Tag: 2021 Free Agency

There’s no QB competition: Andy Dalton will be Bears’ starter

New Bears QB Andy Dalton was assured he would be the starting QB in 2021, which played a role in him signing with Chicago.

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Rest assured, Bears fans. You won’t have to endure another unenthusiastic quarterback competition in training camp.

Although the quarterback duo of Andy Dalton and Nick Foles isn’t the most reassuring thing, the Bears appear to have already made their decision on who will be the team’s starting quarterback.

Andy Dalton met with the Chicago media for the first time on Thursday, where he revealed that he was assured that he would be the Bears’ starting quarterback, which helped make his decision to sign with Chicago a lot easier.

But Bears fans have seen this story before when Mike Glennon was signed and told this was his team and his job moving forward. A couple months later, Chicago traded up to draft Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. Glennon’s era with the Bears lasted four gruesome games.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Bears do in the NFL draft next month and whether they use their first-round or second-round pick to draft a young prospect, which seems quite likely at this point.

Dalton wasn’t ready to confirm that was the plan, but again, we know that Glennon wasn’t warned about the Bears drafting Trubisky either.

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Matt Barkley sends goodbye message to Buffalo

QB Matt Barkley sends goodbye message to Buffalo Bills.

The Bills dropped a backup bombshell on Thursday. The team announced the signing of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to backup Josh Allen.

Trubisky, formerly of the Chicago Bears, was one of the top-overall QBs on the free agent market.

But that leaves Matt Barkley without a job.

A liked player on the team, during their free agency press conference, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane confirmed that Barkley won’t be back. The presser was even delayed so they could break the news to him.

Probably tough news for Barkley to find out, but he was still thankful for his time with the Bills. He sent out this goodbye to Buffalo via his social media past on Twitter:

Barkley, 30, was previously out of football due to injury before signing with the Bills in 2018. He sparingly saw the field with Buffalo. Barkley only made one start that first season, but the Bills did win that game vs. the Jets. Barkley was 15-for-25 passing for 232 yards and two touchdown in that victory.

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Buffalo Bills sign QB Mitchell Trubisky

The Buffalo Bills have a new backup quarterback.

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The Buffalo Bills have a new backup quarterback.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills have signed quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Reportedly it’s a one-year deal.

Trubisky, 26, was the second-overall pick at the 2017 NFL Draft.

Buffalo’s previously No. 2 behind starter Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, is an unrestricted free agent.

The move was announced right before Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane had their free agency press conference. Asked about Trubisky, Beane mentioned that by comparison, he plays a more similar game to Allen than Barkley does.

“Physically he can do some of the things that Josh can do,” Beane said.

Terms of Trubisky’s deal have yet to be announced.

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10 things to know about new Bills WR Emmanuel Sanders

Get to know new Buffalo Bills wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who signed a one-year deal with the team.

The Buffalo Bills signed wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders as free agency opened this week. The match with the Bills and the 34-year-old is the type that’s been a long time in the making.

A former third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2010, the 5-foot-11 target replaces some of what the Bills lost recently on their roster in John Brown. Considering that, Sanders could be an important piece to the puzzle for Buffalo in 2021.

So you’ll want to know all you can about the guy.

With that, here are 10 things to know about the new Bills receiver:

Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley (11) and Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. (NFL Photos via AP)

SMU teammates

First off, Sanders won’t be a stranger to everyone in the Bills locker room. Sanders and Cole Beasley were teammates in college back in the day. From 2008-2009, the two suited up for SMU.

Both guys were big-time contributors during those years as well. Each had more than 80 catches combined in those two seasons. Sanders had 98 total in his senior year.

After that, the Steelers picked Sanders and Beasley went undrafted in 2012 but was signed by the Dallas Cowboys.

Here’s a photo Beasley shared on his social media account on Instagram this week of the two:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMgJxegrQBW/?utm_source=ig_embed

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Here are details of Andy Dalton’s contract with Bears

The Bears indeed made a splash in free agency with the signing of QB Andy Dalton to a one-year deal. Here are the details of that contract.

The Chicago Bears indeed made a splash in free agency with the signing of veteran quarterback Andy Dalton to a one-year deal. It just wasn’t the splash the fans were hoping for.

There’s been a lot of criticism surrounding the Dalton signing, which comes on the heels of Chicago’s failed bid to trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Now, we’re getting details of Dalton’s deal with the Bears.

Dalton’s base salary is $3 million with a signing bonus of $7 million for a total cap hit of $10 million in 2021, according to Spotrac.

For comparison, Dalton signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys last offseason that totaled $3 million, which included a $2 million signing bonus. He’s making $7 million more than he did last season.

For the 2021 season, the Bears have nearly $17 million in salary cap space dedicated to quarterbacks between Dalton’s $10 million cap hit and Nick Foles’ $6.6 million cap hit.

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Cowboys add defensive depth with former Texans DL Carlos Watkins

The four-year veteran was listed as a defensive end in Houston, but may be a better interior fit for Dan Quinn’s new 4-3 scheme in Dallas.

The Cowboys have added some depth to the defensive line. Carlos Watkins, a four-year veteran, has agreed to a one-year deal with Dallas. He will be making the trip up I-45 from Houston, where he appeared in 42 games for the Texans.

As per Rob Phillips of the Cowboys official website:

“Watkins (6-3, 297) was listed as a defensive end in the Texans’ base 3-4 scheme but played inside on passing downs in a four-man front. He could be a better fit at tackle in new Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s 4-3 system.”

