The winners and losers in the Chicago Bears trading the No. 1 pick

The Arizona Cardinals came out as a big winner in this deal.

The Panthers moved up to make sure they can get their quarterback of the future. The Houston Texans pick second and need a young quarterback. The Cardinals then pick third and they are set at quarterback with Kyler Murray.

With this rookie quarterback class featuring four players worthy of a first-round selection (Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson), the Cardinals now sit in prime position for a team desperate to trade up get one of the four QB prospects.

The Indianapolis Colts, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Las Vegas Raiders still need a cornerstone quarterback. The Cardinals could get a nice trade package if they trade down with the Falcons or Raiders. They could get a good return if the Colts, who pick fourth, want to swap spots to secure getting one of the young quarterbacks.

Arizona sits in the same driver’s seat the Chicago Bears once sat in when it comes to controlling the draft. Well, the Cardinals need to hope all three teams fall in love with these quarterbacks.

The Colts are a clear loser because of this deal.

The Colts have tried the veteran band-aid approach to solve their quarterback issue ever since Andrew Luck surprisingly retired right before the start of the 2019 season.

Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan have not worked out. Brissett proved he was a better backup quarterback. Rivers, Wentz, and Ryan were washed up.

With all these veteran washouts, there was a belief that Colts general manager Chris Ballard might trade up to secure the right to have his choice between Young, Stroud, Levis, or Richardson.

Now, he might be stuck with whoever is left between four–provided a team trades with the Cardinals to move ahead of the Colts.

Ballard could like all four quarterbacks so it might not be a problem being stuck with whoever is left. It also means he might love only one or two of the prospects and then must watch them come off the board.

The Colts could pass on taking a quarterback and hope to be able to draft Caleb Williams next year. The risk is not being bad enough to land the No. 1 overall pick next year. It also means rolling with Matt Ryan again, or even worse, going with Nick Foles or Sam Ehlinger.

Indianapolis has the same assets that the Panthers gave up. They could have offered wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Then again, Pittman only has a year left on his deal and will be 27 when he hits the free-agent market.

Still, the Colts are in a spot where they must hope other teams do not jump ahead of them in the draft. They also got to hope the Panthers and Texans do not take the quarterback they truly love. Hope is not the best draft strategy. That is why the Panthers can make their hopes a reality.