Yes, the Bears may not possess a first- or second-round pick in this year’s draft, but this doesn’t not mean they can’t find some talent in the later rounds.

It’s not as if every NFL squad consists of players from the first and second round. Heck, using recent history as a guide, the Bears have found more keepers in the later rounds, anyway.

For those wondering where the offensive linemen or DBs are coming from — both positions the Bears could stand to improve upon, and ones they have yet to shore up in free agency — Jeff Dickerson has a nice little list of guys the Bears may be keeping tabs on during the upcoming pro days: Robert Johnson, FS, Utah; Rodger Saffold, OT, Indiana (IU represent!); Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama; Larry Asante, SS, Nebraska; Marshall Newhouse, OG, TCU.

Some of these bros — including Saffold and Jackson — may not make it out of the second round. But if they do, the Bears could pounce.

Missing from this list? A wide receiver. The Bears continue to say they think they can develop the young corps of Johnny Knox, Devin Aromashodu and Devin Hester, and it’s probably unlikely the Bears can get an impact guy in the draft if they’re not picking till the third round regardless.

Yet, it remains to be seen if this young trio will blossom or not next season, and whether a true, go-to No. 1 will emerge.

You are Julius Peppers. You’ve just inked a six-year, $91.5 million deal with the Chicago Bears.

So what do you do? You live it up. Of course you live it up. Poppin’ bottles, son.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Julius Peppers didn’t need to buy drinks for club patrons at Crescendo to win over his new town — but it didn’t hurt.

The new Bears defensive end purchased 25 bottles of Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne ($350 per bottle) at the River North club and had them distributed by staff around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday — complete with sparklers. The crowd was told it was Peppers’ way of saying thanks for the warm welcome.

I just used Google.com to figure out what 25 x $350 is, and it told me it’s $8,750 — which is .009 percent of his $91 million salary.

So. You know. Chump change.

One must hand it to the Bears: after this past season’s disappointing campaign, they’re going out and spending in an effort to improve the team.

A look at the three guys who are expected to be officially announced as members of the team later today.

Chester Taylor

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Taylor has agreed to a four-year, $12.5 million deal with the Bears. Fans may have wanted a receiver more, but it’s clear Taylor is a talented back. Watch a Vikings game when Taylor comes in on third down, and the announcers calling the game, after Taylor rips off a nice run, will undoubtedly say “Chester Taylor would be a starting back on almost any other team in football, it’s just that he’s got the best back in Adrian Peterson already on his team.”

With Taylor, the Bears will now have some nice balance in the backfield. It remains to be seen if Forte can ever become a true impact running back, but a combination of Taylor — who’s more explosive than Forte — and Forte — who’s a good receiving back — gives the Bears some nice options.

Julius Peppers

If we’re talking athletic impact defensive ends, Peppers is right up there in the league’s elite, and has recorded double-digit sacks in all but two of his eight NFL seasons. He brings a new element to the Bears defense, as he’s a guy teams may double on the line here and there, freeing up others on defense.

Yet, he comes with a ridiculous price tag, as Schefter tweets the deal will pay him around $40 million the first three years. Yikes.

He’s 30 years old and has eight seasons under his belt. He’s not getting any younger. Was this too high a price to pay?

Brandon Manumaleuna

Manumaleuna doesn’t have much offensive value as a tight end — he only had five receptions for 13 yards and 0 TDs in 2009.

But, the thinking is that he’s being brought to Chicago because he’s a good blocking TE, a key component of Mike Martz’s offense. It appears as if Greg Olsen will likely remain a Bear, but Desmond Clark’s future is now murky.

See:

OK. Well. This was actually from yesterday. And it’s fixed now.

BUT. Lovie Smith did fly to Charlotte, S.C., yesterday and showed up to greet Peppers at 11:01 CT — a minute after the free agency period started. Because this is how desperate the Bears are to land a defensive end, I guess?

Smith is going to escort Pepper and his agent back to Chicago today, and the hope presumably is that Peppers will agree to terms with the Bears. And they will probably give him more than he’s worth, and he will probably not play as well as he did last season in his contract year.

