If 2020 has proven anything with eight games gone? It’s that the worst fears of Chicago Bears fans are realized. The team once again will have to resume the hunt for a franchise quarterback. Mitch Trubisky was a failure. While not the worst QB ever draft by any stretch, he couldn’t live up to the hype. Nick Foles? He is what he is. A decent player who can win games if he’s surrounded by enough talent.
Talent the Bears just don’t have. This is why expectations are they’ll go hunting for fresh blood at QB next offseason. Most likely in the NFL draft. It’s a matter of when. Not if. Will it be in the 1st round for the second time since 2017? Or will they have to wait until later to find their guy? A lot of that depends on how the upcoming class shakes out.
Early returns paint a pretty clear picture.
The general consensus is the 2021 quarterback class is fairly solid. There are quite a few names who look like they can be NFL starters in the future. However, there is a note of caution that the group might be a little top-heavy. That is to say, there could be a run on them early in the 1st round and after that, it’ll dry up fast.
So the question becomes this. If the Bears want to get a quarterback, how high will they have to be? Dan Pompei of The Athletic spoke to several front office executives on this topic. In their estimation, the 2021 class has a core of four names that look like legitimate franchise-caliber guys. That means none of them are likely to fall beyond the top 15.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
“Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is just about a lock to be taken first overall if he declares. The second pick in the draft very well could be Justin Fields of Ohio State, assuming he does not return for his senior season. The Bears won’t have a realistic shot at either one.
According to the front office people, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and BYU’s Zach Wilson look like top-15 picks. Both are underclassmen.”
Chicago Bears 2020 second half will determine a lot
Right now the Bears are sitting at 5-3. The latest draft projections give them the 18th overall pick next April. That would mean they’d have to do some work in order to get into the top 15. GM Ryan Pace has never had a problem moving up in the 1st round. He did it twice in 2016 and 2017. If there is a quarterback he feels is within reach, he’ll go get it.
However, if the team manages to perform well down the stretch and make the playoffs? That changes things. It means they’ll likely have a pick no higher than #21 which could drop depending on how far they advance in January. That makes moving up much more difficult and expensive.
Then again, there is the possibility of the flip side.
If the Bears collapse down the stretch and finish 6-10 for example? They likely end up somewhere around the 9th or 10th pick. That would put them in a premium position to grab one of the quarterbacks. So a ton of this discussion depends on how the Chicago Bears end up concluding this season. These final eight games will determine so much of what happens with their offseason plans. Given what happened in the first half?
It’s best not to assume anything with them. Wait and see how it plays out.
