Going into Sunday, the primary talk of the Chicago Bears matchup against the Carolina Panthers was the momentous trade between the two in March of last year. GM Ryan Poles sent the #1 pick to Carolina for wide receiver D.J. Moore, the #9 pick, a future 1st round pick, and two 2nd round picks. That package has since turned into a group of players that includes Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, Caleb Williams, and Tory Taylor. They still have the other 2nd round pick left to go next year, too.
The game proved to be a decisive moment in determining who won the trade. Williams threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, both of them to Moore. Wright and the offensive line only allowed one sack. Stevenson had two pass deflections while helping the defense allow only 10 points. Young? He was on the bench most of the game, backing up Andy Dalton. However, Carolina decided to salt their own wounds by putting the former #1 pick in the game down 36-10 with four minutes left.
His lone drive ended with a sack by rookie Austin Booker.
Here’s the thing. The package he got for Young wasn’t anything overly insane. It was big, yes. However, it wasn’t earth-shattering. It was along the lines of what you’d expect the #1 pick to fetch when the possibility of a franchise quarterback is at stake. As Jimmy Johnson loved to say, the key is not getting the picks. The key is picking good players with the picks. That would become the hard part for Poles. Based on the current evidence, the Bears GM absolutely nailed it.
He got a bookend tackle, a starting cornerback, a star wide receiver, and a potential franchise quarterback in that deal. One must also not forget he also squeezed a talented punter out of it as well. To think Ryan Poles still has another high pick coming his way, and it could sit atop the 2nd round next year, is insane. No GM in franchise history has pulled off a heist of this magnitude. Jim Finks was the closest with the trades that eventually landed the Bears Dan Hampton and Willie Gault.
If things progress at their current pace, this singular move will go down in franchise history as the greatest of all time.
