I'm torn about this because I really don't want to see them go with a top OT this year. And #9 seems too rich for a C or a G (whom we really need more than an OT). And we do need a legit talented WR to pair with DJM. If the Bears do go with a DL guy at #9 that means the offense will be more difficult to fix for the new kid at QB. The fans are gonna be mighty sick if Jenkins takes his usual IR vacation, Whitehair is gone (not that he was any good anyway) & Nate Davis blows chunks again... and we watch yet another year of a young QB running for his life. Caleb, like Fields, can run when the OL fails. But do we really want to watch another year of that? It would be a lost year regarding Caleb's development too. Nobody wins.
All true. And I’m sick of this orthodoxy that “you can’t draft a center at #9”. If Poles can’t get JPJ with a trade down, he should just do it! This would help the team immensely. It is by far a greater positional need than WR or DL. Get WR in second round or FA, if Odunze is gone by #9. He’s already invested a lot into the DL with Sweat, Jones, Dexter, etc. The rest can come next year. As you say, he should prioritize offense in 2024 to help Williams to max his rookie year.
A good WR in free agency will cost you unbelievably more than a good center will cost you.
All true. And I’m sick of this orthodoxy that “you can’t draft a center at #9”. If Poles can’t get JPJ with a trade down, he should just do it! This would help the team immensely. It is by far a greater positional need than WR or DL. Get WR in second round or FA, if Odunze is gone by #9. He’s already invested a lot into the DL with Sweat, Jones, Dexter, etc. The rest can come next year. As you say, he should prioritize offense in 2024 to help Williams to max his rookie year.
A good WR in free agency will cost you unbelievably more than a good center will cost you.
My plan “A” is to get the WR with second round pick from the Fields trade. Cushenberry in FA. JPJ can play center or guard and be Pro Bowl early in his career. He’s a pile-driver run blocker and nobody ever beat him pass blocking in 2023 (829 snaps, zero sacks, zero hits). Played nearly 90% at right guard his sophomore year. He can replace Davis if we get Cushenberry.
Are you going to have a heart attack if Bears trade down to 16-20 for JPJ and second round pick? That’s my plan “A” for #9 if Odunze is gone before #9.
He played both offense and defense in high school. Won three state championships with 51-1 record. He also lettered 3 times in both wrestling and baseball.
Okay butkus, watch this. Swifty says JPJ is the best offensive lineman in the draft, can play guard or center, and Swifty want Poles to trade down from #9 to get him. It CAN be done. Do it!!
I think Maye will go to NE. But crazier things have happened on draft night. Look how far Rodgers dropped. JPJ to round 3 is impossible.
Anyway, I think the #9 pick could possibly be traded down to 17-22 for a second round pick. I hope Poles is thinking about that, if he’s down to #4 on his WR list. JPJ would be much more valuable to the offense, and he gets a WR anyway from this trade or Fields trade for a second rounder.
A good WR in free agency will cost you unbelievably more than a good center will cost you.
My plan “A” is to get the WR with second round pick from the Fields trade. Cushenberry in FA. JPJ can play center or guard and be Pro Bowl early in his career. He’s a pile-driver run blocker and nobody ever beat him pass blocking in 2023 (829 snaps, zero sacks, zero hits). Played nearly 90% at right guard his sophomore year. He can replace Davis if we get Cushenberry.
Are you going to have a heart attack if Bears trade down to 16-20 for JPJ and second round pick? That’s my plan “A” for #9 if Odunze is gone before #9.
Depending on who's still on the board...I might, yes.
Okay butkus, watch this. Swifty says JPJ is the best offensive lineman in the draft, can play guard or center, and Swifty want Poles to trade down from #9 to get him. It CAN be done. Do it!!
I'm not debating JPJ is a good offensive lineman. I've been a fan of his before he started to blow up. I just think there are more important areas this team needs to address in the draft and I don't like the idea of pairing a rookie QB with a rookie center. JPJ is NOT playing guard here with a healthy Davis and Jenkins in the fold.
Okay butkus, watch this. Swifty says JPJ is the best offensive lineman in the draft, can play guard or center, and Swifty want Poles to trade down from #9 to get him. It CAN be done. Do it!!
I'm not debating JPJ is a good offensive lineman. I've been a fan of his before he started to blow up. I just think there are more important areas this team needs to address in the draft and I don't like the idea of pairing a rookie QB with a rookie center. JPJ is NOT playing guard here with a healthy Davis and Jenkins in the fold.
Assume we are following JABF plan to give “max support” to Williams in draft and FA in 2024 and — for whatever reasons — Bears can’t get Cushenberry in FA. Assume also that Harrison, Nabers, and Odunze are all drafted before #9. So now it is draft night and you are on the clock with the #9 pick.
Would you rather have:
1. The #4 WR on your list. 2. Trade down to 16-25 for JPJ and a second round pick. 3. A left tackle. 4. Something else.
Make your play.
P.S. If Bears get Cushenberry, JPJ could easily beat out Davis in training camp, especially if Davis shows up like last season. What’s the odds Jenkins and Davis are healthy for 17 games?
I'm not debating JPJ is a good offensive lineman. I've been a fan of his before he started to blow up. I just think there are more important areas this team needs to address in the draft and I don't like the idea of pairing a rookie QB with a rookie center. JPJ is NOT playing guard here with a healthy Davis and Jenkins in the fold.
I agree about the rookie C and QB1 being less than ideal. I would prefer Cush get signed. A separate issue though is Jenkins health problem. And Davis looked like backup material last year. And Whitehair is no longer here. It is reasonable to think the Bears will deal with that, but "how" will be interesting. It may not be drafting JPJ, but they do need a viable plan for quality IOL depth. I love Jenkins, when he CAN play. He is fantastic. I'm leery of Davis, but maybe it was simply an aberration year last season, a one-off, and he can be solid this year. But even if he does bounce back, the Bears do need solid depth on the OL. They know this. I'm just curious to watch how they deal with the unit this off-season.
I'm not debating JPJ is a good offensive lineman. I've been a fan of his before he started to blow up. I just think there are more important areas this team needs to address in the draft and I don't like the idea of pairing a rookie QB with a rookie center. JPJ is NOT playing guard here with a healthy Davis and Jenkins in the fold.
I agree about the rookie C and QB1 being less than ideal. I would prefer Cush get signed. A separate issue though is Jenkins health problem. And Davis looked like backup material last year. And Whitehair is no longer here. It is reasonable to think the Bears will deal with that, but "how" will be interesting. It may not be drafting JPJ, but they do need a viable plan for quality IOL depth. I love Jenkins, when he CAN play. He is fantastic. I'm leery of Davis, but maybe it was simply an aberration year last season, a one-off, and he can be solid this year. But even if he does bounce back, the Bears do need solid depth on the OL. They know this. I'm just curious to watch how they deal with the unit this off-season.
JPJ and Williams both rookies is a minor issue. They will be together for 10 years, and your target for Super Bowl ready is 2026, as I recall. We agree on Davis.
