For a brief moment, it looked like the Chicago Bears‘ hopes to land the #1 overall pick were in jeopardy. Trevor Lawrence was out for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tampa Bay might not have anything to play for next week if they beat New Orleans. The Carolina Panthers played well against Green Bay last week. If they pulled out back-to-back wins, it could ruin GM Ryan Poles’ dreams of once again controlling the top of the draft. Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry. Carolina proved again why they are the worst team in football. In a game they had a chance to take advantage, the Jaguars thumped them 26-0 instead.
Their defense, much-maligned in recent weeks, smothered Bryce Young all day while C.J. Beathard provided steady guidance on offense. It was a terrific performance from a team fighting for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the far bigger stunner of the afternoon came when the Arizona Cardinals upset the Philadelphia Eagles 35-31. They were the only remaining team within striking distance of Carolina. That win put them at four of the season, two games behind the Panthers. It’s now official.
The Bears hold the #1 pick in the draft.
GM Ryan Poles already made the trade look great with the acquisition of wide receiver D.J. Moore and the drafting of right tackle Darnell Wright. Now he has the #1 pick in the draft again and a 2nd in 2025 for good measure. There are any number of ways he can go. He could trade Justin Fields and select a quarterback of his choice. He could select the best non-QB on his board, be it wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. or one of the top pass rushers. Or he could do something no GM has ever done before.
He could trade the pick again.
There will be no shortage of teams eager to move up for one of the top quarterbacks in this class. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye have lots of fans across the league. The win by Arizona only helps because it now puts the Washington Commanders into the #2 spot after their loss to San Francisco. Everybody knows they’re planning a change a quarterback. That means if you want to get the quarterback of your preference, you’ll have to know the Chicago Bears’ number. It’s possible Poles could get an even bigger haul than last April. What a crazy past few months.
