can fix that or I can't fix that.
It's very important.
You know.
They really get into the process. During the All Star season and the combine. We prep them in terms of sending the table and putting these players in buckets, and they do a really good dub and they're excited. Like I mentioned earlier, a lot of them do have a college background, so they evaluation piece. They're excited about getting into them, digging into those guys, evaluating stacking them. And a large part of it is really just the scheme.
Do these players fit what they want to do? And I feel like that's the major part that goes into it is Hey, Parsimo, does Darnell fit the scheme with him? And Luke want to implement so And in that case he does because he's tough. He says, he's all the things at which we look for an offensive lineman, and he's actually more athletic than I think a lot of people give him credit for.
Hey, and when a guy like Jalen Carter signs his contract and the way money is distributed amongst the rookie draft choices, when you have the pick right above Darnell right, does that speed up the signing process for you guys? Or is it still an open market?
No?
Everything is flatted, tom, you know nowadays, and so that makes it makes it a little bit easier for us. I won't say, I won't speak on fine Steam's behalf, but you know we'll be working on that here and hopefully we can get that deal done soon.
And since I brought up the trades, and I don't want you to name any names, but you know you saw DeAndre Swift he gets moved to the Philadelphia Eagles, or say Adam troutman tight end for New Orleans, gets shipped to New Orleans. Were there any discussions about that, because it seemed like there were some players available that potentially and maybe compensation wasn't there. But were any of those discussions with other teams happening.
For us? No, No, we didn't have those those types of conversations. We were slowly looking at the draft and potentially trading up for trading back.
Okay, well, how about when you look at these fourteen undrafted free agents. It was good to see Tyson Bagent was one of the players. Saw them down at the Senior Bowl. And you know, just to explain to listeners out there, I mean, those phone calls are probably going out, you know, in the fifth, sixth, even in the seventh round where you're kind of recruiting these players to see if they have an interest to sign with your team. So all that's ongoing, even though you're still conducting the
draft with players who you're going to select. Maybe to just talk about that for the listeners out there.
Yeah, we try to wait till we wait till after the draft to get those deals done, and we try to do his best the job of recruiting these guys ahead of time. Like I said, we have our board set, our free agent board. We try to send them gifts, maybe a care package here there, those sorts of things. Try to recruit them as much as we can just to show that we are interested. And that doesn't mean that we wouldn't necessarily draft them either, but just to
let them know that they are on our radar. The communication is really ongoing and buy our coaches and staff ahead of time but then as the draft goes on, we wait till after the draft to sign those guys.
All right, Ian, well more, and I'll let you go appreciate all the time. I know you got things to do as well this evening as you look at it now and Ryan talked about you know, now it's on paper, but now you got to take it to the field. But just from your analysis, two things. One the Bears better today and two how more much more competitive is
training camp going to be this year? Given that all those young players you got, all those snaps a year ago now are going to compete against a bunch of new guys with the same kind of determination that they had a year ago.
Yes, I believe that we are better. We are better on paper than we were in the past before this weekend, and I will share this. I don't think the competition is going to change. You know, Flus and his crew, they do a really good job of that. There's the Hits principles and we're going to see those guys flying around no matter what.
All right, we'll be good, good to see it.
We always look forward to, as you indicated at the outset here opening up those presents. You guys did a heck of a job, and the works already beginning on twenty twenty four.
I know it.
This is how it works in the NFL. Appreciate it very much. Ian, thanks for the time. We'll see you up at Hallashall. Thanks, thank you, Jim Bear's assistant general manager, Ian Cunningham. We'll take a break. Tom and Jim rejoined the program, will break down some things that have happened over the course of the last twenty four hours around the league. It's some interesting nuggets about the Bears as
well as they get ready for Mini Caamp. This is Bears Weekly on ESPN one thousand and the Chicago Bears Radio Network.
This is Bears Weekly with a voice of the Bears for twenty three years, Jeff jony Yik on the Bears Radio Network.
Appreciate the input from Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham. We heard from the top pick darn all right tonight, Ryan Poles as well, and now we're looking to see what all you know. I remember guys, Jim Miller down there, Jeff Joningygg with the Jim Tom. I remember back when Curtis Enis was drafted. I couldn't wait to get to rookie miniicamp. I want to hear see what this big thumping running back from Penn State was gonna look like, or when you get a new quarterback into the mix.
