Last offseason was fun because Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears controlled the offseason both regarding the NFL Draft and free agency. Poles landed a gift as the Houston Texans won their final game to give the Bears the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Poles moved that pick to the Carolina Panthers and now owns the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft thanks to the Panthers completely falling apart as an organization — thanks David Tepper.
With the first and ninth picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears have plenty of draft capital to make some serious moves again. Justin Fields didn’t do enough to be the for-sure answer going forward, but Caleb Williams went from generational talent to a guy with some flaws that some view as bust material. This has led to a huge debate amongst Bears fans on what Poles should do at the quarterback position.
The Chicago Bears trade Justin Fields to the Falcons for pick No. 8
In a recent interview, ESPN draft expert, Mel Kiper stated he believes the Bears could move Justin Fields to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for their first-round pick. The Falcons currently own the eighth-overall pick, netting the Bears the first, eighth, and ninth-overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Yes, that’s three picks in the top 10!
Personally, I don’t find this report to be feasible. I think Kiper is just trying to keep himself relevant in terms of draft coverage. Too many NFL fans have become tired of Kiper’s takes and see him as nothing more than an ESPN personality instead of a true draft expert. To give up the eighth-overall pick for a quarterback selected 11th overall nearly four years ago seems steep. That said, I also think it would be a fun exercise to dissect what a mock draft would look like should that trade actually happen.
Chicago Bears select Caleb Williams with the first pick in the draft
With Justin Fields shipped off to Atlanta, it only makes sense for the Chicago Bears to draft a quarterback with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Had they kept fields, this pick would have been traded for a haul similar, if not greater than, to what Ryan Poles received last year from Carolina. The compensation would have obviously been dependent on how far down the Bears move.
It is well-known that I am a Justin Fields supporter and I also am a Ryan Poles supporter. Poles is where most of my support relies though and I am going to trust in his process when it comes to making a decision at the quarterback position. I also am not privy to the draft and/or player compensation he might be offered to trade down from one to whatever. In this scenario though, Poles moved Fields for a top-10, first-round pick and settled on the quarterback with the highest ceiling in the draft.
The 2023 season did not age as well as Caleb Williams would have liked. He struggled against a strong Notre Dame defense. After that game, it seemed as if defenses figured Williams out. The USC Trojans lost four of their last five games. Those losses were not all on Williams though as the Trojans averaged 34 points per game. It’s obvious that Williams isn’t as much of a slam dunk as we once thought, but he still has elite attributes.
