The Chicago Bears landed their priority players, what's next in FA before the draft?

Summary

Forward Progress – “The Chicago Bears landed their priority players, what’s next in FA before the draft?”

Podcast: Forward Progress – A Chicago Bears Podcast
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola
Date: March 10, 2026
Episode Focus:
A detailed breakdown of the Chicago Bears’ moves at the start of free agency, analysis of key player signings and departures, ongoing roster needs, and speculation about next steps before the NFL Draft. The hosts blend sharp, analytic insight with their signature authenticity—and classic Bears fan candor.

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Episode Overview

The episode opens with Dan and Matt dissecting the Bears’ significant early free agency moves, assessing who the team prioritized, which beloved players are departing, and implications for the remaining cap and roster holes in the lead-up to the NFL Draft. The conversation weaves through roster construction, contentious NFL policies, and honest appraisals of Bears veterans, always injecting humor and context for both diehard and casual fans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap of Bears’ Free Agency Activity

Timestamps: [01:24]–[04:32]

• Key Signings:

  • Case Keenum re-signed (2 years) as a veteran backup.
  • Braxton Jones returns on a 1-year deal; likely default starting LT.
  • Garrett Bradbury acquired via trade from New England for a 2027 5th-rounder.
  • Neville Gallimore (DT) signed for 2 years/$12M—seen as a replacement for Andrew Billings.
  • Devin Bush (LB) locked in for 3 years/$30M.
  • DeMarco Jackson (LB) re-up for 2 years, up to $10.5M.
  • Safety Kobe Bryant inks a 3-year, $40M contract.

• Notable Departures:

  • Dominique Robinson (to Texans), Zaccheaus (to Atlanta), and the showstopper: D.J. Moore traded to Buffalo.
  • Andrew Billings and Kevin Byard—now clearly ex-Bears, with the organization moving on.

Quote – Dan Bernstein on Strategy:

"If they want to divide up all this money and try to solve some of these roster issues…at the very least I would say a positive start." [01:24]

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2. Farewell to Andrew Billings: Tribute & Stats

Timestamps: [04:32]–[08:42]

• A heartfelt sendoff as “Big Bill” transitions out.
  • Played 42 games for Chicago, started 39.
  • Career stats—2 sacks, 11 TFLs, 10 QB hits, 1 forced fumble, 71 total tackles.
• Honest assessment: Vastly liked in the locker room, but “wasn’t really all that good.”
• Neville Gallimore seen as an upgrade for the defensive front.

Memorable Moment – Andrew Billings Trivia:

Dan (teasing Matt for lowball answers): “Oh, man. You don’t like Big Bill. I see you hating. There’s so much hatred out there.” [07:22]

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3. Free Agency Math: What’s Really Left in the Bears’ Cap?

Timestamps: [08:42]–[10:13]

• Uncertainty about remaining cap space; estimates range from $13M to $27M depending on when signings post.
• Matt and Dan agree more signings are inevitable; a handful of current free agents likely to return on team-friendly deals.
• "There's a handful of guys...they need to re-sign.” [10:19]

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4. Roster Holes & Depth: Safety Situation & More

Timestamps: [10:15]–[13:01]

• Safety position is thin; Brisker’s situation unresolved amid possible medical concerns.
• Bears lost on comp picks from Falcons hire of Ian Cunningham; policy sparking frustration among media and fans.

Quote – Matt on NFL Comp Pick Process:

“No, it’s bullshit. They didn’t get those picks...It’s not right...He went from assistant GM to running a football program...How does that not fit?” [13:06]

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5. Draft Capital & Strategy

Timestamps: [17:05]–[24:54]

• Bears current picks: #25, #57, #60, #89, #129, #239, #241.
• Discussion of possible trades, especially with two 2nd-rounders (57 & 60); Matt doubts they keep both and expects at least one move either up or down.
• Insight on pitfalls of cutting draft picks early vs. the importance of developmental chances.

Quote – Dan on Draft Pick Strategy:

“You don’t want to cut your draft picks if you’re talking about using those picks...even if it’s a fifth, that guy’s going to be on your roster.” [24:54]

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6. Free Agency & Market Dynamics

Timestamps: [22:23]–[24:09]

• Host analysis on how the market for free agents evolves hour-by-hour and can shift priorities.
• The “musical chairs” nature of the NFL offseason—some former Bears could return on bargain deals if outside interest dries up.

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7. Bears’ Reported Pursuit of Maxx Crosby & Front Office Approach

Timestamps: [26:55]–[28:53]

• Reports that Bears were “in on” Maxx Crosby for significant draft capital, though Dan is skeptical of “we were close” narratives.
• Both agree: a proactive front office “should be in every conversation,” whether they intend to pull the trigger or just learn about markets and negotiation trends.

Quote – Dan on Rumor Mill:

“It’s your job to be involved in all of the conversations all the time.” [27:29]

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8. Bears Offense: Braxton Jones at LT & QB Room Stability

Timestamps: [19:12]–[21:35]; [34:01]–[39:06]

• Braxton Jones as likely starting LT is met with fan skepticism, but the hosts urge trust in Ben Johnson and the coaching staff evaluation.
• Case Keenum returns as backup; debate over Tyson Bagent’s true value and future in Chicago.
• Dan questions the off-field noise from Bagent’s father—possible distractions rooted in past whispers.

