Ryan Poles Added A Wrinkle To Possibility Of Bears Trading Down

Trading down is not something GM Ryan Poles is unfamiliar with. He's already done it multiple times in his previous three years with the Chicago Bears. That includes doing it twice in 2023, moving down from #1 to #9 and then from #9 to #10. That should make it pretty clear he's not afraid to move down when he feels the situation calls for it. Hints have already been dropped about that possibility going into the 2025 draft. Some believe that is the preferred outcome for the Bears, but nobody is sure if it will happen.

Poles offered an interesting update on the situation. While he remains open to a trade, there is a persistent issue he must confront.

“For where we are right now, I’m not confident exactly where the first nine picks are going to fall,” Poles said. “But that’s something that we’ll look into and we’ll definitely weigh the option of, ‘Hey, if we can move back and collect a certain pick in this range, could that be really beneficial for us as well?’ So, yeah, that’ll be in play.”

Experts have said this is one of the hardest 1st rounds to predict in the past few years. Outside of the first pick, nobody is certain how the rest of the top 10 will unfold. Tennessee will likely take quarterback Cam Ward at #1. After that, it's an educated guessing game. Much of this hinges on what happens with the other quarterbacks. If no others go between picks 2-9, it could set the Bears up for a move down by dangling their spot to a QB-needy team.

Ryan Poles will likely know his course after the first three picks.

If Shadeur Sanders doesn't go to Cleveland at #2 or New York at #3, that significantly increases the possibility of him slipping to Chicago's spot at #10. New England, Jacksonville, and Las Vegas have their quarterbacks. The Jets and Saints are possibilities at #7 and #9, but neither has high odds. New York seems to like Justin Fields, and New Orleans has never drafted a 1st round quarterback under Mickey Loomis. Carolina (#8) has Bryce Young. If Sanders is there, it wouldn't be shocking if the Bears got phone calls from teams like Seattle (#18) or Pittsburgh (#21).

On the flip side, if one or even two more quarterbacks go in the top nine, Ryan Poles would be virtually assured of getting a top prospect he wants. This is territory general managers don't like being in. The class is thin on blue-chippers, and there is a scenario where all of them are gone before they get a chance to pick. That is why trading down is often seen as a favorable alternative.