Bears trade No. 1 pick to Panthers: Sources

By Kevin Fishbain, Adam Jahns, Joseph Person, and Jeff Howe

He chicago bears have traded the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to carolina panthersteam and league sources confirmed to the athletic. Here’s what you need to know:

• In exchange for the No. 1 pick in the draft, Chicago will receive Carolina’s No. 9 and No. 61 picks in 2023, a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025 and a wide receiver. dj mooreby team and league sources.
• The Bears had purchased the No. 1 pick this offseason due in part to strong QB play justin fields in the second half of 2022.
• Fields finished 2022 with 2,242 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions to go with 1,143 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He has thrown 12 of those touchdowns in the team’s last eight games.
• The Bears went 3-14 in 2022, while the Panthers went 7-10.

the athleticInstant analysis of:

Why did the Panthers make the move?

After three years on the quarterback merry-go-round with teddy bridgewater, sam darnold and mayfield bakerThey had to try something different. Owner David Tepper is a fan of making a big splash, which he tried to do by chasing Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson the last two offseasons. Also, the Panthers weren’t going to sign Frank Reich, a former nfl quarterback and QB coach, and not give him someone to work with. — Person

So who are the Panthers going to?

The team’s game line will be that Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer will use the next seven weeks to assess which of the Big Four quarterbacks they want: CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, Will Levis or Anthony Richardson. But league insiders believe it will be Stroud, who is bigger than Young, more accurate than Richardson and more of a playmaker than Levis. Stroud put on a precision passing show at the combine last week, proving against Georgia in the college football playoff semifinals that he’s not afraid to leave the pocket when necessary. The Panthers traded another Ohio State quarterback two years ago, taking jaycee horn at No. 8 when Fields was available. — Person

Evaluating the trade for the Bears

This is a big win for Bears general manager Ryan Poles. And quite a statement to the rest of the league. Poles is rebuilding the Bears, and now he has a plethora of picks for it. The first pick was a tremendous resource and he knew it. Teams are always promoted by their quarterbacks.

The Panthers can now pick them, while Poles has an additional first round pick in 2024 and a second round pick in 2025 to add important pieces to his roster. He also acquired a No. 1 receiver in Moore for Fields. It is really an impressive booty. — Jahns

What Moore brings to Chicago

The capital draft is the most important thing in the long term for the Bears, but Moore can be an important part of this deal. The Bears get an established and productive wide receiver (he had 1,100 yards each season from 2019-21) and he turns 26 next month. Moore can be a much-needed pivotal part of this roster at a premium position, lessening the need for the Bears to invest resources in free agency or the draft. It’s also important for Fields to get a veteran playmaker to join Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool. — fish bath

background

With quarterbacks Young and Stroud expected to be the first players taken in the upcoming draft, the Bears, content with Fields, capitalized on their worst record in the NFL. With the new picks, Chicago is expected to build out the roster surrounding Fields or make the picks even more active.

Moore, the 24th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started 73 games during his five-year career with Carolina. Last season, he led the Panthers with 888 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

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(Bears General Manager Ryan Poles photo: Matt Marton / USA Today)