It seems like the closer the draft gets, the louder the rumors surrounding the Chicago Bears become. One has dominated headlines for the past week. This involved the idea of the team jumping up the board from #20 to grab a quarterback. It isn’t difficult to connect the dots. Andy Dalton is the starter but only on a one-year deal. Nick Foles isn’t their future. The team needs some way to sell fans that this team has hope for the future.
Their only option left this offseason is to get a quarterback in the draft. What nobody knows for sure is how they’ll do it. Knowing GM Ryan Pace, he is always going to think aggressively. That has been the case since he took over in 2015. If there is a player in the draft that he wants that he thinks he can get? He’ll go get him. The fact his job is on the line should only make him more desperate.
Several reporters have indicated the Bears are eyeing a move up.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was one of the latest. SM’s own source stated that they were placing calls to teams in the top 10. Now yet another insider added to the tally. John Clayton has worked in the sports business for decades. He was at ESPN for over 20 years. So he has a lot of connections around the NFL even to this day. What he had to say in his latest column for 104.3 The Fan didn’t beat around the bush.
“Add Chicago to the number of teams trying to trade up for one of the five first-round quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft. Andy Dalton is the Bears starter. Nick Foles is still on their roster, but Chicago is looking to get their quarterback of the future.”
Clayton referenced the Denver Broncos as one of the teams Chicago is talking to. I reported back on April 5th that such calls were taking place. Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network revealed yesterday that the Dallas Cowboys were another team that had spoken to them. It’s pretty obvious the Bears are casting the net wide, getting as clear of a picture as possible as to what the cost would be to move up.
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Chicago Bears need to play this carefully
Some people believe the Bears might even go as high as the #4 pick in order to get the guy they want. Atlanta holds that selection and there are rumors about them being interested in moving down. Peter King of NBC Sports confirmed they’re open to it, but doesn’t envision the Bears jumping that high despite their obvious desperation. Based on the information available? It feels like if a move is going to happen, the area of the draft to watch will be somewhere between #8 overall (Carolina) and #12 overall (Philadelphia).
There are four teams in that window that seem like possible candidates to move down. It’s a matter of two key factors. What their asking price is and whether a quarterback the Chicago Bears covet is available. Smart money says a jump that high will cost #20, their 1st round pick in 2022, and probably one of their Day 2 picks this year. It’s a hefty price to pay for what could be the fourth or even fifth quarterback off the board.
Yet if they truly feel the divide between them and the next tier is that steep?
There may be no other choice. Teams like New England (#15) and Washington (#19) both need quarterbacks. Both are sitting ahead of them. The odds of one of those top five quarterbacks getting out of the top 10 picks and past those two teams is remote. So yeah. It makes perfect sense the Bears are considering a move up.