It has been a long time since the Chicago Bears were a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but they may have a vista through which they can get back to that stratosphere in the coming years.

They have surprisingly won four of their last five games, but it has been too little, too late, as they have been eliminated from contention for a playoff spot.

Last season, after the Bears finished with the NFL’s worst record, they gained the No. 1 pick in the draft. But instead of drafting a quarterback such as C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young, they traded that pick to the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver D.J. Moore and four draft picks, one of which is a first-rounder this year.

That first-rounder will be the No. 1 pick overall, as the Panthers will finish with the league’s worst record. With QB Justin Fields continuing to be underwhelming at best, Chicago has a dilemma: Should it keep this pick, should it trade down or should it stick with Fields?

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Commentator Colin Cowherd feels the choice is clear: trade Fields while his value is still decent and draft a signal-caller.

In his third pro season, Fields’ numbers haven’t really improved. He had back-to-back games with four touchdown passes in early October, but he hasn’t had any other games with as many as two touchdown passes this season.

At this point, it’s obvious that Fields simply won’t become the player some thought he would become after he threw 63 touchdown passes in two seasons at Ohio State University.

If the Bears keep the No. 1 pick, they could draft Caleb Williams, the fantastic University of Southern California QB who seems to have superstar written all over him. As Cowherd mentioned, another option would be to trade down by a pick or two and draft a somewhat less-heralded QB while also getting a player or two in return who could also help right now.

They do have some nice pieces, including Moore, who has 1,300 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns this year, and defensive lineman Montez Sweat, who was acquired in a midseason trade. Some feel if the Bears simply had a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback, they would instantly become a very good football team.

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