Bears bring back D'Marco Jackson and Daniel Hardy | Trade for C Garrett Bradbury

Summary

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Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast: Bears bring back D'Marco Jackson and Daniel Hardy | Trade for C Garrett Bradbury

Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola
Date: March 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this fast-moving episode amid the NFL’s legal tampering period, Dan and Matt break down the Chicago Bears’ latest roster moves, including the acquisition of center Garrett Bradbury and the re-signings of Daniel Hardy and D’Marco Jackson. They also discuss broader NFL news, the implications for the Bears’ roster construction, and the ever-changing landscape of NFL free agency. The hosts blend critical insight with passionate fan energy, highlighting what each move means for Chicago’s plans and exploring league-wide trends as big-dollar deals fly in real time.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Garrett Bradbury Trade to the Bears ([01:18]–[04:22])

• The Bears traded a 2027 5th-round pick for center Garrett Bradbury, who is entering the final year of his deal in 2026 with a $4.7M salary.
• Initial fan disappointment due to hopes for Tyler Linderbaum, but the hosts urge patience and trust in the front office.
  • Dan (B): “It might be underwhelming on its face, but it might just be a time to trust that they know what they’re doing and we wait to see whatever corresponding moves there are.” ([01:53])
  • Bradbury’s durability, pass protection, and run-scheme fit are praised.
• Possibility: Bradbury could be a bridge for Luke Newman, who may develop into the starting center in 2027, or a longer-term signing.

Matt (A): "If you're not talking about [an interior offensive lineman] a lot, it just meant he showed up, he did his job, and I'm okay with having a guy who does his job." ([04:05])

2. Re-signings: Daniel Hardy & D’Marco Jackson ([05:21]–[07:54])

• Daniel Hardy: Returns on a two-year deal up to $6M. Key special teamer (78% of special teams snaps), occasional splash plays on defense—and a penchant for “a couple of stupid penalties every year.” ([05:54])
  • Dan (B): "You’d much rather have something like that you have to dial back than trying to dial that up.” ([05:56])
• D’Marco Jackson: Also re-signed (2 yrs, $7.5M). Brought over from the Saints, familiar with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, and noted as both a special teamer and a reliable spot starter.
  • Matt (A): "He handled himself well...he continues to contribute as a reserve guy or as a starter." ([07:34])

3. Roster Departures & Wide Receiver Room Speculation ([07:54]–[11:30], [32:02]–[33:53])

• Olamide Zacchaeus: Leaves for Atlanta; seen as easily replaceable.
  • Hosts discuss Bears as favorites to land veteran WR Mike Evans (age 33), with Matt expressing fan excitement tempered by skepticism about aging receivers.
  • Darnell Mooney’s contract status clarified (final year, disappointing ‘25); questions if he will figure into plans.
  • The wide receiver market names floated: Mooney, Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, Christian Kirk, Debo Samuel, Tutu Atwell, Curtis Samuel, Marquise Brown, and Tim Patrick—an intriguing possible fit given his Ben Johnson connection.

Dan (B): "I just see it too often that you come to the Bears and it’s a nice name and there’s no real contribution there.” ([09:50])

4. League-wide Free Agency Frenzy

• Rapid-fire updates as signings break live:
  • Kenneth Walker (SB MVP) to the Chiefs, 3 yrs/$45M—“the highest free agent deal for a running back in NFL history.” ([24:54])
  • Jalen Phillips to Panthers (4 yrs/$120M, $80M guaranteed), Laremy Tunsil to Commanders (2 yrs/$60.2M), Jalen Watson to Rams, and more.
• Discussion on the value of the running back position and if big RB contracts are making a comeback.
  • Dan (B): “Anytime you’re handing him the ball, that is something that Patrick Mahomes is not doing." ([25:43])
• The NFL’s ability to create an offseason with “urgency” is lauded.
  • Dan (B): “Somehow no other sport does it like this…this league, man…” ([19:39])
  • Matt (A): “That’s why it’s king, man. Yeah.” ([20:16])

5. Salary Cap & Resource Allocation ([17:49]–[19:10])

• Bears have ~$20M in cap space post-re-signings, in the “middle of the pack.”
• Hosts like the Bears’ conservative, intelligent approach—opting for second/third-tier free agents rather than big splashes post-Caleb Williams rookie contract.
  • Dan (B): “I think the Bears are smarter with their resources than they used to have been.” ([18:52])

