Losing to the Detroit Lions was tough to watch. Still, it gave the Chicago Bears a result they could be happy with. That defeat dropped them to 3-13. It means the most they can do is four wins this season if they somehow top Minnesota next week. Even with a win, the Bears are guaranteed at least the 4th overall pick. That may frustrate fans who want the #2 or even the #1 picks. That said, there are reasons to be happy about this development. It means the odds are now high the Bears will land one of the top two non-QB players in the entire draft.
Let’s cover what we already know. It is almost a foregone conclusion the Houston Texans will take a quarterback #1 overall. Davis Mills isn’t the guy. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are clearly the two best QBs in the 2023 class. Houston will make one of them the top pick. That means Will Anderson and Jalen Carter, widely considered the best prospects in the class who aren’t QBs, would have to go #2 and #3 for the Bears not to land one of them. That feels unlikely. It would be a considerable shock if another team didn’t move up to one of those spots to get the other quarterback.
The Chicago Bears would benefit even if it happened that way.
Say Seattle and Arizona take Anderson and Carter at those spots. While unfortunate for the Bears, it wouldn’t be a lost cause. That means Chicago would control the rights to the other top quarterback on the board with the Colts sitting right behind them at #5. Teams will surely know Indianapolis would take the QB, meaning they’d need the Bears’ #4 spot to get him. It would be the perfect trade-down scenario. History says Poles should be able to get a future 1st round pick in almost any deal. Cleveland did in 2014 and 2017. Even the Bears did back in 2003 under Jerry Angelo.
So the Chicago Bears have no reason to be upset about their position. If they lose, great. They pick at least 2nd overall with a chance to get #1 if Houston beats Indianapolis. If they win, they’re still in the top five and get one of two scenarios. A top defender slips to them at #4, or they hold the right to the other top quarterbacks. You can’t ask for much better than that. Fans should sit back and relax next Sunday. The outcome of the game itself is almost inconsequential. This team will be sitting pretty in April either way.
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The bears didn’t get a future 1 in 2003 – they got two 1st which turned into Haynes and Grossman
So F’in what. What makes you think the Bears are going to make the right draft choices much less develop quality picks? What current coaches on the Bears staff have done this before? Just remember who is behind this franchise disaster…Yup, George McCaskey. At his year end press conference he said, “I don’t know anything about football.” Never mind he hads been on the payroll 42 years!
@tschimick if the Bears win against Minny and end up tied with Denver or Arizona, either of those have a weaker strength of schedule and pick ahead of the Bears (Seattle has Denver’s pick from the Wilson trade).
Minny can no longer get the bye, the question is do they want to tempt fate and play GB/SEA/DET, or stand pat and face NYG again. A loss is no guarantee.
The Bears have the 2nd worst record and likely will finish the season that way. How do they end up with the 4th pick then?
The difference between drafting 1 or 2 and 4 is drastic. Carter was basically a ghost in the CFP. He is not worth the 4th pick. The only elite defender worth taking that high is Anderson, who is almost certainly gone at 3.