What a week for Jonathan Otten! First he’s mogging Dillon Thieneman at the draft in Pittsburgh, then he’s becoming the first Bears By 7 reader to refer four new readers!

For his efforts, Jonathan gets this shoutout, all of his stars at the top of the newsletter filled in and a Bears By 7 sticker (once they come in).

Send your personalized referral link to four friends and get the same haul when they sign up!

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OK, so not to spoil everyone’s banana here, but Caden Barnett isn’t the first white athlete to rock the “Vanilla Gorilla” nickname.

Eagles DT Ty Robinson had the moniker coming out of Nebraska last year.

At least two MMA fighters use it.

And while many of us might remember Joel Przybilla, most of us don’t remember the Golden Gopher great was also called that name. (His Basketball-Ref page doesn’t lie.)

That said, Barnett is the scariest Vanilla Gorilla out there.

Seriously, that Lattimer-style mug could scare a bulldog off a meat truck.

Barnett is also the only one to sign with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent after last weekend’s NFL draft.

I have a hunch that Barnett will be a fan favorite and one of the most sought-after autographs during training camp this summer.

Whether he makes an impact on the team past that remains to be seen.

But there’s a good chance the Wyoming OL will be sticking around because of the money he received. The Bears signed Barnett to a guaranteed deal worth $277,500 with a $30K signing bonus.

To put those numbers into perspective, here are the signing bonuses for three former UDFAs who have made an impact on the Bears in recent years.

Barnett played all four seasons at Wyoming and has over 2,220 snaps. He stands 6-4, 318 pounds and can play either inside or outside, having played both right tackle and guard for the Cowboys. He turned heads at the Shrine Bowl with some domineering play.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler sees Barnett as a “solid backup — and potentially more.”

“His mauling mentality and pro mindset (on and off the field) will help separate him in an NFL camp,” Brugler wrote in The Beast.

That’ll play well on the Halas Hall practice fields and maybe get him to a key backup role in 2026 if all goes well.

Jacob Infante has a good look at the Vanilla Gorilla with film clips here.

Personally, I liked that Malik kept his cool and showed no reaction after being drafted. There’ll be plenty of time to let it out later if this all plays out like we want it to.