2023-03-14 07:00:00
It was a real news bomb that ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped last Friday. The Chicago Bears are trading the first pick in the 2023 NFL draft – neither to the Colts nor to the Texans. No, the Carolina Panthers with their new head coach Frank Reich now have a free choice in Kansas City at the end of April. It will be a quarterback, all experts agree. But who wins the race in the end? And what does the trade mean for the teams in positions 2 to 4?
The Panthers gave up a lot of money to the Bears for the right to pick first in the upcoming draft. In addition to the 9th overall pick in this draft, Chicago also gets a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2023, and another second-round pick in 2025. And if that wasn’t enough, star receiver DJ Moore is also part of the biggest trade package this offseason.
The deal allows the Panthers to select their favorite quarterback on April 27, while the Bears will use the picks won to create a strong team alongside Justin Fields. But the trade will also have an impact on the teams behind it – above all the Indianapolis Colts, the Houston Texans and the Arizona Cardinals. TOUCHDOWN24 sheds light on the situation and takes a look at possible winners and losers.
Carolina Panthers
Opinions on the deal from the Panthers’ point of view differ widely in the USA. Many think the price for the uptrade was way too high, while others argue no price is too high for a potential franchise quarterback. Ultimately, it was a trade the Panthers almost had to make. Carolina hasn’t managed to answer the quarterback question long-term since Cam Newton’s departure. Whether it’s Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield – the solutions since then have ranged from “useful” to “disastrous”.
So it’s finally time for Carolina to draft and develop her own franchise quarterback. The problem: With the ninth pick in the draft, it is anything but guaranteed that one of the top 4 QBs (Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis) will fall to the Panthers. Now the team not only has the option of one of these top passers, they can even choose their favorite player. That’s good news for a franchise that, for example, got nothing from the Stafford and Watson deals despite huge interest.
Update: The “sense around the league” is that the #Panthers will be drafting Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud, according to league insiders.
(via @josephperson) pic.twitter.com/aDHi92Pq66
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 10, 2023
Could this trade turn out to be a complete failure in a few years? Sure, that’s possible. But if the Panthers actually find their franchise quarterback in late April, the team will potentially have years of success. That’s a goal the Panthers simply had to pursue in their year-long rebuild. Therefore, for new head coach Frank Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer, the trade is definitely worth the risk.
Chicago Bears
All fans and experts agree that the Bears are the big winners of this deal. It’s always been assumed in NFL circles that Chicago will trade the first pick, but the Panthers package is arguably bigger than anything Chicago would have gotten from Houston or Indianapolis. And even in 9th position, Jalen Carter, the Bears’ absolute dream player, could still be available, since he could well fall a few spots due to his unclear legal situation in the context of a car accident.
But Carter or not, even if the Bears don’t get the Georgia star in the end, it’s worth the extra picks. Wide Receiver Moore, the other part of the trade package, is an important weapon for young Justin Fields after the Chase Claypool trade has had little impact so far. The Bears can fill many gaps in their roster, which is in dire need of a shine, with this deal.
Chicago got Moore than just draft picks
They got Justin Fields a stud ???????? pic.twitter.com/f2fM0ZHW7j
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) March 10, 2023
Houston Texans
Things haven’t really changed much for the Texans. The franchise has always had to be aware that a team will trade at position 1 if they don’t do it themselves. On a positive note, it’s not the Colts who are picking ahead of the Texans in their own division. As a result, Houston still has the trump cards in the AFC South and can get one of the three remaining quarterbacks at position 2.
Indianapolis Colts
For the Colts, however, the situation is much more difficult than for the Texans. With the Panthers and Texans in positions 1 and 2, it’s almost certain that two quarterbacks will be off the board. My personal bet is Stroud (Panthers) and Young (Texans), in which case the Colts, who are also said to have a strong interest in Stroud, would get nothing. In addition, there is still a risk that another QB-needy team like Las Vegas will thread a trade with the Cardinals in third place and complicate the situation for Indy even more.
General Manager Chris Ballard has kept a low profile so far, but if his drafting history shows us anything, it’s that the 53-year-old prioritizes “toolsy prospects” – players with strong systems who might need a bit of work – higher than the competition. Typically, Ballard’s top picks are physical geeks. That would bring in Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who put in an impressive combine in Indianapolis and has the biggest upside of any QB in the draft for me.
QB Athleticism Score Leaders ????
???? Anthony Richardson (@GatorsFB)
???? Clayton Tune (@UHCougarFB)
???? Malik Cunningham (@LouisvilleFB) pic.twitter.com/rtrnwiJBE8— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 6, 2023
The fact that the new Colts coach Shane Steichen has already worked with a powerful quarterback at the Philadelphia Eagles also speaks for Richardson. The Eagles ran 189 designed QB runs or option plays last year, the most in the NFL — and that number would have been even higher had Jalen Hurts not missed two games. Still, Richardson could always have been number one on the Colts’ list, but they no longer have the sole prerogative of picking – which makes them arguably the biggest losers in this spectacular trade.
Arizona Cardinals
So far, the Cardinals are keeping a low profile on whether they plan to trade the No. 3 pick to another franchise. If the cards stay 3, it’s likely to end up with Will Anderson Jr., the best edge rusher and, for many, the best prospect in the entire draft class. But if Arizona also trades back, there’s a reasonable chance that four quarterbacks in a row will go off the board for the first time in the NFL’s illustrious history.
April 27th can’t come soon enough…
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