Bears Could Receive ‘Massive Trade Haul’ From Familiar Face in 2023

Ryan Poles

Getty Bears general Manager Ryan Poles will have a big decision to make with his No. 1 pick next year.

Heading into Week 13, the Chicago Bears sit at 3-9 and are set to have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

What general manager Ryan Poles and company do with that pick remains a mystery, but one scenario that keeps coming up is the trade down — and that could be a very good thing for Chicago.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report ranked the “best trade pieces” of the 2023 season, and he thinks draft capital will be No. 1. “The biggest 2023 trade chip of all could be an early first-round pick,” Knox wrote on December 2. “Next year’s draft class is expected to be loaded with quality quarterback prospects, which can create an active trade market.”

Knox also thinks the Bears could get a ton in return if they decide to trade their No. 2 pick to a quarterback-needy team.


Could Former Bears GM Ryan Pace Be a Wild Card?

“There are a couple of teams that could be candidates to flip early first-round selections for massive trade hauls,” Knox noted, before naming names. “The Bears would own the No. 2 pick if the season ended today, and they appear to have a rising quarterback in Justin Fields.”

Knox also listed a few teams who may be willing to trade “multiple first-round picks” to move up for a quarterback, and one of them stands out.

“Teams projected to pick in the middle of Round 1 such as the Indianapolis Colts (14th) and Atlanta Falcons (15th) could be realistic trade partners in this scenario,” Knox wrote.

After the conclusion of the 2021 regular season, the Bears fired ex-GM Ryan Pace and former head coach Matt Nagy. Shortly after being let go by Chicago, Pace was hired as a senior personnel executive with the Falcons. He currently works alongside Phil Emery, another former Bears general manager, down in Atlanta.

While with Chicago from 2015-2021, Pace traded up 10 times and traded down just three times. Two of his trade-ups involved acquiring a quarterback (Mitch Trubisky in 2017, Fields in 2021), so trading up for a QB is something he likes to do. While Pace doesn’t make final decisions in Atlanta, he does have a great deal of influence. It’ll be interesting to see if the Falcons become major players for Chicago’s pick — if it’s on the table, that is.


Focus Is on Fields for Remainder of 2022 Season

The focus for the Bears for the remainder of the 2022 regular season will be the continued growth of Fields, who is set to return to the starting lineup after missing Week 12 with a separated shoulder.

“We just gotta make sure we continue to progress and he’s gotta continue to develop, he’s gotta continue to get these experiences so that we can continue to learn from them, so he can grow,” Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said about Fields. “Cause that’s the biggest thing, these opportunities.”

Poles will likely make the upcoming draft about building around Fields, whether he adds offensive linemen to protect the young signal-caller or weapons for Fields to throw to. The Bears are also in desperate need of pass rushers, and both Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Alabama defensive end Will Anderson are projected to be top-3 picks, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Poles went that route, either.

Whatever the Bears choose to do with their first-rounder next year, it’s clear they have options — and they all look pretty good.

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