The Chicago Bears offered a slight hint at their plans with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and left tackle Braxton Jones could be sweating on draft night next month. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus talked with the media Monday and Tuesday at the annual League meeting in Orlando.
There isn’t much to speculate about what the Bears do with the No. 1 pick the Carolina Panthers handed them last season. The Bears are taking a quarterback, and it’s a nearly unanimous belief among NFL experts that Poles and Eberflus will select USC prospect Caleb Williams at No. 1.
The Chicago Bears have more film to watch on Caleb Williams
Per an interview with the NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero, Eberflus said the Bears still needed to do a little more homework in the film room before they make their final decision at quarterback. He said he’s excited about where the Bears are after finishing the season strong (a loss to the Green Bay Packers?!?) and the ability to take two “blue [chip]” players at one and nine.
“He’s an outstanding young man, and everything looks great in terms of his personality, his character, his football knowledge …”#Bears coach Matt Eberflus joined me to talk Caleb Williams (and more) on @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/Qw39zaQYqG
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 26, 2024
Because the Bears are drafting a rookie quarterback, what they do with the No. 9 pick will be scrutinized for years to come. The Houston Texans had two picks in the top ten last year, and they selected C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. The result was a Wild Card win in head coach DeMeco Ryans’ first season in Houston. The Bears are heading into the 2024 season looking for their first playoff appearance under Poles and Eberflus.
Braxton Jones will be sweating out the month of April
Per video posted on X, Poles tipped his hands at where the Bears might go at No. 9.
“One team’s going to look at if the tackle position is the best to go after, the wide receivers the best, the defensive end is the best, and you use factual information to kind of spit that out and we’ll have a debate in terms of what’s more impactful for our football team, short term and long term,” Poles said.
At pick 9, it looks like the #Bears are leaning toward:
– Offensive Tackle
– Receiver
– Defensive EndThey’ll also be weighing potential short-term and long-term impacts. pic.twitter.com/whQ4VP98G6
— Depressed Bears Fan (@DepBearsFan) March 25, 2024
Poles appears to be contemplating taking a left tackle with the No. 9 pick. Jones could be put in a position for an awkward draft night like the one Larry Borom had last season when the Bears selected Darnell Wright in the first round with the No. 10 pick. Should the Bears select a left tackle, the incoming rookie would play behind two tackles taken in the top ten.
The Bears want to help their next quarterback
According to Herb Howard with It’s The Bigs, Eberflus reiterated where the Bears are at with the No. 9 pick. The Bears will take a player who either helps the quarterback (think OT, WR, fingers crossed TE Brock Bowers) or a player that affects the quarterback (DE or CB). Technically, any position on the football field affects the quarterback, but one would assume Eberflus means premium positions.
#Bears HC Matt Eberflus is addressing the media. In addition to the top pick, the Bears have the #9 pick, in a draft where the first 8 players may be offensive positions. Coach Eberflus said that the Bears will focus on players that either help the Quarterback or affect the… pic.twitter.com/V4GgBbcUtA
— Herb Howard (@HerbHoward411) March 26, 2024
The Bears have flexibility with the No. 9 pick because of the strength of the roster in year three of the Poles regime. The roster isn’t completely fixed from the rebuild, but the Bears have quality players at all three levels on the defense. They have a solid foundation with Wright on the offense line. The Bears have D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen as wide receivers.
The Bears should be able to select the best player on the board with confidence about taking care of the Bears’ long-term interests instead of compromising on a player with a lower grade who better fits an area of need.
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