Should Ryan Poles trade the first pick sooner rather than later?

It seems inevitable that the Chicago Bears will trade the first pick of the NFL Draft. But when?

As the NFL combine rolls on, plenty of discussion has emerged from Indianapolis and plenty of it surrounds the Chicago Bears.

It’s been a safe assumption that, assuming Ryan Poles trades the first pick in the draft, that it won’t be until sometime in late March or April prior to the draft. That way free agency can settle down a little, holes that were left unaddressed become glaring, and that’s the best time to strike a deal. But for Ryan Poles, he let on that something could be done much sooner than that timeline.

When Poles addressed the media earlier in the week he addressed that issue.

“There are some scenarios that it might benefit us to move before free agency opens potentially, but again when we get back with all the information that we’ve gathered from here, I think we’ll have a better direction.” Poles continued, “There’s scenarios where you could add players as well potentially, which again gives you some clarity on what you want to do in the draft.”

In short, Poles is clearly looking to add a player or two when he trades that pick and not just acquire draft capital. When looking at potential trade partners, the team that jumps out in that scenario is the Indianapolis Colts. Those players would be defensive tackle Deforest Bucker or wide receiver Michael Pittman.

There are benefits to both sides of this argument. If Poles does want an actual player as a part of the deal, knowing who he’s receiving prior to free agency will be a big help. But on the other side, there aren’t enough quarterbacks to go around. Bryce Young seemingly is emerging as most team’s favorite at the quarterback position, so usually, the longer you wait, the more desperate teams will become when there aren’t any quarterbacks left and Ryan Poles’ pick is there for the taking if teams just give up a bit more.

As a fan, you have to ask yourself, what’s more important for you? Would you rather see a deal struck next week that includes a player that you can immediately pencil in as a starter on the 2023 team? Or would you rather wait and hold that pick as long as possible and see if the large ransom that we all want will be paid by a desperate franchise?

It’s a tough question to answer.

For me, I’d wait and take the picks. But fans will debate this decision before Poles pulls the trigger, and most certainly after he does as well.