Bears Sign Entire Draft Class
This afternoon, the Bears formally announced the signing of third-round defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard. With Bullard under contract, the Bears have now signed their entire 2016 draft class. 
[RELATED: Bears Sign Offensive Lineman Nate Chandler]
Bullard, who came out of the University of Florida, racked up 12 sacks and 33.5 tackles for a loss during his time in college. Bullard moved all around the defensive line for the Gators, but the Bears have indicated that they’ll use him as a bookend. Heading into the draft, Bullard had widespread interest from teams and, according to one report, he was in consideration for at least one first-round team.
The Bears did not have to draft Bullard in the first round to snag him, however. Instead, they moved up from No. 11 overall to No. 9 to select Georgia edge rusher Leonard Floyd. The 6-foot-4, 231-pounder was a dominant performer during his three-year tenure at Georgia, where he played both outside linebacker and defensive end, racking up 17 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss.
Here’s a full rundown of all the players in the Bears’ 2016 draft class, all of whom are under contract:
- 1-9: Leonard Floyd, OLB (Georgia)
- 2-56: Cody Whitehair, G (Kansas State)
- 3-72: Jonathan Bullard, DE (Florida)
- 4-113: Nick Kwiatkoski, LB (West Virginia)
- 4-124: Deon Bush, DB (Miami)
- 4-127: Deiondre’ Hall, DB (Northern Iowa)
- 5-150: Jordan Howard, RB (Indiana)
- 6-185: DeAndre Houston-Carson, S (William & Mary)
- 7-230: Daniel Braverman, WR (Western Michigan)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Opinion: Bears Who Need To Step Up in 2016
- The Bears are in the midst of a major transition, and only 21 players on the current roster predate the arrival of GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox, who were hired in January 2015. Rich Campbell of The Chicago Tribune looks at six players who must elevate their performance in the second year of the Pace/Fox era, including safety Adrian Amos, last year’s fifth-round pick who will be asked to play in the box more often than he did in his rookie campaign to take advantage of his tackling ability while masking his weaknesses in coverage.
Nate Chandler To Sign With Bears
Despite having his free agency largely nullified by a severe knee injury, Nate Chandler found two NFC North suitors this week. After making a visit to Detroit on Wednesday, the UFA tackle decided to sign with the Bears, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
The Bears brought Jake Long in for a visit this morning but have opted to give that roster spot to Chandler, Rapoport notes. This proves as an interesting maneuver considering Chandler had not generated much free agency attention after the Panthers released him before the start of the new league year.
After trying out for the Buccaneers in April, Chandler visited the Lions about becoming a possibly depth piece but soon received interest from the Bears despite having no previous connection to the team.
A day after his 27th birthday, Chandler will make arrangements to venture to his second franchise. The Panthers slotted him into their starting lineup in 19 games, with the former UDFA from UCLA seeing time at both tackle and guard during the 2013 and ’14 seasons, but a knee injury sustained midway through the 2014 campaign sidetracked his career. Carolina placed Chandler on IR last September and watched as its line helped Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart lead a cutting-edge ground attack during a 15-1 season that ended with an NFC championship.
With the Bears, Chandler will likely compete for a role behind projected starters Bobby Massie and Charles Leno. Chicago also added interior-line presences Manny Ramirez and Ted Larsen this offseason. Chandler could potentially add to this versatile group should he stay healthy.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Bears, Alshon Jeffery Unlikely To Ink New Deal This Summer
THURSDAY, 5:41pm: The fact that Jeffery’s chosen to train independently in Miami has helped dissuade the Bears from engaging in substantial long-term extension discussions, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report notes (video link). Although Jeffery and Jay Cutler have played together for four seasons, the second-year power structure of Ryan Pace and John Fox would prefer to see the fifth-year receiver working with the team in Chicago to develop a stronger rapport with the eighth-year Bears passer after being limited to nine games last season.
TUESDAY, 10:32am: Back in March, the Bears applied the ~$15MM franchise tag to Alshon Jeffery to keep him in Chicago for the 2016 season. At the time, it was widely expected that the two sides would shake hands on a new multi-year deal before the start of the 2016 season. Apparently, that is not going to be the case. There are no indications that the Bears will push to get a long-term deal solidified for Jeffery this summer, league sources tell Dan Wiederer and Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. At this point, it is a “near certainty” that he will play out this season under the franchise tender, Wiederer adds.
After averaging 87 receptions and 1,277 yards in 2013 and 2014, Jeffery was plagued by injuries in 2015, but he was excellent when healthy, averaging a career-high 89.7 yards per game. Now, the Bears want Jeffery to prove that he can stay healthy before they give him eight figures per season on a long-term pact. The wide receiver, predictably, wants his guaranteed cash now and is skipping OTAs to try and get his point across. Still, according to Campbell, the expectation is that Jeffery will be at the mandatory minicamp in mid-June and at training camp in late July.
One could argue that Jeffery would be better off playing out the 2016 season under the franchise tag anyway. After missing seven games in 2015, Jeffery could boost his leverage by turning in that same kind of output across a full 16-game season.
