NFL insider leaves no doubt about Bears' intentions after latest draft buzz

The start of the 2025 NFL Draft is just about two hours away, and the strongest life may have just been breathed into the rumors connecting Ashton Jeanty to the Chicago Bears.

Throughout the day, there has been speculation that the Bears are trying to move up in the draft in order to select Jeanty. With the Las Vegas Raiders looking like biggest threat to the Bears for Jeanty, many have pointed to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the potential trade partner with the Bears. The Jaguars hold the No. 5 pick in the draft.

That may have been the trade Dianna Russini was hinting at with her latest report on the Bears' draft-day plans.

While no trade has been made, there has been plenty of debate across the Bears' fan base regarding the idea of the team moving up to No. 5 to take Jeanty. There is no doubt about Jeanty's special talent, but considering this year's draft class is deep at the running back position and the Bears hold two second-round draft picks, there's a feeling that Ryan Poles shouldn't be aggressive in his pursuit of Jeanty.

Lost in that thinking is that Poles may not be the driving force behind the Bears' aggressive pursuit of Jeanty. First-year Bears' head coach Ben Johnson features an offense that is predicated on the running game. Adding Jeanty would give the Bears a close replica of what Johnson had with the Detroit Lions in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

In many ways, Jeanty's arrival would signal a dramatic overhaul of the Bears' offense this offseason. The offseason began with the Bears addressing the offensive line with the additions of Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman. While there may be some appeal to the Bears looking at the offensive line in the first round, the moves they have made do create a pathway for them to target Jeanty in the fashion that they are doing so.