Looking back at the 2020 NFL Draft, it seems the Chicago Bears trade for Nick Foles returned better value than many believe.
I have looked into my crystal ball and have determined that the value the Chicago Bears will see from Nick Foles as essentially a fourth-round pick is the best thing this team could have hoped for had they been picking at No. 140 in the 2020 NFL Draft. Those complaining about the move need to take a look at who was available and realize, despite an 8-8 record in 2019, the Bears are still in win-now mode and Foles brings the most bang for their buck.
The point of this analysis is not to beat a dead horse. I have already explained why the move for Nick Foles was a better move than waiting on Andy Dalton. The move was also better than trying to sign Cam Newton (who has yet to sign with a team) or Jameis Winston (who took a cheap deal to play in New Orleans).
To summarize the reasons Foles made more sense for a team looking to win now is that he brings a familiarity to a team that is filled with new assistant coaches looking to maximize the value and improve the offense. Foles has not only worked with Matt Nagy, but he has also worked with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo. The offense will not be the same as he saw backing up Alex Smith in Kansas City, but it should be similar enough.
Furthermore, the money involved is being blown way out of proportion. His annual salary cap hit this year is less than Mitchell Trubisky‘s yet everyone wants to say Foles is the guaranteed starter. Sorry, this will be a straight up competition and Foles is more of an insurance policy. The thing is, he is a great insurance policy and brings more to the table than a rookie draft pick would. Looking back at the results of the 2020 NFL Draft, here is why the Foles trade returned great draft value.