Bears-Carolina Panthers Trade Officially Closed
There is unquestionably a lot of luck involved in anything related to how a team performs and maybe gets rewarded through a season or the NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears took the long-term approach of rebuilding their team after General Manager Ryan Poles was hired in 2022, and it’s safe to say it looks very promising here in Chicago.
For a quick recap, the Bears won the #1 pick after compiled a 3-14 record (the worst team in Franchise History) and got some help from the Houston Texans, who beat the Colts in a last-second hail mary that was, by the grace of the football gods, completed on a 4th & 20.
PHOTO: David Banks/Imagn Images
The Panthers came off a respectable second-place finish in the NFC South. An aggressive owner, David Tepper, wanted to find their franchise signal caller and aggressively move from #9 to #1.
Ryan Poles uses this aggression to stockpile assets, and did he ever? He got a star wide receiver in DJ Moore, who I know rubs some fans wrong with his lack of effort seemingly on routes sometimes. He isn’t on the Justin Jeffersons or JaMarr Chases of the world in terms of production, but he is still a very good WR who absolutely deserved the extension he got.
The picks that came with added Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, Caleb Williams, and Luther Burden.
Darnell Wright
Wright, a right tackle out of Tennessee, was a perfect plug-and-play guy on the line. Some have discredited this pick because Jalen Carter was on the board, but the fact is the Bears needed a right tackle just as much as they needed a strong interior presence on their defense, and we know that Poles doesn’t take guys with character issues.
Tyrique Stevenson
Stevenson has been a bit of an up-and-down player. He has tremendous ball skills that netted him 4 interceptions in his rookie year. This past year saw him net 2 interceptions, but his coverage skills came up in the final Hail Mary play vs. the Commanders.
Stevenson will be given another shot to prove he is a reliable CB2 this year, but if things don’t improve, he could be looked at as a quality backup.
Caleb Williams is probably the biggest factor in this trade, along with Bryce Young, because both guys play the QB position.
Caleb Williams
Williams, touted as a “generational” prospect, had a typical rookie season throwing for 3,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. He threw only 6 interceptions all year, but was sacked a league high 68 times. The offense for the Bears wasn’t the juggernaut it was portrayed as, with the offensive line issues, Williams ‘ inability to release the ball, and just bad play design.
Now, with Ben Johnson, the Bears and their fans are hoping Williams can start tapping into that potential he flashed, especially in his Heisman-winning 2022 season. If he can, the Bears will undoubtedly improve on their 5-12 record from last year.
Luther Burden
The final piece was Luther Burden. A WR out of Missouri, Burden was an expected first-round talent but slipped to #39 because of his dip in production from 2023 to 2024. Still, he is a YAC monster, and his talent definitely does flash on the field. The Bears will most likely line him up in the slot, but also, don’t be surprised if they also use him in the backfield.
Burden did play in the backfield some while in college, which means defenses have to cover him like a linebacker, which he surely can take advantage of.
So, it’s taken some time for the Bears to build their roster, and they still have some holes I would have liked to see addressed, like the edge rusher position, but there is potential in there for the Bears.
The tides along Lake Michigan are swinging upward on the Bears, and hopefully, they can deliver fun football again to the Chicago faithful.
PHOTO: David Banks/Imagn Images
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Categorized:Bears