bears grades – Syndication Server

Grading the Bears’ waiver claims and signings from Wednesday

The Bears added three new players to their roster. Here are our initial grades of the moves.

Like every other NFL front office member, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was a busy man over the last 48 hours. Poles and the Bears worked to finalize the initial active roster on Tuesday, but did more tinkering the next day with a couple of waiver claims and a free agent signing.

On Wednesday, the Bears claimed safety Quindell Johnson from the Los Angeles Rams and Khalid Kareem from the Indianapolis Colts. They also signed recently released punt returner Trent Taylor from the Cincinnati Bengals. In order to make room for the two waiver claims, the Bears waived safety A.J. Thomas and defensive end Terrell Lewis. No corresponding roster move has been made as of this writing for Taylor’s arrival.

The Bears were looking for depth at a couple of defensive positions and had a need for a new punt returner. Poles was able to accomplish that and fortify his team for their upcoming Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

As for the players themselves, did the Bears hit the mark? Or were there other options on the market that would have been better pickups? Here are our initial grades for Wednesday’s acquisitions.

Grading the Bears’ trade for Dolphins OL Dan Feeney

The Bears made a trade for an offensive lineman, but did it really need to happen? Here is our grade of the move.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles got ahead of roster cuts to make sure his team had adequate depth on the offensive line. On Monday night, the Bears reportedly agreed to a trade with the Miami Dolphins for offensive lineman Dan Feeney in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick, according to multiple outlets. Feeney, a local product from Orland Park, is a versatile lineman who can play guard and center and is entering his seventh season in the league.

Feeney was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Indiana. He became the team’s starting left guard in 2018 and remained their through the 2019 season. He moved to center in 2020 and didn’t miss a start in that three-year period.

After four years with the Chargers, Feeney went to the New York Jets as a reserve, starting seven games between 2021 and 2022. He signed with the Miami Dolphins this offseason but now comes to the Bears as depth and insurance for the interior of the offensive line. Starting left guard Teven Jenkins is dealing with a lower leg injury that will likely keep him out for weeks, and centers and guards Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick have been in and out of practice the last couple of weeks.

The trade for Feeney isn’t a blockbuster or anything like that, but it provides a look at Poles’ plans for the offensive line heading into the regular season. Here is our initial grade of the deal:

Grading every Bears offensive position’s performance in the preseason

As the Bears prepare to wrap up their preseason, we graded every offensive position group through the first two games.

The last couple of weeks have been a wild ride for the Chicago Bears and their fans. The team got off to a blazing hot start in Week 1 of the preseason, with the offense generating multiple scoring drives and the defense imposing their will upon the Tennessee Titans.

The Bears failed to replicate their dominance against the Indianapolis Colts the following week, falling flat at several positions. Throw in some interesting choices for who did and didn’t play, odd injuries that no one saw coming and a Herculean effort from a backup rookie quarterback, it’s safe to say the preseason has been anything but dull.

With only one exhibition game left against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, it’s a good time to take a step back from the storylines and narratives that pervade our social media feeds and discuss each position.

We will be grading position groups with a letter grade, with “A” being the best and “F” being the worst. Bear in mind, we are ranking the performance of each position based on their overall play in the preseason; what that position did on the field over the last two preseason games is the only thing being considered.

For example, DJ Moore, Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney are all talented receivers, but because one of those three players didn’t play, it will hurt the position’s overall grade.

Now that the rules are sorted, let’s analyze and grade every offensive position’s performance in the preseason.

Grading the Bears’ signing of DE Yannick Ngakoue

Yannick Ngakoue does one job but he does it well. This was a much-needed signing for the Bears.

The Chicago Bears pass rush finally got the boost it needed on Thursday evening thanks to the signing of free agent defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. The 28-year old pass rusher signed a one-year deal worth $10.5 million and instantly upgrades the team’s front seven after they struggled mightily to put pressure on the quarterback in 2022.

Ngakoue is entering his seventh season in the league and has bounced around quite a bit the last few years. Following a strong start to his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ngakoue spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, and most recently with the Indianapolis Colts. He totaled 29 total tackles (eight for a loss), 9.5 sacks and one forced fumble during his lone season in Indy.

Now Ngakoue comes to the Bears as a reinforcement to upgrade their pass rush, which was abysmal last season. The Bears only sacked the quarterback 20 times in 2022 and 6.5 of those sacks came from the defensive end position via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. Ngakoue essentially would have accounted for half of all the Bears sacks last season.

The signing felt inevitable, but was still a welcome one nevertheless. Here is our initial grade of the deal.

Grading the Bears’ extension of TE Cole Kmet

The first major extension of the Ryan Poles era was a fair one for both sides. Here is our initial grade of the Cole Kmet deal.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles made the first significant contract extension of his tenure this week. Poles and the Bears agreed to a four-year, $50 million extension with tight end Cole Kmet. The deal includes $32.8 million guaranteed, making Kmet one of the top-10 paid players at his position.

