Tag: Equanimeous St. Brown

Undrafted Saints WR Kyle Sheets picked as an instant-impact rookie

Undrafted Saints wide receiver Kyle Sheets picked as an instant-impact rookie. Making the leap to the NFL from Slippery Rock won’t be easy, but he might be special:

The New Orleans Saints have been busy in undrafted free agency as they try to find a hidden gem that can make the roster. They have a thin wide receiver room this year so the door could open for someone new to earn a roster spot.

For Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey, the player that could make an immediate impact is Slippery Rock’s Kyle Sheets:

Alright, let’s talk some Division-II studs, and not just because Sheets and I share an alma mater. The dynamic receiver out of Slippery Rock caught 76 passes for 1,186 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2023, including a 12 catch, 210 yard performance with three touchdowns against Millersville.

Sheets is one of several rookie wideouts the Saints signed after the 2024 NFL draft along with Jermaine Jackson (Idaho) and Mason Tipton (Yale). But his biggest competition may be fifth-round draft pick Bub Means (Pitt) and veteran journeyman Equanimeous St. Brown, who signed with the Saints just before the 2024 NFL draft. Any of those receivers could be catching passes from Derek Carr next season. Seeing who emerges from the pack will be one of the more entertaining storylines at Saints training camp this summer.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Justin Fields on Bears future: ‘I can’t see myself playing in another place’

Justin Fields opened up about his future with the Bears on the St. Brown Brothers podcast and can’t see himself playing for another team.

The future of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been up in the air over the last month or so, and we’re still waiting for an answer. But if he had his way, Fields wouldn’t want to play for any other team.

The Bears quarterback joined the St. Brown Brothers podcast, hosted by Amon-Ra St. Brown and Equanimeous St. Brown, Fields’ teammate for the last two years, to discuss a wide array of topics. Naturally, the conversation surrounding Fields’ future came up, and he opened up regarding his feelings for the Bears and the situation.

“Of course I want to stay,” Fields said. “To be honest, with all the talk, it’s hard to, I guess, kind of be in one place, but I can’t see myself playing in another place. I know how the league is; EQ was probably the same way before you left Green Bay. If it was up to me, I would want to stay in Chicago. I love the city. The city’s lit. The fans are great. It’s a business; I ain’t got no control over it.”

Fields had nothing but great things to say about the team and the city, but like every Bears fan out there, he’s tired of the constant rumors and speculation and wants to know what is going to happen.

“The biggest thing with all this going on [is] I just want to it to be over,” Fields said. “Let me know if I’m getting traded [or] let me know if I’m staying.”

Judging by his comments and the tone in his voice, it sounds like Fields hasn’t been given any assurances one way or another by general manager Ryan Poles. The Bears hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the likely scenario is that they draft a quarterback and move on from Fields. Trade rumors have begun to swirl, and teams have reportedly inquired about his availability and potential cost.

No matter what happens, Fields still has love for the Bears and the city of Chicago. Like many fans, he just wants to know what the future holds for him.

Follow The Bears Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

What DJ Moore wants Bears to do with No. 1 pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Bears have an important decision to make with the first overall pick in the NFL draft. DJ Moore revealed what he thinks Chicago will do.

The Chicago Bears once again control the NFL draft this year as they hold the first overall pick (thanks to the Carolina Panthers). While the expectation last year was that Chicago was going to trade it, there’s more uncertainty this season.

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore appeared on the St. Brown Brothers’ podcast with 33rd Team, where he revealed what he thinks Chicago will do with the top selection.

“I think we trade back, to be honest,” Moore said.

Equanimeous St. Brown, Moore’s teammate in Chicago, agreed.

“It worked out the first time,” he said.

St. Brown is, of course, referring to to the trade of the first overall pick last year, where the Bears acquired Moore (alongside picks that turned into right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, the No. 1 pick this year and a 2025 second-rounder).

It certainly seems that Moore’s opinion carries a lot of weight within the organization. During his exit interview with head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles, Moore took time to give his feedback about the offense, which he previously alluded to in his postgame presser with the media, calling out Luke Getsy’s playcalling. Getsy was fired on Wednesday.

That’s not to say that Moore is the reason Getsy was fired, but Eberflus and Poles value player input — especially from one of their best leaders in Moore — and use that in a big picture evaluation.

