(670 The Score) Over the next three days, we'll look at the pros and cons of the three paths that Bears general manager Ryan Pace can take in the first round of the NFL Draft: trading up, staying put and moving back.
The Bears are in a pickle. You see, it's been a few seasons since the team had a good quarterback. How many seasons, specifically, is more of a debate. Some say 20, some say 40. Some say the Bears have never had a good quarterback and never will, so get off my porch. It really just depends on whom you ask.
Andy Dalton and Nick Foles *are* on the roster, but, you know. During his six years as Bears general manager, Ryan Pace has signed, drafted and traded for different would-be fixes, but, you know. It almost makes you wonder whether the quarterback cycle in Chicago, much like time itself, is a flat circle. Everything the Bears have ever done or will ever do, they'll do over and over and over again — forever. (If last generation's Bears fans were personified as Bill Swerski, this younger one is Rust Cohle – a chain-smoking pessimist who plows through light beers while muttering stuff like, "There is no such thing as forgiveness" and "This is a world where nothing is solved.")
But as it often does in mid-to-late April, hope has arrived. It has arrived this year in the form of a fairly unprecedented class of talented quarterback prospects, most of them likely to find a professional home within the first dozen picks in the NFL Draft, which begins April 29. Trevor Lawrence is going to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1 overall, but after that, it's anyone's guess. A month ago, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones were locks to follow at No. 2 and No. 3, but as usual, pesky smoke screens always find a way – especially in the final weeks leading up to the event – to open the door for a few surprises. And if you know anything about Pace, it's that he's always just on the other side of that door, curiously peeking in.
Arguing that the Bears should trade up is like driving literally anywhere on Lower Wacker: It should be easy to do and yet, somehow, it's not. Still, the reward for doing so is crystal clear: a young, cost-controlled quarterback whose success isn't predicated on one playoff run from three years ago or a certain amount of time under the tutelage of Bill Lazor. Dalton looks great in the blue and orange (I mean that sincerely, he does), but Justin Fields, Trey Lance or Jones would probably look great too – they're flattering colors. A dynamic rookie quarterback surrounded by Allen Robinson, Cole Kmet, Tarik Cohen, David Montgomery and Darnell Mooney – propped up by an occasionally great defense with an expanded playoff field – could make some noise in the NFC North. Really! It's not like the Lions are going to.
There's also no such thing as a free lunch, which is an idiom that's probably a bit too vague to really apply here but is nonetheless catchy. The point is: The price for trading up is exorbitant. The 49ers – who, ironically enough, already have a quarterback whom Bears fans would happily take – gave the Dolphins *three* first-round picks for the right to move up nine spots; they also threw in a third-rounder. The Bears extremely don't have that kind of capital on hand, which obviously means they'd have to turn their attention to future assets. It's an approach that wasn't good enough to land Seahawks star Russell Wilson on the trade market, but none of these prospects are certified All-Pros with a tremendous alter-ego (that we know of) yet. These days, trading up to grab your guy is frowned upon by modern NFL analytics, but quarterbacks have generally always existed outside the realm of practicality and common sense. Getting one in this draft would require the Bears to sign off on the idea that they'll have gone the better part of a decade without first-round picks. It also would mean reinvesting trust in Pace's ability to evaluate the position, which at this point may be the tougher pill to swallow.
None of this accounts for the fact the Bears, who have been the definition of mediocre for two years now, have quite a few other roster holes to fill. Obviously none are as important as getting the quarterback right, but the Chargers finished 7-9 in 2020. Rookie studs like Justin Herbert don't solve everything immediately. They do, however, get fans -- and more importantly, ownership -- off your back for a while, which probably sounds pretty damn nice to Pace right about now. Ultimately, making the argument to trade up depends on how much sanity you've got left to give. They say that fortune favors the bold, and the Bears certainly have a bold general manager. Maybe this is finally the year that fortune follows. At the very least, maybe it's the year that it doesn't all go to Green Bay.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.
