Rich Eisen believes the Chicago Bears are 'long down the road' in trading top overall pick

Nothing is official but everyone in the NFL world expects the Chicago Bears to trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Being gifted the spot by the Houston Texans on the final day of the regular season, general manager Ryan Poles is playing with house money. Teams desperately need franchise quarterbacks while he holds the key to the likes of Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Anthony Richardson.

Draft night does not fall until April 27 and Chicago could wait until the last minute to trade the pick. However, Rich Eisen of the NFL Network believes a potential deal is further along than many think. Eisen spent this past week at the NFL combine and credited the Bears.

“The Bears are already long down the road of trading the first overall pick,” Eisen said. “Teams have been identified. Compensation is being hammered out… Poles is playing this thing like a virtuoso so far, as far as I am concerned. I hear the Bears are already long down the road in trading this first-round draft choice.”

Eisen did not specifically mention which teams are involved but the likes of Carolina and Las Vegas are expected to be interested. Neither currently have a franchise QB on the roster, with the latter moving on from Derek Carr. The Panthers have tested out Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield over the past couple of years.

If you believe what Eisen says, a move with the pick could be coming in the near future. Teams can then make plans for free agency and how their team will move forward.

Chicago Bears working to build around Justin Fields

Chicago does not view itself as a team in need of a quarterback. Justin Fields was selected in the first round of the 2021 draft and has taken over the franchise. The goal is to surround Fields with talent and have him be the guy for the Bears. Gaining assets through the first pick can expedite the process.

From an offensive perspective, Chicago ranked dead last in passing yards. An attempt to help Fields was made, trading for wide receiver Chase Claypool. But more is going to be needed in the Windy City to compete.

Some kind of defensive line help should be on the way too, depending on where they land in the first round. Will Anderson and Jalen Carter have been linked to Chicago in recent mock drafts, bolstering what was one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.