The Chicago Bears would possibly quickly be off the clock.
After clinching the No. 1 total choose within the 2023 NFL Draft with a Week 18 loss to the Vikings — and a Texans win over the Colts — everybody desires to know what the Bears will do with the highest choose within the NFL Draft.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are “leaning towards” buying and selling the choose.
Chicago’s greatest wants this offseason are on protection, and the group might collect a number of future picks by buying and selling the primary total choose.Â
The Bears might additionally profit from upgrades on the offensive talent positions and the 2023 Draft has some robust choices at tight finish within the first and second rounds and at working again within the later rounds.
There’s been hypothesis the group might discover a QB and transfer on from Justin Fields, however Schefter’s report signifies the Bears aren’t giving up on Fields, nor ought to they.
QB Justin Fields started and ended his season on a nasty word however confirmed unimaginable potential through the center portion of the 12 months, together with a six-game stretch from Oct. 13 to Nov. 20 the place he went 87-of-140 (62.1 p.c) for 963 yards, 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions and added 80 carries for 640 yards and 6 touchdowns.
If a group does resolve to commerce for Chicago’s choose, it can virtually definitely be to draft a QB. Bryce Younger is taken into account by a number of analysts as the very best QB prospect, however others together with C.J. Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson might additionally find yourself being chosen first total.
The Titans had been the final group to commerce the primary total choose, again in 2016 to the Rams. Primarily based on that commerce, the Bears can anticipate a large haul in return.
Tennessee traded the primary total choose, in addition to fourth- and sixth-round picks (113th total, 177th total), for the fifteenth total choose, two second-round picks (forty third total, forty fifth total), a third-round choose (76th total) and 2017 first- and third-round picks.
The query for Chicago is how far down the group desires to maneuver within the draft. If the Texans or Colts put in presents, the Bears might solely drop one or three spots and nonetheless draft one of many class’s elite defensive linemen, Jalen Carter or Will Anderson Jr.
Chicago might additionally commerce additional down and choose up much more future draft picks than what the Texans or Colts would wish to supply. That may imply Chicago misses out on Carter or Anderson, however with $98 million in cap area, the group might make a run at one — or two — free-agent defensive linemen, of which there are lots of.
If not the Texans or Colts, groups together with the Raiders (seventh total), Panthers (ninth total), Jets (thirteenth total), and Saints (twenty ninth total) all have obtrusive wants at QB.Â
The Falcons (eighth total) Commanders (sixteenth total) and Buccaneers (nineteenth total) have indicated they plan on beginning unproven younger QBs Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell and Kyle Trask, respectively, however might need to discover an improve.
The Giants, Ravens and Seahawks could possibly be available in the market if they do not work out contracts with their free-agent QBs.
As soon as there’s readability on the place Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Lamar Jackson, Daniel Jones and Aaron Rodgers are taking part in subsequent season, we’ll have a greater understanding of what group most wants a quarterback.
Till then, let the hypothesis run rampant. Younger — and all the draft’s prime quarterbacks — might find yourself anyplace.
