On Friday, the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers agreed to a trade that sends the #1 overall pick to Carolina for a haul of players and picks to Chicago. Wow. A major trade just went down in the NFL that will have some serious implications.
The rumors began swirling about the Bears wanting to move down and the Panthers apparently cooking up something big.
Well, all of those reports turned out to be true, as the Bears, who have Justin Fields in place, traded down a whopping eight spots in the 2023 NFL Draft down to the #9 overall pick, which belonged to the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers will now pick first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and they are surely selecting Bryce Young or CJ Stroud.
With Frank Reich and a solid coaching staff in place, Carolina seems like they are in a good spot for the long-term.
BREAKING: The Chicago Bears are trading the #1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers
— Covers (@Covers) March 10, 2023
Chicago Receives:
No. 9 Pick
No. 61 Pick
2024 First-Round Pick
2025 Second-Round Pick
DJ Moore
Carolina Receives:
No. 1 Pick pic.twitter.com/aWmMOy9EzJ
The Bears get the 9th and 61st overall pick in this year’s draft. They’ll also get a first in 2024 and a second in 2025, and WR DJ Moore. To me, this is a great haul for Chicago. They move down enough spots to still be in play for a top offensive linemen, and they also get three extra, high draft picks for the future, along with a stud top receiver in Moore.
DJ Moore signed an extension with the Panthers recently, so some of that work is already done. Chicago now gives Justin Fields a legitimate pass catcher, and as of now, their top three receivers are DJ Moore, Chase Claypool, and Darnell Mooney.
That is a solid core, but I’d expect Chicago to draft another.
The Bears can now turn their attention to fixing the offense line, and with the potential that four QBs going in the top eight picks or so, Chicago might have their choice at one of the top OL’s in the 2023 NFL Draft.
They also have tons of cap space as well to fill some spots on the OL in free agency.
I’ve been on the fence with Ryan Poles, but this was a smart trade to make that gives them immediate help at a position of need and a ton of high draft picks to further enhance a roster that desperately needs more talent.