NEWSLETTER
The worst-kept secret in football is the Chicago Bears’ need to upgrade at quarterback.
And while GM Ryan Pace has moved in silence in past drafts, that won’t be the case this year.
Add long-time NFL reporter John Clayton to the list of insiders sharing the Bears being among the teams trying to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft with the intent of taking one of the top-5 quarterbacks. Considering the need, this isn’t a surprise. However, Clayton’s framing of the Bears interest is different than most. Let’s discuss.
Clayton links the Denver Broncos as a trade-up option. It isn’t direct. In fact, Clayton writes about it in a roundabout way that can be tedious to follow. Clayton clumps Washington (owners of the 19th pick) and New England (15th) with Chicago as possible trade-back options for Denver. Moreover, Clayton adds that a trade down with any team while a QB remains on the board won’t happen if the Broncos can’t come up with their own quarterback upgrade. In other words, the Broncos need movement elsewhere in the quarterback market before becoming a trade partner for anyone. So if you’re rooting for the Bears to climb up the draft board, start hoping Denver addresses its quarterback needs sometime in the coming week.
For what it’s worth, it sounds like the Broncos seem more inclined for competition to push incumbent Drew Lock than someone to come in and replace him right away. The names Teddy Bridgewater and Gardner Minshew appear as options Clayton mentions who can be brought in via trade. As does Alex Smith, who remains a free agent. Each of those options would serve as competitors in a camp battle. It makes me wonder why they would pass on a quarterback in the first place. But if that’s their prerogative and it helps the Bears land someone with the potential to be a franchise quarterback, then so be it.
Even still … that’s not where this would end. Because even if it gets to a point where Denver gets its desired quarterback, Chicago would need to likely out-bid the Washington and New England football organizations in order to seal the deal on a move up to No. 9. And on top of all that, none of this can happen before the draft. Let’s be real with each other. No team is trading up for the ninth pick *BEFORE* the NFL Draft while not knowing if any top-5 quarterback will be available. Nevertheless, the Broncos’ situation is now worth following.
We already heard rumors of Chicago plotting a move up draft boards with eyes on a quarterback. And there has been chatter of the Bears having an interest in taregting a trade-up with the Falcons for the fourth overall pick. Adding the Broncos to the list of possible trade partners could possibly aid in the Bears’ efforts. Can’t hurt, could help … right?
In the end, I can’t shake how odd it is for the Bears being named directly in rumors such as these. Chicago’s obvious need to upgrade the position makes this not wholly surprising. But it is still a bit of an of an eyebrow-raiser seeing the public connection. It’s simply not how the Bears have gone about doing business during the Ryan Pace Era. Then again, perhaps there is value in making it known how desperate your team is to make a move. I guess we’ll find out in 13 days.
