The 2023 season didn’t end the way anybody wants. Once again, the Chicago Bears were made to look inferior in the face of the Green Bay Packers. It was a stark reminder of how wide the gap remains between the two teams. GM Ryan Poles still has lots of work to do. First, he must determine the fates of head coach Matt Eberflus and quarterback Justin Fields. Both remain winless against Green Bay. Both did some good things down the stretch. Once their fates are determined, Poles must then figure out what to do with the #1 overall pick.
With Fields’ status in doubt, the expectation is Poles will use that spot to grab the next quarterback, whoever that may be. One person who refuses to believe that is former Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel. Over the past few weeks, he has stated that Poles would most likely trade the pick again, accumulating more draft assets. He is so confident that he doubled down on Twitter (X) before the game against the Packers. Gabriel outright called it a lock.
Ryan Poles did hint at the idea before the game.
He said the #1 pick offers another chance to gather more “ammunition” to keep building the roster. Gabriel has spoken with the Bears GM before. He still has friends inside Halas Hall. This confidence is hard to ignore. Poles wanting to trade down again shouldn’t be a surprise. The first time resulted in immediate results. D.J. Moore, Darnell Wright, and Tyrique Stevenson each became solid contributors this season. That doesn’t include the #1 pick they now hold and the 2nd rounder in 2025 they also got from Carolina.
Most experts believe the haul Ryan Poles could get for the #1 spot this year would be even bigger, thanks to a stronger quarterback class and more QB-needy teams. Again, much of this depends on what the Bears GM wants to do at the position himself. Does he think he can trade down and still land a quarterback he wants? Only Poles can answer these questions, and he’s unlikely to disclose anything until at least the middle of March when the off-season begins.
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One thing is for sure, Gabriel better have that pension ready if he’s wrong.
