In a conversation with Josh Schrock on Football Night in Chicago, Bears general manager Ryan Poles discusses the lack of alignment between coaching hires and quarterback drafts. Poles entered the offseason with the No. 1 pick for the second time in as many years, having sold it last year to the highest bidder in a shakedown of the Panthers. This move, which included wide receiver DJ Moore, had a significant impact on the Panthers’ struggling season.
Poles admitted that the decision to trade the pick last year was in the best long-term interest of the Bears, as it allowed quarterback Justin Fields another season to develop and prove his potential as a bonafide franchise quarterback. The 2023 QB class, featuring Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, is considered a different animal, with both USC and North Carolina signal-callers seen as potential generational talents.
Poles believes the Bears have built a solid foundation with a solid foundation, starting 0-4 this past season but finishing 7-6 in their final 13 games. Trades for Moore and edge rusher Montez Sweat have given the Bears two superstars at premium positions. The defense has another level to go to as some of the Bears’ younger players develop.
Offensively, the Bears still need to add two receivers, a center, potentially a left tackle, and another tight end. The Bears will spend their January vying for a Lombardi Trophy, prepping for a franchise-defining offseason.
The Bears will need to evaluate quarterbacks Williams, Maye, and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels before deciding who to hand the franchise over to next season. Williams, who has thrown for 72 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions in the last two seasons, is an elite playmaker with rare improvisational ability. The Bears can focus on either edge rusher or getting a blue-chip receiver to give Williams more weapons.
Round 1 (No. 9 overall): Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
The Bears can go several different ways with their second first-round pick. They may focus on either edge rusher or getting a blue-chip receiver to give Williams more weapons. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers should be off the board by now, and Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner might shoot up into the top six after the combine. Odunze is a polished route-runner who excels at contested catch and has a great combination of size and speed that will make him a dynamic threat in the NFL.
Trade
Bears receive: 2024 second-round pick (No. 44), 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 112)
Raiders receive: Justin Fields
After taking Williams at No. 1, the Bears send Fields to a Raiders team in desperate need of a long-term answer at quarterback. The Bears replenish the second-round pick they dealt to the Washington Commanders for Montez Sweat and get an extra Day 3 pick as well.
Second Round (No. 44 overall): Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
Trice is projected as a late Day 1/early Day 2 pick, and the Bears jump at him as he falls to No. 44. Trice is a physical rusher with good burst, speed, and agility off the edge, which would check a necessary box for a Bears team that prides itself on intensity.
Third Round (No. 75): Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
The Bears have done a good job rebuilding their offensive line, but the center position was a big issue for all of 2023.
The Bears have addressed their center position issue in 2023, addressing it with the acquisition of Powers-Johnson. Powers-Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound Oregon native, has strong hands and a nasty physicality, winning the Rimington Award as the best center in 2023. The Bears have a good center class with Sedrick Van Pran, Zach Frazier, and Graham Barton. Powers-Johnson is a lineman Chris Morgan will love to coach and is considered the best way for the Bears to fill their center need in the draft.
