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.

The 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.

Williams has the arm strength and ability to make every throw. He has a quicker release than Justin Fields, even though he does hold onto the ball too long at times. Williams can escape the pocket and make off-script plays, although I wouldn’t put him in the same tier as Fields in this category. Williams has shown an ability to throw with timing and better anticipation than Fields as a prospect — only time will tell if that translates to the NFL.

If the Chicago Bears decide to go with Williams, his ceiling is higher than Fields at this point. I have to think his floor as a passer is higher than Fields too, but he isn’t nearly as athletic and will not be able to make the same type of plays with his legs as Fields. This draft would be considered a reset (rookie QBs typically struggle), but since the team is being built up, this isn’t a typical poor situation for Williams to step into. Let’s see what Ryan Poles does with his other two top-10 picks, shall we?

The Bears give Caleb Williams another weapon to pair with DJ Moore
DJ Moore is a legit WR1 in the NFL. He had a career year with Justin Fields and he has been outspoken about his support for his current quarterback. That said, he knows this is a business and he seems to want to be in Chicago for the rest of his career no matter who is throwing him the ball.

Heading into this season, most of us (me included) thought one of Chase Claypool or Darnell Mooney would show enough to earn a contract extension and supplant themselves as the WR2 in this offense. Neither of them did such a thing. Claypool’s football career looks to be basically over and Mooney looks as though he will never be anything more than a WR3/4 on a roster. I don’t see either of them in a Chicago Bears uniform ever again.

As soon as Ryan Poles traded Fields and drafted Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison, Jr. joining this roster became nearly impossible. Good thing that there are other receivers worthy of a top-10 pick in this draft. Malik Nabers is my number two prospect, but he went before the Bears were back on the clock at No. 8 thanks to the Falcons trading for Justin Fields. This left Rome Odunze out of Washington for Ryan Poles. Luckily for the Bears, Odunze is probably a better fit opposite of Moore than Nabers.

Odunze brings length and size to the position at 6’3″ and 215 pounds. He can high-point the ball well and is one of the better contested-catch receivers in the draft class. What I like about Odunze more than Nabers is he has shown more consistency over the last two years. Both receivers gained over 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons, but Nabers only scored three touchdowns in 2022 (14 in 2023), whereas Odunze had seven touchdowns in 2022 and 13 this past season.

A combination of Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet would make the Bears’ offense more explosive than we have seen since the days of Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Poles isn’t even done yet.

Ryan Poles switches things up and trades down from nine rather than using a selection with the team’s own pick. I had a hard time not taking Olu Fashanu at this pick as he is my OT2 in this draft behind Joe Alt. Fashanu has elite traits and I’m not opposed to adding either Alt or Fashanu to the roster even though Braxton Jones has played extremely well over his first two seasons. When you can add an elite LT to your roster though, you do it. Look at how well Laremy Tunsil did against Myles Garrett in the post-season this year. Braxton Jones can become an elite swing tackle.

The Chicago Bears make a trade with the Colts:

Bears Receive:
15th Overall
46th Overall

Colts Receive:
9th Overall
Remember, the Chicago Bears sent their second-round pick in 2024 to the Commanders for defensive end Montez Sweat. Based on Sweat’s performance in both a Commanders and Bears uniform, I’d say that trade was well worth it. By moving down from 9 to 15, Ryan Poles was able to recoup a second-round pick within the top 50.

Not bad seeing who was still left on the draft board. The decision to move down seemed to pay off too as one of the better edge rushers was available for Poles to add to the defensive line rotation and pair with Montez Sweat. If defensive tackle Gervon Dexter continues his development and ascension, this pass-rushing unit should be much better in 2024.