Quote – Dan on Bagent Situation:

“I know it’s happened in the past...there’s been stuff behind the scenes...about him and about the Bears that the Bears have had to try to do damage control on because of people...not Tyson Bagent himself—it’s his dad.” [36:00]

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9. Broader NFL Free Agency Moves & Their Draft Impact

Timestamps: [29:20]–[33:52]; [39:06]–[42:17]

• Noting big new deals: Tyler Linderbaum to Raiders (3yrs/$81M, dramatically resetting center market).
• Hosts skeptically discuss Tom Brady’s supposed mentorship roles with Fernando Mendoza (Raiders rookie QB).
• Matt wonders how Chiefs and Saints running back signings affect mock drafts projecting Jeremiah Love as a first rounder.

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10. Mike Evans: Hall-of-Fame Credentials & Bears’ Missed Opportunity

Timestamps: [42:28]–[45:26]

• Evans signs 3 years with 49ers; Matt had hoped at least for a 1-year Bears deal.
• Matt defends Evans against criticism, citing career stats—he’s one of only four receivers with 12,000+ yards and 100+ TDs in first 11 seasons (joining Moss, Rice, and Harrison).

Quote – Matt’s Mike Evans Mic Drop:

“He’s one of the best to ever do it. Ever.” [45:38]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quotation / Moment | |-------------|--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:24 | Dan Bernstein | “...at the very least I would say a positive start.” | | 07:22 | Dan Bernstein | “Oh, man. You don’t like Big Bill. I see you hating.” | | 13:06 | Matt Abbatacola | “No, it’s bullshit. They didn’t get those picks. It really isn’t. It’s not right...” | | 24:54 | Dan Bernstein | “You don’t want to cut your draft picks if you’re talking about using those picks...”| | 27:29 | Dan Bernstein | “It’s your job to be involved in all of the conversations all the time.” | | 36:00 | Dan Bernstein | “...not Tyson Bagent himself—it’s his dad, Travis...” | | 45:38 | Matt Abbatacola | “He’s one of the best to ever do it. Ever.” |

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Takeaways & Final Analysis

• Bears have addressed several critical needs with calculated, value-based signings in free agency—securing veterans, acquiring starters, and setting up for flexibility before the draft.
• Emotional goodbyes to popular veterans (especially Billings and Byard), but hosts are candid about upgrading performance on the roster.
• The front office’s patience with the market means we may see key familiar faces return at bargain rates.
• Draft capital, especially two picks in the late second round, gives Poles flexibility for trades or depth.
• The long-lingering comp pick grievance is closed, to fan frustration.
• Bears’ coaching and evaluation teams are being trusted on controversial players (Braxton Jones, Tyson Bagent) for now.
• Around the league, major free agent moves (e.g., Raiders’ Linderbaum signing, RB signings in KC and NO) will impact draft strategies across the NFL.
• Matt’s stats-laden defense of Mike Evans is a highlight, putting his greatness against the backdrop of receiving legends.

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For New Listeners or Bears Fans Catching Up

This episode is a tour of the Bears’ post-free agency landscape, blending insiders’ context, fan emotion, and detailed roster talk. Dan and Matt balance nostalgia for departed veterans with optimism—and skepticism—about the team’s new direction, all with sharp wit and encyclopedic Bears knowledge. The show is a must-listen for anyone seeking clarity—and a little catharsis—during the maddest part of the Bears’ offseason.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

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[Matt Abeticola]

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Matt Abeticola]

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Matt Abeticola]

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[Matt Abeticola]

I mean, if you're a Bears fan,

[Dan Bernstein]

you're thinking forward progress. Come on.

[Matt Abeticola]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matabeticola on 312Sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

You want forward progress? We will give it to you right here. Here, a Chicago Bears and NFL podcast. As we weigh the signings that and the replacements. The Bears made moves and they made moves that sealed the fate of some former Bears that appear headed elsewhere. And there's, there's some good, there is some not so good. They're confronting some possibilities on offense that we knew were indeed possibilities if not probabilities. So we'll get into all of that in fine detail and bottom line, I think okay, I think fine. This is how if they want to divide up all this money and try to solve some of these roster issues that they've had, this is at the very least I would say a positive start.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I wouldn't disagree with that at all. Just to review what the Bears have done. Resigning Case Keenum on a two year deal. Braxton Jones, a one year deal. Of course, the trade for Garrett Bradbury from the patriots for a 2027 fifth round pick. They signed Neville Gallimore to a two year $12 million deal. Devin Bush gets a three year 30 million dollar deal. DeMarco Jackson resigns on a two year 7.5 million that could max out a 10.5. And then safety Kobe Bryant on a three year old $40 million deal. Other notable departures we have Dominique Robinson to sign with the Texans on a one year $4 million deal. Of course, D.J. moore traded to Buffalo. We have, oh, Daniel Hardy, DeMarco Jackson already resigned with the Bears. What other departures? Oh, Zacchaeus goes to Atlanta. I don't think there's any. What other.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, the, I would say there are departures, but that haven't occurred yet. Well, there are departures that where they haven't been yet. But it's clear now that Andrew Billings is a former Bear and it's probably clear that Kevin Byard, barring something unforeseen, is also a former Bear. So let's give Kevin Byard his hosannas. And, and let's remember that he was a critical part of one of the some people's most memorable Bears teams. The 2025 Bears are going to be remembered for a while and this, this will be a subject of discussion another time. But that leaving after that year and what that was, it's, it's not an easy decision to say, hey Kevin, go seek your fortune elsewhere at 33.

[Matt Abeticola]

But.

