Tag: 2023 season

Where the Bears are slated to pick in 1st round of 2023 NFL draft after Week 13

Here’s where the Bears are currently sitting in the 2023 NFL draft order after Week 13.

The Chicago Bears are sitting at 3-10 through the first 13 weeks of the 2022 NFL season, where things have been rocky in the first season under Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.

But that was to be expected. This season is all about development, including quarterback Justin Fields, who has emerged as one of the league’s most exciting young players. So while the Bears will finish with one of the worst schedules, they’ve already won this season.

With just four games left to be played, we’re winding down on the 2022 season and looking ahead to a busy 2023 offseason. That includes the NFL draft, where Chicago is trending toward a top-3 draft pick to address an important need.

If the season were to end today, the Bears would hold the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Chicago’s loss to the Packers helped them maintain the second overall selection, behind only the Houston Texans.

Here’s a look at the current draft order, after Week 13, courtesy of Tankathon:

  1. Houston Texans (1-10-1)
  2. Chicago Bears (3-10)
  3. Seattle Seahawks; via Denver Broncos (3-9)
  4. Detroit Lions; via Los Angeles Rams (3-9)
  5. Philadelphia Eagles; via New Orleans Saints (4-9)
  6. Carolina Panthers (4-8)
  7. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8)
  8. Arizona Cardinals (4-8)
  9. Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1)
  10. Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
  11. Green Bay Packers (5-8)
  12. Las Vegas Raiders (5-7)
  13. Houston Texans; via Cleveland Browns (5-7)
  14. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)
  15. Detroit Lions (5-7)
  16. Los Angeles Chargers (6-6)
  17. New England Patriots (6-6)
  18. Washington Commanders (7-5-1)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
  20. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
  21. Tennessee Titans (7-5)
  22. New York Jets (7-5)
  23. New York Giants (7-4-1)
  24. Miami Dolphins (8-4) FORFEITED
  25. Denver Broncos; via San Francisco 49ers (8-4)
  26. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
  27. Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)
  28. Dallas Cowboys (9-3)
  29. Kansas City Chiefs (9-3)
  30. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
  31. Buffalo Bills (9-3)
  32. Philadelphia Eagles (11-1)

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Future SEC power rankings for the 2023 season, including Oklahoma and Texas

What are the outlooks for SEC teams, both current and future?

As we approach the end of another season of college football, it’s time to start looking ahead to the future.

The SEC is set to undergo some major changes in the coming years with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, and the 2023 season will (very likely) be the last under the format we’ve grown accustomed to.

It can be hard to project what a team will look like this far in advance, as the transfer portal has entirely changed the way roster building works in college football. Now, you can turn a roster around much quicker than was previously possible.

Still, we’ll try our best to project how things will look in 2023. Here are our future SEC power rankings including Texas and Oklahoma, though both will remain in the Big 12 next season.

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Bears land top defensive talent with 2nd overall pick in new 2023 mock draft

The Bears currently have the No. 2 overall draft pick, which gives them no shortage of options (including landing a top defensive talent).

The Chicago Bears are sitting at 3-9 with five games left on the schedule, and it’s hard not to look to the 2023 offseason. Especially with what appears to be a guaranteed top-five draft pick and north of $100 million in salary cap space next year.

The Bears currently have the No. 2 overall pick, which gives them a lot of options. They can trade back (with a quarterback-desperate team) or even land a top defensive talent. To be fair, they have two options in Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson.

In a new 2023 NFL mock draft, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has the Bears selecting Carter with that second pick, which would shore up an important need in the trenches. Carter has been a stud for Georgia’s defense, where he’s shown he can be a game wrecker and could fill the 3-technique role in Matt Eberflus’ defense.

Outside of Justin Jones, there’s no one currently on the interior of the defensive line worth bringing back in 2023. Adding someone like Carter would bolster the defensive front in a huge way. Although, so would Anderson.

As we inch closer to the 2023 offseason — and with Chicago a lock for a top draft pick — there’s going to be a lot of debate between whether the Bears should select Anderson or Carter. Regardless of the answer, it’s good news for Chicago’s rebuild.

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4 free agents the Saints should let walk away in 2023

Marcus Davenport and Mark Ingram II are among 4 pending free agents the New Orleans Saints should let walk away in 2023:

It’s shaping up for another busy New Orleans Saints offseason, and they’ll have plenty of difficult decisions on their 28 pending free agents. Some players are easy choices to re-sign with the team, but there are some others on the list who probably shouldn’t return for 2023. Here are four pending free agents the Saints should let walk away in the spring:

Where the Bears are slated to pick in 1st round of 2023 NFL draft after Week 12

Here’s where the Bears are currently sitting in the 2023 NFL draft order after Week 12.

The Chicago Bears are sitting at 3-9 through the first 12 weeks of the 2022 NFL season, where things have been rocky in the first season under Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.

