Bears Player News Today

With a golden opportunity, McCaskey needs to give his blessing and open the Halas Hall vault to hire a former Bear who can make a difference as head coach — just as George Halas did with Mike Ditka in 1982.

The No. 1 pick with a quarterback like Caleb Williams is usually a no-brainer. But Fields is arguably the best incumbent quarterback for a team with the top pick since Drew Brees with the Chargers in 2004, which makes it a little tricky for Poles — even if he’s right, he could still be wrong.

Montez Sweat as a multiplier ... DJ Moore and the trade for Carolina’s first-round pick ... Tremaine Edmunds/T.J. Edwards for Roquan ... even Darnell Wright over Jalen Carter looks like the prudent decision at this point. All Poles has to do now is get the QB right ...

Murray was a hit as the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 — rookie of the year, two Pro Bowls and a playoff berth in his first three seasons. But two years later — after signing Murray to a five-year, $230.5 million contract — the Cards are 3-11 and 7-24 in the past two seasons.

GM Ryan Poles has some big decisions to make, but with an improving defense, a developing offensive line — and likely the No. 1 pick in the draft — the Bears will be headed in the right direction in 2024 whether or not Matt Eberflus is the coach, Luke Getsy is the offensive coordinator and Justin Fields is the quarterback.

Coming off a 12-10 victory over the Vikings in which his offense did not score a touchdown, the Bears’ offensive coordinator needs to prove “we’re in the process of building something special” — as he said when the Bears were 0-3 — in the final five regular-season games of the 2023 season.

The Bears cornerback needs to make the most of his big-play chances to be as good as he thinks he is. But just having those opportunities in recent games is an indication that as Matt Eberflus’ improving defense grows, Johnson’s impact will increase as well.

After a 31-26 loss to the contending Lions in which the Bears looked like an actual good team before imploding in the final 4:15, games against the Vikings and Lions will define the direction of the Bears under Eberflus. “We’re gonna find out who we are this week,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said.

The bounty Ryan Poles received for the No. 1 overall pick might still be better option — especially with the Panthers’ pick currently No. 1 overall. But the Texans’ success with Stroud rekindles a frustrating lament for Bears fans: What are the Texans doing that the Bears are not?

The lack of bite in Matt Eberflus’ defense — tied for 28th in points, 19th in yards, last in sacks and third downs and tied for 24th in takeaways — is the biggest disappointment of a 2-7 start. DJ Moore, Darnell Wright head the list of highlights, but Justin Fields is still a question mark.