This Bears free agent addition has most upside
This Bears free agent addition has most upside
The Chicago Bears made some impactful moves during free agency, including shoring up the trenches on offense and defense.
Chicago overhauled the entire interior offensive line (with Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson) and added pieces to the defensive line (with Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo). While all five are expected to be impactful contributors in 2025, which free-agent addition has the most upside.
According to Pro Football Focus, Odeyingbo has the most upside for the Bears, noting he's a young, ascending player who could be primed for a breakout.
The 25-year-old Odeyingbo was labeled as one of the most promising edge defenders in this free-agent class, having steadily improved his pressure-generating skill set on larger workloads over his Colts career.
PFF had him pegged to earn $17.5 million per year on his new deal, but the Bears secured him for $16 million. Odeyingbo will join Montez Sweat on a defensive line that now also includes Grady Jarrett, meaning pressure is liable to come from all spots.
Odeyingbo has started just 19 games in his four-year career, where he's totaled 16.5 sacks. But head coach Ben Johnson previously spoke about Odeyingbo's ability to play in different alignments that made him an attractive addition to Dennis Allen's defense.
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Bears minicamp observations: Fun day at Halas Hall will fuel Ben Johnson's trick plays
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — One of the highlights from the third and final day of the Chicago Bears' mandatory minicamp was backup quarterback Case Keenum making a behind-the-back catch with two hands. It came after quarterback Caleb Williams caught a deep pass from receiver Devin Duvernay (who first made a catch on a throw from backup QB Tyson Bagent) and raced into the end zone where he screamed and celebrated. Advertisement It was a fun day at Halas Hall. Offensive linemen and quarterbacks caught passes during that one period in practice, while receivers, running backs and tight ends threw them. 'Yeah, I let those guys know, we only do this once a year, and it's an evaluation and we'll circle back in training camp and in the season to see who we can trust to catch the ball or throw the ball,' Johnson said Thursday. 'I think there's a couple guys on the (offensive) line that stood out. And then Case Keenum might have made the catch of the day, you know, behind the back about 50 yards down the field. So I think we've got some toys to work with.' 🚨 O-Linemen running routes 🚨 — Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 5, 2025 This is the Ben Johnson way. He's serious about the details but also about adding trick plays to his playbook. The fun and games from Thursday could be considered the starting point for the latter. Did Johnson see the one-handed catch that right tackle Darnell Wright made? 'Oh, I did,' he said, smiling. 'I did. I did.' Johnson was asked on Wednesday if any players stood out to him during minicamp. He asked for a day to consider the players. On Thursday, he provided his answer: defensive end Dominique Robinson, rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, tight end Joel Wilson and rookie running back Kyle Monangai. Robinson, inactive for most of last season, spent most of minicamp playing with the defensive starters opposite Montez Sweat, with Dayo Odeyingbo sitting out. 'Even without the pads on, (Robinson's) done a great job of consistently speed-rushing up the field or countering back to the inside,' Johnson said. 'He's done a really nice job there. And of course he's got some special teams value that he takes a lot of pride in as well.' Advertisement Hyppolite's opportunities increased with T.J. Edwards dealing with a soft-tissue injury. Johnson described him as 'the player we probably saw the most improvement from when he stepped in to now.' Hyppolite, the Bears' fourth-round pick this year, played with the starters as the weakside linebacker. He's also competing with Noah Sewell on the strong side 'There's a lot of moving parts there at linebacker play,' Johnson said. 'They're keying and diagnosing a few different deals, and just with (defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's) scheme, the match mentality that we like to play a lot of our coverages with, things change quickly. He's done a great job adjusting to that speed as we've gone through, and that's going to have to show up once we do get the pads on. But I think he's been improving every single day, and really, we're hoping that course continues.' Wilson, who initially joined the Bears' practice squad last October, caught a touchdown pass from Keenum during a situational period on Thursday. Johnson said he's made plays like that throughout the offseason program. Wilson went undrafted out of Central Michigan in 2023 before stints with the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. 'He's got a little savvy in how he moves,' Johnson said. 