The 2024 NFL owners meetings provided a lot of intel about the Chicago Bears, from the moves general manager Ryan Poles already made to the decisions the team might make in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Here are four of the most important things Bears fans learned over the last few days.
The Chicago Bears are all-in on Caleb Williams
If you paid attention to what Poles and coach Matt Eberflus said over the last couple of days, then you should have no doubt that they've committed to Caleb Williams as the first overall pick.
Poles and Eberflus have been in lockstep when discussing their experience meeting with Williams at his pro day. They've been impressed by Williams' character, both through his own actions and the feedback they've gathered from his USC coaches and teammates.
"When you talk to his teammates, they don't like him, they love him," Poles said. "His leadership, how he brings people together...I'm having a hard time finding a person that doesn't like him or even love him and thinks that he can't reach the highest limits."
Eberflus sounded like he was reading from the same memo.
"What I loved to see was the interaction with the other players," Eberflus said. "You can see that, and we talked to every person that was on that team. At the Senior Bowl we interviewed them and interviewed them at the pro day. We talked to those guys at the dinner and you can certainly see those players love him and respect him and what he’s brought to that program."
Caleb Williams is a Chicago Bear.
D'Andre Swift will be a HUGE part of the Bears offense
Matt Eberflus gave Bears fans some insight into why Chicago made D'Andre Swift their first big-name move in free agency, and it should have fantasy football managers excited.
Swift will be a legit three-down running back for the Bears in 2024, as Eberflus highlighted the former second-round pick's ability as a receiver as one of his most attractive traits.
"We just felt that we wanted a home-run hitter there," Eberflus said. "I think D’Andre brings that. We wanted a weapon back – a guy who could be a weapon out of the backfield. I think he had 49 catches last year or 50 and he brings that. He’s got tremendous speed. You can feel that when he is running the football but you can definitely feel that as a pass catcher.
Swift's presence in the backfield will give offensive coordinator Shane Waldron the ability to keep defenses guessing in just about every down and distance. He'll flip the field if opposing defensive coordinators don't respect his ability as a runner. He'll move the chains if they ignore him as a target in the passing game. In some ways, he combines what Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson do well, all in one package.
It wasn't easy (emotionally) for the Bears to trade Justin Fields
Not that this should come as any surprise, but Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus confirmed that the decision to trade Justin Fields was a tough one. The Bears even considered having Fields and a rookie quarterback on the roster at the same but ultimately decided the leadership role should go to the player they pick at No. 1 overall.
“I think what was important for Flus and I is really to express to (Fields) this is really a tough decision," Poles said. "How much he means to the city of Chicago, our fan base and us.”
Bears fans were surprised there was little to no trade market for Justin Fields, and apparently, Poles was, too. He said the pool of interested teams was small, and they decided the deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers (a sixth-round pick in 2025 that can become a fourth-rounder if Fields plays 51% of the snaps) was best for both the team and Fields.
It appears Poles was right. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hinted at the owners meetings that Fields will have a chance to compete for the starting job despite Russell Wilson being in the pole position right now.
Bears unlikely to trade out of No. 9 pick
So much for the assumption that Ryan Poles will trade the Chicago Bears' second first-round pick, No. 9 overall, to acquire more draft capital this year.
Poles and Matt Eberflus said this week that the Bears will likely use that selection on a blue-chip player, which should be either an offensive tackle, wide receiver, or edge rusher.
“We’re gonna do some cool things when we get back (to Halas Hall), kind of break into teams," Poles said. "One team is going to talk about ‘the tackle position is the best to go after,’ ‘the wide receiver’s the best,’ ‘the defensive end’s the best’ — and use factual information to kind of spit that out. And we’ll have a debate in terms of what’s more impactful for our football team, short term and long term. I’m looking forward to that.”
Smart money is on the Bears using the ninth pick on a wide receiver, assuming Malik Nabers (LSU) or Rome Odunze (Washington) is on the board. Smoke is beginning to rise about Marvin Harrison Jr. possibly slipping to No. 9, too.
Regardless of who falls to that selection, Poles appears ready to make a pick instead of trading for more.