Ryan Poles. This man is buying into the rebuild and I am all for it. As most Bears fans should be. I love Roquan Smith, and I love Robert Quinn. However, the value Chicago is getting in exchange for these guys, and the money Poles had freed up, is masterful. I am so excited about the future for this team. The addition of Chase Claypool is a move I am a fan of too. He has an incredibly high upside, and will be a great partner in crime for Mooney. If I were in Poles shoes, this is how I would handle the next nine months.
As Bears fans, it’s hard to be looking at next year already. After all, we have not hit the halfway point of this season. However, the future in Chicago is too bright to ignore. The performance put up by Getsy, Fields, and the rest of the offense had me pumped last week. The Claypool signing takes this offense another step up. On top of that, the amount of money, and draft value the Bears have is superior to anyone else. Like I stated before, Roquan was a complete stud. The things he did in Chicago and the way he played for this defense was amazing. But dealing him away was a great move in my opinion. The Quinn trade was virtually impossible to pass up as well. Let’s look at what Chicago can do with all this cap space, and more importantly, what they can do in the draft.
The Bears have $114,214,802 in Cap Space after the Claypool signing. That is a lot of money to make more big market moves. The first thing they need to do is clean up the offensive line. Lucas Patrick, Cody Whitehair, and Teven Jenkins will all stay on this unit in my eyes. I think Patrick and Whitehair duo as guards, and we sign a center. I am not opposed to Larry Borom staying on this unit, however, I am not opposed to reaching for a better tackle either. I think that the Bears need to make a big signing at either tackle, or center. Assuming the Bears are able to get a stud center from free agency. A guy like Erik McCoy who goes into free agency this offseason would be a massive move. With that being said, that probably keeps Larry Borom at the other tackle spot. This would leave the offense looking something like this. This is a really solid offense. With only one, big signing to the Offensive line.
QB- Justin Fields
RB1- David Montgomery
RB2- Khalil Herbert
WR1- Chase Claypool
WR2- Darnell Mooney
WR3- Dante Pettis/Velus Jones Jr./Draft Pick
TE- Cole Kmet
RT- Teven Jenkins
RG- Lucas Patrick
C- Erik McCoy
LG- Cody Whitehair
LT- Larry Borom
The draft. The Bears, as of this time, have the following draft picks, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 7th. Firstly and most importantly, the Bears need to go get the best receiver possible with that first rounder. Jaxon Smith Nijba (Ohio State) or Quentin Johnston (TCU) are both guys that are projected in the middle of the draft, where the Bears pick sits right now. Both these guys are great options to fill that WR3 spot, that was the only thing left in question above. The Bears need to draft another O-lineman with one of those 4th rounders in my opinion. Offensive line is a position that you can never have enough depth at. That added depth at O-line with a mid round pick would help the offense. Using the first rounder on a receiver may be a shaky move after signing Claypool. However, Poles need to shoot for the top of the league with this offense, not just above average. A receiving core of Claypool, Mooney, Smith-Nijba (or Johnston), and Pettis is elite. Add that to a team who already leads the league in rushing, and you have something special.
Assuming Chicago uses the 1st rounder and one 4th rounder for those two offensive spots, they leave this. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 5th, 7th. In my eyes, Poles and the staff are free to sell out on defensive depth and talent with all of those picks. Kyler Gordon, Eddie Jackson, Jaylon Johnson, Jaquon Brisker, and Jaylon Jones are all secondary guys coming back. That is a very talented and special secondary. You can essentially rule out the Bears having to draft or sign any more secondary guys. This means Chicago has six picks, and 70 plus million dollars to spend on Linebackers and Defensive Linemen. That is insane. The Monsters of The Midway could be back way sooner than we expected in Chicago. I see the Bears making a huge defensive line signing, and drafting the linebacker and edge rusher positions heavily. A guy I love at linebacker that could fall to a second or third round spot is Jack Campbell out of Iowa. He is essentially a copy of Roquan Smith with his play style. I would love to see the Bears draft this guy. Furthermore, let’s not forget that the Bears already have two rookie linebackers on this year’s roster. Both guys that could be big booms, Jack Sanborn is a guy I love, and Sterling Weatherford can play some ball too. With those two, and A.J Klein from the Roquan trade, this unit isn’t half bad to start.
Angelo Blackson and Justin Jones are tough interior guys that I see staying in that defensive lineup. Signing a big time RE, LE, or OLB is a move I am confident Poles will make. Marcus Davenport, Jadeveon Clowney, or Shaq Lawson are all guys I see being a good fit in Chicago. Something I am not opposed to however, is signing a big time linebacker. Leighton Vander Esch and Devin Bush are both studs that would make a huge impact in Chicago. Simply put, the Bears can fill in the rest of those defensive voids through the draft, and all those picks they have. Finishing up, now is a great time to be a Bears fan. This is the most optimistic I have been in a long time when looking at this organization. With the performance the offense put together at Dallas last week, I cannot wait to see them progress even more throughout the rest of the year. I think simple moves on the offense, and stacking this defensive with young talent is a recipe for success. Bears fans, I leave you with this. How can you not be excited for the future?
You’re forgetting Braxton Jones exists and is twice the player Borom is.