For the second off-season in a row, Ian Cunningham came painfully close to landing his own GM position with another team. It hasn't happened yet. The Chicago Bears aren't complaining. That means they get their assistant GM for another off-season. His eye for talent and excellent ability to keep Ryan Poles grounded should prove most useful over the next two months. The first order of business is figuring out what they'll do in free agency. Everybody expects them to target offensive linemen and pass rushers.
Presuming that is true, it could set up something that hasn't happened in Chicago in almost 30 years. Would they dare take a running back in the 1st round? The initial reaction would be, of course, not. Smart teams don't do that, right? It seems implausible until you remember this comment by Cunningham shortly before the 2023 draft two years ago when asked if he thinks taking a running back in the top 10 can be worth it.
“Yeah, I think it’s worth it."
Ian Cunningham knows there are exceptions to rules.
This isn't the 1970s or '80s anymore when the nature of offense in the NFL made drafting running backs high the standard procedure. These days, it is a quarterback-driven league. The only way to justify taking a running back is if they're such an outlier as a talent that you can't possibly ignore them. We're talking Saquon Barkley's levels of skill. Rare. As it so happens, many believe this 2025 draft class has one: Boise State's Ashton Jeanty. NFL.com has him ranked as the #1 overall prospect this year.
His comparison? LaDainian Tomlinson.
Yes, the Bears need blocking and pass rush. Nobody disputes this. Still, try to imagine the idea of giving Caleb Williams a running back like Tomlinson. It would be a pick-your-poison situation for opposing defenses. That is the issue Ian Cunningham, Poles, and Ben Johnson must wrestle with, presuming Jeanty is still on the board when the Bears go on the clock in April.
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