'He's got a nice route feel about him. The test will really be when we get going in camp, how he holds up in the run game and the pass pro game. But so far in the running route section of tight end play, I think he's stood out in a positive light.' Johnson said that Monangai, the Bears' final draft selection this year, has 'really stepped up' during minicamp. That included catching a touchdown pass from Williams during a situational drill on Wednesday. 'I appreciate the attention to detail and the pride he takes and how quickly he's picking things up,' Johnson said of Monangai. Advertisement Johnson has continued to quiz his quarterbacks on play calls. Quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett provides the play, and the quarterbacks have to repeat it and then go through its operation until they get it correct. Each quarterback gets three plays in a row. 'It's been intense,' Bagent said. 'At the beginning, when he was doing those quizzes, it was just kind of like putting somebody in a corner and pinning them there because we didn't really know what any of these words meant. So just trying to put together a play call when you don't really know what each word means is kind of hard. 'But I think that just that act in itself was like, at least for me … when I would go home, I would go straight into my iPad and try to figure all that (expletive) out. So I think it served wonders for the quarterback room going down the line, just what the expectation is of having to be on top of your (expletive) every day that you walk into the building, so I thought it was great.' Two years ago, Bagent was a rookie who beat out veteran P.J. Walker to be the Bears' No. 2 quarterback behind Justin Fields. But this year, it's apparent that he's fighting to maintain that spot against Keenum. 'Just compete my ass off and try to put myself in the best position possible, and I'm sure everybody in that room and in the building will do the same,' Bagent said. Keenum, though, has also turned into a great resource for Bagent, who shared a story from the first NFL game he attended: The Giants' 41-35 win in overtime over Washington on Dec. 22, 2019. Keenum led a 14-play, 99-yard scoring drive for Washington that day to force overtime. 'I'm about five rows up behind the end zone and they're backed up on their own 1,' Bagent said, recalling how Keenum nearly stepped out of bounds before one of his best completions. 'And just the angle and the drive that followed was something that I didn't forget.' Advertisement Bagent brought that game up to Keenum the moment he met him. 'What a guy,' Bagent said. 'What he brings to the room, really just an encyclopedia of information. Just somebody that's been in every role that a quarterback could possibly be in in the NFL, and I've just been trying to take advantage of that. … He's been great with answering every question that really everybody in the room has so far.' Rookie tight end Colston Loveland could be getting closer to returning after shoulder surgery. He was spotted in uniform, accompanying staff members to other practice fields at Halas Hall while the rest of the team practiced on Fields 1 and 2. 'I just knew the springtime here, he wasn't going to be available,' Johnson said, 'and at some point here in camp, we should get the green light.' (Top photo of Darnell Wright, left, and Jonah Jackson: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
David Greising: The conversation about new sports stadiums in Chicago just got simpler
What an unusual and pleasant surprise it was to wake up Tuesday and learn that Joe Mansueto, owner of the Chicago Fire soccer team, has committed to build a new stadium at The 78. There was no begging or badgering for billions in public funds. No threats to move the franchise to Nashville, Tennessee, or Tampa, Florida, or some other city desperate to lure a migratory sports team. No hand-wringing over downtown versus suburban stadium sites. No demand that the public pay up, for the benefit of the wealthy sports team owner. None of that came from Mansueto. Instead, the Calumet City native and billionaire founder of the Morningstar research and financial services firm simply published a notice in local newspapers. Mansueto's full-page advertisement gracefully broke the news, stirring the spirits of a city that's bone tired of sports team owners asking taxpayers to lay out billions so the owners can get even richer. Mansueto's low-key move is simple: He'll plunk down $650 million to build a 22,000-seat soccer venue in time to open the 2028 MLS season. And the knock-on effect is that the civic conversation about what government owes to sports owners who want to move their teams just got a lot simpler. When asked by those owners, a firm 'no' from city and state is definitely an option. The burden of proof for any kind of need should firmly lie with the owners; the public figures who give anything away should make a detailed and persuasive financial case to the public, and we hold elected officials accountable for any concessions they do make. The Halas-McCaskey family, owners of the Chicago Bears, and Jerry Reinsdorf, lead owner of the White Sox, both have banked on public funding