And here we're going to be looking on both sides of the ball to see exactly what they got. But it's gonna be on the line of scrimmage gym.
Yeah, yeah, I think you know, I think we knew. I've been calling for war daddies for quite some time, you know, and this guy, Darnell Wright is definitely a war daddy. I mean, this guy can physically push guys around. He's a dominator. Interested to see how the defensive tackle because I think we know, you know, stopping the run
was a big problem last year. So we'll see what Zach Pickens and Dexter and all these young defensive tackles, what they could do to impact and can they free up guys at the end of the man on the line of scrimmags the defensive ends free them up and maybe with some double teams to get some pass rush, because I don't think the Bears want to be a
high blitz team. They want to do it with the front four and so we'll see if they've increased themselves in the trenches where the games are truly won or lost.
You know, rookie minicap after the draft, it's the it. Hey did these guys look what they're presented to be. My freshman year at Notre Dame, the incoming freshmen. We came in for a week of practice in full pads, and I remember the day. You're thinking, Okay, I'm a freshman, I'm part.
Of this crew. I'm gonna win a job here.
And all of a sudden you walk into cafeteria and there's all the upper classmen.
And I'm thinking, WHOA.
When I thought I was had this week of great practice, all of a sudden you start seeing all the upper classmen on this football team. And so I think that's one of the things that these players have to overcome. Yeah, they're gonna come in here for rookie manicam. They're gonna look good amongst their peers of all the same age
and the same experiences. But it's gonna be can they take what they're gonna do this weekend and put it into a training camp atmosphere or OTAs when all the veterans are around, Because you're gonna have to have some of these rookies come in here with the confidence that they can earn a starting.
Position or make their position a lot more competitive.
All Right, I got a good one for both of you. All Right, this one, I'll be interesting to hear your opinions. I'm gonna start with Jim. But it's all about the interior of either side. Have guards and centers gotten better over time versus interior defensive lineman or interior defensive lineman become more athletic, quicker off the ball, and more of a concern to deal with in your opinion, say, in
the last five to seven years. And how is this evolving with spread spread offenses from college to the NFL incorporated here.
That's a good question. Part of me thinks it's a wash, but part of me thinks the offensive players have gotten better because you do see defenses getting lighter and speedier because they quote unquote want to cover every blade of grass. But here yet teams are still drafting for for size and traits that we're just talking about. And the Bears did get bigger, Like if you go look at Pittsburgh ste Dealers draft, they got a lot bigger as a team.
And I do think the trend is because they think defensive players are becoming lighter and speedier that they want to pound them a little bit more. And plus you just look at the rushing averages of teams. You know, here the Bears led the league in rushing. But look what the Trench Warfare for Philadelphia did, right, They kind of ran themselves to a Super Bowl, right because they've got big, athletic offensive linemen that can deal with the
speedier defensive tackles. Right lane, Johnson, you got Kelsey there, and you just look at how that team's built. That offensive line can get it done. So I would probably lean towards the offensive lineman getting a little bit bigger to take advantage of some undersized defensive linemen in college.
You know, if I had the opportunity to play against a bigger, slower defensive lineman, that's what I would want to play against.
I played against Leroy Glover. You knowed you who John Randall is.
You know what Aaron Donald has been able to accomplish in his time. If you have guys like that, And I'll even go to Keith Millard when he was in the nineteen ninety one defensive MVP that was hard to get your hands on when you went to block him. These guys that had superior quickness were made me more nervous. And the guys that you knew exactly where they're going to be, because then it's about creating that stalemate, you know, getting a little bit of movement with the double team
that you're concentrating your block on. So you know, years ago when it was all about the Ted Washingtons and the Dan Salamuas and those type of huge guys that were hard to move, now it is you know, some of these guys that have superior quickness can make a slow offensive guard or a center that's a little bit undersized movable, and then that takes up the interior of the performance of your interior offense.
It's gonna be interesting across the board. You know, just watching, for example, Dexter, watching him, you know he is a basketball player, Jim for the better part of his growing up. But you know you see him on tap and yes sometimes he plays a little too tall or whatever. But looking through the offensive lineman, looking into the backfield and shedding that guy and still making the tackle on the gap. Those are the things I'm interested to see him at this level. If he can handle that, you know.