The Bears started to remodel their team last season but, despite some speculation to the contrary, the team did not shop Jeffery. This offseason, the Bears had no intention of letting him hit the open market. Had he been an unencumbered free agent, however, he would have ranked near the top of PFR’s Top 50 NFL Free Agents list. The wide receiver market this spring was headlined by the likes of Marvin Jones, Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Rueben Randle, Anquan Boldin, Jermaine Kearse, and Mohamed Sanu.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jake Long Working Out For Bears
Offensive tackle Jake Long is working out today for the Bears, according to a source who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). 
[RELATED: Bears DE Willie Young Hopes To Retire With Chicago]
Long, 31, spent the 2015 season with the Falcons after signing on midway through September. The former No. 1 overall pick was hoping to have a bounce-back season in Atlanta but he wound up only appearing in four games and he didn’t start in any of those contests. In the year prior, Long saw time in just seven games for the Rams last season due to a torn ACL. In the year before that, Long also tore his ACL in St. Louis.
In 2014, Long’s last season which could be measured by advanced metrics, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Long as just the No. 36 tackle out of 84 qualified players. In 2013, however, Long graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the league with a strong 22.5 overall score, based on PFF’s advanced metrics. Those numbers suggest that Long could still be a productive player if he can return to full health.
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NFC Notes: Bears, Rams, Saints
Bears edge rusher Willie Young acknowledged Wednesday that there have been contract extension talks between him and the team, saying (via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com), “Yeah, there has been some stuff mentioned here and there, but that’s something that will be left up to my agent so I don’t get caught in the middle of it.” As of earlier this month, Young was reportedly “50/50” on whether to accept a two-year offer from the Bears. Chicago is trying to keep the soon-to-be 31-year-old after he amassed a combined 16.5 sacks during his first two seasons in the Windy City, and he’s open to spending the rest of his career there. “I would like to finish my career up here in Chicago, but you know that’s not up to me; that’s up to my agent and management,” said Young, who will hit the open market next offseason if a deal isn’t reached by then.
More from the NFC:
- Free agent safeties Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner remain “in play” for the Rams, tweets Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News. If the Rams sign either, it won’t occur until after OTAs because the team wants to evaluate its in-house options, Bonsignore adds (Twitter link). Los Angeles hosted Whitner, a three-time Pro Bowler, in early April. Goldson, who has two Pro Bowl selections under his belt, met with the club earlier this month. PFR’s Dallas Robinson ranks Whitner as the best defensive free agent on the market.
- Fellow free agent safety Roman Harper could rejoin the Saints, per FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez (via Twitter). Harper, whom the Saints took in the second round of the 2006 draft, spent his first eight seasons in New Orleans before signing with the division-rival Panthers in 2014. The 33-year-old proved to have a fair amount left in the tank last season for the NFC champions, starting all 19 of their games (playoffs included) while grading 53rd out of 89 qualifying safeties at Pro Football Focus.
- Ex-Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who coached Harper in 2013, spoke negatively last week of his time on New Orleans’ staff. One of Ryan’s former pupils, now-Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, backed Ryan’s claim that the coordinator wasn’t running his own scheme during his final two years with the Saints. “Not to talk about New Orleans for the rest of this interview, but as a player in that system, you can see when power is taken away from a guy,” Hicks said Wednesday, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “It was evident in that situation and you saw what the turnout was because of it.” Hicks also praised Ryan as a person, stating, “I didn’t see the interview, but I do know this, I’ll forever and always have a lot of love for Rob Ryan, just because there’s nobody that’s going to shoot you straighter.”
Bears Waive Offensive Tackle
- The Bears have waived OT Tayo Fabuluje, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).
Bears Sign Leonard Floyd
SATURDAY, 10:05am: The Bears have officially announced the move via Twitter.
FRIDAY, 5:14pm: The Bears have signed their highest-profile draft pick, inking first-round edge rusher Leonard Floyd to a contract, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). With the former Georgia standout now signed, the only remaining player of the Bears’ 2016 class without a contract is third-round defensive end Jonathan Bullard, as noted by PFR’s draft tracker.
Floyd became a Bear after they moved up two spots in the draft for him. The club was set to pick 11th overall, but it surrendered a fourth-rounder to Tampa Bay to land the ninth selection and grab Floyd. The 6-foot-4, 231-pounder was a dominant performer during his three-year tenure at Georgia, where he played both outside linebacker and defensive end, racking up 17 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss. He’ll now serve as a prominent member of a Bears defense that also features the likes of Pernell McPhee, Willie Young and Lamarr Houston as pass-rushing threats.
The Bears’ four-year deal with Floyd will be worth in the $15.78MM range, including a signing bonus worth $9.68MM. It will also feature a fifth-year option for 2020.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears Sign Jarrett Grace
- The Bears announced that they have signed linebacker Jarrett Grace, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame. To make room, fellow linebacker Danny Mason has been placed on waivers.
Bears Will Use Running Back Committee
- In a recent mailbag, a reader asked Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com whether Bears running back Jeremy Langford can replace the production of Matt Forte, who left the team in free agency this spring. Forte leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage (12,718) since 2008, so obviously those are huge shoes to fill. Langford, luckily, won’t have to fill them on his own, as Chicago plans to use a committee — comprised of rookie Jordan Howard, third-year player Ka’Deem Carey, and Jacquizz Rodgers — in the backfield.