April has arrived. With just over three weeks to go until the 25th, Chicago Bears draft preparations continue to gather momentum. By now most people at least have a sense of how things should unfold. Running back sits atop the list of positions they’re likely to tackle with the team having just traded Jordan Howard. Edge rusher, defensive back, and interior offensive line are also higher priorities.
Yet amidst the debates around where they might go, people haven’t really stopped to consider one possibility. Could GM Ryan Pace consider taking a quarterback? It sounds ludicrous at first thought. Mitch Trubisky just went to his first Pro Bowl. The Bears have other needs to address. Why would they consider such a thing?
In fact, there are a few logical reasons. Ones that may not benefit them in 2019, but could yield major fruit a year or two down the road.
Competition for Tyler Bray
With all due respect to Bray, nobody would feel comfortable if he was the emergency option at quarterback if the worst happened with both Trubisky and Daniel going down to injuries. His primary task when signed was to help the Bears in their efforts to drill Trubisky on learning Nagy’s offense. Beyond that his ceiling will never go higher than where it is now. Taking a QB in this draft offers a chance to raise it.
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Future replacement for Chase Daniel
It’s easy to forget at this stage, but important. Daniel is in the final year of his current contract. He’ll be a free agent again in 2020. This puts the depth behind Trubisky in question as it’s not a guarantee Daniel will return. Drafting a quarterback would give them a little more certainty on the depth chart since it locks in a player at that position for four years on a rookie deal. One less expensive than Daniel would command too.
Possible trade piece down the road
This would be the most enticing of options from the Bears’ perspective. Here’s the thing. If Trubisky continues to grow and improve, he’ll likely command a large contract in the near future. This means the Bears will be hard-pressed to do any significant spending in free agency. That makes the draft critical to their future success.
What if there was a way they could turn a draft pick into a higher future pick or even multiple picks? History has shown that this can happen when drafting quarterbacks. There have been a number of examples over the years.
- A.J. Feely traded for 2nd round pick in 2004 (drafted in 5th round)
- Drew Henson traded for 3rd round pick in 2004 (drafted in 6th round)
- Matt Cassel traded for 2nd round pick in 2009 (drafted in 7th round)
- Matt Flynn traded for a 5th round pick in 2012 (drafted in 7th round)
Pace is always a man who likes to think a few steps ahead. This seems like just the sort of roster maneuver he’d buy into. Especially when he has a QB specialist in Nagy to help pull it off. Don’t forget his mentor Andy Reid has done it a few times in his long NFL career. With the foundation in place to finally make it happen, they should take advantage.