Another topic of discussion that came up during that exit interview? Fields.

There’s been no bigger supporter of Fields than Moore, who had a career year with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns and has been campaigning for his QB to return for weeks. Fields and Moore have been among the NFL’s most lethal duos — and Moore nearly eclipsed 1,400 yards even with Fields missing four games.

While it certainly feels like Chicago could use the first overall pick to draft a rookie quarterback, like Caleb Williams, Poles did admit that he was “open-minded” to trading the top selection for the a second consecutive season.

“What happened last year, I didn’t see … for it to turn out the way that it did,” Poles said of the massive haul, including Moore. “Again, I’ve got to stay open-minded.”

4 defensive keys for Vikings vs. Bears

For the Vikings to slow down Justin Fields and the Bears, they will have to follow these four defensive keys to victory.

The Minnesota Vikings have a chance to better their playoff chances before a much-needed bye week on Monday night against the Chicago Bears (7:20 p.m. CST, ESPN)

After dropping the Sunday night game against the Denver Broncos, Minnesota is still slated at sixth in the playoff race, but a win would give them an 82% chance to make the postseason.

Which, after a deflating 0-3 start, would be yet another testament to the resiliency of this team. To do that, they need to stop this Chicago offense that hasn’t been full-strength since their last meeting.

Justin Fields accounted for 273 yards of total offense in last week’s eventual collapse against the Detroit Lions. This was his first action back since leaving the first meeting against the Vikings with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand.

The addition of Fields was felt immediately as the Bears were a Tyler Scott completion from salting away a huge upset win against Detroit. This offense cannot be overlooked, despite how well the Minnesota defense has looked recently.

If they want to stop this offense, they must follow these four keys to success on the defensive side.

Bears place RB Khalil Herbert, WR Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve

The Bears without both players for a minimum of four games.

The Chicago Bears will be without a couple of their offensive weapons for the foreseeable future. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Bears have placed running back Khalil Herbert and wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve. The team also re-signed quarterback Nathan Peterman to the active roster.

Herbert suffered a scary-looking ankle injury in the Bears’ 40-20 win against the Washington Commanders and had not practiced all week. The expectation was that he would miss some time, and now that has become official. Herbert has 51 carries for 272 yards and 10 receptions for 83 yards, and one touchdown for the season.

St. Brown, meanwhile, also sat out of practice this week with a hamstring injury. He was seeing extended playing time following the Chase Claypool fallout over the last few weeks and figured to factor in even more following his official departure. St. Brown has one catch for 21 yards for the year.

Both players will miss a minimum of four games and are eligible to return for the Bears’ matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 on Thursday Night Football.

Bears WR Equanimeous St. Brown has a nonexistent social life because he only goes out after wins

He shouldn’t have tied his night life to the NFL’s worst team!

Amidst the running disaster that is the 2023 Chicago Bears, seemingly no one is making good decisions. And a team led by a struggling Justin Fields is now en route to a second consecutive No. 1 overall draft pick. Its tailspin might only just be beginning.

But while a lot of what the Bears “achieve” on the field doesn’t seem correctable, depth receiver Equanimeous St. Brown should probably adjust some of his off-field plans.

During a recent podcast with The 33rd Team, St. Brown had a frank discussion with his brother, Amon-Ra — a star player for the Detroit Lions. The two eventually started talking about what their social life resembles when they have to play a football game every week. When Equanimeous clarified that he only goes out when the Bears win — who have lost 13 straight games dating back to October 2022 — it was such a sad reveal.

At least he seems to understand it’s a silly thought process:

I’m not going to tell a professional athlete how they should conduct themselves and their routine mid-season. But if you Equanimeous St. Brown wants to cut loose, he should probably do away with this thought process that connects his social life to an inept, incompetent football team’s on-field results.

Because if St. Brown continues down this path, I’m not sure when he’ll go out again.

Former Notre Dame receiver says he’d root for Coach Prime and Colorado against Irish

So much for “her loyal sons”…

A former Notre Dame wide receiver has found a college football team he’d cheer for if it were to ever play the Fighting Irish.