6. NFL Roster Construction & Trends

• Discussion of how teams manage cap hits and escape bad contracts (e.g., Dolphins with Tua, Browns with Watson, Broncos with Wilson).
  • Dan (B): “There are still intelligent ways…if you recognize a mistake early enough.” ([20:43])
• Noted statistic: Kyler Murray will be the 7th straight first-overall QB not to reach age 30 with his original team—will Caleb Williams break this streak? Both hosts think so.
  • “The last guy to do it was Matthew Stafford.” ([16:13])
• Ruminations on the difficulty of finding the right head coach–quarterback combo, referencing Dave Wannstedt’s playoff wins with Jay Fiedler and Steve Walsh ([24:21]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bradbury at center:
  “I’m going to trust Ben Johnson to have a successful year with Bradbury at center, flanked by Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson.” – Matt Abbatacola ([02:56])

• Special teams impact:
  "He’s also good for a couple of stupid penalties every year...you’d much rather have something like that you have to dial back than trying to dial that up." – Dan Bernstein on Daniel Hardy ([05:54])

• On veteran receivers:
  "The Keenan Allen thing was eh. I’m just not big on these 32 plus…" – Dan Bernstein ([09:50])

• On NFL offseason relevance:
  “It’s so weird…no other sport does it like this. ...This league, man, they somehow have made it.” – Dan Bernstein ([19:59])

• Front office faith:
  "I think the Bears are smarter with their resources than they used to have been." – Dan Bernstein ([18:52])

• On cap management:
  “If you recognize a mistake early enough, there are still ways to ameliorate the problems it causes.” – Dan Bernstein ([20:43])

• On Jay Fiedler-led Dolphins:
  “They haven’t won a playoff game in 26 years...I didn’t realize it had been 26 years. That’s crazy.” – Matt Abbatacola ([22:40])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:18] — Legal tampering period opens; Bradbury trade reaction
• [05:21] — Daniel Hardy and D’Marco Jackson re-signed
• [07:54] — Olamide Zacchaeus leaves; Bears WR room speculation
• [11:30] — Darnell Mooney contract and status
• [14:11] — Max Crosby traded; AFC North defensive arms race
• [15:19] — QB drafting/development stat: Caleb Williams’ potential to break #1 pick retention streak
• [17:49] — Bears cap space and free agency strategy
• [19:39] — NFL’s offseason drama and fan engagement
• [24:54] — Kenneth Walker’s record RB contract to Chiefs
• [29:01] — Jalen Phillips, Laremy Tunsil, Jalen Watson signings
• [32:02] — Re-evaluating Zacchaeus’ departure; deep FA WR pool

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Tone & Takeaways

• Tone: Analytical, energetic, a blend of faith and realism about Bears’ direction; conversational and quick-footed as live news breaks.
• Key Takeaways:
  • The Bears are making low-profile but logical roster moves, emphasizing durability, fit, and special teams.
  • Big-name, high-dollar deals elsewhere point to possible shifts in positional value league-wide.
  • The WR room is in flux, but hosts stress the front office deserves continued trust and the market is rich with options.
  • Bears’ prudent cap management positions them well for the coming years, especially when it comes time to pay Caleb Williams.
  • NFL offseason never truly ends; the urgency and engagement remain sky-high.

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This forward-looking episode provides Bears diehards and NFL observers alike with inside context, level-headed analysis, and live reactions to a blockbuster NFL news day—proving why “Forward Progress” sets the tone for Chicago football conversation.

Transcript

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[B]

You have forward Progress and the Chicago Bears have new players. It is March 9th and that means it is now legal to talk to other teams players. This is referred to as the legal tampering period, which means that there's no official signings, but there will be moves and all sorts of announcements of intent. The only things you can announce are moves that you've made with your own players and the Bears have some of those as well. So why don't we run down what we know that has happened over the weekend, et cetera. When we last left you, we were busy pining for Tyler Linderbaum and we instead end up with Garrett Bradbury. And as we discussed on dbu, I think the Bears have earned the benefit of the doubt. It might be underwhelming on its face, but it might just be a time to trust that they know what they're doing and we wait to see whatever corresponding moves there are.

[A]

Yeah, and let's keep in mind too, that's he's on the final year of a deal for 2026. Will he earn 4.7 million? The Bears gave up a fifth round draft pick in 2027 to bring him in for one year. So you know, we don't know what their plan is beyond 2026. They clearly have a plan. If this is what they did. They they knew full well they were bringing him in for. For a season. And as we mentioned earlier on dbu, maybe that plan is Luke Newman, and they just weren't comfortable giving Luke Newman the job right now. But after a year of development and maybe behind Garrett Bradbury, he'll be ready in 2027. Maybe Bradbury is a guy that they might sign beyond 2026 as well. Who knows? But as underwhelming as it may have been, based on the hype and the excitement we had over Tyler Linderbaum, you know what? He's a. He's a very durable guy. He'll be there for every game. He was very good in pass protection, and he fits really well in the run scheme. So I've chalked it up to Ben Johnson. I'm going to trust Ben Johnson to have a successful year with Bradbury at center and flanked by Joe Tuney and Jonah Jackson.

