The Chicago Bears have a lot of cap space going into this off-season. While GM Ryan Poles has tried to avoid reckless spending, most expect the team to at least make some notable moves, especially with a new coaching staff in place. Head coach Ben Johnson will have a prominent voice in the process, just like Matt Eberflus did. The only question is figuring out who he might urge the Bears to pursue. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune mentioned one name on 670 The Score worth watching.
There are tons of buzz about the idea of Chicago trading for Cooper Kupp, who requested out of L.A. recently. With Keenan Allen likely to leave in free agency, it makes some sense. However, Biggs dismissed that as a non-starter. The name people should watch next month is Tim Patrick. Johnson worked with the wide receiver this past season, notching 394 yards and three touchdowns on just 44 targets.
Ben Johnson having interest in Patrick is no surprise.
The receiver has plenty of admirers across the league. It looked like he was about to have a career breakout after back-to-back seasons eclipsing 700 yards in Denver despite quarterback problems. Tragically, his career entered a crisis when he tore his ACL in 2022 and then his Achilles in 2023. Many worried if he would ever come back at all. Incredibly, he stayed healthy this year and produced well despite limited opportunities. His mixture of size (6’4), long speed, and good physicality make him an asset in multiple ways. He was Detroit’s best run blocker on the perimeter.
Ben Johnson will undoubtedly run the passing game through three guys: D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. What they need is a wide receiver who can stretch the field and give them blocking capability to help the ground attack. Patrick does both. He won’t cost much to sign, which would suit Poles fine. The only question is whether he’d prefer to stay in Detroit. It will be an interesting subplot to watch as free agency draws near a few weeks from now.
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“Lest We Forget”: I wanted Roschon, Velus, and Collin to play against the Texans in game 2 last year for multiple reasons since the Bears were not likely to win straight up. They were the wild cards and jokers to even the game or better.
Well, hopefully we can coach up Tyler Scott, and I’d like to see what Collin Johnson can bring. He has a large catch radius and should be a weapon in the red zone.
I may get hate for this, but I don’t believe the offense will revolve around Kmet. He’s a nice piece, but he doesn’t have the speed to be a real threat to a Defense. He catches the ball, has a big body, blocks pretty well, but beyond that I just don’t see an offense that “needs” to get him the ball. I could even see them trading him if they got a more athletic solution, or add to the room with someone like Gsiki.
Why are we always attached to hurt, or injury ridden decent players? New staff, new generation, new hopes, new goals. Also known as, ASS KICKING time! We’re past picking up other teams trash. Time for smart, aggressive moves that yields studs. Trey Smith was a 6th round, ex-teammate of our 1st round pick, Darnell Wright. A 6th rounder turned into a top 3 free agent with what? You guessed it. Proper training along with good coaching. Something C-MO couldn’t provide. We’ve got ex-players, ex-head coaches, future hall of famers, tons of wisdom and highly intelligent personnel in the building. The… Read more »
Reality check. Patrick will be a 32 yo journeyman with extensive injury history. That all adds up to very cheap depth piece at best. I will guarantee you that Johnson is not longing for this guy. He’s just a guy. But he played for Johnson last year, and happens to be available (shockingly), so let’s write a story about how he’s a guy Ben is targeting. .