The Free Agency Thread

[Bulldog]

The fact no one has stepped up and offered the Bears a high pick for Fields I think is evidence that there is considerable doubt about his ability to be find a consistent top 10-15 quarterback in the NFL.

Of course he looked great against the Commanders. So go figure

 

[DieselPwr44]

 

[burgold]

Oof. A sixth. They were willing to trade him for a ham sandwich.

 

[DieselPwr44]

Oof. A sixth. They were willing to trade him for a ham sandwich.

Ryan Poles ought to be beat with a switch for the way he devalued Fields. Totally botched the situation.

 

[burgold]

Agreed. Unless Fields was a total malcontent that would blow up the team I'd rather keep him as a transition QB and risk getting nothing than lose him for a sixth. Heck, if Fields started the first few games and did well before the draft pick was ready then the Bears are likely to get more out of a compensatory pick (if you get those for when teams sign away your rookies)

In any case, I'd have to imagine that Fields was worth more this year on the roster than they are likely to get out of a sixth rounder in the future.

 

[Neophyte]

So technically, by trade chart value, we got more for Sam Howell (a 5th-round choice) than the Bears got for Fields (the 11th pick overall) and more than the Pats got for Mac Jones (the 15th pick overall).

That either says something lousy about Fields and Jones, or really good about Sam.

 

[burgold]

and I still contend we undersold Howell. I would have wanted more to let him go. Still, the Bears did a YIKES.

 

[Chris]

I think that the contract status played heavily into the trade compensation for both Mac Jones and Justin Fields, both are a year away now from having their 5th year option exercised or becoming UFAs.

Sam Howell has 2 years of a cheap QB contract remaining.

 

[Chris]

The 5th year option clause that I posted earlier today is incorrect. The option does travel with a traded player. Maybe it was changed in the new CBA.

Sorry about that. Doh.

 

[Chris]

Chicago would have to exercise the option before trading him, which would be a pretty dirty thing to do.

The 5th year option is a right that only the team that drafted the player has. Once a player is traded, the new team does not have any of the rights that the original team had, including the right to exercise the 5th year option. The 5th year option is a 1-year contract that is fully guaranteed for injury.

This is incorrect info. Please carry on without me. 😖

 

[Bulldog]

Pittsburgh did a nice dipsey-do.

They started with two backup quality players in Pickett and Rudolph and were able to jettison them and come up with Wilson and Fields for 2024 at cheap prices with the option of extending Fields if he shows out.

Now I am waiting for Poles to select JJ McCarthy at #1 overall to complete the opera 😅

 

[Chris]

 

[Boone]

Former 1st round draft pick (#30 in the 2020 draft by Dolphins).

5' 11" 197 lbs out of Auburn.

Played in 5 games for Dallas in 2023

 

[Boone]

From an article '5 Cowboys Who Have Played Their Last Game in Dallas' ...

1. Noah Igbinoghene, CB​

The Dallas Cowboys struck a trade at the end of the preseason with the Miami Dolphins to acquire former first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene, giving up on former second-round pick Kelvin Joseph in the process. The Cowboys obviously felt like they had all the help they would need atop the depth chart at cornerback, and that the former first-round pick out of Auburn would be a worthwhile dart throw in Dan Quinn's defense.

Up to this point, Igbinoghene has proven to be anything but a worthwhile endeavor for the Cowboys. He has appeared in just four games this season, and hasn't played since October 8. Even with the Trevon Diggs season-ending injury, Igbinoghene hasn't been able to get on the field.
He's likely to be one-and-done in Dallas.

Bleacher Report draft profile:

STRENGTHS

—Athletic, physical cornerback with a good frame at 5'10", 198 lbs with 4.48 speed.
—Tough, feisty cover man who will hang in hip pockets of receivers no matter the route.
—Click-and-close is easy for him; smooth, gliding runner who has burst and lateral agility.
—Poised and tough; a nice combination for a cornerback who can play in press coverage or off in zone but has a ton of experience at the line of scrimmage.
—Excellent tackler who comes downhill in the run game and makes splash hits.
—Considerable positional upside with only two seasons playing cornerback.


WEAKNESSES

—Only one interception in college raises questions about ball skills.
—Raw cornerback instincts and nuances; mostly a fast athlete running with receivers and playing physically.
—Needs to clean up his technique; can only hope his read-and-react time will speed up.
—Trusts his speed too much and often finds himself trailing in coverage.
—Handsy at the route stem and will struggle with pass interference calls if he doesn't fix it.


OVERALL

Igbinoghene isn't as polished as some of the cornerbacks ranked ahead of him, but he's an intriguing athlete with all of the tools to be a good pro. He can excel in a press-man scheme—something he did a ton of in college—and has shown the fight to be a dog at the line of scrimmage and down the field in coverage. Expect him to work his way into a starting job quickly.


GRADE: 85

PRO COMPARISON: Desmond Trufant/Byron Murphy

 

[Primus Porcus]

can't imagine he's a total waste of space if Quinn brought him in after they traded for him last year.

 

[Boone]

Thing that caught my eye was just 2 years playing CB in college and he's taken in the 1st round. There's got to be some serious talent there to work with.

 

[Chris]

😐

 

[Primus Porcus]

this smells to me like he's a back half of the depth chart signing

 

[Boone]

Probably - but you never know. He's got as great a chance as Forbes does of turning into something, and at least we aren't gambling a 1st round pick on him to find out

 

[Bulldog]

Yep, his physical skills and aggressiveness seem to translate well to a role on special teams on the outside.