People are patiently waiting to see what the Chicago Bears decide to do at quarterback this offseason, but general manager Ryan Poles is not giving us anything to chew on during the Scouting Combine.
While some felt that the Bears’ outlook under center would become more clear this week, Poles is still remaining mum on Chicago’s strategy.
“The hot topic. The first pick. The quarterback situation. Contrary to reports out there, I have no master plan to present everyone today,” Poles said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “This is an opportunity for us to continue to gather information, learn about the different players in the draft, listen to what opportunities could come up and then, at the end of the day, we’re gonna to make the best decision that we can for the Chicago Bears. It will not be based on fear of what could happen with this, what could happen with that. We’re gonna put our information together and make the best decision.”
The fact that Poles is not giving away any information is hardly surprising.
The general consensus is that the Bears will trade away Justin Fields and then take USC signal-caller Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in a couple of months, so Poles is certainly not going to want to torpedo Fields’ trade value by playing his hand and saying, “Yes, we are going to draft a quarterback.”
Plus, it’s also entirely possible that Poles and Co. have genuinely not made a decision yet.
There have been rumors that some within Chicago’s organization like Fields and would prefer to move forward with him, so there could be some internal strife in terms of how the franchise should progress.
Fields threw for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 13 games this past season while also rushing for 657 yards and four scores.
It was certainly the most impressive season of his three-year NFL career to date, but it was also hardly anything to write home about.
Chances are, the Bears will probably move Fields and take Williams, who is widely considered the best quarterback prospect in this year’s draft class.
But until that time comes, Poles is likely going to stay tight-lipped.
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