Receiver DJ Moore was a key part of the deal, but the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick is looming larger and larger.
By the time the Panthers-Bears game kicked off Thursday at Soldier Field, the trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft from the Bears to the Panthers for receiver DJ Moore and four draft picks — including the Panthers’ first-rounder in 2024 — already was paying dividends.
Even the most disappointed, disillusioned fans were rooting for the Bears to win instead of lose.
That wasn’t the case last season, when bitter fans were pulling for the Bears to lose every game to get a better chance at the No. 1 overall pick. This time, with the Panthers 1-7 and behind only the 1-8 Cardinals in the draft order, fans could root for the Bears to win and still have a better chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick next spring.
That was one storyline, but it wasn’t the only one in the national focus with the Panthers in town Thursday. Not much has gone right for general manager Ryan Poles in his second season. The Bears were 2-7 going into the game, and Matt Eberflus — Poles’ handpicked coach — is the favorite to be the next NFL coach fired (+275). Quarterback Justin Fields, meanwhile, missed his fourth consecutive game after suffering a dislocated thumb and remains a question mark for 2024.