Watkins was a fourth-round pick out of Clemson, where he played on the national championship team that beat Alabama at the conclusion of the 2016 college season. During his time in Houston, he posted 69 tackles, four sacks, and a pair of fumble recoveries.

Last season was the most productive yet for the North Carolina native. In 2020, Watkins started 11 games and notched two quarterbacks sacks- both career highs- while playing on nearly 50% of the team’s defensive snaps.

The Cowboys have already retained the services of defensive tackle Antwaun Woods this week, and still have youngsters Neville Gallimore, Trysten Hill, and Walter Palmore at the position. Tyrone Crawford and Eli Ankou are officially free agents.

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Bears lose 2022 compensatory pick with Andy Dalton signing

The Bears earned a 2022 5th-round comp pick for Roy Robertson-Harris. But the signing of Andy Dalton effectively cancels that out.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for the Chicago Bears then losing out on Russell Wilson and having to settle for Andy Dalton.

With former Bears defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris signing a three year-deal worth $24.4 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago was projected to receive a fifth-round compensatory pick in 2022. Which isn’t bad considering the Bears signed Robertson-Harris as an undrafted free agent and were to get a fifth-round pick back in return.

But with the Bears signing Dalton, that effectively cancels out Chicago’s compensatory pick, which is yet another blow this offseason.

The Bears earned two 2021 sixth-round compensatory picks last offseason for the Detroit Lions signing quarterback Chase Daniel and defensive tackle Nick Williams — picks 220 and 227 overall.

Chicago now has eight picks in the draft, starting with the 20th overall selection in Round 1. They also own their own draft picks in Rounds 2, 3, 5 and 6, as well as a seventh-round pick from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for tight end Adam Shaheen.

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Bears sign DL Angelo Blackson to 2-year deal

The Bears added to their talented defensive line with the signing of DL Angelo Blackson to a two-year deal.

The Chicago Bears’ defensive line has seen quite a bit of movement since free agency began. That continued late Wednesday night when the team reportedly agreed to a deal with former Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Angelo Blackson, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Blackson, who agreed to a two-year deal, started nine games for the Cardinals in 2020. He totaled 24 tackles and two and a half sacks while playing in all 16 games. Terms of his contract were not yet disclosed.

The 28-year old was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with there before winding up with the Houston Texans in 2017. Blackson was cut prior to the 2020 season and was picked up by the Cardinals.

Now with the Bears, Blackson joins a defensive line that recently said goodbye to Roy Robertson-Harris and re-signed Mario Edwards in the span of a few days. The signing could be an indicator that defensive end Brent Urban, also a free agent, is headed elsewhere too. But if the Bears are good at one thing, it’s stocking the defensive line with solid players through free agency and the draft.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace has done well with finding productive rotational defensive linemen over the years. Robertson-Harris, Edwards, and Urban are all prime examples and played key roles for the Bears during their time in Chicago. Perhaps Blackson is the next hidden gem.

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Where will former Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky land in free agency?

Former Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky is currently looking for the right fit for him schematically. Could he find that with the 49ers?

AP Photo/Brett Duke

The Mitchell Trubisky era has come to an end in Chicago. The former No. 2 overall pick is moving on from a tumultuous career with the Bears and looking for a fresh start elsewhere in free agency.

So what does the future have in store for Trubisky?

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Trubisky is currently looking for the right fit for him schematically and a team that can utilize his skillset.

“Trubisky is looking for a chance to kinda reset his career,” Garafolo said. “And one of the things he talked about late last year was some of the things he was raising to the Bears coaching staff as far as game planning and scheme, they were finally doing. …  What Trubisky is looking for is a scheme that better fits him than what he was running the last couple of years in Chicago.”

Basically, he’s looking for the opposite of what he had in Chicago with Matt Nagy.

While teams are signing free-agent quarterbacks left and right, there are two intriguing destinations that Garafolo mentioned in the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, who still don’t have an answer at back-up quarterback.

If Trubisky were to go to San Francisco, he would serve as Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup. But if Trubisky signed with Denver, he could compete for the starting job against Drew Lock, who is in a similar position that Trubisky was in Chicago last season.

The 49ers would be a great fit for Trubisky with what they do schematically. And the thought of Kyle Shanahan getting a chance to work with Trubisky is both an exciting and scary thought.

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Where will former Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky land in free agency?

Former Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky is currently looking for the right fit for him schematically. Could he find that with the 49ers?

AP Photo/Brett Duke

The Mitchell Trubisky era has come to an end in Chicago. The former No. 2 overall pick is moving on from a tumultuous career with the Bears and looking for a fresh start elsewhere in free agency.

So what does the future have in store for Trubisky?

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Trubisky is currently looking for the right fit for him schematically and a team that can utilize his skillset.

“Trubisky is looking for a chance to kinda reset his career,” Garafolo said. “And one of the things he talked about late last year was some of the things he was raising to the Bears coaching staff as far as game planning and scheme, they were finally doing. …  What Trubisky is looking for is a scheme that better fits him than what he was running the last couple of years in Chicago.”

Basically, he’s looking for the opposite of what he had in Chicago with Matt Nagy.

While teams are signing free-agent quarterbacks left and right, there are two intriguing destinations that Garafolo mentioned in the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, who still don’t have an answer at back-up quarterback.

If Trubisky were to go to San Francisco, he would serve as Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup. But if Trubisky signed with Denver, he could compete for the starting job against Drew Lock, who is in a similar position that Trubisky was in Chicago last season.

The 49ers would be a great fit for Trubisky with what they do schematically. And the thought of Kyle Shanahan getting a chance to work with Trubisky is both an exciting and scary thought.

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