If the Chicago Bears decide to keep Justin Fields, it appears it would make most of the locker room happy. Multiple teammates have spoken up defending Fields to the media and making it known that they'd prefer Fields over a rookie draft pick. Ryan Poles has work cut out for him this offseason.
Thankfully, it does appear that the chances of Poles completely screwing this situation up are slim. Trading Fields and drafting Caleb Williams, the draft prospect everyone has been googly-eyed over for the last two years, would make a large portion of the fan base happy.
In the alternative, keeping Justin Fields and trading the first-overall pick for even a bigger haul than received last season from the Panthers would bring joy to a majority of the rest of the fan base. It's almost as if Poles is in a win-win situation.
For the sake of this hypothetical situation, let's look at what a perfect dream scenario would look like in the 2024 NFL Draft should Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears elect to keep Justin Fields.
I am still working through the 2024 NFL Draft prospects. As always, I have been heavily focused on positions I feel are important needs for the Bears. The 2023 roster was clearly better than the 2022 roster. Four more wins than last season help prove it. However, even Ryan Poles said that the roster was only 75% to 80% from where it needs to be. To help fill those needs, Poles will look to add more draft capital with a trade down from one.
It's fun to imagine what next year will look like for the Bears, but you still have a chance to end this year with a big win thanks to FanDuel! All you have to do is sign up, deposit $10 or more and then use $5 or more to bet on either NFL Conference Championship game. You'll get $150 in bonus bets, win or lose! Sign up with FanDuel today.
Ryan Poles was gifted the first-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he had his hand in the Panthers' demise this year, landing the first pick in the draft yet again. Moving on from Justin Fields and drafting Caleb Williams is on the table, but if Poles makes the decision to stick with Fields, then moving down from one makes sense. Looking at the first five teams in the 2024 NFL Draft, two other teams are in need of a quarterback, while a couple more are within striking distance should they look to trade up.
The hope here is that Washington and New England both want Caleb Williams. With a bidding war between these two franchises, plus the other couple of teams outside the top five trying to move up, Ryan Poles finds the perfect scenario.
The Chicago Bears trade with the Commanders
The Commanders have new ownership and are looking to move on from a checkered past. Sam Howell looked solid for a short time this season, but after losing eight games to close out the year, Washington is in desperate need to shake things up. To guarantee the Patriots do not move ahead of them, the Commanders offer a trade with future draft capital and the Bears accept.
Bears and Commanders Trade:
Commanders Receive:
1st Overall Pick
Bears Receive:
2nd Overall Pick
40th Overall Pick (2nd Round)
2025 1st Round Pick
2026 2nd Round Pick
To help sweeten the pot, the Commanders give the Bears the second-round pick they traded to Washington for defensive end Montez Sweat along with the team's first-rounder in 2025 and second-rounder in 2026. Some might be upset they didn't land three first-rounders, but moving up one spot from two to one probably won't land them that much draft capital. Mainly, because the team fighting for the rights to Caleb Williams would be New England and I don't see their draft strategy drastically changing with Bill Belichick gone. They won't give up 3 firsts either.
This is why Ryan Poles trades down again.
With the Chicago Bears now sitting at two in the 2024 NFL Draft, Ryan Poles should look to maximize his draft capital by starting a bidding war for the rights to Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or Michael Penix, Jr. For me, only Maye is worthy of a top-5 pick in this draft class, but we have seen guys like Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, etc. vaulted into the top of drafts simply because teams are desperate for a quarterback.
Looking at the top five picks, only Washington and New England (and possibly Chicago, but not in this scenario) will take a quarterback. I don't see Arizona drafting one as they are financially tied to Kyler Murray. The Chargers have a very good quarterback in Justin Herbert. I don't see Jim Harbaugh (assuming he lands the head coaching gig) moving up from five to change up his quarterback position. I expect them to invest elsewhere.