This is just how these things go, no?

HT: Zaidman/FLS

Neil Hayes of the Sun-Times:

Angelo worries that bringing in a veteran will hinder the development of Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett, Devin Aromashodu and Juaquin Iglesias. But the addition of a proven playmaker, such as Brandon Marshall, could put the unit — and the offense — over the top.

Rumors persist that Angelo’s comments about wide receiver not being a ”need” position are a smoke screen. It’s all about giving quarterback Jay Cutler what he needs to thrive, which is why one NFL source wagered a steak dinner on Marshall being in a Bears uniform when camp opens.

Ohhh, a steak dinner? I hope it’s from Morton’s.

But, for realzies: This sounds good, insomuch as Marshall is a legit receiver, something the Bears haven’t had since before Al Gore invented the Internet. And they already brought over one hothead from Denver; why not bring another?

But there’s a difference between wanting something and actually being able to have it. The Bears have no high draft picks this year to give in return, and it may take a first-rounder to pry him out of Denver, the level at which he was tendered. I suppose maybe Greg Olsen could be tossed into the mix.

But beyond not really having the best package to give in return, there are plenty of other teams that could trade for him, such as the Browns, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Rams, Cardinals,Cowboys, Patriots, Bengals, Seahawks, Redskins and Ravens.

What? Don’t look at me that way. Those are all the teams that have a legitimate need for a receiver or may have interest in Marshall, according to a scan of the chatter compiled by NFL Rumor Central ($).

And as Bill Williamson writes, the Seahawks have players to trade and Marshall would like to reunite with Jeremy Bates, who’s now the offensive coordinator there as he came along with Pete Carrol from USC. So, for now, they seem to make the most sense.

Wait, weren’t the Bears supposed to land Bates? Sigh.

Yesterday, Peggy Kusinski of NBC Chicago reported this:

Friends of the Bears TE say he was not happy about the hiring of offensive coordinator Mike Martz and quietly sent his agent Drew Rosenhaus into “trade request” mode. Now it appears the Bears may have some takers in the Arizona Cardinals or New England Patriots.

But.

Sean Jensen of the Sun-Times reported this later in the day:

The Bears are not actively shopping Olsen, although that could change if another club makes an overwhelming offer.

The source tells me that Martz is still trying to get a handle on the Bears offensive players, and he hasn’t had time to get his arms around how he will utilize them.

Olsen obviously has heard all the talk about how tight ends have been used in Martz’s offense. But, Martz also has never had a tight end with Olsen’s athleticism …

I just don’t know what to believe, y’all.

Some pros:

1) The Bears could receive a second-round draft pick in return. They currently don’t have a first- or a second-round draft pick, because this is the price they paid for Jay Cutler. The Patriots have multiple second-round picks in their pocket, and the team is expected to let current tight end Ben Watson go into free agency. This could be a possible swapping partner.

There is some risk, because Olsen has at least shown he can play in the league, while a second-round draft pick hasn’t proven that yet.

But an offensive lineman or receiver in the draft may be of more worth to the Bears at this current juncture.

2) Desmond Clark is a better blocking tight end than Olsen, and while Olsen has more offensive upside, Clark isn’t some massive step down. Brad Biggs reported earlier this week that the Bears have interest in free agent Brandon Manumaleuna, who’s the best blocking TE available. So add him along with Kellen Davis, and the Bears would be back up to three tight ends, ones that might ultimately fit better into Martz’s system.

Keep reading →

It’s that time of year again, kids. It’s the NFL Combine, where cone drills, verticals and agility drills rule the day.

Oh, and of course, there’s Rich Eisen attempt at the 40.

It’s no so much that Eisen has done it the last few years in a suit that makes it so fun.

It’s when they start superimposing actual combines participants over Eisen’s run and you see how woeful he looks compared to these NFL-ready talents (both small and speedy and big and meaty) — that’s what really makes this thing hum.

Please do enjoy:

HT: SB Nation.