The Latest Breaking News from Matt Eberflus

Like Wally Chambers, Wilber Marshall, Willie Gault and Greg Olsen before him, the Bears have lost productive players in their prime — and regretted it. But good drafting and player development can ease the pain.

How should the final nine games be viewed? The Bears will be watching Justin Fields, Matt Eberflus and anyone else who proves they should stick around for 2023 and beyond.

That's right, we took each song from Taylor Swift's new album, Midnights, and matched it with a member of the Bears.

The undrafted free agent from Wisconsin and Lake Zurich could be in line for a bigger role after Roquan Smith was traded to the Ravens. “What’s there not to like about Sanborn,” defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. “He just needs a chance to get on the field and perform.”

The former Bears linebacker was in a class with Shaquille Leonard, who flourished in Matt Eberflus’ defense. But Leonard was responsible for 30 takeaways in four seasons. Smith had two in eight games. “We covet ball production in that position,” Eberflus said.

With players surprised and confused about the move, Poles and Eberflus met with the team’s leadership council to quell any dissension. “There are a lot of things that start floating around ... like, ‘They don’t care about their guys.’” Eddie Jackson said. “That was pretty cool for them to talk…

CHICAGO — OK, Chicago Bears fans. This was probably the part of the Chase Claypool introduction you were most looking forward to.

There’s uncertainty with Claypool, but he and Mooney give the Bears their most potent wide receiver duo since Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall nearly a decade ago.

CHICAGO — General manager Ryan Poles said there was a “record-setting” piece to the contract the Chicago Bears offered Roquan Smith during training camp, when the inside linebacker made a public bid for a trade.

The two-time All-Pro wanted to be the highest-paid inside linebacker in the game. The Bears were adamant they wouldn’t meet that price — that’s why Smith is no longer a Bear.

Smith wasn’t part of the problem — just the opposite. He’s a top-tier defensive weapon just beginning his prime at 25, and there’s no question about how good and versatile he is after the last five seasons. He could have been the centerpiece of coach Matt Eberflus’ defense for years.