Outside of the top five, the Giants (6) just paid Daniel Jones, and the Jets (10) just signed Aaron Rodgers last offseason. I could see the Titans (7) potentially adding a QB despite taking Will Levis in the second round last year. Atlanta (8) definitely needs a quarterback. Minnesota (11) and Las Vegas (13) are the other teams picking in the top 15 I could see trying to move up.
Ryan Poles could land multiple first-round picks if they trade back with one of the teams outside of the top 5, but in this dream scenario, they negotiate the following trade with the Patriots.
Bears and Patriots Trade:
Patriots Receive:
2nd Overall Pick
122 Overall Pick (4th Round)
Bears Receive:
3rd Overall Pick
68th Overall Pick (3rd Round)
2025 1st Round Pick
Wow. This trade coupled with the Commanders trade would give the Chicago Bears three first-round picks in 2025. Plus, Chicago would only have moved down from the first-overall pick in the draft to three. You know what this means, right?
Many people seem to have moved Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze up their draft boards to the point they don't care if they miss out on Marvin Harrison, Jr. Look, I'd be perfectly fine if Chicago were to land one of those two receivers. However, to put Nabers and Odunze in the same tier is just silly. Marvin Harrison, Jr. is easily the best WR prospect in this draft and I still have him in his own tier above everyone else — yes, even the quarterbacks.
The Chicago Bears just hired Shane Waldron as their next offensive coordinator. Waldron checks all the boxes this team needs since they decided to stick with Matt Eberflus as head coach. One thing we know is that Waldron has a history of utilizing the prototypical X receiver — something that DJ Moore does not represent. Moore is only 5'11" and would fit the Tyler Lockett role in this offense should the Bears land Marvin Harrison, Jr. in the draft. Harrison is 6'3" and brings the size this team was trying to find with Chase Claypool. That's the only time I will compare Harrison and Claypool by the way.
The Chicago Bears draft the best player in the 2024 NFL Draft
Harrison has been tearing up the NCAAF. In each of his last two seasons with Ohio State, Harrison has finished with 1,200+ yards and 14 touchdowns. He brings a combination of size, speed, and strength that the Bears' new offense will covet. If he lands in Chicago, I fully expect him to break every franchise receiving record before his career ends.
Wait, Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears are not done.
You can choose the path here to finish out your "dream" scenario, but in this dream, Poles drafts Brock Bowers at nine. Bowers is easily the top TE option in this draft and would add another receiving threat for Justin Fields. Waldron likes to run two-TE sets (12 and 22). Having Cole Kmet and Bowers paired together would be a great 1-2 combination. The weapons catching the football would become DJ Moore, Marvin Harrison, Jr. Cole Kmet and Brock Bowers. Sign me up for that!
If you want Poles to go elsewhere, he could look to trade down once again. A possible trade is with the Broncos who could move up from 12 to 9. The Bears could take their 3rd-round pick (76) and a future fourth to make the deal happen. Again, more draft capital for Poles and the Bears. Trading down to 12 could still allow the Bears to land one of the top defensive ends. Jared Verse is the guy I'd look to add as I think he's the best fit overall and I love his motor — Poles and Matt Eberflus will too.
If the Chicago Bears stay put at 9, they could also look to select Jer'Zhan Newton out of Illinois. Newton would be the best 3-tech prospect on the roster. Pairing him with the likes of Gervon Dexter would be fantastic as I don't have faith in Zacch Pickens. Depending on if they stay or trade down could also allow them to look at offensive tackle. Braxton Jones is good, but I would love to upgrade the position. With Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu off the board, Poles could look at adding Taliese Fuaga or CJ Latham. The problem is they are better suited at RT than LT. Corner could also be an option (some very good ones in the mid-first range) should they not re-sign Jaylon Johnson.
With their second-round pick, Chicago can now take a new center to pair with a free agent veteran they also add to the roster. Ryan Poles is able to continue to build this team through the draft, while stock-piling more top-end draft capital. This is easily the best dream mock draft scenario for the Chicago Bears should they keep Justin Fields beyond the 2023 season.