Nobody needs to be told how important this 2017 off-season is for the Chicago Bears. They're coming off their worst season in 47 years. A 3-13 slog through the muddy swamps of depression this team has become over the past decade since their flirtation with glory in Super Bowl XLI. Since then every major move they've tried only seemed to hasten the collapse.
A new regime has decided to try a more measured and precise approach. GM Ryan Pace has never once looked like a man getting ahead of himself. His focus has remained on acquiring talent for the roster and trust his veteran coaching staff to keep developing it. Thus far only poor luck with injuries has clouded what looks like an exciting, young group.
The time has come for what should be their biggest push. Salary cap space is higher than its been in years. Perhaps most important is the ownership they have of the #3 overall pick in the upcoming draft. The highest they've sat since 1972. Experts keep debating what the Bears might do with it. So what about somebody who understands their situation better than most?
Matt Miller of Bleacher Report is one of the most respected NFL draft analysts going. His weekly Scouting Notebook is a must-read for draft enthusiasts anywhere. It's often a place where he drops some fascinating rumors from sources regarding certain top prospects and the teams that might be eyeing them.
His latest one involved him discussing what would transpire in the top five picks of the draft. Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett is a virtual lock at #1. Miller also can't see the San Francisco 49ers passing on a quarterback at #2. So he decided to ask an AFC general manager about his thoughts regarding that.
Where does the second quarterback come off the board? I asked a general manager from the AFC that this week: "I have to think Chicago goes quarterback at [pick] three. Looking at that roster and knowing Ryan Pace, quarterback fits there."This has been a hot discussion topic for weeks. Even as the Bears are connected in trade rumors to Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo, the general feeling is their future quarterback is most likely to come out of the draft. The top names like Mitch Trubisky, Deshone Kizer and Deshaun Watson are being mentioned almost constantly across social media. Their talent levels and fits in the system John Fox has built. Miller though also dropped a warning about the challenge the Bears faced. He asked a team scout about which played might be overrated from the 2017 class. The answer was troubling.
"All the quarterbacks. They're terrible. I wouldn't want to put my job on the line for any quarterback in this class. And to think about taking one in the first round? No way. I'm sure someone will do it, but it's mind-blowing."Now his opinion doesn't reflect the general feeling of everybody around the league. Most do agree though that this quarterback group is weaker than the past few years. So if the Bears are going to get their guy in the first round, they better be absolutely sure. Otherwise they're falling into a familiar trap that has kept them out of the NFL upper echelon for too long.
