CHGO Digest: Caleb Day Is Here, Bears unveil stadium plans, Cubs bit by injury bug

Happy Caleb Williams Day, friends!

Since the Chicago Bears’ last Super Bowl appearance in 2007, the NFL charter franchise has started the following list of quarterbacks:

Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Brian Griese, Jay Cutler, Todd Collins, Caleb Hanie, Jason Campbell, Josh McCown, Jimmy Clausen, Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon, Mitchell Trubisky, Chase Daniel, Andy Dalton, Nick Foles, Justin Fields, Trevor Siemian, Nathan Peterman and Tyson Bagent.

Tonight, the Caleb Williams Era dawns upon a city that hopes the never-ending cycle will finally be broken.

Caleb and…?

Williams won’t be the only player selected by Ryan Poles on Thursday night. Currently in possession of the No. 9 overall selection, the Bears’ general manager has plenty of options to weigh.

• CHGO’s Adam Hoge has the Bears trading back from No. 9 to bolster the defense with EDGE Jared Verse from Florida State while picking up an additional first-round selection later in the night.
  
• Nicholas Moreano’s final mock draft sees the Bears sliding back even further for UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu.
  
• According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Washington WR Rome Odunze recently worked out with and caught passes from Caleb Williams. Bears receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen also participated.

🔎 GO DEEPER | Become a Diehard and get access to CHGO’s comprehensive Bears 100 draft guide. It will be updated live throughout the night so you’ll always be able to tell the best available player.

📺 WATCH | Our CHGO Bears Draft Day Live Show presented by Circa Sports and Butcher Box starts on our YouTube channel at 6:30! Fire us up on a second screen (or even your first) as the Bears make history.

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Bears reveal lakefront stadium plan

George McCaskey, Kevin Warren, other Bears executives, and Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson held a press conference on Wednesday to unveil the team’s project and renderings for a publicly-owned stadium and space to replace Soldier Field as early as 2028.

• The plan includes a 65,000-seat indoor stadium with a turf field and fixed roof just south of Soldier Field. In the renderings, Soldier Field’s original shell is eventually transformed into a park with youth league sports fields.
  
• The projected cost of the stadium is $3.2 billion with a $1 billion+ price tag on the surrounding infrastructure. The team will seek a $300 million loan from the NFL in addition to $900 million from Chicago and its taxpayers through the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority and the 2 percent hotel tax.
  
• Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker was not invited to the event, but when asked for comment, said he’s “highly skeptical of the proposal that’s been made, and I believe strongly that this is not a high priority for legislators and certainly not for me.”

📺 WATCH | The CHGO Bears Podcast breaks down the plans and renderings for the new stadium, and Hoge and Nick chat with Cole Kmet.

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Get Your Draft Party Tickets! – Limited Friday Tickets Remain!

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Roundup: Injuries plague Cubs, White Sox make history

• The Cubs added Kyle Hendricks (back) and Drew Smyly (right hip) to the 15-day IL on Tuesday before the series opener against Houston. To take their place, the Cubs recalled Hayden Wesneski and Luke Little from Iowa. Matt Mervis also joined the roster after Garrett Cooper was DFA’d.
  
• Cody Bellinger suffered two rib fractures after colliding with the brick wall in center field on Tuesday night. The team added Bellinger to the 10-day IL and recalled No. 1 Cubs prospect (MLB.com) Pete Crow-Armstrong.
  
• The White Sox made baseball history on Monday night, suffering an eighth shutout in the team’s first 22 games. The White Sox could match the 2022 Cincinnati Reds and 2003 Detroit Tigers with the second-worst record through 25 games (3-22) with a loss today.

⚾ TODAY | Cubs vs. Astros – 1:20 on Marquee Sports Network | White Sox at Twins – 12:10 on NBC Sports Chicago

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Cole Kmet — Caleb Williams Fan Club Founding Member

The Bears team dinner with Caleb Williams gave @ColeKmet an opportunity to get to know his new QB on a personal level. pic.twitter.com/5AW0MnQgDY

— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) April 25, 2024

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More on CHGO

• We just hit 20,000 followers on Instagram and are giving away t-shirts to celebrate!
  
• Ryan Poles and Ian Cunningham discussed the offseason and draft on Tuesday.
  
• The CHGO Blackhawks crew talked with What Chaos’ Pete Blackburn about Alex Vlasic and Seth Jones representing Team USA.