But that was to be expected. This season is all about development, including quarterback Justin Fields, who has emerged as one of the league’s most exciting young players. So while the Bears will finish with one of the worst schedules, they’ve already won this season.

With just five games left to be played, we’re winding down on the 2022 season and looking ahead to a busy 2023 offseason. That includes the NFL draft, where Chicago is trending toward a top-5 draft pick to address one of several important needs.

If the season were to end today, the Bears would hold the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Chicago’s loss to the Jets moved them from third to second overall, behind only the Houston Texans.

Here’s a look at the current draft order, courtesy of Tankathon:

  1. Houston Texans (1-9-1)
  2. Chicago Bears (3-9)
  3. Detroit Lions; from Los Angeles Rams (3-8)
  4. Seattle Seahawks; from Denver Broncos (3-8)
  5. Carolina Panthers (4-8)
  6. Philadelphia Eagles; from New Orleans Saints (4-7)
  7. Arizona Cardinals (4-8)
  8. Green Bay Packers (4-8)
  9. Las Vegas Raiders (4-7)
  10. Houston Texans; from Cleveland Browns (4-7)
  11. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7)
  12. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-7)
  13. Detroit Lions (4-7)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (4-7-1)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (5-7)
  16. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
  17. Los Angeles Chargers (6-5)
  18. New England Patriots (6-5)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)
  20. Washington Commanders (7-5)
  21. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
  22. New York Jets (7-4)
  23. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
  24. New York Giants (7-4)
  25. Denver Broncos; from San Francisco 49ers (7-4)
  26. Tennessee Titans (7-4)
  27. Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
  28. Buffalo Bills (8-3)
  29. Miami Dolphins (8-3) FORFEITED
  30. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (9-2)
  32. Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)

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4 pending free agents the Saints must re-sign in 2023

LB Kaden Elliss and TE Juwan Johnson are some of the pending free agents the New Orleans Saints must re-sign once the 2022 season is over:

Few teams are in for as active an offseason as the New Orleans Saints, who look to start out over the 2023 salary cap by more than $50 million with 28 players headed for free agency in the spring. They’ll have to bring back many of those guys just to fill out the roster, but some players take priority over others.

So who should they prioritize for contract extensions? Here are four pending free agents that should be easy decisions when it comes time to talk shop:

Bears land generational defensive talent in new 2023 mock draft

The Bears are projected to have a top-five draft pick in 2023, which gives them a chance to land Alabama EDGE Will Anderson.

With the Bears sitting at 3-8 with just six games left, the focus is starting to shift to an important 2023 offseason. GM Ryan Poles will have north of $100 million to work with in free agency and eight draft selections, which currently includes the third overall pick.

While this offseason will be all about building around Justin Fields, who has looked every bit the part of a franchise quarterback over the last month, if the Bears land a top-five selection, there some generational defensive talents that should be on the board.

In ESPN’s new 2023 NFL mock draft, they have Chicago selecting Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson with the No. 4 pick, which feels like a projection given the Bears are currently sitting at third overall.

Here’s what ESPN’s Matt Miller had to say about the Bears landing Anderson at fourth overall:

Poles cleaned house on the edge, trading Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, so Anderson gives him an elite prospect to start his rebuild of the defensive line. Relentless is the word that comes to mind when evaluating Anderson. At 6-foot-4, 243 pounds, he has a nonstop motor and excellent speed out of his stance. He’s my top overall player in this class, and I’ve compared him to Von Miller. I’d place him above Aidan Hutchinson and Travon Walker among recent edge rush prospects, and he’s right on par with Nick Bosa and Chase Young from previous classes. And while this might look like he’s falling, this is really just a super-lucky outcome for the Bears.

There are no shortage of needs on both offense and defense heading into 2023, where the roster will be overhauled again after Poles signed a lot of one-year deals.

But edge rusher has become a glaring need since last offseason, where Chicago has dealt both Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn. The Bears have just 15 sacks through 11 weeks, which ranks 31st in the NFL.

It’s a position they need to address, and if they managed to land Anderson (who won’t make it out of the top five), it would be game-changing for this defense.

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Dan Graziano believes Justin Fields, Saquon Barkley would be ‘explosive’ duo for Bears

ESPN’s Dan Graziano pitched an idea for Giants RB Saquon Barkley to join Justin Fields and the Bears’ top rushing attack in 2023.

While there are still six games left this season, Bears fans are already looking  ahead to an important 2023 offseason.

The expectation was never for Chicago to be contenders this season; it was all about development. And the most important development has been second-year quarterback Justin Fields, who’s emerged as one of the NFL’s most electrifying players.

This offseason, GM Ryan Poles will have an opportunity (and plenty of salary cap space) to build around Fields heading into a pivotal Year 3. The Bears will have north of $100 million to spend, and there are a lot of needs to address, particularly on offense.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano pitched an idea for one playmaker to join Fields in 2023 — Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who’s set to hit free agency this offseason.