[Dan Bernstein]

Cause he was really good and he really mattered and he was there all year and he's certainly likable and an important leader and he's going to be difficult to replace and his, his numbers from last year are obviously going to be difficult to replace even if he did come back. But we gotta, we gotta for Big Bill, I think we owe him a proper send off just because of how, how beloved he's been in this space.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, he was one of our favorite guys and unfortunately as we talked about it, it's, we knew that this day was happening, that they'd be coming after the season, he wouldn't be around. And yeah, he just, you know, he was, he was a guy that we loved to watch play and unfortunately it just wasn't quite good enough to keep him around beyond 2025 and see where the Bears go in the future. And you know, obviously we look at the signing of Gallimore as a kind of a replacement there as a guy who's going to do a little bit more on the football field than our beloved Andrew Billings.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, let me ask you a couple of questions here. Can we play a little bit of Andrew Billings trivia? Just because this was our guy and the guy famous for shouting move right before the snap. Big Bill is going to be replaced by Neville Gallimore, who is now your big veteran nose tackle locker room leader. They're essentially swapping in Gallimore for, for big bill in three years with the Chicago Bears. Andrew Billings played in 42 games and he started 39 of them.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

How many interceptions did he have?

[Matt Abeticola]

Did he have one?

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abeticola]

If any?

[Dan Bernstein]

No. How many passes defended did he have?

[Matt Abeticola]

How many interceptions did he have?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, zero.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh, okay. So. So when I said one, he didn't have any.

[Dan Bernstein]

And he's like, no, right? No, he didn't have.

[Matt Abeticola]

And you said no. And I said he didn't have any. And you said no.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Yes, he did not have any.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay. How many passes defended? Zero.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, correct.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

How many forced fumbles?

[Matt Abeticola]

Zero.

[Dan Bernstein]

One.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

How many sacks. In 42 games?

[Matt Abeticola]

This is not going to be good enough. It's not going to be high enough. Three and a half.

[Dan Bernstein]

Two.

[Matt Abeticola]

Two.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. How many tackles for loss?

[Matt Abeticola]

Boy, this isn't going to be high enough either. Let's shoot low. Let's go. Nine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Eleven. Pretty good.

[Matt Abeticola]

Eleven.

[Dan Bernstein]

How many quarterback hits?

[Matt Abeticola]

Three.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, man. You don't like Big Bill. I see you hating. There's so much hatred out there.

[Matt Abeticola]

How many kids did he have?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, 10. He had 10. Quarterback expected. But you said what, two sacks? Yes. Two sacks, 10 hits, one forced fumble.

[Matt Abeticola]

42 games, he had a total of

[Dan Bernstein]

71 tackles, 40 solo, 31 assisted. Three. Three years.

[Matt Abeticola]

But he's one of the fastest guys

[Dan Bernstein]

on the team, though, so as much as we love him, he. He wasn't really all that good.

[Matt Abeticola]

He wasn't. And we said. And I didn't want to.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

Repeat this because I thought we were being n. That it was going to be addition by subtraction, and that's what it turns out to be. He was a big body that just didn't fit in this scheme for Dennis Allen.

[Dan Bernstein]

I feel bad kind of because I.

[Matt Abeticola]

Why do you feel bad?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. I just like him. I always like you just liked him because he was so big and he kept getting larger. Every time I saw him, he was bigger. Larger. Leon is getting larger every time, every day. My theory was they told him to get bigger. Yeah, you're not really a good fit here. You can't really move. If you're going to be big, be really big. Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Did you see now what the Bears have left in cap space? I've seen anywhere from 13 to 26 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, no, no, no. It was 26 million to. In the. Early in the day yesterday. There's no way they have that left unless there's. There's moves that we don't know about where they went to the. The extension slash, conversion to bonus bank and tried to find some stuff. I thought that. That looked like that they see they. It looked like they got. You know, they spent it all. Unless you're trying to extend. I don't know where the carve outs are. Yeah, I'm seeing. It says that as of. As of March 10, the Bears have 27 million. I don't know. I don't know. That's what it says they currently have left. But that sounds like that they're not accounting for some of the signs. You know what it might be? The signings haven't been announced yet. The signings haven't been accounted for yet. I don't know what has technically been accounted for.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, I mean. But they had more than 25 million to sign these guys, right? I mean, you're talking about.

[Dan Bernstein]

They had 44 to start free agency total. They started with 44. And then you can just kind of do the math.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, it's.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's possible they still have some left and I don't know.

[Matt Abeticola]

They. Obviously they still have some left because they still have to sign some guys

[Dan Bernstein]

and I'm not sure what they have.

[Matt Abeticola]

Sign a few players what they have

[Dan Bernstein]

earmarked to maybe extend their own guys because they still.

[Matt Abeticola]

There's a. Yeah, there's. There's a handful of guys that were on the roster that they need to resign.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I saw the names. Elijah Hicks, Jordan McFadden, Durham Smythe. All possibilities there. Four guys. You just say, look, here's. Here's a couple of bucks. We need you to stick around.

[Matt Abeticola]

What about Owens, too Are the. There's not going to have any safeties right now. They're going to. I mean, they're going to. I mean, you can't.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's fine.

[Matt Abeticola]

Not going to draft three safeties.

[Dan Bernstein]

You got Blackwell, right?

[Matt Abeticola]

You do. I mean. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And Briskers. Apparently not in the did like. Was anybody offering on him?

[Matt Abeticola]

I didn't see anything on Brisker.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, it might just be the method.

[Matt Abeticola]

I haven't heard his name.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't.

[Matt Abeticola]

I know his name brought up on anything.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know. Do you think the medicals are scaring people away? I don't know. Thinking he's just one head injury away from the end of a career. And then maybe if the Bears want to assume that risk, you're able to bring him back with a new partner back there.