[B]

Yeah. And. Or it's possible they could be developing Luke Newman and they also, depending how the draft board falls, if there is a center prospect there, that changes things. I don't think that they would avoid taking somebody. If there is an interior lineman that they think could give them that possibility and continued flexibility to cover multiple spots, we could see that, too. And I just think the most important thing we can remember is that not a single one of these moves exists in a vacuum. Everything they do is tied to something else that we know that they've got Matt Feinstein focused on money, money, money, and how this is going to play out. And then you've got your defensive guy in, Dennis Allen weighing in. We've got Ben Johnson talking to Ryan polls. But ultimately, this has to be a tightly coordinated effort to make sure they can win the super bowl this year and after they pay Caleb Williams.

[A]

Yeah, and a good point there, too. I wanted to mention about the draft. I mean, maybe there's a guy, an interior offensive lineman that they have identified will be available at some point in the draft that they feel could develop into a backup guard, possibly a starting center. So there are possibilities out there. And again, trusting Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles to get this done correctly. You know, I've talked to a few people out in New England. A majority of what I've heard is there wasn't much to say about Garrett Bradbury, which for me, an interior offensive lineman is a very good thing. If you're not talking about him a lot, it just meant he showed up, he did his job, and I. And I'm okay with having a guy who does his job now. Maybe he's not spectacular. It wasn't a big free agent splash, wasn't a huge trade that maybe Bears fans were looking for. But a guy who shows up and isn't talked about as an offensive lineman is good in my book. I'm good with that.

[B]

Let's look at some other transactions that we have here. That yesterday, defensive end Daniel Hardy, who we know is a valued special teams piece, a two year deal that can be worth as much as $6 million. Only 5% of the defensive snaps for last year, but 78% of kicking plays.

[A]

Yeah, I was gonna say he's, he's a special teams guy for sure. And also got in the offensive backfield too a couple times.

[B]

Yeah, he did. He's also good for a couple of stupid penalties every year. And I think maybe they bake that in knowing that he's going to play at a high arousal level that sometimes overwhelms his, his judgment sensors. And you'd much rather have something like that you have to dial back than trying to dial that up. So I'm, I'm good on that. I think Daniel Hardy, for being the special teams guy that he is, is also somebody whose name you hear called a lot and he had a total of 22 special teams tackles last year. And it sounds like decent value for him.

[A]

Yeah. And we'll see how, how well the coaching staff feels that he's developed and maybe he gets a little more playing time in linebacker at some rotation. Maybe he'll get some more snaps there. And then a second guy that the

[B]

Bears are bringing back, DeMarco Jackson, two years, 7.5 million and this was a claim that they made after cut down day last training camp. And he's very familiar with what Dennis Allen does because he played for him with the Saints and not only has he also been a special teams contributor, but he was an NFC defensive player of the week.

[A]

Thought he played very well when he had the opportunities to start. Outside of the. Whatever was the Green Bay game where he got that opening kickoff, jumped on top of the pile. Wasn't that DeMarco Jackson who dove on top of the pile again? You thought you talk about the excitement and the adrenaline kind of clouding the better judgment. We saw one of those plays there. So both those guys, those opportunities to play a little smarter at times. But I thought DeMarco Jackson played really well when he, when he did start, thought the defense looked good. I thought he handled himself well. I mean you had the one game where you had three backups starting at Linebacker and he's in the middle. He did good and I wasn't at all bothered. Upset by this. And he continues to contribute as a, as a reserve guy or as a starter. If that's what they see him to be. Great. Let's, let's move forward and see what else they do.

[B]

We have our first departure, Olamide Zacchaeus leaving the Bears for Atlanta. So that is gonna. That's a spot where you should find somebody fairly easily to replace a depth piece wide receiver. But everybody matters in this offense. So start peeking around some other rosters for people who might have some ties to Ben Johnson in the past and see who, who shakes loose here for them. But Oz Alamede Zacchaeus headed to rejoin Ian Cunningham who was the Bears assistant GM last year.

[A]

Now is two other names at wide receiver and your favorite Poly Market has. Is it Poly Market? Am I looking at that right?

[B]

There's Kalshee and there's Poly Market. Yes.

