Ryan Poles is a master negotiator, a genius, and a football wizard! What a masterclass! Late Friday afternoon, the Chicago Bears traded the number one pick to the Carolina Panthers for a haul of assets. According to Adam Schefter, the Bears will receive a 2023 first-round pick (number ninth overall), a second-round pick (number 61st overall), a 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and wide receiver DJ Moore. Not only did Poles acquire an extra first-round selection in next year’s draft, but he managed to get Justin Fields a number-one receiver! Did the Poles fleece the Panthers? Only time will tell.
Denniston Oliver “D. J.” Moore is in the prime of his career. Moore will turn 26 on April 14th, 2023 and still has three years left on his contract. The Panthers drafted Moore in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. According to Over the Cap, Moore will carry a cap hit of $20.1 million in 2023, $16 million in 2024 and $16 million in 2025. Moore has had three seasons where he has reached at least 1,100 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns across five seasons. Moore is a better long-term option for the Bears than 30-year-old DeAndre Hopkins or Jakobi Meyers. Plus, he is more established than rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jordan Addison, or Quinten Johnston. Justin Fields will easily be the most talented quarterback that Moore has ever played with. Standing six feet tall and weighing 210 pounds, DJ Moore gives the Chicago Bears star receiver they have been searching for.
Although the Bears moved down eight spots, they will still pick in the top ten come draft night unless anything drastic happens. Equipped with the ninth overall pick, the Bears will almost certainly target an offensive or defensive lineman. Players that will likely be available at number nine overall include offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr, edge rusher Tyree Wilson, edge rusher Lukas Van Ness and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. The Bears could even bulk up their young secondary by adding cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon or Christian Gonzalez.
The Bears also recouped a second-round pick. We all remember that the Bears gave up the 32nd overall pick when they traded for Chase Claypool. The 61st overall pick was originally owned by the San Francisco 49ers before they traded for Christian McCaffrey. The Chicago Bears are now armed with four picks in the first three rounds and a total of ten picks in this April’s draft. That is plenty of ammunition for Poles to do his magic.
This trade also sets the Bears up for the future. The Bears will now have two first-round picks in 2024 and two second-round picks in 2025. These picks can be used to acquire more established veterans or add more young talent such as Marvin Harrison Jr. And if somehow Justin Fields doesn’t work out, the Bears can use this new draft capital to trade up for Caleb Williams or Drake Maye next year. But I doubt that will happen with DJ Moore now in the fold.
Ryan Poles is sticking to his philosophies; there’s no doubt about that. Just like in his introductory press conference back in January of 2022, Poles is reiterating his desire to build through the draft. Bears fans have been dreaming of this trade since January 8th, when the Houston Texans decided to collect a meaningless win in dramatic fashion. All thanks goes out to the Houston Texans, Lovie Smith and the man of the hour, Ryan Poles.
