Ranking the Bears' 2019 free-agent signings

[Lake Shore Drive]

This is how Bearswire has the signings ranked:

Ranking the Bears' 2019 free-agent signings

My order would be:

5. Larsen
4. Skrine
3. Davis
2. Patterson
1. Dix

So it's pretty close to how Bearswire has them ranked. The main reason I don't have Patterson in front of Dix is because he won't see as many snaps on his side of the ball than will Ha Ha, who's tabbed as a starter. But I think his impact will be positively felt this season, including his KO returns.

 

[richig07]

Dix/Skrine are our most important signings as they're replacing two guys with huge roles last year and appear to be up to the task.

As far as who is the best or making an order of "the best"? A lot of that depends on value... how much bang we wind-up getting from them for the buck. All are cheap... so... not sure it's really even worth the trouble of trying to snuff through it.

 

[Nelly]

1. Clinton-Dix. Not even really close, IMO. He's a big value, 1st round talent, good player. For the price, this was a homerun signing.

2. Skrine. Nagy seems to really like him. Maybe he'll be a stud here with our D line and supporting talent around him. Nonetheless, he's got a big role to step into.

3. Davis. Could be wrong here depending on what happens with Howard but i'm assuming Howard gets dealt and Davis becomes a pretty important part of a RB rotation with Cohen and perhaps a rookie.

4. Patterson. I don't expect much beyond some good returns and special teams play.

5. Larsen. Yay?

 

[beardown07]

Well, if they deal Howard like dummies, than Davis should probably be at 2.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Well, if they deal Howard like dummies, than Davis should probably be at 2.

I was going on the assumption that Howard is staying. If he leaves, then Davis is definitely #2, even pushing for #1.

 

[BsGenius]

Davis is a nice pickup. He's better than Howard so we upgraded there.

We downgraded with Skrine.

Not a big fan of Patterson who is only good a KR and the kick return position has diminished significantly. He won't be doing any PR. So honestly i'm not sure why we picked this guy up at all.

Dix is a lateral movement. He's a better playmaker than Amos was but will make more mistakes. Amos IMO wasn't that good anyway. Dix will be significantly better than he was last year with the talent around him on this defense.

Biggest questionmark and concern is Chuck Pagano. I don't know much about this guy but have to assume he's a downgrade from Fangio.

Here's a bold nugget from the genius: Vic Fangio will fail as a HC. I said it.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Not a big fan of Patterson who is only good a KR and the kick return position has diminished significantly. He won't be doing any PR. So honestly i'm not sure why we picked this guy up at all.

Here's a bold nugget from the genius: Vic Fangio will fail as a HC. I said it.

I copied just those two opinions from you because they're the only ones on which I wish to comment. I disagree on Patterson. I agree that he's been overhyped and overrated in seasons past. But I really feel that he has found the right coach and offensive game planner in Nagy. I don't expect him to be directly involved in a ton of plays, but I do expect him to have a positive impact when he is utilized. His skillset is tailor-made for this offense.

Altho I think Fangio will do ok as a HC, I'm hoping as well that he fails. At his best, he's a DC, not head coaching material. Dener will likely be a force on defense, but their O will suck.

 

[BsGenius]

I copied just those two opinions from you because they're the only ones on which I wish to comment. I disagree on Patterson. I agree that he's been overhyped and overrated in seasons past. But I really feel that he has found the right coach and offensive game planner in Nagy. I don't expect him to be directly involved in a ton of plays, but I do expect him to have a positive impact when he is utilized. His skillset is tailor-made for this offense.

This will be Patterson's 4th team since being drafted in the first round. The knock on him is he can't run routes. Good luck in Nagy's offense when you can't run routes. Patterson will have very little impact on this team.

I think losing Callahan is huge and a mistake by Pace. Skrine was paid only 1.5M/year more than Callahan. I don't understand why we wouldn't pay a little more to retain one of the top nickles in the game.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

This will be Patterson's 4th team since being drafted in the first round. The knock on him is he can't run routes. Good luck in Nagy's offense when you can't run routes. Patterson will have very little impact on this team.

I think losing Callahan is huge and a mistake by Pace. Skrine was paid only 1.5M/year more than Callahan. I don't understand why we wouldn't pay a little more to retain one of the top nickles in the game.

Not gonna argue about the Callahan situation. I'm surprised at how little, relatively speaking, he signed for. It sure seemed like the market has really opened up for nickel slots. Maybe his injury history did him in. Oh well, water under the bridge.

But back too Patterson, I don't envision him being utilized in a manner that requires him to run complicated routes, altho just to keep the opposing D honest, he may have to go vertical every now and then. Instead, I see him for some of those short-quick gadget plays, screens, slants, end runs, maybe even a wildcat or two. And again, I'm not suggesting he will become a dominant player in the offense. Just more of someone who does enough to keep the defense on their toes, move the chains now and then, maybe cross the goal line a few times as well.