While Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus completes his coaching staff, general manager Ryan Poles and the front office are getting ready for the NFL scouting combine before a potentially important draft with the Nos. 1 and 9 picks.
As he does every Wednesday, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs answers reader questions in the Bears mailbag.
Do you remember another time when Bears fans have been this split over an existing QB? I don’t think even Ryan Poles really knows what he will decide because he hasn’t seen what teams will offer for the No. 1 pick. Do you agree? — @rgbears69
I try to avoid the back-and-forth on the topic, to be honest with you. I’m not sure the masses are quite as divided as some believe. I expect Poles will receive phone calls, but unless something exceptional happens, I believe he will remain at No. 1 and draft a quarterback. If the Bears reach a point in the evaluation process where they strongly believe in a quarterback at the top of the draft, Poles should decline calls about the pick.
It just doesn’t make sense to be at the top of the draft for two years in a row and have an offense that consistently struggles to throw the ball without taking a quarterback. The Bears have a better roster than many teams that draft a quarterback at No. 1, and that’s largely because the selection came from the Carolina Panthers. This looks to be an exciting, talented quarterback class, and if not now, when? It’s pretty clear to me the Bears will use a first-round pick, and probably the No. 1 pick, on a quarterback.
As I have written a few times, the possibility of trading down and getting the quarterback they want seems unlikely. When Poles, coach Matt Eberflus and everyone involved comes to a decision on the quarterback draft board, they will eventually need to share that information with President/CEO Kevin Warren and ownership. They will likely be asked to summarize what went into their order. They will surely be asked questions.
How could Poles then explain to Warren and Chairman George McCaskey what went wrong if they came out of the draft without the top quarterback on their board? They have the first pick. Trading out of No. 1 would introduce an element of risk and they would no longer control the board.
Can you refute the commentary crediting Ryan Poles with “the most lopsided trade in NFL history”? As things stand now, the Bears have certainly received more from last year’s trade of the No. 1 pick than the Panthers (though improvement from Bryce Young could eventually change that assessment). Credit/blame for the outcome, however, belongs more with the Panthers than with Poles. If the Panthers had chosen C.J. Stroud, as a number of wise heads recommended, no NFL GM on the planet (Poles’ press comments to the contrary) would have preferred the Bears’ side of the trade. I suspect that’s true even if you ignore that the Bears wouldn’t have gotten the first pick if Stroud had quarterbacked the Panthers. Elite QB play is invaluable and in evaluating the wisdom of passing on the opportunity to draft it, consideration should be given not only to the outcome of last year’s trade but to what that outcome could/should have been. — Dennis R.
I haven’t seen many things suggesting it was the most one-sided trade in league history. Jimmy Johnson may want to talk to anyone saying that. He exchanged running back Herschel Walker with the Minnesota Vikings in a 1989 deal that included 18 players and draft picks and helped lead to three championships for the Dallas Cowboys.
It was a fantastic trade by Poles. He ended up getting a top wide receiver in DJ Moore and, with a bit of luck, made a move with a team that went downhill, earning the Bears the No. 1 pick again this year. I could make a very strong argument that the Bears would be in a better position right now if they had stayed at No. 1 and chosen Stroud. Some might argue that he would have struggled without the assets the Bears received in the trade (Moore, right tackle Darnell Wright, etc.).
I won’t ignore that, but it’s much easier to fix a wide receiver issue than a quarterback problem. Stroud joined a Houston Texans roster that was really bad in 2022 and he turned that organization around almost immediately. He was throwing to a group of receivers who were, at the start of the season anyway, just a bunch of guys.
What really matters is what Poles does moving forward, not whether we consider if he swindled the Panthers or the Panthers made a blunderous decision. For the Bears to get where they want to go, they have to nail this draft. They need to get their quarterback situation righted like the Texans did with the second pick a year ago. The Bears would be fortunate to get a quarterback as talented as Stroud, and now they have a decent group of offensive players surrounding the position.
For the Bears’ improvement on defense as the season went on, what percentages do you put on the following changes making the difference: (a) Matt Eberflus taking over the reins; (b) the Tez Effect; and (c) rookie improvement? Or any other reasons you can think of. — @thesnowpup
A lot of factors were in play for a defense that was, in many ways, much better than in 2022. Eberflus taking over had a real impact. In talking with pro scouts throughout the season who closely followed the Bears, the common theme was it was easy to see a focused, week-to-week strategy that wasn’t necessarily there the year before. The run defense was excellent, really from the start of the season, and that can be attributed to a number of factors, including some offseason personnel moves.
Takeaways started to come in bunches after the trade for Montez Sweat, and we saw veteran players improve, too, with cornerback Jaylon Johnson coming to mind. The Bears played with a lot more cohesion in 2023, and part of that was the holdover players being more accustomed to their assignments and part of it was an infusion of new talent, both free agents and rookies. The Bears were also pretty healthy throughout the season and didn’t face a murderer’s row of quarterbacks on their schedule.
The three biggest reasons for improvement were Eberflus running the defense, the arrival of Sweat and the addition of other rookies and veterans — such as linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards and nose tackle Andrew Billings. I’d say each of those was about one-third responsible for the gains. Now the Bears have to be better against the pass next season, more consistent rushing the passer and a heck of a lot better on third down after ranking 29th at 44.1%.