[A]

They have the Bears as the favorite to land veteran wide receiver Mike Evans, which my, my heart loves because I love Mike Evans and if he, if he's a guy that you're bringing in, you know, to be a part of that wide receiver room, that dude can still play. He's not going to play it at super high level, but he can still play and catch touchdowns. I would love to see Mike Evans only because I love. I don't know if that's a smart football decision. This is my heart speaking. I love Mike Evans. Another guy, because you mentioned Atlanta. What's the situation with Darnell Mooney? Is he. Is he a free agent? Is he. Because he's a guy that I thought of the other day as a possibility for the Bears and forgot to look him up and then thought of it. Just as you mentioned, Oz going to Atlanta. See where he's at. Yeah.

[B]

Check him out. I'm not sure and I don't know what that's. He's on the like the smaller, shiftier side and yeah, I don't have. Really have a problem with him. He's. If he's healthy. The Mike Evans thing, he's what, 33?

[A]

That sounds right. Yeah, 33.

[B]

I just like, you know, the Keenan Allen thing was eh. I'm just not big on these 32 plus because usually that's the age and. And again I'm always more concerned about some of these, these older guys. I just see it too often that you come to the Bears and it's a nice name and there's no real contribution there.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I'm not. I'm not opposed to it because with Luther Burden, Roma Dunes, a Jade Walker in the building already, who knows what they look at and draft free agents. But if he's. If he's a piece of your wide receiver room, I'm good with it. I mean, you're not depending on him to be a one or two.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know what they think of J. Walker. I don't know if they really look at him as an ongoing developmental prospect.

[A]

Why would you say that? Because I thought we saw that at the end of the year. Why would you think that?

[B]

We did. I just don't know. I don't know how they would look at this year's class and think as we were just talking about last week all. Every year it's another really deep wide receiver class.

[A]

Yeah, this is.

[B]

And you. There always is. And you might get somebody in the fourth round that comes in and is better than John A. Walker. So I don't know.

[A]

All right. Darnell Mooney signed a three year, $39 million contract in March of 2024. So that would end the 24 season, the 25 season. So this is his final year. Disappointing 25 with 32 catches, 443 yards. All right. Again, I just. I thought of him the other day and I wasn't sure what that. That salary, that contract was. And I just thought of it again after you. If you mentioned Oz in Atlanta. So one more year for Darnell Mooney.

[B]

Ooh, big signing here. This according to Ian Rapaport, who says the Chiefs are signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker.

[A]

Oh, wow. Wow.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Wow. That. That disrupts a lot of mock drafts, too, because he saw a lot of Jeremiah Love going to Casey.

[B]

Yeah, well, that's probably. That's not happening now.

[A]

No, not with Kenneth. Not with Kenneth Walker going there. Also, on the Chiefs front, I saw that Travis Kelsey is coming back for a 14th season, and I'm sure he'll stay in Kansas City.

[B]

Oh, absolutely. There's no reason to think. And Alec Pierce is staying with the Colts four years, 114 million, 60 million guaranteed at signing. 84 million in total guarantees per Albert Brear.

[A]

Yeah, I thought Pierce might be a guy that land in Buffalo until the DJ Moore trade happened.

[B]

And the Vikings and linebacker Eric Wilson, according to Mike Garofolo, have agreed to terms on a three year, $22.5 million deal with 12.5 fully guaranteed. This is happening fast. Yeah, this is happening fast. Eric Stokes back to the Raiders 30 million with 20 million guaranteed.

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[A]

We haven't even talked about Max Crosby.

[B]

No, that's right, we haven't.

[A]

After our show is Friday. So Max Crosby goes to Baltimore in a trade with. With the Ravens.

[B]

Well, this is the big splash for John Harbaugh. And now I'm reading these stories out of New York that sou. Almost like stuff you would have assumed. I, I didn't know that it was a headline to say, you know, John Harbaugh was brought here to help in the off season as well. It isn't just coaching games on Sundays. It's about knowing the league.

[A]

And I'm like, yeah, that's every head coach's job.

[B]

Exactly. Like, that's, that's a story. Like, wait a second, I've got something to tell you. I've got breaking news that this guy's wizard.

[A]

He was just going to show up on like week one of the season.

[B]

Yeah, like this. His institutional knowledge is supposed to guide this team now.

[A]

Like, yeah, that's the point of it.

[B]

Okay. I thought that's. I think it was in the Athletic. I swear to God, I think that that was like, listen up. You know what? I found out we have breaking news here that he is expected to inform everything that they do. Okay.

[A]

Wow. Listen to this. This was great. I saw this from Mike Tannenbaum over the weekend. QBs drafted and development. Okay. QB drafting and development. Kyler Murray will be the seventh straight QB drafted first overall by his team and not make it to the age of 30 with that team.

[B]

Wait, the seventh consecutive first overall quarterback

[A]

drafted to not make it with that team that drafted him at the age of 30.

[B]

Interesting. So.

