Poles Strikes, Trade Fallout, More About Moore, Draft Pick Update, Fan Reaction, and Other Bears Bullets

Mar 11, 2023

It’s a ridiculously early set of Bears Bullets for me because I have family obligations in Miami. And then, World Baseball Classic shenanigans. Huzzah!

I could either spend hundreds of words to say it or I could share this tweet from ESPN’s Field Yates, which does everything I would want in 229 characters. Or just 48 words, if you’re keeping track at home:

Bears GM Ryan Poles just turned the number 1 pick in the draft during a year in which he didn’t need a QB into two first round picks, two second round picks and a legit WR1 in DJ Moore to help flesh out the offense.

What. A. Move.— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 10, 2023

There is so much good reading on the fallout after Friday’s trade. The Athletic (Jahns and Fishbain), Sun-Times, (Finley), Tribune (Kane and Wiederer), and ESPN (Cronin and Newton) provide a great starting point for us as we re-start things today.

Remember when Poles said the Bears could (1) trade the pick sooner than expected and (2) was targeting players and picks in return? Not only did Poles shoot his shot, he spoke it into existence. Well done.

The fan reaction was everything I was expecting it to be:

Ryan Poles went to absolute work.

Two first-round picks, including one for next season.
And DJ Moore.
DJ FREAKING MOORE

What a great way to start the frenzy. #DaBears— Adam Rank (@adamrank) March 10, 2023

Allowing myself to full-on fan right now over this #Bears trade. This is awesome
— Danny Meehan (@DanMeehan90) March 10, 2023

Ryan Poles just pulled off one of the greatest trades in Chicago sports history. This will go down as the most important trade in Bears history. Hit on those draft picks and he never has to buy a steak or beer in Chicago ever again.— Ross Read (@RossRead) March 10, 2023

We’re going to debate the heck out of so much moving forward. What should the Bears do with their picks? How should they divvy up targets? Will the free agency focus shift to defense? But let’s soak this in for the moment. We don’t have enough moments in which Bears fandom is wholly united. This is one of those moments. Let’s enjoy it while we can.

I love how similar Chase Claypool’s reaction to the deal was to ours:

Ohhhh we making moves 👀👀👀 #BearDown ‼️🐻 @ChicagoBears
— Chase Claypool (@ChaseClaypool) March 10, 2023

The players! They’re just like us!

We’re going to read and hear a bunch of things showering Bears GM Ryan Poles for making a good trade. And we should. But what sticks with me is what makes it a good trade. In a year when maximizing the return was vital, Poles did it. He traded back without falling out of the top 10, which was of the utmost importance. In cutting the deal, Poles also brought in a second second-round pick to play with on Day 2 of the Draft. And with that, we no longer have to obsess over the Steelers swiping pick No. 33 in the Chase Claypool trade. On top of that, there are also future draft considerations — an extra first in 2024, plus a second in the 2025 NFL Draft. In the end, it was the inclusion of DJ Moore that put this thing over the top.

Ryan Poles is a man after my own heart:

Ryan Poles has now made eight trades (unless I'm forgetting a move) in basically a year, extremely active in the trade market

Has moved down in the draft five times now (love), and acquired the most important asset for his young QB with two wide receivers

Wheeler and dealer— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) March 10, 2023

As someone who does fantasy trades at all hours of the day and night, this one really inspires me. We’re gonna get a brand new Trader Lu.

If you would’ve asked me the same question, I would’ve given you the same answer:

Asked a #Bears source what they liked most about what they acquired in trading the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers? The response: “DJ Moore.”— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) March 11, 2023

Poles really turned a 14-loss season into the first overall pick. And that ultimately turned into the 9th and 61st picks in April’s draft, a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 second-rounder, and a stud pass-catcher for an offense that needs one. This was a master class in leveraging the situation and making the best of it. This was chef’s kiss good.

Speaking of the draft, this is what the Bears’ collection of picks looks like for this upcoming draft:

#DaBears collection of draft picks for 2023 looks like this now:

Rd 1, Pk 9 (from CAR)⁰Rd 2, Pk 53 (from BAL)⁰Rd 2, Pk 61 (from CAR)⁰Rd 3, Pk 64⁰Rd 4, Pk 103⁰Rd 4, Pk 133 (from PHI)⁰Rd 5, Pk 136⁰Rd 5 Pk 148 (from BAL)⁰Rd 7, Pk 218⁰Rd 7, Pk 258

Sensational! pic.twitter.com/JFHikw6C9T— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) March 11, 2023

Ten picks. And Poles could still conceivably trade out of the ninth spot. I wouldn’t recommend it. Although, I’m not opposed to collecting more draft capital. There appears to be a sweet spot of first-round talent the Bears can snag between 9 and 20. This could give the Bears another opportunity to move back.

While we’re doing the offseason reset thing, the Bears’ cap flexibility has taken a hit. But don’t fret, my friends. That is a good thing. Chicago is still $75,245,261 under the cap after absorbing what’s left on the extension Moore signed with Carolina in 2022, per OverTheCap.com’s calculations. Moore isn’t set to be a free agent until after the 2025 season. If he does with the Bears what he did with the Panthers, then he will be in line for a new set of paper in due time. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

A reminder of who’s throwing the ball to Mr. Moore moving forward:

.@justnfields made incredible plays with his arm and legs in 2022 💥 pic.twitter.com/FdD7nvzSx4
— NFL (@NFL) March 10, 2023

Any questions about who Chicago’s QB1 is moving forward?

It’s a small sample, but the much-maligned Sam Darnold was 21-for-36 for 386 yards, 4 TD, and a 109.3 passer rating when targeting Moore last year. That should give you an idea of how valuable Moore is to his quarterback. Darnold’s overall QB rating last year was 92.6. In other words, Darnold was 16.7 points better than his usual self when throwing to Moore. Or, let’s put it a different way. Darnold was 2022 Joe Burrow (100.8 passer rating) when targeting Moore. When he wasn’t, Darnold was 2022 Kirk Cousins (92.5 passer rating). Does that put it in a better overall perspective?

The Carolina Panthers are on the clock.

Ooh, this looks like it can be fun:

👀 pic.twitter.com/Kf2I13iLRJ
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) March 10, 2023

We’ll share details when we can. But in the meantime, I’m getting excited about it. Think we’ll have something to discuss?

Some top Cubs prospects have been sent to minor league camp:

The Second Cut is the Top Prospectiest: PCA, Davis, Alcántara, Seven Others Sent to Minor League Camp

After watching Chicago’s football team pull off a heist on Carolina’s Panthers, seeing that the city’s hockey club took one on the chin with an OT defeat against Florida’s Panthers feels fair.

It is absolutely wild how the Bulls continue to find themselves in the playoff hunt:

Scoreboard Watching: Bulls Could Have a Chance to Re-Enter Play-In Mix These Next Two Dayshttps://t.co/d3Y6wzJzvL pic.twitter.com/ONiHSiWduv
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) March 10, 2023

written by

Luis C. Medina

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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