When it comes to the NFL offseason, you could easily argue that no general manager is facing more pressure than Ryan Poles. Not only does the Bears GM have to decide whether to trade Justin Fields, but he also has to figure out what to do with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
During the NFL Combine this week, Poles seemed somewhat torn about what he's going to do at the quarterback spot, but he did admit that he wants to make a decision sooner rather than later.
"I would love to know as soon as possible," Poles said about the team's plan at quarterback. "I would love to know, but I know that's not how the process works. Sure, before free agency would be good."
If the Bears move on from Fields, the next thing they'll have to do is figure out what to do with the top pick in the draft, and at least one person says there should be no debate about the situation. Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason says the decision is obvious: They should draft Caleb Williams, and if Poles isn't willing to do that, then the Bears should get rid of him.
"It's over. They're taking [Williams] and if they don't take this kid then Ryan Poles should be fired," Esiason said on a recent episode of Boomer and Gio, via Awful Announcing. "You got to re-start the quarterback clock, you got all the assets from the trades that you've made. You're sitting pretty, you kept your head coach, you've got a new offensive coordinator in there."
Williams does have some ties to the Commanders -- he's from Washington D.C. and he'd be reunited with Kliff Kingsbury -- but despite that, Boomer says Chicago is the better option for the USC quarterback.
"Caleb, don't go home, go to Chicago," Esiason said. "They are loaded and they're going to be good and they have all these different assets. You're going to have a good defense. They've added a number of offensive playmakers over the past two years."
Although there had been some speculation that Williams didn't want the Bears to draft him, he shot down that notion at the NFL Combine on Friday. As a matter of fact, Williams actually sounded excited about the possibility of playing for a team that finished 7-10 last season, which is a record that's almost unheard of for a team that has the first overall pick (The Bears acquired the pick in a trade with the Panthers).
"That's pretty good for a team that has the first pick," Williams said of the Bears, via NBC Sports Chicago. "They've got a good defense. They've got good players on offense. It's pretty exciting if you can go into a situation like that."
If Poles listens to Esiason, then Williams' name will be the first one that Roger Goodell announces during the first round of the NFL Draft on April 25.
