GM Ryan Poles had a tough decision to make during the 2023 off-season. Either he used the #1 overall pick to take the best player on his board, or he becomes only the third one in 22 years to trade out of that spot. Poles determined that he wanted to stick with Justin Fields at quarterback. He felt the young man had shown enough flashes to deserve more time to develop. It was also clear no non-QB prospect was a true can't-miss prospect. That made the decision easy. Poles worked the trade market and eventually reached a blockbuster deal with the Carolina Panthers.
In exchange for the #1 pick and their choice of any QB they wanted, the Bears got the 9th pick, a 1st in 2024, a 2nd in 2023, a 2nd in 2025, and wide receiver D.J. Moore. Early signs indicate Poles nailed it. Moore is near the top of the NFL in yards and touchdowns after five games. Rookie tackle Darnell Wright, whom they took after another small trade down to #10 overall, is playing well. Even better, that 1st in 2024 is lined up to be the #1 pick again since Carolina is 0-5 to start the season. Bill Barnwell of ESPN admitted that the trade might've been a bad miscalculation.
Chicago is in a position to remake their franchise.
"Right now, it looks like they might have made a disastrous trade. Young was an exciting quarterback prospect, but to get him, the Panthers dealt away their top wideout (DJ Moore) and their first-round pick in the 2024 draft. The receiving corps sorely misses Moore, and the Panthers have the worst record in football, which would have given them the opportunity to draft Caleb Williams (or trade their pick for a franchise-altering haul of selections).
It's still too early to judge Young as a whole, and there aren't any guarantees the Panthers will actually finish with the worst record in football. (Remember that the Bears started 3-4 before collapsing last season.) But if Carolina missed out on Williams or even Drake Maye, the only way to justify its trade with Chicago is Young becoming a superstar."
The Chicago Bears couldn't have asked for better results.
Moore alone would've made the trade worth it, given how he's played lately. The fact Wright is already ranked among the top 10 tackles in the league as a pass blocker is a divine glob of icing on the cake. Barring an unexpected change, they will also end up with a top-5 pick next year. Here are some of the most recent teams that started 0-5 and what pick they ended up with in the subsequent draft.
- 2021 Jaguars - #1 overall
- 2021 Lions - #2 overall
- 2020 Jets - #2 overall
- 2020 Falcons - #4 overall
- 2019 Dolphins - #5 overall
- 2019 Bengals - #1 overall
- 2019 Commanders - #2 overall pick
- 2017 Giants - #2 overall pick
- 2017 Browns - #1 overall pick
- 2017 49ers - #9 overall pick
Based on recent history, the odds are good that the Chicago Bears will end up with one of the first two picks next April. The options they'll have will be tremendous. They can take a new quarterback if Fields doesn't pan out. They could take the best non-QB on their board. Early signs indicate there will be at least five blue-chip prospects in that category. Last but not least, Poles could trade down for the second year in a row, piling up even more draft assets to continue building his roster. All this started when the Bears GM green lit the trade with Carolina.
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