Sports
Ryan Poles used the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft to add future assets and get a bona fide wide receiver for Justin Fields in DJ Moore.
When the Chicago Bears general manager got around to using his first-round pick Thursday night, he added more protection for Fields by choosing Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright with the No. 10 pick.
Much of the rest of the draft figures to be about finding defensive linemen and pass rushers for an undermanned unit, but the Bears won’t go into next season with folks saying they lack adequate protection or targets for Fields. Poles called Wright a “tone setter.”
If 2022 was about tearing down the roster and resetting the salary cap, 2023 is about making a complete assessment of Fields. To do that, the Bears needed to start building the offense. After coming up short in a bid to sign offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey in free agency — I was told the Bears’ offer was close to $17 million per year — they drafted a player who can step in as a Day 1 starter.
It might not be the best offensive line in the NFL, but the Bears now have Wright, who played primarily right tackle in four seasons with the Volunteers; a new right guard in free-agent signee Nate Davis; and might grab a center with a pick Friday or Saturday. It’s a better group than they rolled out last year, when the biggest addition to the offensive line was signing Riley Reiff to a one-year deal a week before training camp.
If left tackle Braxton Jones makes a big step forward in his second season, there’s a chance for real growth, and having starting tackles on rookie contracts creates cap flexibility for a couple of years.
What’s interesting is the Bears passed on Jalen Carter and traded the ninth pick to the Philadelphia Eagles, who promptly selected the Georgia defensive tackle. As much as the Bears needed to add protection for Fields, they remain without any threat at the three-technique position for coach Matt Eberflus’ defense. Carter could have filled the role, but clearly the Bears didn’t get enough satisfactory answers from him when they visited.
“He had a really bad visit with us,” said a high-ranking source from another team that brought Carter in.
The Eagles probably figure veteran defensive linemen Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham and the presence of former Georgia teammate Jordan Davis will make Philadelphia a good spot for Carter, who possesses immense talent. Poles declined to address how the team finalized its evaluation of Carter.
The Bears netted a 2024 fourth-round pick from the Eagles for moving down one spot and did so without risking losing out on the offensive lineman they wanted. Wright was the second offensive lineman selected after the Arizona Cardinals chose Ohio State left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6.