How big trade reshapes the Bears
At the risk of jumping the gun, it looks like - at long last - the Bears have finally found a top-notch general manager.
While Ryan Poles has not yet been in the job 14 months, he has made enough shrewd deals to make us believe that the future is indeed bright for the navy and orange.
The latest move came Friday when Poles traded the No. 1 pick in April's draft to Carolina for an absolute king's ransom. In return, the Bears received the Panthers' first- and second-round picks this year, their first-rounder in 2024, second-rounder in 2025 and wideout D.J. Moore, who has the eighth-most receiving yards in the NFL since 2019.
In one fell swoop, Poles found a legit No. 1 WR and added three more picks to his already healthy stockpile.
Pretty impressive.
"I wasn't expecting them to make a deal this early unless they got a return that was just too good to pass up," said former Bears WR Tom Waddle, who co-hosts a midafternoon show on WMVP, 1000-AM. "If you look at what they got ... I think Ryan Poles did a fantastic job."
One of the beauties of the trade is that Carolina figures to be mediocre at best and possibly downright abysmal next season. This could mean yet another top-10 - and possibly even top-5 - pick in 2024.
The jury's still out on what kind of draft expert Poles is, with the Velus Jones Jr. selection at No. 71 appearing to be a miss. And even though many believe Poles hit on safety Jaquan Brisker at No. 48, let's reserve judgment until we see how the career of Steelers WR George Pickens (picked at 52) unfolds.
This draft is absolutely massive for Poles, and he needs to select the best player available all the way through.
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As for Moore, the Bears are adding a remarkably consistent pass catcher who has yet to play with a standout QB. Moore had 36 games of at least 50 yards from 2019-21, and 13 90-yard games from 2019-20.
Last year, he tailed off with 528 of his 888 yards coming in just five contests. But let's remember he was catching passes from Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and P.J. Walker.
Moore is signed through 2025 and carries a $21 million cap hit.
"He's strong, he's fast, he'll go get the football and he's a good route runner," Waddle said. "You know, he may not be (the Vikings') Justin Jefferson - but I think he's a '1'. I mean, he instantly walks in ... and becomes the best wide receiver on your team by a pretty wide margin. ...
"I think Ryan Poles was definitely adamant about getting DJ Moore in this deal. It addresses the wide receiver position without having to overpay in free agency, because it's not an overly talented class."
Now, Justin Fields' WR corps looks like this:
• Moore, who had three straight 1,100-yard seasons from 2019-21.
• Darnell Mooney, who can now slide into the No. 2 role and should be good for 50-60 catches and 700-plus yards.
• The 6-foot-4 Chase Claypool, who ought to greatly benefit from a full off-season with Fields.
• The 6-6 Cole Kmet, who caught 36 passes for 385 yards and 6 TDs in the last nine games.
• Velus Jones Jr., who is now your deep threat.
• Veteran Equanimeous St. Brown, an accomplished run blocker who can step in when injuries arise.
Sure, it's not nearly the caliber of the Bengals, Cowboys or Vikings. But what an upgrade over 2022.
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This is a huge week in the NFL, with free agency opening Wednesday (although plenty of news will leak out Monday and Tuesday). The Bears don't figure to go crazy with their $75.2 million of cap space, but Waddle believes they'll address the offensive and defensive lines.
And who knows, maybe they shoot for the stars and ink Orlando Brown, who will cost in the neighborhood of $23 million a year. It's not every day a 26-year-old left tackle of Brown's caliber hits the open market.
"There's some people that believe you're overpaying," Waddle said. "But, look, Ryan Poles was part of the crew that traded for him when he came to Kansas City (from the Ravens). I would say I feel comfortable that Ryan knows what he's all about and what he's capable of. So if Ryan Poles goes after him, then obviously we know there was something there that he likes. If you want to splurge, he may be your guy. ...
"Wouldn't be surprised either way. But would be surprised if they don't come out of this (free agency) period with an offensive lineman that plugs in and starts."
By the numbers
<b>D.J. Moore's career stats</b>Year Rec-Yds Tgt Avg. TD
2018 55-788 82 14.3 2
2019 87-1,175 135 13.5 4
2020 66-1,193 118 18.1 4
2021 93-1,157 163 12.4 4
2022 63-888 118 14.1 7
Tgt: Targets
<b>Most receiving yards since 2019</b>Player GP Yards
Davante Adams 59 5,540
Stefon Diggs 64 5,319
Travis Kelce 64 5,108
Tyreek Hill 61 5,085
Cooper Kupp 57 4,894
Justin Jefferson 50 4,825
A.J. Brown 60 4,491
D.J. Moore 64 4,413
Amari Cooper 64 4,328
Mike Evans 60 4,322
GP: Games played