Josh Norman Considered Signing With Bears
- Josh Norman considered overtures from the Bears this offseason but told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune) postgame the sides weren’t on the same page. “At one point they were in the running,” Norman said. “They weren’t talking what I was talking about, though. I evaluate the team as well but if you’re not in the same [area when it comes to pay], you’re disqualified.” Washington beat out several teams to sign Norman, who intercepted two passes on Sunday, for five years and $75MM.
Jim Harbaugh A Match For The Bears?
- Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh won’t be returning to the NFL in 2017, but he could eventually be back, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (link via PFT). If and when he goes back to the NFL, Rapoport says he could be a match for the Bears. Meanwhile, some league insiders have speculated to PFT that Harbaugh could eventually coach the Colts, reuniting him with Andrew Luck.
Bears Place Eddie Goldman On IR
Eddie Goldman‘s offseason will start a couple of weeks early. The defensive tackle has been placed on injured reserve, becoming the 19th Bears player to hit IR this season. To take his spot on the roster, center/guard Cornelius Edison has been promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. The Bears also activated linebacker Jerrell Freeman from the exempt list.
This has been a trying year for Goldman. The injury bug first got him in September when a cursed 29-14 loss to the Eagles saw Goldman, quarterback Jay Cutler, and linebackers Lamarr Houston and Danny Trevathan exit with injuries.
All in all, Goldman appeared in only six games this season. He tallied 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Unsurprisingly, he did not have enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings, but he did earn a solid 80.0 grade for his limited work. In a more complete sesaon, that would have placed him just outside of the top 25 at his position.
Bears Done With Kyle Fuller?
- The Bears designated cornerback Kyle Fuller to return from injured reserve last month, but it turns out they won’t activate him, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. There’s now a belief within the organization – including from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio – that Fuller wasn’t eager to come back this season from August knee surgery, per Biggs. Head coach John Fox addressed that, saying, “That’s hard to measure. Looking inside people is not real easy.” The likelihood now is that Fuller – a 2014 first-round pick – has played his final game with the organization, suggests Biggs, who notes that the Bears would take a late-round choice for him. Fuller, who appeared in all 32 games (30 starts) in his first two years and racked up six interceptions, is under contract next season for a relative pittance ($1.74MM-plus). He’s also controllable for 2018 by way of a fifth-year option, but it’s likely his employer – whether it’s the Bears or another team – will decline to exercise it by next spring’s deadline.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/16
The latest practice squad changes from around the NFL:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Cornelius Edison (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Kendrick Ings
Bears Promote Bralon Addison
- The Bears announced that they’ve promoted wide receiver Bralon Addison to the active roster and waived offensive lineman Cornelius Edison.
2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 15
With just two weeks to go, the NFL playoff picture is starting to get clearer. The Cowboys, Seahawks, Patriots, and Raiders have already punched their playoff tickets while the Chiefs, Steelers, Falcons, and Giants are considered near locks by the forecasts at Five Thirty Eight.
Here’s a look at where the draft order stands for the teams not currently slated to make the cut (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
1. Browns 0-14
2. 49ers 1-13
3. Jaguars 2-12
4. Bears 3-11
5. Jets 4-10
6. Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-10
7. Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-9
8. Chargers 5-9
9. Cardinals 5-8-1
10. Bengals 5-8-1
11. Panthers 6-8
12. Saints 6-8
13. Bills 7-7
14. Colts 7-7
15. Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-7
16. Redskins 7-6-1
17. Titans 8-6
17. Ravens 8-6 (Note: The Titans and Ravens are currently knotted up in terms of both record and strength of schedule. In all statistical likelihood, the SOS logjam will be broken by the end of the season.)
19. Texans 8-6
20. Buccaneers 8-6
Bears Audition Nine
- The Bears worked out a slew of players on Monday, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links). Chicago met with the following players today: defensive ends Jeoffrey Pagan and Mike Rose; linebackers Taiwan Jones and Frank Beltre; and defensive backs V’Angelo Bentley, Forrest Hightower, Dwayne Hollis, Rashaad Reynolds, and Mitchell White.
Bears Place Eddie Royal On IR
Eddie Royal‘s offseason has started about two weeks early. The wide receiver is being placed on injured reserve with a toe injury, coach John Fox told reporters (including Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune, via Twitter). 
Royal, 30, appeared in nine games this season for the Bears and had 33 catches for 369 yards and two touchdowns. It is possible that he has played his last game in Chicago. The Bears can save $5MM in 2017 and incur no dead money by cutting the veteran. Royal first made a name for himself in Denver where he caught passes from Jay Cutler in the 2008 season. Now, the duo may exit Chicago together as the Bears look to rebuild.
Royal is the second wide receiver to go down for Chicago in recent days. Over the weekend, Marquess Wilson was placed on IR with a foot fracture.
Bears Place WR Marquess Wilson On IR
The Bears announced that they are placing wide receiver Marquess Wilson on injured reserve. The move will open up a spot for Alshon Jeffery, who is returning from his four-game performance enhancing drugs suspension. 
Wilson was activated off of the physically unable to perform list in mid-November. Since then, he has recorded nine receptions in three games. On Friday, he fractured his left foot for the third time in his career. Now slated to hit the open market in March, this could mark the end of Wilson’s tenure in Chicago. In 2015, Wilson had a career-high 464 yards off of 28 catches with a touchdown in eleven games.
Jeffery, of course, is also scheduled to hit the open market. He was already in the midst of a so-so year when he was slapped with a suspension for PEDs last month. These last three games might not mean much for the Bears, but they could have a big impact on Jeffery’s future. If he doesn’t finish the year strong, he won’t have a chance of approaching the deals given to star wide receivers like Julio Jones, Demaryius Thomas, and Dez Bryant.