to help them build new stadiums. Reinsdorf on Thursday revealed he has agreed to sell the White Sox to investor Justin Ishbia beginning in 2029 — with capital infusions to come from Ishbia during the intervening years. Chances weren't good for either team even before the Fire announcement. Gov. JB Pritzker, in particular, has been steadfast in his refusal to help the Bears or the White Sox build new playgrounds for their teams. He allowed staff to meet with the Bears toward the spring legislative session, but nothing so far has come of what appeared to be a courteous gesture on the governor's part. Reinsdorf reportedly was prepared to seek $1 billion in taxpayer backing early this year to help move the White Sox from Rate Field to The 78. He may yet try to make The 78 site work for his ballclub. Never mind that taxpayers, through the good offices of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA), have paid off only about one-third of the $150 million in bonds sold in 1989 to build The Rate so Reinsdorf's team could play there. Ishbia's commitment to make investments is welcome news for taxpayers, in that Reinsdorf's case for government support just got weaker as a result. The Bears had hoped to persuade Pritzker to kick in as much as $2.4 billion in taxpayer money to build a new stadium south of Soldier Field. When that went nowhere, they switched to Arlington Heights, claiming they could build there without direct taxpayer support. But watch that space: An ask is coming; we just know it in our bones. Already, the Bears have wrangled tax breaks from Arlington Heights and local school districts. Editorial: Soccer-loving Joe Mansueto comes through for Chicago and its FireAnd if the Bears do leave Soldier Field any time soon, taxpayers will be on the hook for their vacated but recently remodeled home. ISFA still owes more than $400 million from the remodeling of Soldier Field — a project so tasteless that Soldier Field lost its national landmark status as a result. Mansueto is not the only area billionaire funding a new stadium from his own bank account. Up in Evanston, Northwestern University is building a new $850 million football stadium, courtesy of a contribution by billionaire alumni Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan. What's the difference between Mansueto and the Ryans on the one hand and Reinsdorf and the Halas-McCaskey families on the other? Unlike Mansueto and Ryan, it's altogether possible that the Halas-McCaskeys and Reinsdorf simply cannot cover the cost of the new stadiums they covet. And both owners understandably believe their teams need new arenas in order to compete in their leagues, given the stadium-building boom that has beset professional sports. There are options available that would enable both ownership groups to build new stadiums, maintain control of their teams and proceed without drawing from public funds. The Bears franchise last year was valued at $6.4 billion by Forbes magazine — nearly double the estimated value in 2020. The White Sox are worth more than $2 billion, according to Forbes. Private equity firms are eager to buy minority stakes in sports teams. Nearly half of all MLB teams already have sold ownership shares to private-equity investors, and Reinsdorf just joined the group with the planned capital infusions and eventual sale to Ishbia, a private equity investor. The NFL last year began allowing private-equity investments for the first time. This opened up a new source of capital for owners and helped turbocharge an unprecedented boom in franchise valuations. Reinsdorf's deal with Ishbia shows one way this can be done: But Halas-McCaskeys please note: An outright sale isn't necessary; a significant capital infusion can happen without requiring a change of control. Selling chunks of the franchises could raise the capital the Bears and Sox owners want in order to help them afford new ballparks. Ryan already owns nearly 20% of the Bears and is considered likely to want a bigger stake. The owners also could borrow against the value of their franchises. This would affect their cash flow, true, but also could enable the owners to avoid diluting their ownership stake. Holding onto equity is particularly important in the NFL, where franchise valuations have increased at double-digit rates over the last five years. Finally, the Bears just might qualify for public support if they would open their minds to the possibility of building a stadium at the former Michael Reese Hospital site. Public incentives would be defensible, given the economic impact that would result from a major investment on the outskirts of Bronzeville. But the Bears just don't want to go there — which is their right, so long as they keep their paws out of the public till. David Greising is president and CEO of the Better Government Association.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong 'lit the world on fire' as Chicago tops NL standings
Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong 'lit the world on fire' as Chicago tops NL standings Show Caption Hide Caption Watch baseball player's emotional reaction to surprise MLB promotion During a minor league baseball game in Tacoma, Washington, Cole Young was pulled aside and informed he'd been called up to play in the big leagues. WASHINGTON – This is a Chicago Cubs team like no other. There's no curse to bust, and besides, it's been nearly a decade since the star-studded 2016 edition captured the franchise's first World Series since 1908. Nor are there glaring holes ranging from laughable to mystifying, as so many Cub clubs before '16 embodied the former, and the oft penny-pinching editions since featured the latter. No, the team with the best record in the National League is, by both design and happenstance, solid and spectacular. Solid, as in it does many of the obscure yet crucial things so well, such as catching the ball, running the bases, making contact and limiting damage. As for the spectacular? That's what Pete Crow-Armstrong provides. The most valuable player in the National League, by whichever flavor of WAR you prefer, has won games – stolen them, at times – with every one of baseball's five tools, sometimes in stunning succession. The Cubs left Washington late Thursday night for Detroit, with a series win in hand and a PCA play of the day for every Cubbie diehard that came out to Nationals Park. One night, it was not his speed but rather the threat of it that froze a Washington defender and resulted in a game-changing misplay as he danced off third. The next, it was a gap-to-gap sprint and crash into the left field wall to haul in a fly ball and keep intact a perfect game by lefty starter Matthew Boyd. And Thursday, it was simply turning on a hanging curveball and drilling it 412 feet over the center field wall for a first-inning, two-run home run that sent the Cubs victoriously on their way out of town. With his ability to apply a dash of slug or a drop of speed right when the Cubs need it, Crow-Armstrong is as much an artist on the field as his parents – both successful actors – are in their work. And in the context of his ballclub, Crow-Armstrong is part of a breathtaking mosaic the Cubs, now 39-23, have commissioned. 'It's funny because you hear it all the time: 'This team plays the game the right way.' So many times, people have a hard time being able to define what that means,' Dansby Swanson, now in his third year as the Cubs' shortstop, tells USA TODAY Sports. 'I feel like we just have a lot of good baseball players. 'And when you put a lot of good baseball players on a team together that have a hunger and drive to do things for more than themselves, it leads to good team baseball. Everyone's accountable for themselves. Guys are accountable with one another. We have good relationships with each other. We hang out toger, do things together, really cherish being in this room together. 'All those things, put into one, turn out to truly lead to good results on the field.' It's a club that is by turns sexy and workmanlike. Acquiring slugger Kyle Tucker – who can become a free agent after this season – in a blockbuster deal with the Houston Astros gave the Cubs one of the top five all-around players in the game, and his slugging ability has both lengthened the lineup and relieved the burden on those hitting around him. As the season creeps toward the halfway point, Crow-Armstrong's 16 homers and 21 steals put him on track for a 40-40 season. And any feat of athleticism – from a guy whose speed ranks in the 97th percentile of the majors - can inspire Cubs faithful to send a 'P-C-A!' chant echoing through Wrigleyville. Yet almost every other facet is simply part of a well-rounded hardball diet. They rank third in the majors in stolen bases and second with an 84.4% success rate; they're also third in the NL in bases taken – or, advancing on grounders, fly balls and balls in the dirt. Crow-Armstrong and second baseman Nico Hoerner rank first and second, respectively, at their positions in Outs Above Average; left fielder Ian Happ, Swanson, Tucker and Hoerner boast seven career Gold Gloves among them. And in what can only be described as sleight of hand in this modern hitting environment, the Cubs rank fourth in the majors with a .443 slugging percentage – yet just 22nd in strikeouts, getting to significant punch without the punchouts. It's a gently suffocating style of baseball, where an extra ball in play creates an extra out, an extra base taken produces another run, and then somebody runs into one and sends it over the ivy. 'We do all the major things well,' says Justin Turner, the Cubs' 40-year-old designated hitter and veteran of nine playoff teams in Los Angeles, 'but the little intangibles are, I think, even more off the charts. It's elite defense, especially up the middle. It's one of the best baserunning teams I've been on, as far as stealing bases, taking extra bases, putting pressure on the defense. 'And I feel like the offense is one of the more dynamic ones I've been a part of – whether that's hitting homers, playing small ball, situational hitting, stealing bases. It doesn't mean it's gonna happen every night. But it's a very well-rounded club.' Yet win or lose, the Cubs can count on something spectacular happening from No. 4. 