Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren speaks during a news conference at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Jan. 10, 2024. We’re only a week away from the NFL combine in Indianapolis, where Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles, coach Matt Eberflus and their staffs will get a look at the top draft prospects.
In no way do Warren’s comments lead me to pause and consider if the Bears might be pondering a path other than drafting a quarterback in the first round. Let’s be real here too. What Warren said won’t boost Fields’ trade value with other teams. That will be shaped by the evaluations other teams do and the marketplace — meaning which other options are out there and what costs would be associated with them. Poles’ goal right now is to get legitimate interest from multiple teams.
Can you provide your perspective, if you were Ryan Poles, when you would trade Justin Fields, given teams acquiring him need to do so well in advance of the draft?The best time for Poles to trade Fields is when he believes he has an offer on the table that he deems best for the Bears. That could be Thursday. That could be after spending a week in Indianapolis. That could be in mid-April. That could be on the morning of Day 2 of the draft.
Do you think the Bears would be willing to pay Lloyd Cushenberry, who’s 26 and by reports is the best center in free agency who is not coming off an injury?Cushenberry, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2020, has made 57 career starts and is someone to keep an eye on in free agency. He has gotten better with experience throughout a host of changes in Denver, and he could command a contract averaging $10 million per year, perhaps a little more.
With Johnson in the mix, the Bears have skill and depth at cornerback with Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon and Smith. They’re all young too. Why not keep a strength a strength,and keep the focus on other positions of need? Tag and trade Johnson and then have one injury at cornerback, and all of a sudden the Bears could be in a jam.
The deadline that really matters is July 17. That’s the last day the Bears can reach an agreement with Johnson on a multiyear deal. If the parties can’t hammer out something by then, he’s looking at playing the 2024 season on a one-year deal. You can bet Poles will be asked next week about the latest with Johnson. I don’t know that there will be any significant news, but you never know.