The Chicago Bears are open for business. That is the belief among many around the NFL. With no need to draft a quarterback and a roster in the middle of a rebuild, the most logical course of action for them is to trade out of the #1 spot. There is no shortage of teams in the top 10 that need quarterbacks. Houston (#2), Indianapolis (#4), Las Vegas (#7), and Carolina (#9) probably stand out the most. However, the general consensus is one team feels like the most logical partner in any deal.
That is the Colts. Their Matt Ryan experiment was a disaster this past season. They sit in a good spot with the 4th pick and would have the desire to jump ahead of Houston, their division rival, to land the quarterback of their preference. Adam Jahns of The Athletic spoke to Indianapolis beat writer Zak Keefer about the situation. He didn’t even try to dance around the subject. From what he knows about the situation inside the Colts organization, there is most definitely a strong chance they’ll call about the #1 pick.
It’s a matter of when, not if, it happens.
“Are the Colts in play for a potential move up to No. 1? Absolutely. To start, general manager Chris Ballard said as much earlier this week, asked whether he would move “heaven and earth” to trade up to the top spot if he believed there was a franchise-changing quarterback available: “I’d do whatever it takes,” he said. “If we thought there’s a player that we’re driven to get that makes the franchise and the team better, that’s what we would do.”
Secondly, the Colts are done with the veteran quarterback route, scarred by recent misses on Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan, and owner Jim Irsay wants a young QB. Those around him believe the Colts — who have the fourth pick in April’s draft — will do whatever is needed to make that happen. Ryan Poles, keep your phone handy.”
So much about this makes sense for the Chicago Bears.
The Colts hold the 4th pick. That means GM Ryan Poles would still be in the top five after moving down, giving him a reasonable chance to land one of the two best defensive prospects on the board. There are also ties between the organizations. Colts GM Chris Ballard worked with Poles from 2013 to 2017 in Kansas City. They know each other well. Head coach Matt Eberflus also served as Indy’s defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021. Communication shouldn’t be an issue, given such familiarity.
What it comes down to is compensation. Ballard is notorious for being highly protective of his draft picks. He doesn’t like making overly aggressive trades. That doesn’t mean he won’t. His moves for DeForest Buckner and Wentz prove as much. He will likely have to give up a future 1st round pick in this deal. If he can accept that, then something should get worked out. One must not forget he is under lots of pressure from team owner Jim Irsay. All of these factors will play in the Chicago Bears’ favor.
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Lynn, I’m glad you’ve said that as I’ve been thinking the same. Bears trade with Colts and Cards trade to maybe LV or Carolina and top three picks end up being QB’s, leaving Bears free to take their choice of Anderson (my preference) or Carter at 4. That would be ideal scenario. Also if you land a future first with a team rolling with a rookie QB got a decent chance that pick will be high, most teams have a transitional year with a rookie QB. Look at the Jags with Lawrence, still had the worst record in his first… Read more »
Free Agency is going to dictate some of this too. If the Bears get Daron Payne he could be their 3-Tech, or he could slide into the Nose Tackle spot. He’s 320 pounds and one of the strongest guys in the NFL. He was originally thought to be a NT but his athleticism let him move to the 3-Tech. Line him up next to DeForest Buckner, or Jalen Carter? I’m on board.
Why doesn’t anyone mention the Cardinals trading their pick to a quarterback starving team. They have only 5 picks this year. So it is possible the top 3 picks are all quarterbacks. Therefore the Bears will have their choice between Anderson and Carter. Let’s hope all three quarterbacks knock it out of the park at the combine
Let the offers for the #1 draft choice come in. The door is open to offers at Halas Hall.
Keep that rumor mill churning. If Ballard will move heaven and earth to get so would the Houston Texans. Once you’ve traded into #2 you can get almost a kings ransome from Indianapolis to move from #4 to #2. We could still get one of either Carter or Anderson. Plus the picks you could generate through the rest of this draft and next year’s draft…..