Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles spoke with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday amidst speculation that the team was planning on revealing their quarterback decision this week.
Tuesday marks the first day that Poles can speak with prospective quarterback candidates, but the third-year general manager admitted that no decision is imminent.
Ryan Poles says he has “no master plan to present today” on the #Bears QB situation and No. 1 pick.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) February 27, 2024
The debate at the heart of the decision is whether the Bears will move forward with Justin Fields as their starting quarterback or trade Fields and select quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. While Williams will be at the Scouting Combine this week, he will only be meeting with teams and not participating in any drills.
It would have been foolish for Poles to make any declarative stances on what the Bears will do at the quarterback position considering there has been no official move yet. While some NFL insiders believe that the Bears can get a haul for the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft and should do that in an effort to build around Fields, the trend seems to be the team moving on at the quarterback position and taking Williams.
At this point, it is likely that the Bears have completed their evaluations of Williams, the player. There is nothing that the Bears will see at USC's Pro Day or private workouts that they haven't seen on tape.
The reason why this week is important is that it likely is the first time that Poles, along with Bears' president Kevin Warren, will get to know Williams, the person. If Williams does check the box in terms of being the leader that the Bears want at the quarterback position, that is the final hurdle clear before the team commits to a decision at the most important position on the field.