The Bears Looking Down...And Up at the Same Time!

Patrick: The Bears, in my opinion, are embodying a real football team! I’ve watched the Bears management maneuver during the season and/or in the offseason, or watched them play, and I’ve never been able to truly feel they were a real team—well, outside of the Super Bowl Shuffle year. But, now…

Donald: Yeah, man. Not only did they trade the No. 1 pick—

Russ: Instead of keeping it to draft a quarterback, meaning there was a possibility of current-QB Justin Fields being shipped out.

Donald: Yes, they did not keep the pick. Traded it for picks and a reputable wide receiver. John, do you have the details on the deal? John: The Bears traded the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for 4 draft picks over 3 years and wide receiver D.J. Moore (who is a legitimate wide receiver in this league), Mind you, nothing against the receivers we cur-rently have, because they do what they can out there.

Patrick: Who are our core wide receivers? Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool—can’t think of the others.

Russ: There’s a Jones, Jr.

John: You mean Velus Jones Jr. And then the last is Equanimeous St. Brown.

Patrick: Wow, John. Impressive with Mr. Brown’s name. And I must confess, I knew he was part of the crew, but I did not want to get near to attempting to get his name right.

Russ: What are the draft picks again, that we get from them?

John: So, if my memory is right, the Bears get Carolina’s firstround selection, which is number 9—not bad—a late secondround pick, which is number 61 overall; also, a 2024 first-round selection and a 2025 secondround pick.

Donald: Good recall, John. This could be good, fellas. We have not only new management, but new management that's not afraid to make big moves.

Russ: That’s right. Shoot, scrolling now, I see the Bears have made a ton of moves since that huge trade. Well, first off, the only one that saddens me is our running back David Montgomery being traded to rival north Division team, the Detroit Lions.

Patrick: Horrible.

Russ: So, not only do we not have him with us, we have to attempt to stop him in at least 2 games next season. And maybe for the next 3 years as well. His contract is for that long. So, not cool.

Donald: True. But I will say one thing: I like that dude, and I can tell from everyone I talk to about it , they like him, too. But I am happy for him.

John: I am, too. And, besides, we do still have backup running back Khalil Herbert, and we picked up another one: former Seattle Seahawks running back Travis Horner. Khalil looks to become the number 1 back, with Travis filling Khalil’s lastseason spot. This could be okay.

Donald: Good.

Patrick: Hey, don’t forget about offensive-line guard Nate Davis from the Tennessee Titans. Folks have been talking about how much Justin Fields needs protection; well, this is a major start.

John: And he’s only 26 years old. And the great thing about all of this good offensive news is that there’s balance with nice pickups on the defensive side of things.

Russ: This could be a good year, y’all.

Any comments or suggestions? Email pedwards@streetwise.org

Vendors Russell Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.