NFL Combine: 10 thoughts after the first day of the combine for the Chicago Bears

INDIANAPOLIS - Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles didn't say anything earth shattering. They still held court with new tidbits of information. 

Here are 10 thoughts on the Bears after the first day of the NFL Combine.

1. A trade is going to happen. It’s just a matter of when.

Ryan Poles didn’t waver. He said it very matter of fact when speaking about potentially trading Justin Fields before the trade deadline.

"It just depends on what opportunities pop up," Poles said. "If we go down that road, I want to do right by Justin."

It sounds like the roads have narrowed. There are two ways: trade Fields or trade the No. 1 overall pick. One or the other is going to happen. 

It’s not always when a general manager outwardly says he wants to do right by a player that you actually believe them. This is a billion-dollar business. 

It’s hard not to think Poles will do that for Fields if it comes down to it.

2. What next, then? Circle Friday.

Friday is the biggest day every Bears fan should be looking forward to.

Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have mentioned in two separated press conferences now that they are going to evaluate the person and intangible qualities of a quarterback just as high as the tangible ones.

By Friday, Poles and Eberflus will have had the chance to meet these quarterbacks.

Caleb Williams. Drake Maye. Jayden Daniels. These are the three quarterbacks who could be Chicago Bears, should they move on from Fields. I haven’t gotten a vibe they would consider lengthening that list unless they are really blown away by the likes of Bo Nix or Michael Penix.

3. What would a trade back from No. 1 look like?

It wouldn’t be out of the world to think the Bears should keep Fields.

Not "could" keep him. Yeah, they absolutely could keep the quarterback who showed signs of improvement in the second half of the season as a passer while keeping his threatening running game.

But, is that enough to trust Fields over the promise of a guy like Drake Maye, Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels?

"Unless you have got the offer of all offers, which is a combination of picks and players that it's literally too good to turn down," NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. "It would have to blow me away to move off of that pick."

If the Bears got two firsts, a second and DJ Moore for the first overall pick last year, surely this year would mean a much, much better haul. 

But, what if that was the case?

4. I think Peter King had a great point.

One of the first and foremost voices in pro football journalism, Peter King, announced he was retiring this past week. His Football Morning in America columns included information that only one of the most respected minds and insiders could carry.

King’s reputation is built on the words of kindness and professionalism that many took time deliver after his column went live. That tells you all you need to know.

That didn’t stop him from dropping one more tidbit before riding into the sunset. 

King floated the idea that the Bears could trade down from No. 1 overall, saying "that seems to be the way the wind is blowing." He wasn’t saying it was a sure thing, by any means. He still propositioned this haul in the Bears’ favor if they traded down from No. 1 to No. 2, and again from No. 2 to No. 8 with Atlanta.

The No. 8 and No. 9 overall picks in 2024. Two second-round picks in 2024, from Washington and Atlanta. And, and this is the big one, three future first-round picks and two second-round picks in 2025.

That would mean the Bears would have four second-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft: Their own, Carolina’s, Atlanta’s and Washington’s.

I think this is the kind of haul Jeremiah was talking about.

Sure, having the guy at quarterback makes all the difference. Patrick Mahomes is the reason why Kansas City has three Super Bowls in five years. There’s only one Mahomes, and San Francisco arguably should have beaten the Chiefs with Brock Purdy in the Super Bowl.

With that kind of draft ammo, the Bears could build whatever they wanted. You just have to ask, can Fields be just slightly better than Purdy?

5. My preferred quarterback decision was the one no one wanted

If it worked for the Chargers in 2004, why wouldn’t it work in 2024?

When San Diego opted to select a quarterback in the 2004 NFL Draft, and settle on Philip Rivers, they did so with the idea they would still give Drew Brees one more shot. It worked out for both sides.

The Bears could very well do that with Fields and another quarterback. Fields has stuck it out since the end of the Matt Nagy era when a 40-year old Jason Peters was the guy blocking players like Myles Garrett. 

Fields, who has shown enough flashes to tell you he is the best athlete to ever play quarterback for the Bears, is just looking for consistency. Perhaps Waldron unlocks that? You don’t know if you don’t give Fields the chance, and if it doesn’t work then the quarterback behind him ascends to the starting role and their QB clock starts.

I find that much more conducive to solving the root of the problem, which is the Bears have never figured out the quarterback position.  

6. The direction at No. 9 becomes much more interesting after today

Is the No. 9 overall pick a "best player available" kind of pick? Obviously, it depends on if the Bears trade No. 1 overall.

But, No. 9 could still be a player that player a decade in a Bears uniform. If I had to speculate, it’s either wide receiver or a defensive end. Those are two positions the Bears added veteran players to in the last calendar year and it made a massive difference. 

These are obviously DJ Moore and Montez Sweat. Eberflus noted cornerbacks, too, which checks out considering Poles has drafted defensive backs in the second round in his first two NFL Drafts.

"You can always have more rushers," Eberflus said. "You can always have more corners."

7. Poles’ best line came when talking about quarterback evaluations

When talking about the comparison between Mahomes, who Poles evaluated in 2017, and Caleb Williams, Poles expounded with a detailed explanation of a dual-threat quarterback against a true pocket passer.

"There's two types of quarterbacks," Poles said. "There's artists and then there's surgeons. Within that group you can kind of see who's the artist, that's really creative, doesn't draw within the lines where there's more of surgeons who are like your typical, like Brady."

That was followed up with a simple question: do you prefer one or the other? Surgeon? Or Artist?

"No," Poles said, "Winner."

8. When asked about Eddie Jackson, Eberflus may have tipped the top of his wish list

The Bears will miss Eddie Jackson. He was a veteran safety that played will opposite Jaquan Brisker. Eberflus noted the player they need opposite Brisker will need to be a player that has top-tier ball skills.

At the end of that answer, he noted the defense isn’t complete either. There are other areas they need to address.

"Certainly, pass rush is one of them," Eberflus said. "We got to make sure that we have somebody opposite Sweat, make sure we can never have enough of those guys because they affect the game most."

9. It makes sense why the Bears moved quick at OC after Matt Eberflus’ reference call on Shane Waldron 

Like any good boss looking to make sure he has the right person, Eberflus made a reference call for his soon-to-be offensive coordinator.

That number on Waldron’s file happened to be Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll.

"I had a real long conversation with Pete when that whole thing went down," Eberflus said. "We were in the interview process and he just gleaned about Shane and talked about him at length about his ability to adapt and adjust, and what he did with the quarterbacks that were there in Seattle. So I was very comfortable moving forward with Shane."

Any offensive coordinator that can put together game-winning drives with Smith and Drew Lock at quarterback is a good thing to put on a resume.

Waldron’s resume was too good to let pass. With each passing week it seems like the Bears made the right call with their offensive coordinator hire. 

10.  Waldron has the Bears' trust

I found this particularly meaningful.

Waldron, who got a glowing review from Pete Carroll, said it was obvious to pick the Chicago Bears and could have gone plenty of other places, will have a seat at the table for the biggest decision this franchise will make in the last 20 years and maybe in the next 20 years.

Eberflus said he’ll lean on Waldron’s quarterback evaluations "like you would any other offensive coordinator," which is a lot of trust in a decision that could mean Eberflus is unemployed in a year from now. 

"You're going to lean on the process of that because, obviously quarterbacks are the leader of the offense along with the offensive coordinator," Eberflus said.