The thing people need to remember about the NFL draft is it takes two teams to pull off a trade. Yes, the Chicago Bears are interested in the possibility of moving up for a quarterback. That’s fine and all. There is just one problem. What team higher up the board would be willing to move down to the 20th pick? That is the harder question to answer.

It requires somebody at the top who isn’t afraid of moving down and also a list of needs that can still be met later in the 1st round. When taking this into account? It’s not nearly as easy as people think. Atlanta is the hot discussion lately sitting at #4. Don’t expect them to fall too far. Their new GM Terry Fontenot probably isn’t too keen on going from the top 5 all the way to #20 even for multiple future 1st round picks. Besides, it’s also unlikely the Bears would want to pay that sort of price.

This is about measuring cost against value.

The Bears want to get a quarterback they desire but would prefer to do so at the lowest cost possible. This is why most of their calls have centered around the bottom of the top 10. Three teams sit in that area who could be looking to move down. Carolina at #8, Denver at #9, and Dallas at #10. Each has people in charge who might like the idea of moving back and each has needs that could be met at #20.

When looking at the landscape though? The one that makes the most sense is the Cowboys. Rumors surrounding them are defined pretty well. Jerry Jones loves tight end Kyle Pitts. If he somehow doesn’t fall to Dallas, they’re virtually certain to take a cornerback with their first pick. This favors the Bears since projections have a number of good corners still being available at #20. So Dallas can get their starter on defense while also collecting extra draft capital.

Jones has done this multiple times in his career. Six to be exact. The most recent coming in 2013 when they moved back from 18th to 31st before selecting Travis Frederick.

Chicago Bears would prefer the Cowboys pricetag too

Let’s just say moving up from 20th to 10th is considerably cheaper than moving up to 6th, 5th, or 4th. Going by draft value charts, the Bears could get up to 10th by adding their 2nd round pick this year and perhaps a future 3rd. However, Dallas will likely not want to move without a future 1st. So the likely deal would be the Bears’ 3rd rounder this year and their 1st in 2022. While a high price, it isn’t nearly as crippling as the multiple future 1st and 2nd rounders it would’ve taken to reach the top five or six.

Much of this comes down to whether the QB the Chicago Bears brass want reaches that pick. As of right now, a lot of people don’t see it happening. With three guys going in the top three, there is a strong possibility the other two could be gone by the 9th spot with Denver still a closet threat to take one themselves. So unless Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy are that desperate, which is entirely possible, they’ll need a bit of good luck to make this happen.

Dallas is the spot to watch.

If a prominent QB like Justin Fields or Mac Jones reaches it? Don’t be surprised if Chicago works to make a deal happen. Otherwise, the Bears will likely stay put at #20 and take the best offensive player on the board. Either an offensive tackle or wide receiver.