Kmet was selected by the Bears in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame in hopes of bringing stability to the tight end position. The local product grew with the team and after splitting time with veteran Jimmy Graham, became the unquestioned TE1 in 2022. That was Kmet’s best year as a pro up to this point. He caught 50 receptions for 544 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which led the team last year while establishing a strong rapport with quarterback Justin Fields.

Now the Bears are betting on Kmet to continue to ascend in his development. Despite entering his fourth season in the NFL, Kmet is still just 24 years old and is just now entering the prime of his career. The expectation is he will continue to be a valuable weapon on the Bears offense for years to come.

Here is our initial grade of the extension:

Our initial grades for the Bears after the 2023 NFL draft

Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their initial grades for Chicago’s 2023 rookie draft class.

The Chicago Bears welcomed 10 new rookies to the roster during the 2023 NFL draft, which included top selection, offensive tackle Darnell Wright.

General manager Ryan Poles focused primarily on defense, which makes sense given the number of holes. In all, Chicago added three defensive tackles, two cornerbacks, one offensive tackle, one running back, one wide receiver, one linebacker and one safety.

Poles has garnered praise for a solid draft. While his draft class didn’t feature any sexy picks, it addressed the team’s biggest needs and got great value on the third day of the draft.

Over the last few days, our Bears Wire staff has been sharing their thoughts about the 2023 rookie class. We wrap things up with our initial grades of this 2023 rookie class, where we agree that Poles had a solid haul.

2023 NFL draft: Experts hand out grades for Bears

Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Bears’ 2023 draft class, where experts were impressed by Ryan Poles’ sneaky-good draft.

The 2023 NFL draft is officially in the books, and the Chicago Bears came out of it with some promising prospects.

General manager Ryan Poles made some moves to shore up the roster, which started before the draft when he traded the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers for two first-rounders, two second-rounders and wide receiver DJ Moore.

But focusing specifically on the draft class, Poles filled some important needs with offensive tackle Darnell Wright, defensives tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. He also added some weapons for quarterback Justin Fields in running back Roschon Johnson and wide receiver Tyler Scott. Poles also found some great value picks in linebacker Noah Sewell, cornerback Terell Smith, defensive tackle Travis Bell and safety Kendall Williamson.

Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Bears’ draft class from various media outlets, where experts were impressed by Poles’ sneaky-good additions.

How NFL experts graded the Bears’ selection of DT Zacch Pickens

We’ve rounded up the grades for the Bears’ third-round selection of DT Zacch Pickens, where experts believe he’s a solid addition.

The Chicago Bears doubled down on the defensive line with the selection of South Carolina defensive tackle Zacch Pickens in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Bears had the worst defensive line in the NFL last season, and general manager Ryan Poles committed two Day 2 selections to shore up that weakness. Pickens, along with second-round defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, will serve as key rotational pieces alongside Justin Jones and Andrew Billings.

Pickens has a nice combination of explosiveness and power. He can play both 3-technique and 1-technique, bringing versatility to the interior. Pickens has a disruptive first step that helps him both against the run and as a pass rusher.

Here’s a collection of all of the grades for Pickens from various media outlets, where experts believe it’s a solid addition.

How NFL experts graded the Bears’ selection of CB Tyrique Stevenson

We’ve rounded up the grades for the Bears’ second-round selection of CB Tyrique Stevenson, where experts were divided about the addition.

The Chicago Bears shored up the defensive backfield with the selection of Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Chicago had a need to fill at cornerback alongside starters Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, and they traded up four spots with the Jacksonville Jaguars to make sure they got their guy in Stevenson.

Stevenson is an athletic and physical cornerback who will be a solid fit in a secondary that also includes Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Stevenson has played both outside and nickel, but GM Ryan Poles seemed to indicate that his best fit is outside.

Here’s a collection of all of the grades for Stevenson from various media outlets, where experts were divided about the move.

Grading the Bears’ selection of DT Zacch Pickens

The Bears doubled down on the defensive line with the selection of Zacch Pickens in the third round. Here’s how we graded the pick.

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The Chicago Bears selected South Carolina defensive tackle Zacch Pickens with the 64th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

General manager Ryan Poles doubled down at defensive tackle with Pickens, alongside second-round pick Gervon Dexter. And considering Chicago had the worst defensive line in the league last year, it makes a ton of sense.

Last season at South Carolina, Pickens totaled 42 tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 12 games with the Gamecocks. He also attended the Senior Bowl, where Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy served as head coach of the American Team.

Pickens will serve as a key rotational piece in Matt Eberflus’ defense, where he’ll be asked to help rush the passer and stop the run. Dexter projects to serve as a 3-technique, which means Pickens will likely occupy the nose. Perhaps Pickens will compete for a starting job as a rookie, but he’s the future at defensive line, alongside Dexter.

Grade: B+

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