[A]

So this the seventh straight guy to. Yeah. Not be there what a minimum six years. So you're talking about that rookie. That rookie deal and extension not happening. The last guy to do it was Matthew Stafford.

[B]

So will Caleb Williams break the streak?

[A]

Oh, I think he will. Oh, I think he will.

[B]

I. I think he might as well.

[A]

And on quarterbacks I saw Chase Daniel. These are again all speculation guesses, free agency. I just love seeing where quarterbacks are going to land. This was not at all what we've seen before. Malik Willis to the Cardinals is his guess. Geno Smith to the jets, man, they just, they want to just keep losing. Kyler Murray, the Vikings, TUA to the Falcons. Which is interesting. So he'll back up Michael Pennix.

[B]

Well, see what's interesting there is that's lefty. Lefty.

[A]

Yeah. Those are the only two lefty quarterbacks in the league right now. Maybe they're trying to get them all

[B]

in one room and I don't know. I didn't know that you. That handedness was that. Maybe it's just coincidence. My guess is it's coincidence.

[A]

Kirk Cousins to the Browns. Guess is that the Dolphins roll with Quinn Evers.

[B]

Quinn Ewers.

[A]

Oh, yours. Yes.

[B]

Sorry. Jesus. Yes. And I keep saying the best thing that Kirk Cousins can do is retire a lounge chair Kirk Cousins to. To a shuffleboard court and. And a TV set. He'll be a terrific analyst. I don't know if it's in game or studio at a desk, but Kirk Cousins is going to be really, really good with a microphone and there's no reason for him to continue beating himself up out there.

[A]

And then also saw that the bears have about 25 million in cap space right now left. That sound about right?

[B]

Is that. Well, is that was before the DeMarco Jackson signing, wasn't it? So you're probably closer to 20. 20 million. I thought that was before Jackson was announced. Yeah, it's hard to keep track of some of these, but they were right around the middle.

[A]

Yeah, they're in. Yeah, they're. Yeah, it seems like they're in the Middle of the pack.

[B]

So I'm not, I'm not mad that they haven't made the big Trey Hendrickson move yet. I think I'm, I'm okay with them being careful here. And usually in free agency, the second or third tier guys, the, the, the middle of the roster guys, either second unit rotational or, or the middle third of your roster that you're talking about. I don't mind that kind of expenditure. It's just the make sure that you're not handing out big contracts after you use draft picks to trade for guys. So. I think the Bears are smarter with their resources than they used to have been.

[A]

Yeah, I'm just, I'm not, I'm not looking for the Bears to sign Trey Hendrickson to like a three year deal. I, I would, I would take him on a one year deal, which I'm sure he, he would never do. His agent wouldn't do a one year, one year deal. But I'm not, I'm not looking for Trey Hendrickson to be here in 2028.

[B]

But you know what's in a big cap hit. Are we, if I have this correctly, was the super bowl exactly a month ago,

[A]

February 7th?

[B]

Yeah. Like yesterday was Sunday. Like, this is. We're four weeks out of the Super Bowl. We're four weeks out of the. Like that was the last game of the year. And then it feels like the season's going to start tomorrow.

[A]

Yeah, it was five weeks ago. So February 8th. Right. Was it the eighth?

[B]

But like.

[A]

Yeah. One, two, three, four. No, four. Yeah.

[B]

Five weeks ago, March 9th. It's more. It's March 9th and it feels like the season feels imminent.

[A]

Yeah, you're right. Four weeks.

[B]

It's so weird that the, that somehow no other sport does it like this. No other sport. You. This league, man, they somehow have made it.

[A]

We've.

[B]

We've. We're in other seasons. It's the middle of the off season. And this feels urgent today because. Well, why? It's. It's amazing and it's amazing.

[A]

Achievement King in this country, sports. It. Everyone cares. Everyone cares because there's so much movement. You know, every, every fan cares and you know, it just. It's great. I love it. I love it. That's why it's. It's king, man. Yeah.

[B]

And it's. You're also never too far away. That's the other part of it. Even if your team is bad, even if your team is capped, there are ways to, to get out of it quickly. If you're smart.

[A]

Hell, you can flip it one year.

[B]

Look at this.

[A]

Look what the Browns.

[B]

Look at the Browns can do after the DeSean Watson contract. Like if we went back and said, how did they. Or how did the Broncos get out of the Russell Wilson deal? When we talk about paying the piper and we talk about these massive commitments and now you got. It's. There are still intelligent ways. If you recognize a mistake early enough, there are still ways to ameliorate the problems it causes.