[Matt Abeticola]

Let me. Let me ask you a question about something different here regarding the Bears and those comp picks from the Atlanta Falcons, which we.

[Dan Bernstein]

The door's closed now. We found out that that's not happening.

[Matt Abeticola]

So I saw a lot yesterday from different reporters talking about how Ryan Poles did his best and he made his, you know, emotional plea to the league and he fought for his. These picks. And what did I miss? Like, is there something that he did that. That I missed? Because the only public things that we saw were at the combine where he talked about how weird it was for guys to get picks because of him. And the whole process in general is kind of. Kind of weird. So where was this, like, really emotional, you know, demanding the picks because this is how the process works? I didn't see that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Was it. Was it behind the scenes? Or did he have.

[Matt Abeticola]

I mean, hire lobbyists, Kevin Warren's lobby, behind the scenes. But then all the reporters spoke about it. Like, I saw a lot online about

[Dan Bernstein]

it yesterday about a specific lobbying effort, or did he. Was there an appeals process? Does he go before some sort of board and say, here's why I think you should reconsider the earlier decision?

[Matt Abeticola]

I don't know about the combine that he. That he did have, you know, further conversations with the league office, that they reached out and talked. But publicly, what he said was that it's a weird process.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I didn't see anything publicly where he said we were wronged.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, that's kind of what I mean. I don't know if I missed something or not.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't see anybody really go hard and say, this shall not stand. We deserve this. This sets a bad precedent.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I want. I want some of the Bears to do that, Dan. That's what I see.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't see anybody standing on a table.

[Matt Abeticola]

No, it's bullshit. They didn't get those picks. It really isn't. It's not. It's not. It's not right that they didn't get those picks. Ian Cunningham went from being an assistant GM to the general manager making all football decisions for the Atlanta Falcons. And the fact that the. The league office is trying to. To work around that and not give those picks to the Bears that they deserve, just. It's. It's not right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, whatever explanation of Ian Cunningham being something other than the primary football executive was undercut by their primary football executive in Matt Ryan, the nominal primary football executive, saying that Ian Cunningham was making all these decisions.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right. It's a promotion. He went from assistant GM to running a football program for an NFL team. How. How does that not fit the. The Rooney rule and process where the Bears get compicts then?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I'm not. I would be. I'd be faking. It. If I all of a sudden pretended to be livid about this and pretended that this was some sort of gross miscarriage of justice, I'm going to keep my powder dry because I think there are other more important things kind of worth that level of emotion for. However they made their decision, the NFL seems to think that they're on very solid ground with either this, this conforming to previous precedent or this being a test case that they're going to use to set a precedent. Yeah, I guess for one reason or the other, this is. This is the decision. There's no recourse. You're not going to carry this thing through up to some NFL arbitration, Supreme Court of some kind. It's over, right?

[Matt Abeticola]

It's done. It's done and over. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it sucks.

[Matt Abeticola]

I'm not saying let's, you know, let's go burn down the NFL offices. It's just. It doesn't make sense to me. I mean, I like to operate through a process of common sense, and this just doesn't make sense.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I don't think the NFL's really varied from their explanation, and their explanation has been we have certain jobs that we consider the top job, and there are a lot of GMs who aren't running teams. And if it were believed that he was actually running the Falcons on the masthead, where his name is on their masthead in their football operation, is what is making this determination. And as long as there is someone above him who is nominally a football person, the Bears are not getting their comp picks.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I get it.

[Dan Bernstein]

It just.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me. But I. But the only reason, again I bring it up, is because a lot of reaction I saw yesterday and I just. I wanted to ask you, in case I'd missed this public display that Ryan Poles put on demanding these picks, that the Bears were wronged by it. That. That's what I was reading. And I just. I didn't remember seeing any of that.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I only. I only remember us going through his comments and having it be kind of lukewarm.

[Matt Abeticola]

Very lukewarm.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. That he didn't really use that opportunity to go hard. Use the opportunity to. It's a weird system. Remember, I got hired and I'm doing this and I thought it was strange that they got. It's because he's kind of in the middle of it and I don't know. I don't know how it feels to be somebody who would create a situation where someone else would get compex. Because you're involved and you're a minority. It's, it's all very strange. It is certainly not black and white in the sense of who gets what. But the NFL obviously feels that they're on safe ground. I mean, look, are the Bears going to sue them? You know, theoretically, I don't know what's in the collective bargaining agreement or if can you file a grievance?

[Matt Abeticola]

I'm not sure it's at any, in any rate, it's, it's a done deal. Bears aren't getting the pick. So they have the 25th pick overall, currently 57 in the second round, 60 in the second round, 89 in the third round. They have a fourth round pick at 129 and then two seventh round picks at 239 and 241.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, four of the top 89.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yep. Four of the top 89.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's good. And they're going to need all of them because there, there are still areas of this depth chart that need to be addressed. Easy to prepare comfort food, full of protein. And right now with Omaha Steaks, you can get food 50% off. During their semi annual sale, Omaha Steaks has their exclusive lineup. USDA certified tender steaks, Gourmet burgers, all the versatile chicken, pork and seafood. Everything's delivered right to your door. And the going through that box and deciding what goes in the downstairs freezer and what is the upstairs freezer. Because I know I'm going to make it soon. Omaha steaks is the choice of steakhouses and professional chefs around the world. This is a grass fed grain finished beef with more marbling for exceptional flavor. And the burgers that I use, they have some that are made from like brisket and short rib. Who it's a family owned company, over 100 years of expertise in the meat industry. America's original butcher since 1917. Right now you can get 50% off the world's best everyday protein. Go to Omaha steaks.com for 50% off site wide during this semi annual sale. And for an extra $35 off, use the promo code Bernstein at checkout. That's just my last name. B E R N S T E

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[Dan Bernstein]

Grocery outlet Bargain market. I know we talked about it on dbu but it does certainly look like at this point your your default starting left tackle right now is Braxton Jones and that is not going to make a lot of people happy.

