CHGO Digest: Bears draft grades & offseason dates, Candace Parker retires

Happy Monday, friends!

Has the honeymoon phase of the NFL Draft worn off yet?

Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze are Chicago Bears. Iowa’s punting phenom Tory Taylor is a Chicago Bear. It’s said you can’t win championships in the offseason, but apparently nobody told Ryan Poles.

— Patrick Norton

The reviews are in…

In addition to Williams, Odunze, and Taylor, the Bears added offensive line depth with Hinsdale’s Kiran Amegadjie in the third round. Poles traded back into the fifth round, selecting EDGE Austin Booker out of the University of Kansas before calling it a day.

📖 READ | What does each draft pick bring to the new-look Bears?

1️⃣ No. 1 overall | Nicholas Moreano on Caleb Williams — the biggest draft pick in Bears history

2️⃣ No. 9 overall | Patrick Norton on Rome Odunze and the birth of the 46 Offense

3️⃣ No. 75 overall | Nicholas Moreano on Kiran Amegadjie — the Hinsdale native born to be a Bear

4️⃣ No. 122 overall | Nicholas Moreano on Tory Taylor — college football’s favorite punter

5️⃣ No. 144 overall | Nicholas Moreano on Austin Booker — a project at EDGE that could be the steal of the draft

What’s next for Caleb & the Bears?

With Caleb Williams officially a member of the Chicago Bears, the next four months until opening kickoff could feel like an eternity as we await the No. 1 overall pick’s regular season debut in blue and orange. The schedule release should come some time in the next two weeks, so there’s that to anticipate.

There are also plenty of football-related activities happening at Halas Hall between now and the beginning of the season, including voluntary workouts, which started two weeks ago for veterans. Here are some other key dates for the Bears’ offseason:

• Rookie minicamp | May 10-11
  
• OTAs (voluntary) | May 20-21, May 23, May 28-29, May 31
  
• Mandatory minicamp | June 4-6
  
• Training camp | Opens Saturday, July 20
  
• First preseason game | Thursday, August 1 vs. Houston in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio
  

---

The Franchise Collection available now!

👕 GET A FREE SHIRT! | Become a Diehard and get your choice of any of the three shirts above … or any shirt in our CHGO Locker!

---

Candace Parker announces retirement from WNBA

Former No. 1 overall pick and Naperville native Candace Parker is calling it a career. One of the all-time greatest clutch performers in the game, Parker helped bring a championship home with the Sky in 2021. The 38-year-old spent 13 of her 16 career seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks before joining Chicago for two years.

• Parker retires as the only player in WNBA history to win an MVP award in her rookie season, and the only player to win a WNBA title with three different franchises (Sparks, Sky, Aces).
  
• The three-time champion announced her retirement in a social media post, saying, “I fell in love with a little orange ball at 13 years old and BECAUSE of it my world goes ’round.”
  
• Parker cites a significant injury history as her reasoning for stepping away: “This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating. It’s no fun playing in pain.”
  

---

Roundup: Sox sweeping, Cubs limping

• Andrew Benintendi’s bat propelled the White Sox to a series sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. The three-game run marks the team’s first consecutive wins of 2023. CHGO’s Jared Wyllys broke down Erick Fedde’s career resurgence following Fedde’s Sunday gem.
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | Become a Diehard to get Vinnie Duber’s CHGO White Sox Weekly newsletter every Monday.

• The Cubs continue to struggle with the injury bug heading into May. The team placed LHP Jordan Wicks on the 15-day IL with a forearm strain, but manager Craig Counsell does not believe it is serious. It’s another tough blow to a team currently without Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, Justin Steele, Julian Merryweather, Drew Smyly and Kyle Hendricks.
  

⚾ TODAY | Cubs at Mets — 6:10 on Marquee | White Sox vs. Twins — 6:40 on NBC Sports Chicago

Caleb Claw Caption Contest!

Reply to this post with your best "Caleb Claw" selfie

Best one gets a shirt from our Franchise Collection! pic.twitter.com/clG2R8xX37

— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) April 28, 2024

More on CHGO

• The Rockford IceHogs are in the AHL playoffs with some familiar faces from the Blackhawks’ regular season.
  
• CHGO Cubs’ Ryan Herrera breaks down the Cubs’ recent injury woes and who has stepped up in the meantime.
  
• The Friday 1:20 Club is back at Wrigley this Friday! Cubs take on the Milwaukee Brewers for the first time since Craig Counsell joined Chicago. Join us at Murphy’s Bleachers and then in the Wrigley Field bleachers!

CHGO Digest hits your inbox every Monday and Thursday morning! Like this email? Forward it to a friend!