The Chicago Bears don’t want to think about the 2024 draft with eight games still left in the season. Yet that is their reality. At 2-7, their hopes of making a run are all but dead. Even Justin Fields returning from his dislocated thumb is unlikely to change their fortunes. He wasn’t winning games even when he was healthy. GM Ryan Poles has some tough decisions ahead of him. One is what he will do regarding the future of Fields and head coach Matt Eberflus. Another is determining the best use of what will likely be two top-10 picks next April.
Everybody is focused on the quarterback question. That isn’t a surprise. It’s the most critical position in sports. Poles didn’t draft Fields. This might be his big opportunity to make a change. However, it appears that isn’t the only position the GM is focused on. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune dropped a significant hint that they are focused on the top left tackles in the 2024 class. It appears Braxton Jones is under considerable pressure over the final eight games.
There might not be a player on the roster who can have more influence on the direction the Bears take with their two first-round draft picks by how he plays over the remaining eight games. Some may counter with quarterback Justin Fields, but I’m of the opinion Jones’ performance over the second half of the season will have the most significant impact on draft plans. Does that mean it’s up to Jones whether the Bears choose a left tackle? No, but his play will be a part of the discussion.
I don’t want to overstate the situation for Jones, who was activated from injured reserve Saturday and started Sunday for the first time since Week 2, but he has a ton at stake with the Bears set to have options in Round 1…
…The Bears need to feel really good about Jones by the end of the season or be prepared to consider options. There are a couple of intriguing targets projected for the top of Round 1 in Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame’s Joe Alt.
Provided Poles remains in charge, they will always look to the trenches first. Plenty of people won’t be happy about this revelation. It means there is a chance, if the opportunity is there, that Chicago would pass on generational wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to take a left tackle. Isn’t it wise to arm your potential next quarterback with elite weapons? A combination of Harrison Jr. and D.J. Moore would be great. It’s a fair argument, but one can easily counter that protecting the quarterbacks is equally essential, if not more so.
Harrison Jr. is a phenomenal player. However, finding good wide receivers outside the 1st round is much easier than finding good left tackles. Of the ten leading receivers this season, only three of them were selected in the 1st round. Three of the top four were 5th rounders. Conversely, seven of the top nine highest-rated tackles in the league this season were 1st round picks. The Chicago Bears may have the right idea. Pairing another top tackle across from Darnell Wright could set the offensive line up for years to come.
