New Bears defenders excited about Fields; Bears add McHenry native Tonyan, RB Foreman
The NFL is a quarterback league. Even when you're an NFL defender.
New Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker had no problem admitting as much. Did a team's quarterback matter when he was listening to free agent offers from around the league?
"Abso-(expletive)-lutely," Walker said.
That is the Justin Fields effect. Even for defenders, who are never physically going to be on the field at the same time as Fields. NFL players want to play with the electric young quarterback. Walker played four years in Denver, where there was a revolving door at QB. Then in Houston in 2021 and Tennessee last year.
For the first time in his career, he seems to have a stable QB leading his team's offense.
"Having a young talented quarterback, who I watched in college and then got to know him and him telling me about myself in the weight room earlier (today), I'm like, 'OK.' That shows his professionalism," Walker said. "I've been watching a lot of Bears games this past week. Not just the defense, but trying to know the whole dynamic."
Walker later added: "Justin Fields is definitely someone that I can't wait to go to battle with."
Walker had a career-high 7 sacks last season in Tennessee and signed a three-year contract with the Bears. He wasn't the only new player raving about Fields.
When the Eagles played the Bears in December, much of the defensive focus was centered around Fields. New Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, who was on the Eagles then, said he knew Fields was fast, but his size was unexpected. Fields broke free for an electric 39-yard run during that game.
"You saw what happened on one of the plays where he got loose," Edwards said. "So, he's definitely a special player, for sure, and you can tell just by the way the game was going that it was no quit at all. That's definitely something that I want to be a part of."
Bears sign McHenry native Robert Tonyan:
The Bears are signing local tight end Robert Tonyan, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. The McHenry native has spent the past five seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Tonyan caught 53 passes for 470 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Packers. In five years, he totaled 1,437 yards and 17 touchdowns, with a career-high 11 touchdowns during the 2020 season. Tonyan tore his ACL midway through the 2021 season, but has otherwise been a key contributor for the Packers' offense over the past three seasons.
Adding Tonyan will give the Bears more local flavor at a tight end position that already includes Lake Barrington native Cole Kmet. Tonyan was a multi-sport athlete at McHenry, winning the 2012 Northwest Herald Boys Basketball Player of the Year award and playing quarterback for the Warriors football team.
He played college ball at Indiana State before briefly signing with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted rookie in 2017. Tonyan signed with the Packers practice squad later that season.
Bears also add RB D'Onta Foreman:
The Bears made another addition at running back Thursday, signing former Panthers' running back D'Onta Foreman to a one-year, $3 million contract, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
After the Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey at the trade deadline last year, Foreman emerged as the lead back in Carolina. He rushed for 914 yards and five touchdowns on 203 carries last season. The former third-round draft pick of the Texans has played five NFL seasons for Houston, Tennessee and Carolina.
Foreman figures to split snaps with Bears running back Khalil Herbert. The Bears could still opt to draft a Foreman figures to split snaps with Bears running back Khalil Herbert. The Bears could still opt to draft a running back next month as well.
The search for a tackle:
General manager Ryan Poles indicated that the decision not to pursue free agent tackle Orlando Brown Jr. - one of the top linemen on the market - was more about how he would fit in their offensive system.
"The scheme match is a big deal there," Poles said.
The Bears were reportedly interested in free agent right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who ended up signing with Denver on a five-year, $87.5 million contract. Brown signed with Cincinnati for four years, $64 million. Both of those are big price tags.
The Bears haven't found a right tackle in free agency, and could be forced to look for one in the draft.
"It comes down to value and where we felt comfortable with our research, our evaluations, analytics, all of that," Poles said. "There was a certain point where we were comfortable with based on the value and the evaluation that we had. And if it surpassed that, we were OK with moving on."
Jalen Carter update:
Poles was on hand Wednesday to watch Georgia's pro day in Athens, Georgia, where potential top draft pick Jalen Carter worked out.
Two weeks ago at the NFL combine, Carter was charged with two misdemeanors stemming from a January fatal crash that killed one of his Georgia teammates and a team staff member. Carter has pleaded no contest to the chargers, according to his lawyer on Thursday, indicating he will face no jail time.
But the optics weren't good Wednesday in Athens. Carter showed up for his Pro Day 9 pounds heavier than he was at the combine two weeks earlier. He participated in position drills only, no athletic testing, and couldn't finish the drills due to cramps.
Poles on Thursday said the Bears intend to have Carter in for one of their 30 player visits this spring. They have not made any final decisions on whether they might or might not draft him. Two weeks ago, Carter was widely viewed as a top-five pick. Now, it's entirely possible he could still be available at No. 9 overall when the Bears are on the clock.
"Like the combine, it's a collection of information," Poles said of attending Carter's pro day. "We got some there. We got more at the pro day. We'll bring him (in), talk to him and get to know him even better. Some point in mid-April, we'll sit down and see how we want to handle it."