Another winter, and there will be another controversy in Chicago Bears football.
The Bears, who sit at 5-8 with a relatively easy schedule to close out the season after their win last week in a matchup with the 9-4 Lions, have a lot of questions to be answered regarding their future, as they currently hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft which they acquired from the Carolina Panthers. Chicago had the No. 1 pick last year of course, which they traded to Carolina for the 9th pick last year (Darnell Wright), the first pick this year, and WR DJ Moore, who leads the team with 70 receptions and 1,003 yards through week 13.
If the Carolina pick holds at No. 1, as the Panthers have won one game this year, Chicago will be in a huge controversy in drafting USC Quarterback Caleb Williams, who is regarded as the best prospect to come out of college football since Andrew Luck, or stick with star QB Justin Fields, who despite the team’s poor record has put up solid numbers.
This controversy is a hard one to solve, as Williams has established himself as one of the best prospects to come out of college in recent memory, but has also put a few question marks about himself, and Fields, who only won three games last year, has the team improving to fie wins with four games to go this year, and is showing he is not only a leader on the field but off it as well. The main knock-on Williams is that Williams lacks leadership, and they don’t know if he can control an NFL locker room. He also is a very similar player to Fields, big arm, a compact runner, and an amazing off script but struggles with quick offense and holds the ball for too long at times.
Would it be worth it for the Bears to move on for Fields for a carbon copy who is a rookie, and does not know how to handle an NFL locker room, or get a king’s ransom for the top pick?
Last year the Bears got the king’s ransom for the first pick in the two firsts, two seconds, and DJ Moore, and would they be getting more this year for Williams? I think yes. Williams is such a good prospect that if developed with the right team, and veterans around him, could develop into a superstar. I think Chicago could be looking at three first rounders, additional picks, and another good player, or two good players and 2 firsts, and could use that to get a team ready to contend. Then keep Fields for year four in the system, while he already has 15 TDs and only 6 INTs in nine games this year and is on track to throw for the most yards in his career while increasing his completion percentage.
Another solution for the Bears is to draft WR Marvin Harrison Jr. with the 1st pick and pair him with Fields and Moore, forming one of the best 1-2 WR punches in the NFL. Harrison Jr. could make the Bears offense extremely explosive, as he has big play ability, but at the same time the great route running and hands his Hall of Fame father Marvin Harrison had. Many see Harrison Jr. as the next great NFL WR and he would be the 1st worthy of the No. 1 overall pick.
The haul they get for Williams, Harrison Jr, or Williams himself is the decision the Bears face, and I think they should try and trade down and see if they can still get a high enough selection for Harrison Jr, while not sacrificing their own sake. If they can’t trade down, take the best offer, upgrade the roster, and build around Fields. I don’t think taking Williams would be smart because they can get so much for him, and I don’t think they get much better with him. Williams is an amazing talent, but he is very green and still has turnover issues, and I think the Bears can contend right now with Fields, Williams will give them a chance to acquire a lot more picks to stack their defense and WR core for the future and make themselves elite.
The Bears have a great future ahead and I’m excited to see what they decide.
