The NFL Combine ends on Sunday and as expected, there have been plenty of developments for everyone to chew on in the coming days and weeks.
And, as expected, the Chicago Bears were a focal point of the news cycle. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus were both asked about the plan for Justin Fields and the No. 1 overall pick, and while there weren’t any “progress updates”, so to speak, both parties made it clear the thought of trading the former first-rounder and drafting a new signal-caller at No. 1 is certainly in the realm of possibility.
But even though it’s plausible – the question of whether or not it should happen still remains. Fields has shown improvement over the last two years, especially after the Bears got him some actual weapons. It hasn’t been enough improvement, though, to officially label him as the guy.
In my opinion, the Bears’ decision got harder after the 2024 NFL Combine, thanks to a receiver group that showed out and proved its worth. We could be looking at the deepest receiver class of all-time and it’s another reason why the Bears should keep Fields and trade down from No. 1 overall.
This is shaping up to be the deepest WR class in decades and it could be the best of all-time
Excluding the quarterback conversation, as a whole, the Bears have some pretty clear needs: EDGE, WR2, iOL, RB, TE, and one could even make an argument for LT. It sounds like cornerback Jaylon Johnson isn’t going anywhere, otherwise, corner would be close to the top of the list.
There isn’t a clear EDGE to take at No. 1 without it being considered a major stretch and while LT is a premium position, the presence of Braxton Jones makes the potential need a bit malleable. The non-QB that makes most sense at No. 1 would be wide receiver, but after Saturday, it’s clear the Bears can trade back and still land a very dynamic player that can help Fields’ continued development and take pressure off D.J. Moore.
… A record-setting performance and exceptional on-field work from multiple wide receivers drove home the point that this is one of the most talented and deepest classes for the position in some time…
The strength of the 2024 draft is the wide receiver class, and that was evident on Saturday night — nine wideouts timed under 4.4 seconds, the most since at least 2003 according to ESPN Stats & Information. And I think we could see a record eight WRs drafted in the first round, besting the seven who went on Day 1 in 2004. – Matt Miller, ESPN
Chicago could trade back, receive another haul equal to last year’s -if not likely more- and still be in position to land one of the best wideouts in the draft. Especially since quarterback is so deep throughout the list of prospects – it’s not just top-heavy. There will be plenty of options, even at No. 9.
The same goes with all the other positions of need. Hell, even Brock Bowers would make sense. He’d represent a very intriguing wrinkle in Shane Waldron’s offense since Cole Kmet is a traditional, in-line tight end.
Then, it’s one of the other priorities with whatever pick is next, whether it be No. 9 or a pick after. Regardless, the Bears don’t have to fixate on Marvin Harrison Jr. like a lot of us thought they’d have to a couple of months ago, and that’s a very good development.
The Fields trade market may not be a stout one, or even a semi-stout one
Per The Athletic’s Diana Russini, Fields’ trade market hasn’t been too impressive on the forefront, mostly because teams are aware he could be traded. Meaning, why pay a premium on something that is likely to be shipped off, anyway? Poles won’t force the issue, but he did say he’d like to get something done before free agency. So, if you’re another team, why not wait as long as possible in order to cause as much strain as possible? Outside of getting Fields in ASAP to accommodate him to his new surroundings, there’s really no reason to rush things.
Though I expect the demand for Fields to be robust, knowing teams like the Raiders, Broncos, Steelers and Falcons are all in search of a quarterback, it appears his market is soft for now. It was hard to find strong interest from any team. One NFC general manager explained the problem with the current timing: “When people know you are getting rid of something, they don’t pay as much for it.” – Diana Russini, The Athletic
Things could always heat up, however, although it remains to be seen just how high the temperature climbs. Ultimately, though, why would the Bears get rid of Fields for below-market value? “Doing right” by him makes sense and is a valiant way of doing things, but Poles has also mentioned doing what’s best for the Bears. Forgoing potentially solid return for Fields is not living up to the latter, by any means.
The Bears would still receive extra picks in a trade back and said picks would be more valuable than the ones they’d receive from a Fields trade. Poles had Carolina pay two firsts and two seconds in order to trade up from No. 9 to No. 1, plus Moore, who was worth at least a second-rounder at the time of the trade. A Fields trade wouldn’t even come close to sniffing that kind of haul.
Better infrastructure should lead to better production from Fields
We saw what the Bears did with the Panthers’ draft picks in last year’s trade – running that back would only give Fields more weapons and more protection, which can only help.
Add in a better offensive mind and coach in Shane Waldron and it’s easy to see why elevating Fields makes a lot of sense.
“If Justin’s the quarterback or a new quarterback’s in there, there’s a lot of things that are around him,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters at the Combine. “And what’s cool is we get to add some more pieces in free agency coming up in the short term, too.”
No matter how you dice it, the Bears are in great shape and should come out on the plus side of everything. Worst-case scenario is they trade Fields and don’t get as great a haul as they would if they traded the No. 1 pick, but they get the top QB in the draft and a guy that should be the face of the franchise for the next decade and longer.
It’s not a bad spot to be in, at all.