[A]

Yeah, see, and that's a problem that the Dolphins were a total train wreck. I think what do they. They extended to a. And I think, what do they owe him, like 150, some million dollars, something stupid. And they got like one extra year out of him, and they're still paying him millions and millions of dollars to be rid of him.

[B]

Yeah, but the actual cash is okay. It's all about what you can afford vis a vis the cap. And if somehow. If you can. If you can manage that. Right. There are ways to. If you're honest with yourself about. Boy, we shouldn't have done that, then we have to get right to it in fixing it. We can't wait to fix something because that's how you end up getting in trouble.

[A]

Do you remember? This would be a tough. You even get close to this, I'd be impressed. The last playoff win the Miami Dolphins had,

[B]

was it Wannie?

[A]

What years was he there?

[B]

Was it Wannie and Jay Fiedler? Because they had.

[A]

Yeah, you're right. How did.

[B]

Jesus Christ. Yeah.

[A]

Dave Weinstead. Jay fiedler. It was December 30th of 2000.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

23 to 17 overtime win over the Colts.

[B]

Dave wants it. And Jay Fiedler, who I guess he doesn't like for some reason.

[A]

Who doesn't like who?

[B]

I guess. I guess Wannie and Jay Fiedler didn't get along well, but.

[A]

So they haven't won a playoff game in 26 years.

[B]

Well. Wow, that's. I knew.

[A]

I didn't think it was that long. Holy crap. Yeah.

[B]

They're not good. I mean, they have the best uniforms. They got a nice little tradition. But I'm not necessarily feeling all bad for Mr. Stephen Ross.

[A]

Oh, no, I don't feel bad at all.

[B]

I just.

[A]

I didn't realize it had been 26 years. That's crazy.

[B]

Since they've won a playoff game.

[A]

They won a playoff game.

[B]

Yep. That team won. Any good either. That's the other thing, too. You can go by.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Jason. It's not like we're saying, oh, yeah, those. Those 2000. Those Dave Ju. They would. They just, you know, knock your ass to next Sunday. They weren't all that good. And Jay Feeler wasn't all that good.

[A]

No, he wasn't. He wasn't. But we'll, we'll keep an eye on everything happening in the NFL and if something necessitates Bears news for us to jump on in on a special forward progress live show. We're always here for that. I'm always looking forward to opportunities to do a live show. So if the Bears, if there is significant breaking Bears news, we'll, we'll come back through, but we'll keep an eye on everything. As the day goes on, as the legal tampering period has begun, the official signing of players and announcements of players will happen on Wednesday the 11th when the league year starts.

[B]

Do I have this right? The. Dave wants that two playoff wins as a head coach were quarterbacked by Jay Fiedler and Steve Walsh. Oh, because Walsh was the Bears quarterback his first year when they beat the Vikings. Yeah.

[A]

You're not going to get many playoff wins after that if those are your two quarterbacks. No offense, fellas.

[B]

No. Well, that, that's what it's going to say on his tombstone. He never got the quarterback right. That's, that's it right there.

[A]

Well, Dan, that's one of the hardest things to do. The quarterback and the head coach.

[B]

Yeah, well, if you. I mean, I'm saying the head coach should find some way after all these years and multiple teams to maybe get a quarterback, you know, maybe somebody.

[A]

Hey, obviously harder said than done.

[B]

Oh, we've got the numbers for the Kenneth Walker the third deal.

[A]

Okay, so this is with Kansas city.

[B]

It's a three year deal, according to Tom Pelissero, worth up to $45 million. It is the highest free agent deal for a running back in NFL history.

[A]

So 15 mil per.

[B]

Yeah. For a running back. Does that seem a little panicky. By that?

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

Some excuses off the ledger though. That means a lot of money for a running back.

[A]

That's almost twice. Twice of what DeAndre Swift is making

[B]

and he's a much better player. Yeah, but it's a big commitment.

[A]

It's a lot of money for running back.

[B]

And you start looking at how many times he's going to. And he's not a good pass catcher. That's the other thing.

[A]

He's not.

[B]

So if, if he. These are. Anytime you're handing him the ball, that is something that Patrick Mahomes is not doing.

[A]

Well, they've they, they've done a lot of work deliberately, they've done a lot of work this offseason to clear a lot of space to make this happen. Mahomes himself restructuring his own contract to clear up cap space because they were, I think they were underwater when the off season began. But this is a, you know, because you, you can't expect Kenneth Walker to be as productive in 2028 as he's going to be in 2026. This is a, this is a window of like, we're out there to compete now and with Pat Mahomes, that's how you have to be. But is he going to even be ready for the start of the season? Which I've seen is a question.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

And so you're going to have what, Marcus Mariota handing off the Kenneth Walker as your main part of your offense to start the season. Mariota can get some things done, but obviously you got a significant drop off after if Mahomes isn't there. Yeah, it's just, wow, that's a lot of money, man. 15 million per. Yeah.

