Bears
New Bears DL Dayo Odeyingbo spoke about his career so far and feels that he has a lot left to prove as he joins the team, something HC Ben Johnson agrees with.
“I still believe I’m just at the beginning,” Odeyingbo said in his introductory press conference, via BearsWire.com. “I have a lot of football ahead of me, and I’m just starting to hit my stride. I’ve gone through a lot of learning throughout my years with the injury and having to grow through that, and I think it’s made me a better player. I think I’ve improved consistently every year that I’ve played, and I plan to continue to do that. For me, I feel like you should never stop improving as a player, or stop getting better as a player. I’m just at the beginning of my career, and I have a lot of great things ahead of me.”
“If you watch the tape, you understand how disruptive he can be, both inside and outside,” Johnson said. “He’s 25, he’s played a few years in the league —and this goes into our collaboration and working well in terms of the front office and coaching staff. We believe that there’s even more room to grow for him to continue to get better.”
Lions
Lions GM Brad Holmes has been focused on adding roster depth this offseason after nearly two dozen players landed on injured reserve for the team last season. Holmes focused on adding significant cornerback depth with D.J. Reed, Avonte Maddox, Rock Ya-Sin, and re-signing Khalil Dorsey.
“It made it more evident that depth is a huge critical piece and that’s throughout the entire year,” Holmes said, via the team website. “So, it might not be the first wave of free agency, it might not be the draft, it might be a Pat O’Connor during the summer that you add, and you just never know that’s going to be that critical piece that you need from a depth standpoint.”
- Lions TE Sam LaPorta said during an appearance on Up & Adams that it hurts saying goodbye to OC Ben Johnson: “Of course, happy for Ben, he was one of the big reasons that they brought me into the Lions. Nothing but respect for him, but on Sunday afternoons this fall, it will be friends turned enemies, I guess.”
- LaPorta continued: “It hurts, of course. You spend a lot of time with these people and invest a lot of energy and effort, and hard work together. It’s mutual, you’re excited for him that he’s going to go run his own team and organization and have a lot on his plate. So just very exciting times for him and exciting times for us too, as we turn towards our new staff and we have a bright future together as well.”
- North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel took an official 30 visit with the Lions. (Mike Payton)
- Michigan DE Josaiah Stewart said he has a 30 visit scheduled with the Lions. (Anthony Broome)
Vikings
- Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on J.J. McCarthy being the team’s starter at quarterback: “That’s the outcome we want and that’s the outcome we’re headed towards.” (Kevin Seifert)
- Adofo-Mensah said the team is being mindful of the compensatory pick process as it searches for another veteran quarterback. (Seifert)
- Adofo-Mensah also said he doesn’t spend much time thinking about his contract, which expires after this season. (Ben Goessling)
- He confirmed that HC Kevin O’Connell talked with QB Aaron Rodgers: “A player like him is always gonna be in those conversations. But from our delineations at that time, we’re happy with where we are going forward. Obviously, the caliber of player [he is], it had to be part of our conversations.”
- Mensah added of McCarthy: “Right now … We’re happy with our [QB] room. At every checkpoint, whether it was the draft process or practice until the injury, or the offseason now, he’s met the bar.” (Albert Breer)
- Nebraska TE Thomas Fidone met extensively with the Vikings at his pro day. (Tony Pauline)
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