Thoughts on Ryan Poles and the draft conundrum the Chicago Bears have

Third time's the charm?

As soon as my Chicago Bears mock draft hit the market, Kill Kingsbury decided to walk back from working with the Las Vegas Raiders and roll with the Washington Commanders. I always try to get into the mind of the GM for the Bears each year and guess what they would do instead of what I would do. After all, all of us fans can want one thing, but we aren't in charge. It is all about what Ryan Poles would do in each situation. I won't lie; I had predetermined the draft outcome instead of relying on what was in front of me for each selection.

The goal was to gain as much draft capital as possible (within real expectations) while building the trenches and finding a secondary option at quarterback. That is too much for one draft class. Robert Griffin III shared his thoughts with Rich Eisen on how he could see the Chicago Bears keeping Justin Fields and not giving him his fifth-year option. It makes more sense when you break down the entire context of his argument. The Bears decided to keep Matt Eberflus (lame duck season) and hire a new offensive staff.

Why bring in a quarterback to learn from that staff when they could be fired after the end of next season? If the season turns sideways, the rookie quarterback wouldn't save the coaching staff. How do I know? That has literally been the cycle that the Chicago Bears have found themselves in the last three quarterback cycles. It would be a tough choice, but Ryan Poles can continue to build the roster for a season with Eberflus and see if his team will become like the Baltimore Ravens of today or the Jim Mora Jr Falcons of the past.

National media getting on board for trades

The Chicago Bears have always been known as a team that thrives on defense and running the ball. Let's be real; that is the team's strength with Justin Fields at the helm. It can work despite many talking about the offensive minds running the team. The national media talk about how the two Superbowl teams are run and how they have sustained success. The Chicago Bears are so far away from becoming that with this roster. They need to focus on becoming a perennial winner before anything else.

This article leads me back to my mock draft that had the Bears hyper-focused on the trenches on both sides of the ball while drafting a quarterback. I focused too hard on trying to get it all. Thanks for calling me out, Carly. The first trade I made in that mock draft was with the New England Patriots, which netted the Bears a second-round pick. I am still not wrong about what the Chicago Bears would get trading back to #2 or #3. They won't get a big draft haul for moving back one or two spots. 

You can dream all you want, but the player (Caleb Williams) doesn't directly boost the trade value of that draft pick tenfold. Thinking that is insane. If you believe that, then Justin Fields is going to the Atlanta Falcons for their eighth overall pick. I needed to put more effort into that trade. Luckily for me, Draft Capital Sports put together a realistic trade to the Washington Commanders.

Bears receive:

• 2024 first-round pick #2
• 2024 second-round pick #36
• 2024 third-round pick #67
• 2024 third-round pick #100
• 2024 sixth-round pick #180

Commanders receive:

• 2024 first-round pick #1
• 2024 third-round pick #75
• 2024 fourth-round pick #111

The trade would net the Chicago Bears 223 draft pick value points. Compared to my trade with the Patriots:

• 2024 second-round pick #34

I left a lot of meat on the bone. 240 draft value points, but I didn't want to go crazy; plus, I was focused too much on what was coming up and not what was in front of me. I don't expect Ryan Poles to look too far forward without thinking about the now.

Back to the Commander's trade, this would allow the Bears to move up in the draft twice and gain additional draft compensation. Those micro movements mean a lot to draft evaluators as it would also allow them to control the draft after day one. Ryan Poles could then trade back again after the Commander's trade. However, there would be no additional pick swaps as the Bears would now be above the New England Patriots in each of the next two rounds.

If I were Ryan Poles(using RG3's plan), I would move back with the Patriots, get whatever I could, and then draft Marvin Harrison Jr. If the Bears want their lame-duck coach to succeed, build around the quarterback for this year and give him zero excuses to perform. I have said that coaches, GMs, fans, and the media shouldn't fall in love with players. However, drafting Harrison Jr and Jackson Powers-Johnson allegedly fixes two very large holes on this Chicago Bears roster.

As I have stated on Bill Zimmerman's page, QB1 is important, but it doesn't trump fixing the things around him. Caleb Williams is very talented, but even he could only help USC win games with help around him. It has been proven that these quarterbacks need help. Could Williams become better than Fields? Sure, I am not here to argue that. The Chicago Bears aren't good enough. Heck, the Commanders aren't either, but let that be their problem.

Bears weapons or lack of

I agree with the Caleb Williams fan base; he could become the Bear's best quarterback ever. I love Justin Fields as well. They are two similar quarterbacks. I also believed that Fields could become the Bears best-ever quarterback. I learned it won't happen for either without support. With every star quarterback in the NFL, there are some good blockers and outstanding weapons. Name me a top quarterback (not a one-year wonder) who had a great career/seasons without weapons.

DJ Moore is good. I understand where the Bear fans are coming from. Unfortunately, Cole Kmet is good as well, but he isn't a weapon. Kmet is a true tight end, and Moore is dynamic, but let's distinguish them for Davante Adams and George Kittle. Those are weapons. That is the only issue I have with Chicago's Caleb Williams fan base. The Bears aren't ready. The Kansas City Chiefs were 12-4 and first in the AFC West division. That team was ready for a young quarterback prospect.

The Bears were 7-10, tied for third or last (if you want) in the NFC North. Some might mention that they would have to trade up for a quarterback next season if they are good and the quarterback doesn't work out. Well, so be it. That is why you either try to gain another future first-round pick or something and make the move. First, become a good team with a strong foundation, and then grab your guy. The foundation still needs to be finished, Caleb Williams supporters.

The other option is to finish the Chicago Bears foundation while drafting Caleb Williams. It can be done, but Ryan Poes would need to hit on day three guys better than he did with Baxton Jones. Jones is solid, but more is needed. Poles couldn't miss on Chase Claypool (sigh), Velus Jones Jr, Tyler Scott, Lucas Patrick, and Dominique Robinson. I know some of those aren't draft picks, but Poles couldn't miss on most of his offseason moves this year if he roles with Caleb Williams. If he does, Bill Zimmerman and the rest of the Chicago Bears media and fan base would have to sit through another failed quarterback prospect.

The Justin Fields support group would yell, " I told you, " while the national media would flip and say that the Chicago Bears should have stuck with Fields. The national media doesn't care what the Chicago Bears do. They only put out stories so people watch them. When they are wrong, they still have their jobs. It's much easier for them to be wrong because they can flip the script and move on. We Chicago Bear fans have to go through the pain of a failing team that we want to become dominant.

That is why I tell everybody that the Chicago Bears should trade out of the #1 pick. It has nothing to do with the prospect itself. The team needs to be built to sustain success. Otherwise, they will continue to go in this circle over and over. Truthfully, if this next offseason goes by and the team still isn't built, it would be entirely on the GM, and the Bears would have to find a new one anyway. I don't give Poles credit for the Panthers trade. That trade was easy to make. It is now up to what he does with all of the assets he gained from it.