PALM BEACH, Fla. — Bears general manager Ryan Poles might not draft a Week 1 starter with the No. 10 overall pick — and he’d be OK with that.
It’s one of the many scenarios Poles and coach Ben Johnson will examine as they prepare for the April 24 draft. They’ll weigh whether they’re drafting to make this year’s team as strong as possible or to set it up for the future. They’ll debate the value of premium positions — left tackle, defensive line, cornerback and receiver — and whether it’s possible to have too many good players at those spots.
The Bears believe there are fewer than 10 top-tier players in the draft and would be compelled to take one if they fall.
“If you end up with a surplus, then let’s just figure it out after that and compete and the best guy wins,” Poles said Tuesday at the NFL’s annual meeting. “And if a young guy’s got to wait, then he has to wait.”
That could be the case at left tackle, where Braxton Jones has a tenuous hold on the starting job. Left tackles that could be available at No. 10 are LSU’s Will Campbell, Missouri’s Armand Membou, Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. and Ohio State’s Josh Simmons.
Poles said he’s still confident in former third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie, who was hurt for much of his rookie season and struggled when called upon to pinch-hit. He’ll challenge for the swing tackle job.
“It makes it a little complicated when you’re now talking about three-deep in that space, but I think it makes us ask tough questions when we’re watching, specifically, the left tackle,” Poles said. “Like, ‘Is this guy gonna make us better in Year 1, Year 2, Year 3? How do we feel about our guys, especially in the case where [the new coaches] haven’t really had time with either one?’”
There are scenarios, too, where Poles takes a running back or tight end who could begin training camp second on the depth chart behind D’Andre Swift and Cole Kmet. Johnson’s Lions did that two years ago, shocking the NFL world when they drafted Alabama star Jahmyr Gibbs one month after signing another running back, David Montgomery, away from the Bears. Both were better for it. Montgomery rushed for a career-high 4.6 yards per carry in 2023. Gibbs, the other half of the platoon, has made the Pro Bowl in each of his two seasons.
“We viewed Gibbs as more of a weapon,” Johnson said. “Not necessarily 1A, 1B, but more [that] they could coexist and really complement each other’s skill set. To me, that’s how you want to construct a roster from all your skill positions.”
Johnson looks at each skill position group like a basketball team — he needs both big and small body types and skillsets to match. The Bears’ running back room has no such variety behind Swift, who frustrated his bosses last year when he lost yardage trying to hit too many home runs.
“I don’t see, for his success, that he needs a 1B to get that done,” Johnson said.
The list of potential running mates is tempting, though. Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is the best running back prospect since Bijan Robinson. North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo figure to be drafted in the first three rounds.
If the Bears take a running back, they’d still be able to address the lines with Picks 39, 41 and 72.
“It’s a great draft to have those Day 2 picks,” Johnson said. “I think those are great value picks this year.”
The Bears will spend the next three weeks trying to find the right formula.
“We’ll be ready for all the different situations that pop up,” Poles said.