Everybody remembers the trade that started everything. Ryan Poles held the #1 pick in the 2023 draft. However, the Chicago Bears GM didn’t care much for the incoming quarterback class. He wanted to give Justin Fields another year and felt the roster needed a boost at several other positions. So he put the pick up for auction. Eventually, the Carolina Panthers sent him wide receiver D.J. Moore, the #9 pick, a 2nd rounder in 2023, a 1st rounder in 2024, and a 2nd rounder in 2025.
That trade helped the Bears secure right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, and now quarterback Caleb Williams. They still have the 2nd next year as well. Given how all three of those players are performing, it’s safe to say the trade was a home run for Chicago. However, not enough people took note of the other trade that happened right after it.
For those who forgot, Poles worked out a deal with Philadelphia to move down from #9 to #10 in exchange for a 4th round pick. The Eagles took Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. At the time, everybody slammed the Bears GM for the move, giving up what many felt was a blue-chip talent. Time has shown he did something quite rare.
He hoodwinked Eagles GM Howie Roseman.
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Ryan Poles got way more bang for his buck.
Following the trade with Philadelphia, the Bears took Wright. He is now their best offensive lineman on the team, having another quality performance last Sunday against the Rams. That 4th round pick they got? Poles used it to take Iowa punter Tory Taylor, who averaged 55.4 yards per boot in that same game, and pinned three of them inside the 10-yard line. Lastly, just to rub it in, the Bears selected Gervon Dexter in the 2nd round of that same draft Carter was in.
So far in 2024?
- Carter: 0 sacks
- Dexter: 3 sacks
In essence, Ryan Poles got a solid right tackle, a Pro Bowl-caliber punter, and a defensive tackle on the same tier as Carter for the price of moving down one spot. Philadelphia didn’t have to make the move. Chicago had no intentions of taking Carter. They simply worried somebody else would jump them and didn’t want to risk it. Poles played on those fears beautifully and ended up with two productive players instead of one. All while still managing to find his defense that interior pass rusher it needed.
