Are Chicago Bears Running A Giant Smokescreen? Insider Thinks So
If you’ve followed the media blitz ahead of the draft, one notable headline keeps popping up. That is the Chicago Bears taking a wide receiver at #9. Rome Odunze is the most popular name for such an event. He’s already had a throwing session with Caleb Williams, Keenan Allen, and D.J. Moore. You couldn’t telegraph the connections anymore if you tried. It is getting to a point where people assume the Bears are taking a receiver at #9. It is a foregone conclusion.
Or perhaps that is exactly what they want everybody to think.
Jordan Schultz, one of the top national NFL insiders in the field, had some interesting comments on the subject. After reaching out to multiple contacts, he’s not convinced the Bears are focused on wide receiver at all. They might be angling for help on the line of scrimmage.
“Bears aren’t married to WR at 9 — OT and EDGE are also options, while trading down remains a possibility as well.”
The curious part is that some other proven insiders, including Benjamin Allbright, Jeff Hughes, and Daniel Jeremiah, have predicted an offensive tackle goes at #9—not a receiver. Either the Bears make the pick, or a team they trade down with does. This makes you wonder if the organization is feeding the Odunze buzz to keep eyes away from their real intentions.
This is exactly what the Chicago Bears did last year.
People have forgotten, but last April, the entire media landscape was obsessed with the belief that Chicago planned to draft Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. The odds are favorable that he would be available, and the fit was obvious. Multiple people reported the Bears would take him if he got there. Then they swapped picks with Philadelphia and took Darnell Wright at #10. It was a clear sign GM Ryan Poles understood how to manipulate the media into looking in one direction while operating in another.
It could be happening again. The Chicago Bears want everybody thinking wide receiver. It serves two purposes. There is a possibility someone trades up in front of them to get Odunze. That improves the odds of another player the team may want at offensive tackle or defensive line being available at #9. It also gives them an avenue to move down with hopes one of those players will still be on board after scooping up an extra pick or two. Everything about this Odunze/receiver hype feels orchestrated.
This report by Schultz provides some confirmation.