Bears' Early Report Card for Most Impactful Offseason Decisions
The Chicago Bears have been involved in two of the most notable trades in the first week of the NFL offseason.
Chicago offloaded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick that could become a fourth-round selection depending on playing time.
The Fields trade cleared the path for the Bears to select Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Williams will have two top-tier wide receivers to throw to after the Bears landed Keenan Allen to work alongside D.J. Moore.
Allen was acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Allen was not the only offensive upgrade made in the last week. The Bears also signed running back D'Andre Swift to a three-year deal to improve the talent around the quarterback, likely Williams, for the 2024 campaign.
Justin Fields Trade
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Fields' trade market likely cratered after the first set of quarterback moves that began with Kirk Cousins' signing with the Atlanta Falcons.
The list of teams with quarterback needs dried up fast in the first few days of the offseason.
That left the Bears in a rough spot in which they got little return for Fields, who will likely be Russell Wilson's backup in Pittsburgh.
A sixth-round pick, which may become a fourth-rounder, is a fair price for any backup quarterback, but the Bears have to be viewed as the loser in the trade, at least right now.
Fields was the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and at 25, he could still have a few successful years in the NFL.
The Bears only got a minimal return for Fields, and if he finds success in Pittsburgh at any point, the move will be considered a steal from the Steelers' perspective.
Grade: C
Keenan Allen Trade
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The Bears front office deserves some credit for taking advantage of the Chargers' poor salary cap situation to land Allen for a minimal return.
Adding a six-time 1,000-yard wide receiver for just a fourth-round pick must be viewed as a success for the Bears.
Allen's addition filled a need at wide receiver behind Moore that was left wide open by Darnell Mooney's free agency.
There is no question the Bears upgraded their wide receiver depth by replacing Mooney with Allen.
Chicago now has two 1,000-yard caliber wide receivers and one of the NFL's best young tight ends in Cole Kmet for the new quarterback to work with.
If Williams is the No. 1 pick, he has plenty of experience around him to thrive in his first season, which is what the Bears need in their quest to get back to the postseason.
Grade: A
D'Andre Swift Signing
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Swift cashed in on the first 1,000-yard season of his career with a three-year, $24.5 million deal.
The Bears added experience to their backfield, but there might be some concerns about Swift's production in 2024.
Swift had not earned more than 620 rushing yards in a single season before his move to Philadelphia, and the running back he replaced, Miles Sanders, experienced an 800-yard drop off in production in 2023 with the Carolina Panthers.
A significant drop off could happen with the former Detroit Lions running back in Chicago if the offensive line play does not compare to what he ran behind in Philadelphia.
Swift will start the 2024 season on top of the depth chart ahead of Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson.
Neither Herbert nor Johnson looked like a No. 1 back for all of the 2024 campaign, but Johnson displayed some promise in the second half of the season. Swift's signing could block his development a bit.
Swift's contract could also be a product of the average running back draft class. In a normal year, the Bears may have waited until the draft to upgrade and not pay so much money at running back.
Grade: C
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