The Chicago Bears backed their way into the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, thanks to former coach Lovie Smith and Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills. The Texans’ miraculous win in Week 18 gifted general manager Ryan Poles the equivalent of football’s golden ticket.
Most teams that end the season with the first pick in the NFL Draft are in that position because they don’t have a franchise quarterback. That isn’t the case with the Bears, who have one of the league’s brightest young superstars in Justin Fields. As a result, the overwhelming expectation around the NFL is that Chicago will trade out of the top pick and be enriched by a bounty of draft picks, both in 2023 and in future years.
Here’s the problem, though. The entire league and all its general managers know the Bears don’t need a quarterback. The only reason a club like the Texans or Indianapolis Colts would trade up with Chicago is out of fear that another quarterback-needy team will beat them to it. And while there’s some merit in the suggestion that that fear will spark a big offer for the Chicago Bears, there’s a chance general managers like Nick Caserio and Chris Ballard will roll the dice and wait it out. If that happens, the Bears could be “stuck” with the first selection.
