A deep dive into why the Chicago Bears should draft Paris Johnson, Jr.
A good argument can be made to trade back from the 9th pick for an additional draft pick. However, I believe a stronger case can also be made that this is not what he should do. Ryan Poles needs to embrace this big picture reveal. That is that the best thing he can do for Justin Fields and the Bears is draft a left tackle who clearly has the potential to become one of the best left tackles in the NFL. This option exists because the Bears have the ninth pick.
In my opinion, it would be a clever move for Ryan Poles to trade back and add another second-round pick so the Bears' GM has an extra pick to fill a need. For example, he does not have to twist himself into a pretzel to add a pass rusher for the 2023 season. This is because there are still proven pass rushers available in free agency and he has the cap space to sign one.
Poles could very well sign Yannick Ngakoue a proven NFL pass rusher but a poor run stopper to a one-year deal and then replace him as a starter with one of their 2024 first-round picks. Again Poles should embrace the big picture reveal. That is to draft someone who for the next 10-plus years can be a great blindside protector for Justin Fields. With this in place, then they can worry about doing the best they can to improve their pass rush in 2023.