(670 The Score) Bears general manager Ryan Poles acted early on a trade of the No. 1 overall pick, dealing it to the Panthers on March 10 when he saw the right offer on the table to give his franchise great opportunity in the future. Could he soon pull off another trade down in the first round?
When the NFL Draft begins on April 27, the Bears might again have the chance to make a deal, this time by moving down from the No. 9 pick that they acquired in their blockbuster trade with the Panthers. Poles will certainly have the phone lines open ready to listen to options.
Inside the Bears’ draft room on the second floor of Halas Hall, each prospect will be placed in a tier. The Bears view seven players (quarterbacks included) as blue-chip prospects at the top of their draft board, Poles has previously said. Given that the Bears are set to pick ninth and already have their quarterback in Justin Fields, the math may not work in their favor to land a blue-chip prospect at a position of need in their slot. So Poles and his brass will play out various scenarios of what they could do.
If a quarterback prospect like Will Levis (Kentucky) or Anthony Richardson (Florida) is available at No. 9, the Bears could be in a position of strength in trade negotiations. At least a couple quarterbacks will go at the top of the draft, but there figure to be several teams lurking and interested if the quarterback prospect they like remains on the board.
The Titans, who own the No. 11 pick, are a team to keep an eye on as they're still looking for a long-term solution at quarterback. In that case, the Titans would likely be motivated by the threat of another team jumping in front of them in a deal with the Bears. There would only be modest value gained by the Bears in moving down two slots, but Chicago could perhaps land Tennessee's third-round pick in such a trade. The Bears currently hold three selections on the second day of the NFL Draft.
The Jets, who hold the No. 13 pick, are in a unique situation as they work to complete a trade for Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Jets are expected to package a pair of second-round picks to the Packers to acquire Rodgers at some point, but if that deal falls apart for any reason, New York could turn its attention to Levis or Richardson.
The Commanders (No. 16 overall), Buccaneers (No. 19 overall) and Ravens (No. 22 overall) are also wild cards when it comes to the market for quarterback prospects. Those three teams each remain in relative flux at quarterback, especially Baltimore, where former MVP Lamar Jackson's future remains uncertain.
The Bears could land an additional second-round pick and/or other draft assets in a deal with any of those three teams. The downside there is the Bears could be choosing from what they view as a lower tier of prospects if they move seven to 13 slots down the draft board.
There's also the possibility the Bears could strike a deal with a team that covets a non-quarterback at No. 9 overall. In 2022, nine trades were struck on the first day of the NFL Draft that involved first-round picks. None of those deals involved trading up for a quarterback.
The Bears appear unlikely to trade up from No. 9 after their previous move down. Poles understands the state of his developing roster and the need to add quantity in this draft.
In 2022, Poles inherited five draft picks from the Bears’ previous regime and ultimately made a dozen selections after various deals.
Trades are almost certainly coming again for Poles and the Bears, but the right scenario must play out for another move down in the first round.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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