'He's gonna be the next big thing' Crow-Armstrong cuts a unique figure among the finely-tuned behemoths populating a big league clubhouse. Listed at 6 feet and 184 pounds, his frame doesn't suggest a 40-homer guy will soon emerge. Clad in a ski cap, sweatpants and a shin protector even as the pregame temperature nudges north of 80 degrees, he looks more the SoCal native headed to the skate park rather than the indoor batting cage. Yet something happens when he hits the diamond. 'Everybody kind of knew, 'Oh, it's Pete, he's gonna be the next big thing.' And now you see it coming to fruition,' says Cubs rookie left-hander Cade Horton, who frequently crossed paths with Crow-Armstrong on the youth showcase circuit in high school. 'He's just the ultimate competitor and has all the tools. 'It was a combination of the athletic ability and his fiery competitiveness. When you put those two things together, it's a recipe for something good. Just watching him compete was really, really special.' Success did not come overnight. The New York Mets drafted him 19th overall in 2020, then flipped him for Javy Baez. At 21, he made a 13-game debut in 2023, then produced just a .237 average and .286 OBP in 123 games last season. But defense will always keep you up. Crow-Armstrong produced 2.3 WAR last season despite his offensive struggles. And then, sometimes it all comes together. 'I think we unfairly put things on players at a young age nowadays, whether it's just hype, the affinity for prospects and what's next and what's new, and it heightens expectations at a young age,' says Swanson. 'The coolest thing is, usually in that third taste, that third year, you expect guys to really kind of come into their own and he's obviously done that. I'm not surprised by anything he does. 'He's a phenomenally gifted talent, he's super competitive, he's very passionate, very, in a good way, hard on himself about wanting to be great at this game. Asks the right questions. 'I say this with a smirk on my face: Everything he does I expect him to do. I always believed in his ability and I'll never let him settle for anything less than that. He's lit the world on fire.' And Pete feats can emerge when you least expect them. Tuesday night, the Cubs fell in a 3-1 hole by the fourth inning when Crow-Armstrong led off with a hustle double to right field and promptly stole third base. The next ball was chopped to third and Armstrong danced off about 20 feet, prompting third baseman Jose Tena to look him back to third. Yet Armstrong didn't budge. Tena ran toward him. Everybody's safe. A single and a sacrifice fly later, the game was tied and an inning later, firmly in hand for the Cubs. 'His speed is something everybody on the field knows about it. You have to respect it. And speed causes mistakes,' says manager Craig Counsell. For Armstrong, the exploits come with a firmer base, literally and figuratively. He credits his power surge to using the ground better, as he says, to exploit his lower half. And he entered spring convicted, secure in his job, and that's made all the difference. 'I just came in with a lot more comfort and confidence in myself, really, but I think the coolest part about that is what's been asked of me hasn't really changed,' says Crow-Armstrong. 'No one's asked me to hit the homers and do all this stuff. But the freedom I've been granted, the space to go play every day, I think that's why we're seeing that. 'My goal, and my job and what is asked of me is still just to go play a good center field.' 'How could you not want that?' And yet the Cubs have received so much more. But their current heater – they're now a majors-best 17-6 since May 10 – is so much about everybody doing their part. With All-Star lefty Shota Imanaga sidelined by a hamstring injury at least a couple more weeks, the club has relied on Horton's emergence, Jameson Taillon's veteran steadiness and the signing of Drew Pomeranz to largely serve as an opener to shore up the rotation. The bullpen has posted a 0.74 ERA over its past 19 games. And the holdovers, Happ and Hoerner, now have a powerful core to illuminate their contributions, such as Hoerner's absurd 18 strikeouts in 247 plate appearances, a 7.3% strikeout percentage that ranks in the 99th percentile. The lineup all coalesces around Tucker, who has lived up to the billing with a .917 OPS. As for 2026, not much needs to be said in the clubhouse about whether the lads want to see Tucker's name on a nine-figure contract with the Cubs. 'I think it kind of speaks for itself, right? We all know what he brings to this team,' says Swanson, who calls Tucker 'an aircraft carrier of a guy in the lineup. 'He's so good. How could you not want that?' That's a problem for, most likely, the winter. For now, the Cubs are off to Detroit and a date with the American League-best Tigers and a possible preview of, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Bigger things could be ahead, especially for a club so skilled in taking care of the littler ones. 'The culmination of all those things has consistently led to where we're at now,' says Swanson, 'and it's been fun to be a part of.'