Yeah, well why just think when when you look overall, I mean, like, what did Philadelphia do in order to show up their defense before the Super Bowl? They signed in Domakan su In Dalvin Tomlinson, right, they wanted to get bigger. And I do think, you know, there's a place for the penetrating guys like Aaron Donald. But I think even even the Rams know when you look at the undersized defensive tackles that beach you with speed and quickness,
they'll move those guys around a lot. People just think, oh, yeah, he's a explosive three technique. No no, no. If you go look at the Rams, they play him at five. They moved him up and down their defensive line the year they went to the Super Bowl. So that type
of athleticism does have its place. And then I think there's the size guys that have their place too, like what Philadelphia did prior to signing those guys late in the year to just get bigger upfront defensively where he can present kind of both both schemes at your opponent.
You know, sometimes you have to give these guys a little bit time on the shelf to see how their basketball trades converted into football players. Sam Clancy is a guy that played for the Cleveland Browns. He played basketball for Pitt but he was a great NFL pro. There's a really long guy that used to play for the New Orleans Saints named Jumpy Gathers, and he was able
to use his length as such an asset. So if you can take your tools and turn it into an asset and make it super difficult for the offensive line to maintain controlling position, that's the trades you're looking for.
Back for our final segment here on Bears Weekly after a time out here on the Bears Radio Networks.
Bears Weekly with a Force of the Bears for twenty three years. Jeff j on the Bears Radio Network.
A few minutes left before we close out this week's know, so we go on our lightning round, guys, said Jim. The NFL players Rookie Premiere forty five players get invited.
What's going on?
Unless I haven't paid attention, Bears are gonna get Roshawn Johnson and Tyler Scott their fourth rounders over there. Jalen Carter, the Eagles, Tyree Wilson of the Raiders and Houston's and Anderson the only three defensive players.
Everybody else's offense. So what's going on with the defense. They're all wide receivers, tight ends, quarterbacks. What's up?
They're getting their Panini cards right, that's where they get shot in their uniforms and get their pro cards. And it normally is about the skill position players believe it or not. The Jeff so, but that's really what's going down.
So I had to do that one year. We were out at the Rose Bowl and so they had to shoot right down on the field and they just go from set to set where they do all these action shots, and guys will be diving on match to show like they're laying out for football and things like that, or a quarterback throwing the football. So they can get the po and you get to get the perfect you know, rookie card that you get to distribute to your family members and friends and then it goes out there on
the open market. Yeh, fun time, all right.
International Player Pathway program eight players this year the NFC North and I believe the NFC West or AFC West. But Tom Chibu otherwise he is known as roy Mbatika. I think that's how you say his names from Nigeria twenty three. He was with the Giants last year for a bit. He has now been given to the Bears. He is six eight three thirty one on the leg press recently. I don't have kilograms versus pounds, but I was counting the plates on the bar.
It was significant.
The guys super strong, interesting offensive lineman prospect here.
Yeah, you know, I played with the six to nine offensive lineman in college. And the point of ephesis there is you have to kind of fabricate your bendability, especially in your knees if you're that tall, still have to win the game or leverage. So when you bring a player into the mix that really doesn't have a lot of experience, you just have to start explaining the fundamentals so he understands them.
He was discovered in trained by Ocia Minor is doing a great job there in African Nations and the Nigeria pipeline continue. Six of those eight players are from Nigeria. The Eagles, of course, hit the jackpot in eighteen drafting Australian tackle Jordan Mileta in round seven. Became a starter and a very good player. That's going to do it for tonight's show. Thanks fellas, Jim Miller, Tom Thare. Thanks to Ian Cunningham, Eric Ostrowski, our executive producer on the
Bears Radio Network. Also our producer Jake Cantu in studio, I'm Jeff Joniek. Thanks for listening to everybody, Stay tuned. Tyleraki is next on Esbon one thousand. Good night, everybody.
Thank you for listening to the Chicago Bears Network presentation of Bears Weekly. Podcasts are available on the Chicago Bears Official aland brought to you by Verizon and Apple Podcasts. Bears Weekly has been brought to you by Ben Rivers Am Miller Like
Yeah,