[B]

And he's, he's tough to bring down. I would say after, to me, it's. If you squint, you see like Saquon Barkley light.

[A]

Mm.

[B]

Is how I describe him because his contact balance is so good. He runs through arm tackles. He. He kind of ignores tacklers sometimes and they, they're the kicks him away with his thighs. You know, he's a really good runner.

[A]

But.

[B]

Yeah. Wow. And you know what's going to happen now? I predict that what happens now is we're going to get all kinds of think pieces, as we always do, about. Well, don't be so quick to say the running back position is fungible. I was just going to ask, you

[A]

know, is that going to shift again?

[B]

Just wait. When someone like. You'll hear someone like Andy Reid, when, when, when Andy Reid makes a move like this, it'll have reverberations throughout the league when other coaches will say, wait a second here. If Andy Reid is shelling out this kind of money for a running back, maybe our culture is changing back because what Seattle did with their defense and now they are going to try to run the ball and play defense, because that is. It's one thing that never stops in this league is everything old is always going to be new again. It's just a matter of how long it takes.

[A]

Yeah, I just, I was going to ask you that if you think you'll see a shift in the the perspective on what running backs are worth and the value of running backs, I just don't. I think this is a guy who's taking advantage of a spectacular year. Winning a Super bowl, becoming super bowl mvp, and Kansas City saying, we're not going to have our hall of Fame quarterback at the start of this year. We need something offensively like, we can't go into this with Marcus Mariota and maybe and, you know, a rookie running back, because I saw Jeremiah Love associated with their mock drafts a lot, and I think he's going to be a wonderful running back in the NFL. But they didn't want to. They wanted a proven guy, and I think if we're not going to have Mahomes, we might as well go out and overpay for this guy.

[B]

We got more numbers coming in here and more signings. Adam Schefter says Jalen Phillips has agreed to a four year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers.

[A]

Really?

[B]

80 million in guarantees. Jeez. Here's your pass rusher market. Yowza. And commander's Pro bowl. Left tackle Laramie Tunsil has signed a two year, $60.2 million contract extension with Washington with 61.5 million in guarantees, including the biggest signing bonus for an offensive lineman at 32.5 million. Wow. All right.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

The Rams are signing two time Super bowl champion corner Jalen Watson. Three years, 51 million, $34 million guaranteed. Trying to stay up on all of this for you.

[A]

Yeah, there's a lot happening.

[B]

A lot of money flying around out there. You get caught in the wind, you end up with a. With a $100 bill stuck in your ear. There is. You hope it's your ear. There's a. There's a lot of money flying.

[A]

Well, that opens up possibilities then for the Eagles as well, too. I mean, we'll. I mean, we'll have to see where Trey Hendrickson lands. He's. Man, he's going to get big money, too.

[B]

Well, yeah, if you're. If that's like this guy was. Was maybe bottom of the first tier, and now you're. You're talking about the main guy that's left.

[A]

All right, so, all right, you're AFC North. All right, you have Miles Garrett.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Now you have Max Crosby. You have Watt. So that's Browns, Bengals.

[B]

I was just gonna say, then you're losing Hendrickson.

[A]

Losing Hendrickson

[B]

now.

[A]

So Joe Burrow is like, all right, great. Miles Garrett, Watt, Max Crosby.

[B]

Well, now let's see if they, if they start going and getting Extra tackles, who knows? There's always. There's always counter moves here when you start thinking about who you're going to play twice. Fun stuff.

[A]

Yeah, it is fun.

[B]

And, and, and leave it to this league to do it.

[A]

And then didn't the center, McGovern, he resigned. Right. Oh, God.

[B]

I got to go to which. Which tracker am I going to here to find all this stuff? Now there's. I did not think that Phillips was going to get that kind of money. Also, Adam Schefter says Michael Pittman is being traded to the Steelers. Okay.

[A]

All right.

[B]

I'm still. I'm watching the Bears and the running back market pretty closely now too.

[A]

Yeah. Bills and McGovern, four year, $52 million deal.

[B]

Okay. Everything is, everything's happening. I feel like the weird Elmo on fire gif right now.

[A]

So with the news and you said it earlier, Alaminate Zacchaeus going back to Atlanta.

[B]

Your.

[A]

Your initial thought on that with. Yeah, I'm, I'm. I'm okay. Right.

[B]

I mean, I don't that that is

[A]

a significant loss at all, honestly.

