Former scout Greg Gabriel turned heads these past couple of days when he revealed on Twitter that whispers were growing about the Chicago Bears trading the #1 overall pick again. The idea was they’d deal Justin Fields and then likely swap spots with the Washington Commanders for a hefty fee. They would be able to take hometown kid Caleb Williams while GM Ryan Poles would pocket more high draft choices and whichever quarterback he prefers of the remaining options. Gabriel has worked in the league for 40 years and has lots of connections. It was interesting.
Still, some people weren’t willing to buy into that idea. Not with multiple national insiders like Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter say the overwhelming belief is the Bears will take Williams. However, that narrative might be changing. Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report is one of the most plugged-in guys out there. In a recent live stream, he stated that the buzz about the Bears trading the #1 pick is real. It isn’t anything close to a sure thing, but many people he’s talked to have said the possibility is far greater than people think.
At first, whether they keep Justin Fields or draft somebody at #1 was a debate. That idea no longer seems to be in the cards. Everything points to Fields getting trading, probably soon. The discussion has now shifted to whether they take Williams at #1 or swap with Washington, get a couple of high draft picks, and take one of the other quarterbacks. This scenario comes down to whether Poles, Matt Eberflus, and the team scouts believe Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or J.J. McCarthy are on a similar tier to Williams. If the answer is yes, the decision to swap with Washington becomes easy.
Only one person knows how this will go. That is Poles. He insisted at the start of the scouting combine that no decision has been made. The Chicago Bears don’t yet know what they will do at quarterback. They only know that a decision is coming soon. One can same expect they will have a plan of action by the time the combine is over. Until then, teams must remain in the dark about his intentions. In truth, that is exactly what Poels wants. The bigger the mystery he creates, the more desperate and anxious he can make other GMs.
