It’s been a busy offseason for the Chicago Bears, who have bolstered their roster through the trade of the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and free agency.
But one thing is overwhelmingly clear: the Bears are committed to building a better team around quarterback Justin Fields in order to find out if he can be their franchise quarterback.
It was true when GM Ryan Poles made wide receiver DJ Moore a requirement in the deal for the top pick with the Carolina Panthers. It’ll also likely be true when the Bears make their first pick at ninth overall.
Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Hanson shared his new mock draft, where he has the Bears landing arguably the top offensive tackle on the board in Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., reuniting Fields with his former college teammate.
The Bears have added high future picks—first- and second-rounders in 2024 and ’25, respectively—to their draft capital following their trade with the Panthers. While that provides GM Ryan Poles greater flexibility in the future, adding DJ Moore via the trade with Carolina and then Johnson with this pick would put Justin Fields in a better position to succeed in the upcoming season. Johnson is ideally suited to play left tackle, given his combination of size, length and athleticism, but he started at both right guard (’21) and left tackle (’22) for Ohio State.
The Bears have a number of needs to address after the first wave of free agency, and offensive tackle is near the top of the list. While it’s hard to predict exactly what this offensive line will look like come the regular season, there is a glaring hole at right tackle right now.
There’s a good chance — depending on how the board shakes out — that Chicago will have their pick of offensive tackles at No. 9. Johnson certainly appears to be the guy, but Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski and Georgia’s Broderick Jones could certainly factor into the mix.