[B]

The epitome of replaceability. Right. Yeah, I have absolutely no problem with that. He had some big drops too.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, again, we. You asked the question. We don't know what the Bears think about. About Jedi Walker, but if you ask me right now, as a Bears fan, do I want Williams throwing the ball to Walker or Zacchaeus? I would say Walker.

[B]

Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

With as little of playing time as he had. I'm good with. Zaki is not being here. Yeah. Open that chair up in the wide receivers room. Fill it with someone who can fucking catch a ball.

[B]

Yeah. Here's your. Your list. And actually, Darnell Mooney is. Is listed as a free agent. You've got Tyreek Hill. No, thank you. Mike Evans is at the top of the list. He was previously making $20 million a year.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

A lot less than that.

[A]

So Mooney is a free agent.

[B]

Okay, he is. Mooney is a free agent and he's 28 years old. He's got six years in the league.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, Christian Kirk Debo Samuel. Darnell Mooney, Diami Brown, Tutu Atwell, Curtis Samuel Marquis Brown, Juwan Jennings, Khalif Raymond, Rashid Shahid DeAndre Hopkins. And on down the list you go, there is a name on here. There is a name on here. Tim Patrick. Tim Patrick is 32. And doesn't he have. Wasn't he the Lions? He was like the Zacchaeus or one below the Zacchaeus of the Lions for a while, and depending on what he has left, that might be somebody they look for.

[A]

So one below him as far as what, ability to catch? What do you mean?

[B]

No, as far as where he'd rank on the roster. I just. I don't think he got that much burn, but he's really familiar with the Ben Johnson offense, so I would just kind of have that out there. But there's a lot of other names.

[A]

Well, yeah, Baltimore Niners, Broncos for several years. Lions for a year was just with Jacksonville.

[B]

Okay. Just for a year with the lions.

[A]

Yeah. 20, 24.

[B]

All right. But that. That would be a name, because I remember looking at him last year and thinking about where that might fit. I don't know. Also know what he does special teams wise. So I. My guess is they're going to resign Duvernay or just bring him back. I didn't know that he was definitely going to return.

[A]

Yeah, well, we'll see. We'll see how it plays out with it.

[B]

Okay. Because, I mean, if somebody want. If somebody was more impressed with Duvernay than I was last year, I guess his. His overall numbers ended up being fine. I. I just never.

[A]

Yeah. But I want more than fine.

[B]

Yeah. I want to feel like that guy's threatening people, like they don't want to kick it anywhere near him. Yeah. And they really worry, so we'll see.

[A]

Well, he also, too. I mean, you have to. I mean, that. That return game for me needs to clean up a little bit because he just wasn't as consistent as he wanted him to be. And then with Blackwell as the other option there, I just. I didn't like that either.

[B]

Well, decisions to be made and everything is really fluid at the moment. So I guess let's. Let's leave it at this. That if we need to run back here and crank up something.

[A]

Yeah. I guess I will say, too, about Blackman. I mean, he's dependable. Good hands. I mean, so good stuff there. But I just. I want. That threat of this guy's gonna bust it out and flip the field for my offense. And Duvernay just wasn't consistent enough with that. Had a couple nice runs in the year, and then I just don't see Blackwell's being that guy. But he's also not going to hurt you, I guess, which is valuable if that's going to be. Yeah, I know, but I mean, he's not going to hurt you, but he's not going to do much for you. And that in that role, that's all I'm saying.

[B]

Yeah. I also think that it's going to take a couple years of the new rules to really know who's effective. I don't think we have enough of a sample. It's a different job. Yeah, I know.

[A]

You're right. But we also saw teams that did it well and teams that really fucking tanked, too, last year at it.

[B]

That might be on the blocking side that it does. It takes time to figure out tendencies and to get enough film on on the way it's being defended. And we'll see. Maybe it's just not enough to know and they're banking on DuVernay having a breakout year or it's just one of those things where he wasn't himself and we don't know why and we'll find out later.

[A]

Yeah. But if we need to, we'll keep a track of everything that's happening. And if we're there, if there's important breaking Bears news, we'll come back through on Forward Progress.

[B]

Yep. You just zap me and I will head back from wherever I am and come right back to this building and sit right here. Or if it's, if it's later in the day, I'll be in my basement.

[A]

There we go. Sounds good. That's Forward Progress. Another episode here on three one, two Sports. He's Dan Bernstein. I'm Matt Abaticola. We'll, we'll talk to you with breaking news or tomorrow. Remember, check out all of our programming on 312Sports on the free 312Sports app we have. OWC comes out Wednesdays. It's about the Bulls daily DBU, daily forward progress and from the 50 drops on Mondays as well. This is Forward progress on 312Sports for progress is Stopped. Forward progress, a chicago podcast with dan bernstein and matt abeticola on 31 2sp.