Bears
Bears WR Chase Claypool didn’t have quite the impact Chicago envisioned when it traded a second-round pick for him before last year’s trade deadline, but there’s another season ahead to change the story. Claypool has a lot of plus attributes, including his size, speed, flexibility to play out wide or in the slot, and his passion, even if it’s occasionally a double-edged sword.
“For him, it’s embracing the role that you have, and us playing off the energy he brings to the field every day,” Bears OC Luke Getsy said via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He’s unique in that not only does he present himself as a huge man, big and fast and strong, but I think his energy is that, too. … He’ll need to own that role and be accountable and be available and all that stuff.”
- New Bears DE Yannick Ngakoue signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal that includes a $4.5 million signing bonus and a $5.49 million fully guaranteed base salary. An additional $510,000 in per-game roster bonuses is available. (Over The Cap)
- Bears TE Marcedes Lewis signed a one-year, $2 million deal that includes a $1.6 million base salary, $600,000 of which is guaranteed, and a $400,000 signing bonus. (Over The Cap)
- Brad Biggs reports that the Bears brought in four linebackers for tryouts including Tyreek Maddox-Williams, Tanner Vallejo, Barrington Wade and Tre Walker.
Lions
Legendary Lions RB Barry Sanders is a Hall of Famer who played his entire career in Detroit. Often shying away from the media, Sanders offered his opinion on the team’s running backs (David Montgomery & Jahmyr Gibbs) during the recent festivities in Canton, Ohio.
“They want to be balanced and the guys they have in the room, that’s what they’re there for. They’re there to make plays in the passing game, in the running game,” Sanders said, via NFL.com. “Being in this division, we’ve seen what David Montgomery can do game in and game out. He’s a 1,000-yard rusher every year, pretty much. So, we’re looking hopefully for the same production. I believe they couldn’t be more geeked about Jahmyr Gibbs and being able to get him early in the first round, what they’ve seen so far, and his attitude and his approach to practice. When you get a young running back in camp and you see him in real live action with other players to see whether that speed transfers, whether he still has that speed, whether he still has that zip that he had in college. I think, so far, we see that he’s going to be a guy that makes plays.”
“It would mean so much, and I think that has to be in the back of this team’s mind, changing that narrative,” Sanders added when asked about the team making the playoffs. “We’ve all heard it, we’ve all had to live with it. It’s there. That’s how it is and that remains the reality at this point, but I know that if there’s any team that can change that, then it’s this group and coach Campbell and just sort of how he’s built the last few years and the product they put on the field. So, yeah, I think if there’s any team that’s going to do it, this the right time to do it right now.”
Packers
Packers RB AJ Dillon feels like he needs to play more recklessly in 2023 instead of trying to make every play perfect.
“I think I just really need to play just a little bit more — it’s hard to put a word on it — but like passionate,” Dillon said, via Steve Megargee of the Associated Press. “I think I need to go out there and just play a little bit more reckless, so not trying to play perfect, not trying to play perfect football. Nobody does. Just kind of go out there and for a lack of words, kind of make defenses feel me.”
Dillon wants to show more physicality on short runs.
“Even though we might be running and there’s only 4 yards here to get, make it a hard 4 yards,” Dillon said. “Make sure the next time running the ball, those defenders feel that, they think about it next time, and just kind of deliver the blow a little bit more.”
Dillon isn’t pleased with how last season went and wants to run with the same demeanor as when he was in college.
“I’m not satisfied with really how I performed last year,” Dillon said. “Let’s look back at when I have been really successful and how I approached the game and, yeah, looking back a little bit, looking back at those highlights, going back to what was my mindset when I was in college when I was dominating the ACC, what was that like and trying to just get to that mindset.”
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