Chicago Bears Notes: June 8th
5) I drafted RB Jordan Howard 9th in my dynasty league rookie draft – I know people don’t care about other people’s fantasy teams (or kids, dogs, pics of their dinner, etc), but I just wanted you all to know how high I am on Jordan going into the 2016 season. He was the 3rd RB taken in a 16-team rookie draft behind Elliot & Henry. For the record I also traded into the back of the draft to grab Raven’s rookie Kenneth Dixon. Back to Howard, I think he’s going to lead the team in carries from week 9 on, when it’s cold and the Bears are hopefully protecting leads late.
6.) Bears sign T Nate Chandler – I covered this signing in detail, here. The lack of depth at tackle was one of the most glaring holes remaining on the Bears roster and while Chandler would not have been my first choice, I’m glad they addressed the position.
Chandler is primarily a right tackle, which gives them a safety-valve if free agent Bobby Massie doesn’t pan out, but still leaves them without a viable back-up for left tackle Charles Leno Jr. That shows a lot of faith in Leno Jr’s development, which most readers on this site don’t seem to share (I do though).
7.) I’ve started my depth chart breakdowns. Here are the first few:
8.) Bears sign G/C Donovan Williams – I don’t know much about Williams (which I don’t say often about draft prospects). What I do know is that he’s 6’2, 318 pounds, played at Louisiana-Lafayette, he was ranked 42nd out of 204 draftable guards by NFLDraftScout.com, and his nickname is “Big Mute”. That’s fitting because I’m not expecting to hear much about Williams during training camp.
9.) Bears release LB Danny Mason – The addition of LB Jarrett Grace, led to the release of LB Danny Mason who spent most of last season on the Bears practice squad. Here was my scouting report on Mason before last year:
"Mason entered the NFL in January of this year with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M – Commerce. Listed at 6-3, 235 pounds, Mason appeared in 37 games (30 starts) during his collegiate career totaling 272 tackles. During his junior and senior seasons the Louisville, Kentucky native recorded 170 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and 10 passes break-ups. He also played for the Colorado Ice of the Indoor Football League in 2014."