What is the next important news about the Bears that will be revealed: Jaylon Johnson's contract extension, Justin Fields trade, or something else? — @jtbarczak
If I were a betting man, I would probably guess that Johnson will be franchise-tagged as the next major news. If Johnson insists on becoming the highest-paid cornerback in the league — and that’s what he recently said — negotiations could take a while. The Bears can buy time by using the franchise tag to secure him. Teams can use the tag from Feb. 20 through March 5.
What are the odds that the Bears will look for a running back in free agency this offseason? If so, which free agents do you think they have a chance to sign? — @twashington1029
I'm generally against investing a lot of money in a running back. In a passing-focused league, it's rare to find one that is worth the investment. There are a few, but most years you can count the truly exceptional backs on one hand. Some have suggested that this is not a great draft class for running backs. I expect the Bears to do something at the position with Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson under contract and D’Onta Foreman likely to leave in free agency.
Some have questioned Saquon Barkley. He will be 27 next month and has averaged 4.07 yards per carry over the last three seasons. The Giants have struggled on offense, so I wonder if many things around Barkley need to be right for him to be highly productive — and how much production can you expect at this point? Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard and Austin Ekeler are also set for free agency. None of them looked outstanding this season.
I would be much more interested in the Bears' plans for wide receiver. A highly productive WR2 is more important, in my opinion, than a running back. The Bears already have a pair of backs they can win with if they upgrade other areas on offense.
What's the latest with Sanjay Lal? — @mosconml
The former Seattle Seahawks wide receivers coach was a candidate to join the Bears, and his addition would have made sense as he has worked with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Lal reportedly withdrew himself from consideration for the job. What led to that decision, I don’t know. The Bears are expected to hire Chris Beatty for the position. He has worked in the NFL for three seasons as the Los Angeles Chargers wide receivers coach.
I can tell you that after speaking with a wide variety of coaches around the league, some folks have concern that it might not be the most stable position with Matt Eberflus entering Year 3 and an uncertain quarterback situation. Assistants seeking work might prefer to attach themselves to a head coach starting Year 1.
Is Ian Cunningham still interviewing with other teams or is he sticking with the Bears? — @quikwit25
It seems like Cunningham is no longer in the running for a GM job after the Los Angeles Chargers hired Joe Horitz. Cunningham and Jeff King, the Bears co-director of player personnel, both interviewed for the Chargers GM job. Cunningham was a finalist for the Washington Commanders GM job that went to Adam Peters. So unless something unexpected happens, Cunningham will stay with the Bears.
Some people wanted to see him get a GM job somewhere else because it would have given the Bears two compensatory third-round picks. However, high-level front-office staff are more valuable in the long run, so Ryan Poles is probably happy to still have Cunningham as his assistant GM. He wants Cunningham to help him as well as see his friend and co-worker get a promotion.
If the city was really interested in working with the Bears on a new stadium, wouldn’t it make sense to build the Bears stadium at The 78, then demolish Soldier Field and put a baseball stadium there? — @halatekhall
I don’t have inside insight on the stadium situations for the Bears or White Sox. In my opinion, the Bears’ ongoing discussion with the city has been about gaining leverage in talks with Arlington Heights over property taxes for land the team already owns. The city is likely motivated to keep talking with the Bears in order to appear interested in retaining them.
I don’t know what the best space is for what. What I do know is the Bears spent nearly $200 million for land in Arlington Heights, and that space is huge and would allow for various sources of income if developed. It’s difficult to find a 326-acre site like that in the city that’s in a desirable area and a situation in which the Bears would have control, not the city.
Who’s going to replace Cliff Stein? — @stanleyk934
That’s a good question. Matt Feinstein was hired in 2022 as director of football administration, a role that oversees the salary cap and contract negotiations. He has handled nearly everything in that regard since the beginning of the 2023 season. Stein took the lead on some of that in 2022 and helped Feinstein along. I’m sure Kevin Warren has someone in mind with a legal background to add to the front office. I doubt Warren fired Stein without having a plan ready.
Do you think Baltimore’s offensive play (specifically Lamar Jackson) against the Chiefs will affect how the Bears view Justin Fields for the long term? — @stevenhbaumann
Why would it? The current regime has two full seasons with Fields as the starter and three years (38 starts) in all to evaluate. Fields struggled significantly in Week 3 in Kansas City. Jackson had a rough time Sunday in the AFC championship game but was exceptional for most of the season. Fields had a mixed season and struggled more than anything. I don’t see a connection between the Ravens-Chiefs game and the Bears quarterback situation.
At No. 9 — OL or Brock Bowers? — @bubgallagher
If the Bears stay at No. 9, my guess is a wide receiver would be the most likely choice. There would need to be an early run on quarterbacks and receivers for Notre Dame’s Joe Alt or Penn State’s Olu Fashanu — the top two offensive tackles — to be available at No. 9. Bowers is a fantastic talent and deserves consideration, but I could see the Bears going with a wide receiver here and really transforming the position.
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