[autotag]Equanimeous St. Brown[/autotag], who played at Notre Dame from 2015-2017 plays for the Chicago Bears.  He joined “The 33rd Team” podcast with his brother (and former USC star) Amon and among the topics of conversation were what Deion Sanders is doing at Colorado.

You can watch video of the segment below as St. Brown declares that if Notre Dame and Colorado were to play, that he’d pull for Coach Prime and the Buffaloes.

Check it out:

His explanation makes some sense (I suppose if I’m being nice), but so much for that part of the Notre Dame fight song about “loyal sons,” huh?

Personally, if I had a family member coaching at an opposing school against Notre Dame, I would still be pulling for the Irish. Sorry cuz, the saying goes “God, Country, Notre Dame” and nowhere in there does it say anything about family.

Kidding, of course.

This honestly feels like a really desperate attempt to get attention by St. Brown though.

And I just fell for it.

[lawrence-related id=76396,76508,76336,76263]

Bears don’t rule out possibility of Chase Claypool being inactive vs. Bucs

Could Bears WR Chase Claypool be inactive against the Bucs? It sounds like a possibility.

There’s plenty that went wrong in the Chicago Bears’ Week 1 blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers. But the performance of wide receiver Chase Claypool ranks near the top.

Claypool looked like he didn’t want to be on the field, where he didn’t put much effort into blocking or route running. He was targeted twice and had zero catches.

Head coach Matt Eberflus fielded several questions about Claypool during his Wednesday press conference, including the possibility of Claypool being inactive for Sunday’s game against the Bucs. And Eberflus didn’t exactly rule it out.

“We’re looking at all possibilities right now,” Eberflus said. “I’m not going to talk about who’s going to be up or down for the game right now, for obvious reasons. We’re looking at all things to make our team better — Who’s going to be up and who’s going to be down in terms of the active roster.”

Claypool notably struggled with blocking Sunday, which Eberflus attributed to poor technique.

You have to figure the Bears’ offensive game plan will be similar to Week 1 — getting the ball out of Justin Fields’ hands quickly to compensate for a struggling offensive line. So it’s imperative to have Equanimeous St. Brown — known for his blocking ability — active. Perhaps that’s in place of Claypool.

Fields was asked about what the offense missed without St. Brown during Sunday’s game against the Packers, and the answer was what you’d expect.

“He’s a great run-blocker, knows the playbook like the back of his hand, great perimeter blocker,” Fields said. “He’s a leader in the receiver room. But on him being inactive I don’t make those calls.”

You’d expect St. Brown to be active this week after the offense’s struggles in the season opener. But the fact that we’re having a conversation about Claypool, who the Bears traded the 32nd overall pick for, being benched in Week 2 speaks to what a disaster the trade has become.

5 Bears-Packers connections ahead of Week 1 matchup

There are a number of former Packers now playing on the Bears.

The Chicago Bears will kick off the 2023 NFL season against the rival Green Bay Packers today at Soldier Field.

It’s a new chapter in the NFL’s oldest rivalry, following the departure of Aaron Rodgers. Now, it’ll be Jordan Love taking the reins, where he’ll battle the likes of Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

Chicago is looking to snap an eight-game losing streak against their rivals, with their last victory coming in Dec. 2018.

When the Bears and Packers face off, there will be plenty of familiar faces. Between the two teams, there are some player and coach connections. Let’s take a look:

Bears sign former Bengals PR Trent Taylor

The Chicago Bears have a new punt returner.

The Chicago Bears have a new punt returner. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears are signing former Cincinnati Bengals return specialist and wide receiver Trent Taylor to their active roster. The Bengals released Taylor on Tuesday after he spent the 2022 season as their primary punt returner.

Taylor was drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and was their primary punt returner his rookie year. He also contributed at wide receiver, catching 43 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns.

As his career went on, Taylor became more of a dedicated specialist, primarily contributing on punt returns. He joined the Bengals in 2021 and, in 2022, was their primary punt returner. Taylor averaged 10.3 yards per return, the sixth-most in the NFL last year.

Now, Taylor comes to the Bears to give them a boost in that department. Chicago lost veteran Dante Pettis to injured reserve last week and didn’t have a stable punt returner. Now they do with Taylor, who will likely take the spot of someone like Velus Jones Jr. or Equanimeous St. Brown on the roster.