Pete MartuneacSep 1, 2026

Martuneac argues that undrafted rookie defensive back Skyler Thomas, despite making the Bears' initial 53-man roster and grading highly in the preseason, is likely to be released before the Week 1 opener against Carolina. They also note in passing that Cleveland is in the running for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 draft.

Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original

0 of 1calls landed1 miss · 1 waiting

0Average accuracyout of 100, across 1 call

0A naive guessthe same calls, no knowledge

1 of 2Settled1 still waiting

1Waitingnot graded yet

What Pete Martuneac said

our reading, beside the words we read it from

That said, and even though he made the Bears' initial 53-man roster, Thomas may yet be released ahead of the Bears' Week 1 season opener against the Carolina Panthers, and not for no reason.

Pete Martuneac, the lead quote · each call’s own words are below

Where it was published: Sports Illustrated
The piece: Skyler Thomas' Elite Grade Might Not Save Him From the Bears' Roster Crunch
The original: Read the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

SaidSep 1
GradedSep 25

1Skyler Thomas to be cut“That said, and even though he made the Bears' initial 53-man roster, Thomas may yet be released ahead of the Bears' Week 1 season opener against the Carolina Panthers, and not for no reason.”
2Cleveland Browns to pick “in the race for the No. 1 overall pick”“the Browns are in the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 draft”

Box score

HitCloseMissWaiting

Call	Kind	What happened	Score	Naive	Skill
Skyler Thomas to be cut¹	Roster Spot Calls	3 weeks on a 53	0	0	0
Cleveland Browns to pick “in the race for the No. 1 overall pick”²	Team Draft Slot Calls	—	—	—	—
2 calls · 1 miss · 1 waiting			0	0

How each call scored

a naive guessbetter than naive

2 checkable claims — 1 roster spot call and 1 team draft slot call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

1 of 2 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

1Roster Spot Calls Skyler Thomas Chicago Bears
Skyler Thomas to be cut
What happened3 weeks on a 53
0Miss · naive 0
0this call0a naive guess0better than naive2difficulty0skill
How this was scored
club:
CHI
skill:
0
player:
Skyler Thomas
season:
2026
claimed:
he does not make the 53
accuracy:
0
baseline:
0
difficulty:
2
the naive guess:
he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
weeks in the season:
18
weeks on the53:
3
weeks left when called:
18
first week on the53:
1
weeks on the practice squad:
0
Think this is wrong?
2Team Draft Slot Calls Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns to pick “in the race for the No. 1 overall pick”
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Who this take is about

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The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

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Booher previews the Lions' Week 9 trip to Miami, predicting Derrick Barnes takes over as the green-dot linebacker in Jack Campbell's absence, Juice Scruggs starts at center, and boldly forecasting Detroit's first defensive touchdown of the season on an Aidan Hutchinson strip-sack recovered and returned by Barnes.
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Gurzi predicts the Cowboys' 17-man practice squad, naming each player they expect Dallas to sign, including a surprise addition of released Giants tackle Evan Neal. They also predict Jaydon Blue will be claimed off waivers by another team and that Sam Williams will land elsewhere.