“I threw out the Bears because you have Justin Fields already there,” Graziano said on Get Up!. “Imagine the two of them together [Fields and Barkley] and what that run game would look like and how potentially explosive.

“I think when people speculate on Saquon – if he’s not back with the Giants, they’ll want to put him on the top offenses, as an accent piece in Buffalo, or in Kansas City a place like that. But, it would be interesting to see him in a place like Chicago if they want to build it out from the run game and lean on that with Justin Fields as he develops.”

It’s safe to say running back isn’t a pressing need on offense, especially not when compared to the need for offensive line and receiver help. But assuming Poles addresses those needs (be it in free agency and/or the NFL draft), he could certainly look to add a playmaker like Barkley to the roster. He’s certainly got the money to do it.

David Montgomery is set to hit free agency this offseason, but the Bears do have Khalil Herbert, who’s been an explosive addition. Still, Herbert is no Barkley, who’s second in the league in rushing with 953 yards.

Right now, Fields doesn’t have a lot to work with in terms of talent at skill position players. The addition of Barkley could be a game-changer for this already explosive run game.

While the Giants will likely look to keep Barkley in New York, it’s a fun thought to consider.

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Falcons take Cordarrelle Patterson’s shirt too literally, trade Calvin Ridley to the AFC

Falcons take Cordarrelle Patterson’s shirt too literally, free Calvin Ridley in a trade with the Jaguars — who will visit the Saints in 2023:

Oh no. The New Orleans Saints won’t have to worry about Calvin Ridley anymore — the Atlanta Falcons traded their suspended wide receiver to the Jacksonville Jaguars hours ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline, dealing an embattled superstar to a team in a whole other conference.

Ironically, and painfully for Falcons faithful, this comes just days after Ridley’s teammate Cordarrelle Patterson was seen patrolling the Atlanta sidelines in a “Free Calvin Ridley” shirt advocating for his friend’s suspension to be lifted. Ridley was suspended for an entire year after a gambling scandal in which he was accused of placing bets on games including his own team while inactive with an injury. It looks like the Falcons took Patterson’s message too literally.

And the return Atlanta is getting for trading Ridley is kind of complicated. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that if Ridley is reinstated before a specific date, the Jaguars will give up a 2023 fifth rounder (otherwise it’s a sixth-round pick). But if Ridley is on the roster in 2024, Jacksonville also sends out a 2024 fourth rounder. That pick becomes a third rounder if Ridley meets certain incentives for play time and performance. If he signs a long-term contract extension with Jacksonville, the Falcons will receive a 2024 second rounder.

So there are some hoops to jump through here, and the ramifications of this trade won’t be felt for quite some time (Ridley won’t even be eligible to play this season). At the end of the day, it just means that Ridley won’t suit up against the Saints twice a year anymore. New Orleans will host the Jaguars in 2023, but there’s a chance Ridley’s suspension won’t have even been lifted by then. It’s a storyline to watch out for over the next few months.

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Bears GM Ryan Poles says his job is to build for the future

Bears GM Ryan Poles on trading Robert Quinn: “My job is to do what’s best for this organization not only now, but in the future.”

Bears general manager Ryan Poles made it clear from the start that he’s building for the future. Unfortunately, that’s included parting ways with expensive, aging veterans, who have been mainstays on the roster.

Defensive end Robert Quinn is the latest to exit Chicago after the Bears traded him to the Eagles on Wednesday. Chicago received a fourth-round pick in exchange for Quinn, which gives the Bears seven draft picks heading into the 2023 NFL draft.

Poles said it was extremely difficult to make the trade.

“These decisions, they’re really, really tough because it’s not a transaction, it’s deeper than that,” Poles said, via NBC Sports Chicago.

“There’s the emotional side, the human part of it that you know you’re affecting not only a man but his family. You’re kind of shaking that all up and I don’t take that lightly at all and I’m sensitive to that.”

On top of that, Poles said it was difficult to mess with the locker room culture in trading a defensive leader like Quinn. But he also understands that his job isn’t to just worry about the team right now. It’s about the future.

“I value – I think I’ve talked about that a lot – the locker room and what it means and the culture and it sucks to mess with that, to be completely honest with you,” Poles said. “But again, my job is to do what’s best for this organization not only now, but in the future. I felt like that was the best move for us to make.”

With the Bears coming off a dominating 33-14 victory over the Patriots, Poles understands trading a captain in Quinn could have a negative impact on the locker room. But, when considering the future, it felt like an obvious move.

“That’s really where you have to compartmentalize those two different areas,” Poles said. “You know, for the future I think it’s going to give us the ability to continue to grow and build our foundation that we’re trying to build. That is the exciting part.”

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