Chicago Bears appear in the hunt while on track for the first pick

For all the Chicago Bears fans who were anticipating the Bears being in the middle of playoff contention this season, what has transpired this season was the realization that the team is flawed in both their on-the-field and off-the-field operations.

That is why it was a stroke of comedy on Sunday that Bears fans were celebrating the team being listed as “in the hunt” on the television graphic that most broadcasts use during December to depict the NFL’s playoff picture.

With a record of 4-8 on the season, there would need to be a lot of luck involved for the Bears to make the playoffs as one of the NFC’s Wild Card teams.

Putting aside the joke that is celebrating the idea of the Bears being listed in a playoff graphic, there was an important development concerning their 2024 draft picks.

The Carolina Panthers lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday while the Arizona Cardinals had an upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. After Sunday’s games, the Bears remain at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft through having the rights to the Panthers’ first-round draft pick. The Cardinals’ victory over the Steelers also strengthened the likelihood that the Bears will have one of the top selections in the draft this Spring.

At this point, it’s a foregone conclusion that the Bears will have the opportunity to trade USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft. If the Bears have the first overall selection, the team is going to take Williams. Williams has a higher ceiling than Fields and the idea of resetting the quarterback contract clock can not be overlooked. There likely would be more of a debate if the Bears wind up with the second overall selection as a case can be made that selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. second overall may be the best option for the team if Williams is off the board.