Fascinating article how WNBA players are managing increasing salaries. This includes a lot of quotes from financial advisors and current and former players. This might be easier for the younger generation of players who got used to NIL deals while playing in the NCAA.
NFL Network has Bears vs Packers 2025 Week 16 on now. They have it ranked 6 out of their Top 10. Personally, I’d put the Bengals game (don’t remember the week) and the first round playoff game vs Packers as better games.
Looking at tickets for this season for the Mystics and the prices are very high. This isn’t just a Stub Hub issue either. Same for Ticketmaster.
Is anyone else noticing this either? I’ve never been to a WNBA game in person. I definitely want to go, but the costs are crazy, especially for the Fever vs Mystics game in June.
Every offseason seems to have its share of scandals. This year it’s the Bears not getting comp picks for the Falcons hiring Ian Cunningham as GM. Or worse, the Mike Vrabel and Diana Russini cheating scandal.
This video discusses some scandals you’ve probably forgotten about: https://youtu.be/Qb1TIkIwRTA?si=0AP5v3nLvDa36Rqa.
There are two chapters about former Chicago Bears players. Sam Hurd apparently tried to be a cocaine kingpin in Chicago instead of a wide receiver. And sadly, defensive end Alonzo Spellman had some mental health issues that surfaced on a teammate’s lawn. Mike Singletary tried to help Spellman, but he continued to struggle with bipolar disorder and substance abuse issues for many years.
2022 Bears Draft Grades
It’s too soon to grade the 2026 draft class. They haven’t taken an NFL snap. Nobody knows how good or bad these players will be.
But we do know what happened 5 drafts ago in 2022. Some fans say it takes that long to judge a draft class and I agree.
The Bears had no first round pick in this draft thanks to trading up to pick Justin Fields at 11 in 2021. So that started them off on the wrong foot. This draft is uglier than you might think. None of these guys have made a Pro Bowl appearance, which is Ryan Poles’s specialty.
2nd Round, Pick 39- Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
Grade: B-
Gordon hasn’t made a Pro Bowl appearance yet. He hasn’t been an All Pro. He’s been a solid slot corner. Fun fact: his last interception was in 2023 and he only played 3 games last season due to injury and had 2 stints on the IR. Hey, at least he’s still on the roster and has been solid when he’s healthy. And he has a cool nickname.
2nd Round, Pick 48- Jaquan Brisker, strong safety, Penn State
Grade: C+
It’s a wild ride with Brisker. He’s a good, hard hitting box safety who had over 100 tackles in his first two seasons. He missed time in his third season with concussions. He played great last season in the playoffs and instead of bringing him back, Poles let him go to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
3rd Round, Pick 71- Velus Jones, Jr. , wide receiver, punt muffer, kickoff returner, running back
Grade: F-
Velus was the fastest senior citizen at the NFL combine. He played 6 college seasons before Ryan Poles drafted him. He started out injured and didn’t play until Week 4 of his rookie season.
He had so many muffed punts and errors that Bears fans hate him. The Bears finally gave up on him after he muffed a kickoff return attempt towards the Titans in Week 1 2024. He’s been on 4 other teams (Jags, Panthers, Saints, and Seahawks). He got a Super Bowl ring for being on Seattle’s practice squad and played on special teams last year. So he failed upwards.
Round 5, Pick 168, Braxton Jones, offensive tackle, Southern Utah
Grade: B-
Braxton reminds me of Charles Leno. He’s been a solid slot corner starter at left tackle until last season. Injuries limited him and Ben Johnson brought in Theo Benedet (elevated from UDFA/practice squad), drafted Ozzy Trapilo, and had Kiran Amedgadje to compete with him. So you know your new coach thinks you’re pretty mid when he tries all season to replace you. But hey, at least Jones has a fighting chance to start again in 2026 and he’s still on the Bears.
Round 5, Pick 174, Dominque Robinson, defensive end, Miami University
Grade: D
DomRob had 1.5 sacks in his first game in 2022! But DomRob had 2 sacks in 2023-2025. 4 seasons in Chicago and 3.5 sacks. This is why our defense sucks. Poles drafts MAC defensive linemen and they do nothing. Fortunately, he signed a deal with the Texans for 2026.
Round 6, Zachary Thomas, offensive lineman, San Diego State
Grade: D, Thomas didn’t last long in Chicago. He was a practice squad guy who got signed by the Rams in November 22. He become an NFL journeyman
Round 6, Pick 203, Trestan Ebner, running back, Baylor.
Grade: D
He played in every game of his rookie season, mostly on special teams. He was waived in 2023 when we basically replaced him with Roschon Johnson. He hasn’t played since we cut him.
Round 6, Pick 207, Doug Kramer, offensive lineman and fullback, Illinois
Grade: F
I’m grading him this low because he failed as a fullback in his one and only carry. He fumbled against the Rams in Week 4 of 24 and I’ll never forget it. He was mostly a backup center and guard who had 2 stints on the Bears. This guy was so bad he got waived twice! He’s currently playing in the UFL.
Round 7, Pick 226, Ja’Tyre Carter, offensive lineman, Southern
Grade: C
I’m not going to be harsh on a guy from an HBCU. Carter played guard and played 3 games for the Bears. He was cut in 2024. He was last spotted on the Panthers practice squad.
Round 7, Pick 254, Elijah Hicks, safety, Cal
Grade: A
Hicks has been a solid special teamer and backup safety for the Bears. He’s played in 61 games in 4 seasons and is still on the Bears roster for 2026. He got the best outcome of all the Day 3 players from his draft class.
Round 7, Pick 255, Trenton Gill, punter, NC State
Grade: F-
I hate this pick in hindsight because we spent a 4th round pick in 2024 to draft Torry Taylor to replace this guy after only 2 seasons! He was a crappy punter. He’s been on the Broncos, Bucs, and Falcons since Da Bears cut him in 2024 after drafting Taylor.
Overall, this was a bad draft.