[Matt Abeticola]

Again we talked about this on dbu. I can't say on one topic that I trust Ben Johnson and then not trust him in a different area. This is just like the comp pick things. It just, it doesn't make sense to me. But if there was something deficient about him last year that they feel is corrected or will be corrected and he can be a solid NFL starting left tackle, then I'm going to have to trust the process and trust what Dan Roshar and Ben Johnson are saying of Ryan Poles decision about resigning him to a one year deal to bring him back to play left tackle.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, when you were talking before and we mentioned the Jaquan Briskers name hasn't come up yet.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Can I look at the other names and you know my preferred depth chart to use in all this generally is I go to the our lads depth chart because they color code everybody and right now anything color coded green is a current unrestricted free agent. This person has not signed anywhere yet according to our lads.

[Matt Abeticola]

And are you looking at the Bears, Ross?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm looking at the Bears. I'm looking at the Bears right now.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right, so okay, Brisker one.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, Brisker is one. So is Nishan Wright correct? Also on here, Devin Duvernay, Ryan Bates, Durham Smythe, Travis Homer. That's the extent of the offense. And then elsewhere in defense you got those two Bears have two starters in Nishan Wright and Jaquan Brisker. Then you've got Joe Tryon, Shoyinka, Andrew Billings, Elijah hicks, Kevin Byard, C.J. gardner, Johnson, Chris Williams, Jalen Reeves, Mabin, Jalen Jones, Jonathan Owens, Nick McLeod and on special teams, their long snapper, Scott Daly.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right, so with whatever money they do have left, some of those guys will, will be brought back to the team.

[Dan Bernstein]

Perhaps. Yes, I might. Yes, some will. Yes.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, some will. I mean that's just, that's a, that's a guarantee. Some will just figure out how they're going to do that and which players they are. Now a few of those names that are interesting on defense in Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Nishan Wright, cj, gj and maybe, maybe there are of those four guys, maybe there's a guy or two they want back, but they weren't going to pursue initially in free agency and let it play out. And maybe they don't get any offers and maybe it's, hey, would you want to come back here for maybe half of what you thought you'd get or a fourth of what you thought you'd get in free agency because there's nothing there for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

And let the musical chairs play out, see who's left standing and then start talking. Now, when you made a trade for a guy in mid season like Tryon Shoyinka, who occasionally athletically flashed.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, he's got the body that you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yeah, and you saw him and he got some run. And if there was a developmental pick out there, developmental move that was made when you're now talking to position coaches and weighing him against not only what's out there, but what your draft plan is. And the reason I bring these names up is might it say something as each day goes by, we could come in here tomorrow morning and have completely different thoughts and have some resolution because these things are all hour, hour by hour, day by day. And it may be an indication of what the, what the ideas are between the four picks in those first 89 selections. Seeing if they're saying, like, is it worth it? Bird in the hand, that thing about free agency. And it's why, you know, some teams have argued to have the draft first, to say, look, let's see how the draft board falls. Let these teams draft their guys and, and then fill in with free agents rather than the opposite. And I get it. You know, that makes some sense too. But as it stands right now, free agency is first, and so that's why the first wave matters. So they said, look, we gotta have Daniel Hardy, we gotta have demarco Jackson, these guys, we so priority guys. But then I wonder, with each day that you've got, you've got new calculations based on pricing and availability that it could be an entirely different market based on how some of this falls.

[Matt Abeticola]

Oh, it's a different market in a week. It's a different market in two weeks. Right? I mean, yeah, it all, it all changes. And you know, looking at those draft picks too, I just, I don't see the bears picking 57 and 60 at all. One. One of those. One of those two picks moves.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, I see. You don't see him using both.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, I don't see them using both. I move them at 57 and picking at 60, I think. I think they'll move one of those picks, which direction to go down to add more picks. You find. You find someone in 60, maybe at 60, you're talking bottom of the second round to move down into the third round. Maybe you add a third and a fourth, you add a third and a fifth. You don't have any fifths right now.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's why I'm looking at this depth chart, because you don't want to cut your draft picks if you're talking about using those picks, even if it's a fifth, that guy's going to be on your roster.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're not going to expose that guy to waivers. You're not going to draft the. It sucks to cut a draft pick of the first year. Yeah, that sucks. You don't want to do that. And I like to think that. I mean, even if you. If you have to, it's probably better than holding on to somebody who you realize sucks. You know, you want to. You want to applaud somebody for at least making that decision early rather than late. But it's hard to do when you're counting on development. It's hard to do when you say, well, like Ruben Hippolyte, for example. Ruben Hippolyte was. Was a draft pick of a guy who was not really a ranked prospect. And I don't think he went to the combine. He just ran a ridiculous 40 time. And they're like, look, we're going to. We're going to draft the trait and he was bad and ended up not mattering because he was bad. But he'll be back and probably going to get a shot here. So I'm just wondering how many spots are going to be held open. And that may tell us exactly what you're speculating is whether or not there is going to be a move down.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. And maybe there's not. Maybe they have a guy they've targeted at 25 and if he's there, they're taking that guy. And then you look at 57 and 60, maybe they have a half a dozen guys on their board in those two spots and they say, hey, if two of these guys are here, we're taking these two guys because we can project them out to be starters eventually in this season at 57 and 60.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I just don't know at this stage.

