Bears quarterback Justin Fields keeps the ball for a rushing touchdown against the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 17, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. A flurry of activity by the Chicago Bears in the first week of the new league year included a trade for wide receiver Keenan Allen and the trading of quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.Why did Ryan Poles wait to trade Justin Fields? By doing so he backed himself into a corner and was forced to sell low, ridiculously low.
Fields’ trade value was super low — maybe lower than that of Desmond Ridder, whom the Atlanta Falcons traded to the Arizona Cardinals — because teams have seen him play for three seasons. Fields displayed all sorts of untapped potential, buthe also never showed the upside to take over a game as a thrower. That made him a tough sell in a passing league. Thirty-eight starts gave teams overwhelming evidence.
Allen was effective in 2020 when Justin Herbert was a rookie with the Chargers, catching 100 passes for 992 yards with nine touchdowns in 14 games. Pairing him with DJ Moore, provided Allen doesn’t experience a quick drop-off in performance at 32, gives the Bears one of the better 1-2 wide receiver combinations in the league.
Down the line is the key here. First, the Bears need to see how he performs at age 32. Second, GM Ryan Poles and his staff probably would have to knock out some other business first before contemplating an extended run with Allen. In this instance, after a series of moves in free agency and on the trade market, the Bears have methodically lowered their number of needs. Edge rusher strikes me as the greatest when you look at the depth chart. Offensive tackle is either a need or a want — and there’s a difference — depending on how the team evaluates left tackle Braxton Jones.
Generally teams slow down after the first two waves of free agency, and it’s a good idea for players to take a wait-and-see approach as well. Let’s say a linebacker is looking for a team to sign with. He doesn’t want to get a contract from a team that drafts two linebackers in the top five rounds. So both sides slow down and see what’s available after the draft.
It’s my hunch that Nabers and Odunze will be high enough on the Bears board to be very much under consideration if either slides to the ninth pick. In fact, they’re so attractive that my guess is Ryan Poles would not pull the trigger on a trade of the ninth pick until he’s on the clock unless he has an offer in front of him that is simply too good to pass up.