ESPN7:24 AM ET3 minute read
Should the Bears trade Justin Fields and call up Bryce Young?
Mike Tannenbaum and Tedy Bruschi explain the thought process behind selling Justin Fields to draft Alabama’s Bryce Young.
The Chicago Bears have been approached by multiple teams to trade the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, and Chicago is said to be “leaning to” move the pick, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bears own the best pick in a year that eight to 12 teams could be trying to change quarterbacks.
Since the AFL/NFL merger in 1967, the No. 1 has traded 12 times before the draft began. The last time this happened was in 2016, when the Los Angeles Rams went from No. 15 to No. 1 two weeks before picking Cal quarterback Jared Goff. It was only the second time in 22 years that the No. 1 had changed hands before the draft (the Atlanta Falcons rose from No. 2 to pick Michael Vick first-draft in 2001).
Bears GM Ryan Poles has kept a steady hand in upgrading the Bears roster after the team won 3-14 last season. In January, he reiterated his commitment to quarterback Justin Fields, whom the Bears drafted 11th overall in 2021, and said he needed to be “blown away” to draft a quarterback prospect in April. Alabama’s Bryce Young is expected to be the first quarterback to be picked up.
“We have flexibility if there are opportunities, if we can turn that into a lot of players coming and helping us, we can do that,” said Poles. “If it’s about staying put or being really selective with certain people, we can do that too. I know my expectation, our expectation, is that we move the needle to be more successful. We can win some of those close games and bring in guys who can influence this football team.”
Quarterback-needy teams that fail to land free-agency veterans like Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, and potentially Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson should they become available might be reconsidering trading for top picks .