[Matt Abeticola]

Or if they're going to take the LA Rams approach and trade down every possible chance they get and get out of the first round and.

[Dan Bernstein]

And just have a ton of picks. And then if you cut Them, you cut them and who cares? And everything's spinning a wheel or scratching a lottery ticket and you don't even worry about it. And you know that your, your hit rate is going to. Whatever it is, you'd rather have it be a function of more opportunities. And you just trust that you'll figure out earlier whether somebody or bad.

[Matt Abeticola]

So how did you feel, because we mentioned it too on dbu, that I saw that Rich Eisen reported yesterday that he's saying that the Bears were in on the Max Crosby possibility, that they were willing to trade two picks.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what I'm picks. I'll say the same thing that I always say about what we find anything about after the fact. It was like in baseball when the Cubs of the White Sox would say, well, we were right there the whole way. We had this, we had that. And if I'm not going to put a lot of stock in the we were close or we were in, I'm not going to look at it positively or negatively.

[Matt Abeticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm just, I can't. Because it's your job to be involved in all of the conversations all the time.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. And while, while I get it, I'm still, I'm still surprised that I heard. I mean, I was surprised when I heard it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think a healthy front office, even if it's just for your own edification to know how, how does this team operate that sometimes just being involved in it, just having the bandwidth to say, sure, we're. We're in the poker game here. I got, you know, there's. I didn't. I'm not going to lose anything. There's no risk here. You want to keep talking, let's keep talking. Even if you have no intention whatsoever of any of anything other than if the deal got to some ridiculous point of staying in touch that we don't know the motivation of the talks. The motivation of the talks might just be. Want to be in talks and I can learn something about the way, about how badly they want to move him. I can learn something about maybe down the line, I. There's something I can remember about this negotiation that informs me of the next time I'm sitting at the, at the table with this guy. So I do not want to have too strong a thought about reports of a team's involvement in a possibility of something because I think I understand.

[Matt Abeticola]

I understand. I understand what you're saying. It's just I was a bit surprised, that's all. I just didn't think they would be willing to part with Two number ones.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it could be they never were.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right. Yeah. And you're exactly right.

[Dan Bernstein]

But it's okay. It's. Anytime there is any opportunity, I would. I would say if asked about that publicly, Ryan polls could stand there very confidently and say, doing my job. Anytime there's a player of that obvious quality who becomes available, we would be derelict if we didn't stay in there and have a good sense of what was going on. And we just wanted to be as informed as possible. Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

And speaking of the. The. The Oakland Raiders, the Vegas Raiders, the LA Raiders, man, they did a lot of work yesterday signing your guy, Tyler Linderbaum. He not only breaks the center deal,

[Dan Bernstein]

but just NBA money.

[Matt Abeticola]

I mean, blows it away. Three years, 81 million. And you know, I get it. I mean, like, it. It makes total sense. If you're. If you're drafting Mendoza, why not put arguably the best center in the game to be there for him for the next several years?

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, look at the AAV on that.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. 27 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

Do you remember what Joel Corey said his outlandish, the former agent when he wrote for CBS?

[Matt Abeticola]

23 and a half.

[Dan Bernstein]

23.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Something. 23. Something was his. Like, that's if I were representing him. Hey, Jo, apparently, if they. If they ended at that, I guarantee you that started with a three on it. I guarantee you the first ask.

[Matt Abeticola]

First offer, 30 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, hell yeah. If you. If you settled at 27.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. So you think the first was like, hell yeah. 90 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. When you saw every. When you saw the cap go up like that. And again, I'm just. I'm just using the data points that we have where an agent said, boy, if I. And he publicly said, if I went in there. I know this sounds crazy, but I'd be asking for $23 million, thinking maybe they settle around 19 or 20. If you're settling at 27, that first ask had to be just astonishing. And why not? That's. That's good agenting right there. Always had a crazy number to start.

[Matt Abeticola]

And, you know, hearing a lot of NFL guys, you know, last night talking about the moves that the Raiders made, you know, praising the Raiders for spending. Well, they had all the fucking money to spend. I mean, I think they had to spend like 80 or 90 million just to get to the floor.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know. And then. But then they have to do the whole. These perfunctory Tom Brady involvement stories. Have you seen all the Fernando Mendoza stuff about. Oh, yeah, having Tom Brady as my mentor? Like, he's not your coach. He's an owner with a, With a gazillion different business interests. Do you think Tom Brady. And he's a broadcaster. Do you think he's going to be there, like, working you through drills? Come on. It's like his. The whole Tom Brady fame and fabulousness story. And maybe it's a clicks thing where, you know, if you, if you slap his. His name on a, in a profile or in, On a splash page, that you're gonna get stuff, but just give it a rest, man.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. And who knows what that relationship will, you know, play out to be before the season starts. Who knows? Who knows, dude?

[Dan Bernstein]

Maybe.

[Matt Abeticola]

Maybe they've talked a lot. Maybe they will talk a lot. And who knows? Who knows what it's going to be? I just, you know, I just hope. Not that I. That I have any reason to back it up because I don't care about the Raiders at all. I just. The Mendoza seems like a really nice kid, you know, and I just, I kind of hope he. Hope he does well, you know, for himself because he just seems like a nice kid.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abeticola]

Not that that means anything, but he's

[Dan Bernstein]

got some Joey Harrington in him, doesn't he?

