The week one loss to the Green Bay Packers was as painful as any experience for a Chicago Bears fan. All summer, the talk was that it was now time to take over the NFC North with Aaron Rodgers out of the division, and the team still lost horribly.
So, the thought is setting in that this rivalry goes far deeper than just quarterback play. The Chicago Bears General Manager is entering his second season, but things are starting to turn against him. There were a few major moves he made that stood out as disasters this weekend.
3. The Chicago Bears could have drafted Jalen Carter
This one may be the most harsh criticism, especially because a lot of his questions were off of the field. Also, the questions off of the field may develop in the long term. However, on the field the Chicago Bears had a chance to trade back from number one, and still take the best player in the draft and they did not do it.
Carter was the consensus best player in the draft at the time, and after one game, it looked like he would go down as the best. Carter had eight pressures in week one, per PFF. To compare, the Chicago Bears had seven, led by DeMarcus Walker and Yannick Ngakoue, who had two a piece.
The Packers ran right down the Bears' throats, and the presence of Carter would have obviously changed this game. This is not even a shot at Darnell Wright, who was fine, but certainly was not a better prospect on the field than Carter. That is the issue. The Bears passed on the most talent, and it cost them in sports where talent is everything.
To supplement losing Carter, the Chicago Bears wound up taking two defensive tackles with Zacch Pickens and Gevon Dexter. They combined to play 35 snaps and did not bring much. So, to pass on Carter, they had to potentially make two more mistakes. This is a residual effect that costs the team.