The Chicago Bears have made significant upgrades since trading the No. 1 overall pick for 2023 to the Carolina Panthers and got a highly-rated wide receiver in D.J. Moore as part of the deal.
According to a report from The Athletic, Bears GM Ryan Poles wanted a few more players in exchange for said pick and made inquiries concerning pass rusher Brian Burns and defensive tackle Derrick Brown during the negotiations.
The Bears ended up getting the No. 9 and No. 61 picks for this year’s draft plus a first-round pick for 2024 and a second-round pick for 2025, as well as Moore. In addition to the assets, the Bears front office also earned respect around the NFL and have since gone on to make multiple top signings that should leave them in a position to contend for a Super Bowl in 2023/24.
“Usually young teams like that, they want all picks,” Panthers GM Scott Fitterer noted. “In (Poles’) situation, I think it helped that they had some cap space they needed to fill. And then they have a young quarterback that they need to figure out is he the guy going forward.”
The Bears have addressed a need at wide receiver, a sore point for them last season. And, given that quarterback Justin Fields showed much improvement in 2022 and seems to be getting better and better, it could be a very interesting campaign for Chicago.
With the addition of Moore, they now have a formidable receiving group, including Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney. They could also bring in more pass-catching talent in the draft if that’s the intention.