[Matt Abeticola]

I don't know. He. He's got like, like cooler Tim Tebow vibe, but not super cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

You got to be really careful with it. So cooler Tim, like.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, yeah, like cooler Tim Tebow, but. But not cool. Like on regular guy scale, not cool, but cooler than Tim Tebow. And I like Tim Tebow.

[Dan Bernstein]

So I. But there's, there's nothing about Mendoza that says, like, I would want to hang out with him at a bar. And I don't know if that's good or bad for a quarterback, but like Caleb Williams, you'd go play pool or, you know, he'd be normal if you were just like playing darts or bowling or something.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, maybe Mendoza, you just want to watch game film with him. That's about it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I get, I just, I get the feeling that if you took him bowling, he'd be annoying. You know what I mean? You think?

[Matt Abeticola]

You go real gung ho.

[Dan Bernstein]

I just think one way or another it would.

[Matt Abeticola]

He would just like he talks about bowling, like his post game press conferences or interviews.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. I. I don't know. It's just kind of the, the outside feeling is like, deep breath, man. It's like just deep breath. Chill out a little bit.

[Matt Abeticola]

All right. One other. One other area in the, in the Bears roster I know you wanted to get to is at the quarterback position. Now they did resign Case Keenum.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, there you go.

[Matt Abeticola]

What about one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the league, though, Dan? What about him?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, there's a lot of quarterback decisions that are being made right here, and there are available quarterbacks who have started and who have been successful. If, in fact, Tyson Bagent is NFL starter quality.

[Matt Abeticola]

Ben Johnson says he is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, then when will a team. And I don't know what the truth was of teams, you know, kicking the tires on a Tyson Beijing, on a trade with the Bears. If he's this good, a team will come get him. If he's as good as everybody seems to think he is, somebody will say, we're turning our franchise over to this guy. This is our. This is the man. This is our guy. It's not going to be a draft pick. It's going to be this guy that here is. He's been in front of us the entire time. In plain sight. The next quarterback in plain sight, starter. You can't just have a guy around who might be a starter. If you go get him, you're committing. That's your move. And we haven't seen a team do it yet.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, I think it was the. The team said that they had calls from three other teams.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abeticola]

Didn't that come from the Bears, that information?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I remember that correctly. It might. It might just be them doing what I said I wanted the Bears to do. Regarding Max Crosby. Can't hurt to get a price. Yeah. What would it cost me? Like, I just. I want to know what an option is. And that's not really a commitment. And it's just the problem that I have. And it's not really my fault. I've got a lot of problems. I mean, I just. I don't like his dad, and I don't trust his dad. I think his dad's a weirdo. And I don't think that, especially with what's happened in the past about how his dad has put stuff in the media and was backstabbing Justin Fields. What I'm trying to think is. Start with Fields about some of the stuff about. Yeah, well, because after the. Chris Collinsworth. Well, he should just watch it and watch. Yeah. And then there was all this. This whole whisper campaign, like, you know, Bagen's the guy that's really doing the stuff that they want out there. And I thought it was untoward. I. I didn't. It was just. I didn't like the idea of. Of somebody's dad putting things in the bloodstream that way. And if now he's at the point where he's like, well my kid's gotta play, my kids gotta play. It's like, then don't sign that contract to be a backup. So I just, I don't know and I'm not accusing anything, I don't have any information. It's just, I know it's happened in the past. We know in Chicago that there's been stuff behind the scenes that has been put out there about him and about the Bears that the Bears have had to try to do damage control on because of people. And it's not Tyson Bagen himself. It's not, it's his dad, Travis and some of what's happened in the. And I just, I, I hope that isn't going on again. And if you're the backup quarterback for the Bears and you're happy, it's an unbelievable story. A D2 kid got a contract, an NFL real deal contract to be a backup quarterback of the Chicago Bears. If that's not good enough and if now you're pining for greener pastures, then make that somebody else's problem.

[Matt Abeticola]

Well, listen, with as depleted as this league is with starting quarterbacks because there are not 32 quality starting quarterbacks playing football. And day one of 2026, there's just not. So either the Bears have over evaluated this guy's talent and he's not one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the

[Dan Bernstein]

league

[Matt Abeticola]

or other teams really haven't come after him to get him because there are teams that still need a quality starting quarterback. And if he really is one of the best 32, he should be starting somewhere.

[Dan Bernstein]

And usually the, the team, if a

[Matt Abeticola]

team came after him, if a team legit came after him and made an offer, we would know about it publicly that the Bears said no, it just wasn't good enough. We offered a Bears a third round pick.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, they can't, they can't lose him now because we can't have anybody else backing up Caleb Williams for the next 10 years.

[Matt Abeticola]

Right. Like, yeah, that we, we felt that a third round pick wasn't enough for Tyson Bajan or a fourth round pick came. If there was a team that really believed that reporters around the team would have known that that deal didn't go through.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or perhaps the calculation might be for him is be available if you get an opportunity. You know, nobody wants you to have to have an opportunity because nobody wants Caleb Williams to be hurt. Right.

[Matt Abeticola]

But if you get one, but if

[Dan Bernstein]

you do and you tear shit up and you and you get wealthy. Maybe that's the calculation good for you. And Viacon Dios, man. That'd be awesome.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. But.

[Dan Bernstein]

But while you're here under this deal is this is. This is just. Isn't your show one other player I want to.

