Check out part 4 of our final Chicago Bears roundtable before training camp starts!
Our guy Jacob Infante shared his Chicago Bears offseason superlatives on his Twitter page last week, and then he elaborated on those selections in this article. Our team at WCG wanted to get in on the fun by doing our own version that we’re rolling out in this roundtable series. Check out what we had to say, then share yours in the comments section.
Next up is the most Surprising Move.
Jeff Berckes: Surprising in terms of unpredictable at the start of the off-season was trading for and eventually extending Joe Thuney. It’s such a fantastic move – the dude has 4 Super Bowl rings! – to bring leadership and high-level play to the interior offensive line.
Ryan Droste: Luther Burden in round two. I don’t think anyone saw that one coming. It has real boom or bust potential given some of the other areas of the roster that were ignored in order to select the WR out of Missouri. The more I watch tape, the more I like the pick. I just didn’t see it coming at all.
Bryan Orenchuk: Releasing Demarcus Walker and signing Dayo Odeyingbo. Two similar players from a size and style standpoint, yet Walker was cheaper and already a leader in the locker room. Will the younger Odeyingbo prove to be a wiser investment? We shall hope.
Johnathan Wood: Drafting Luther Burden. I don’t think anybody had Chicago going WR early in the draft after they added Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency, but Chicago pounced when Burden fell farther than expected. That’s the kind of value move smart teams make – taking a highly rated player even if it’s not a huge position of need. Hopefully, it pays off long term.
Sam Householder: I think the Joe Thuney move felt like the cherry on top of a dream offseason for fans. I just wasn’t sure it would work for Chicago to get a proven guard like that to really solidify the line, yet here we are.
Gary Baugher Jr.: Colston Loveland. We heard a lot about where the first pick might go, Ashton Jeanty, DL/OL, Tyler Warren. But the name I heard the least was Loveland. So when his name got called in round 1, I was genuinely surprised. Albeit a pleasant one, being an Illini fan I’m very familiar with Loveland and excited to see what Ben Johnson has in store for him.
TJ Starman: I’m going to group a couple of moves together here and say the moves made at the linebacker position were the most surprising, specifically letting Jack Sanborn walk and then using a 4th-round draft pick on Ruben Hyppolite II to presumably replace him. Sanborn was a solid, affordable contributor, and Hyppolite is a raw, unproven prospect that could likely have been had for lesser draft capital. Either of these moves might have been able to take the “most surprising” title, so combined, I am easily puzzled.
Josh Sunderbruch: It’s double-dipping from a prior answer, I know, but I’m still surprised that the Bears actually hired Ben Johnson. Until he arrived at Halas Hall, I fully expected Chicago to mess it up somehow.
Mongo Peanut: Drafting Colston Loveland. I’ve since come around to the decision, but at the time, I was more confused than elated. Loveland has all of the tools to become a premium TE in the league, but a bottom division team drafting top 10 with a serviceable TE on the roster seemed like a stretch entering the draft.
Donald Gooch: As much as it made sense – signing Ben Johnson as head coach – the willingness of the Bears to pay top $ for a head coach, and to get the top prospect on the market was a big change of direction for this organization.
Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: Fans figured the Bears would be in the market for a top offensive guard in free agency, but trading a fourth-round pick for four-time All-Pro Joe Thuney really came out of nowhere.
What was the most surprising move of the offseason?
Here are the ones we’ve done so far.