[Matt Abeticola]

Or two other players to talk about two other teams. So kept seeing in all these mock drafts, and I know that they're just speculation guys making intelligent guesses. The Saints and the Chiefs were the two teams most associated with. As I've tracked these things with Jeremiah Love.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. That's. That's Matt Miller's top prospect.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes. Being drafted in the first round by the Saints or the Chiefs. Now that the Chiefs have signed Walker, Kenneth Walker, and the Saints have signed Travis Etienne, I wonder what that does with these mock drafts. What that does with Jeremiah Love. What team that maybe wasn't going to look at him because they thought, all right, yeah, that's a. That's a good spot for the Chiefs or a good spot for the Saints or maybe. Maybe they still want to draft him. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm just going to say I, I would say that Walker maybe would prevent that move a lot more than ETN would.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Better.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, no, he's better. But four years and 52 million for ETN. That's. That's a big commitment to.

[Dan Bernstein]

It is. But you need two. You need two backs. You know, look at what. For example, like the. The Raiders had been saying, you know, Ashton Jensey's terrific, but they need another guy.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

They can't just have him trying to squirrel his way around at every end. Maybe they need a thumper in there. They need a little different look that they're going to do that. Which you'd think for somebody who coming into the draft was this generational talent or this is. I know what they say about running backs, but this guy's worth it. And all the Bears craz. That was. That was in and around that. I. I don't know the answer to that. And Jeremiah Love, obviously, it's. It's certain that he's going to be a decent professional player, if not a. If not a Pro Bowler. That, that, that's easy to scout. You don't have to be a genius to see. Give him the ball and he runs that way until he falls down and he's good at it, so.

[Matt Abeticola]

Because where are the. Where are the Saints? Saints are eight and the Chiefs are nine. Yeah. I just don't know if I want to spend, you know, the eighth pick overall on a running. You know, unless you think the guy's

[Dan Bernstein]

a

[Matt Abeticola]

generational talent after signing a guy I don't know, I don't know, man. It's interesting to see how that's going to play out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Even so there's a lot of generational talent running backs that aren't the same after their first injury or second injury or first NFL injury. And it's just how much money you want to keep plowing in to, to try to keep both guys happy who are, who both have incentives. You know, this is, this is, this is what they, they pay everybody to do and especially just depending on, on your coach and how much the running important the running game is going to be. Which is why the Walker signing with the Chiefs I think is an interesting one. Are you going to commit for him to be really effective? He needs a lot of carries.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah. And I think to me like that, that what that says to me is that they know exactly Pat Mahomes is not going to be there week one and that they want to go into a season with Marcus Mariota as their backup and starter to begin the 2026 season handing the ball off to this guy probably.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then maybe by the end of the season they're able to, to go back to a Mahomes based offense and just let him be who he is or whatever he's got left.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yeah, one other guy I want to talk about signed a three year contract with the 49ers, Mike Evans. Because I mentioned that I, you know, I would have loved the Bears to take a, take a run at him. Not, not for a three year deal. I wasn't interested in that. I thought maybe at his age and coming off an injury he might look at a one year deal with a second year option. But there was one, one comment that we received calling Mike Evans overrated. And I just don't know if that

[Dan Bernstein]

person understood overrated, but who overrated him

[Matt Abeticola]

that they just said one of our comments and I got a couple emails about after he was signed.

[Dan Bernstein]

You can't say overrated without telling me who's doing the overrating.

[Matt Abeticola]

So through 11 seasons, Mike Evans ranks ninth all time in receiving touchdowns. He is 24th in receiving yards at 12,684. He's 35th in receptions and he holds the record for the most consecutive 1,000 yards to start a career with 11. Okay. He is. Mike Evans is one of four players, Dan. One of only four players in NFL history to amass 12,000 plus receiving yards and 100 plus touchdown catches in their first 11 seasons. Can you name the other three.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, hold on. Write it down again. Let me see it. All right.

[Matt Abeticola]

12,000 plus receiving yards.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abeticola]

100 plus touchdown catches in their first 11 seasons.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ooh.

[Matt Abeticola]

Randy Moss and three other players. Randy Moss is one of them.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, Randy Moss. How about Chris Carter?

[Matt Abeticola]

Chris Carter is not

[Dan Bernstein]

Jerry Rice.

[Matt Abeticola]

Jerry Rice is one. So Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Mike Evans. And the fourth is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, shoot. Larry Fitzgerald.

[Matt Abeticola]

No. One more guess. I'll give you a clue.

[Dan Bernstein]

One more guess. I get a clue first. How about Andre Johnson?

[Matt Abeticola]

No, it is not. But the. The fourth player, his kid is playing right now.

[Dan Bernstein]

Fourth player his kid is playing right now.

[Matt Abeticola]

Wide receiver. Maybe didn't quite have the year that people were anticipating.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, I know exactly who it is. It's Marvin Harrison.

[Matt Abeticola]

That's correct. Marvin Harrison, Mike Evans, Jerry Rice, Randy Moss.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what that is? That's tall timber, as Terry Boris would say.

[Matt Abeticola]

That is. Yes, it is 100% tall timber.

[Dan Bernstein]

That is. That is tall timber. Yep.

[Matt Abeticola]

He's generally recognized as a top 15, top 20 wide receiver of all time.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's the big boy table.

[Matt Abeticola]

Yes, it is. That's something special right there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. So, okay, you know, it's one thing to say, don't pay him at this stage of his career. It's not going to be worth it. That's just completely reasonable. It's another thing to say no. Good. Okay. Sure thing.

[Matt Abeticola]

He's one of the best to ever do it. Ever. Yeah. The game.

[Dan Bernstein]

We will leave Matty with his mic drop moment here on forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast on 312 Sports. Forward progress is stopped.

[Matt Abeticola]

Forward progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.