CHGO Digest: Caleb Williams, Bears reflect on 2023 trade ahead of Week 5

Good morning, friends!

January 8, 2023 — Texans quarterback Davis Mills completes a touchdown pass on 4th & 20 from the 28-yard line to Jordan Akins and finds Akins again for a two-point conversion. Texans upset the Colts, 32-31, in Week 18, moving to 3-13-1. The Chicago Bears secure the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

March 10, 2023 — Ryan Poles trades the pick to the Carolina Panthers for DJ Moore, the No. 9 and No. 56 (Tyrique Stevenson) picks in the 2023 draft, Carolina’s first-round selection in the 2024 draft, and a 2025 second-rounder.

April 27, 2023 — On the clock, Poles trades the No. 9 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 10 pick (Darnell Wright) in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2024.

April 25, 2024 — The Bears select Caleb Williams first overall with the Panthers’ pick, and take Tory Taylor two days later with the Eagles’ fourth.

As DJ Moore said on Wednesday, “Shout out to Poles for that. That was a good trade.”

Oh, and don’t forget about the 2025 second-rounder.

Onto Week 5.

— Patrick Norton

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Matt Eberflus, Caleb Williams, DJ Moore reflect on 2023 trade

If things go the way we think they might here in Chicago, the 2023 offseason trade between the Bears and Panthers probably goes down as one of, if not the most lopsided deals in NFL history.

Carolina used the 2023 No. 1 overall pick on quarterback Bryce Young from the University of Alabama. Two weeks ago, 18 starts into Young’s professional career, first-year head coach Dave Canales decided to bench the quarterback for backup Andy Dalton. In those 18 starts, Young was 2-16, absorbing 68 sacks in the process.

It’s gone… better for Chicago. And while the Bears haven’t completely righted the ship, they’re undeniably heading in a better direction thanks to the trade. I know it, you know it, and Matt Eberflus, Caleb Williams, and DJ Moore acknowledged it on Wednesday at Halas Hall, too.

• Eberflus praised Ryan Poles for the deal while admitting how amazingly lucky the ordeal was for the Bears. “It’s really remarkable when you think about it, how it all fell together like that. A lot of that’s luck, I mean a lot of that you can’t predict. But it’s also putting yourself in position. Ryan Poles and his staff did a great job of that. There’s a couple players that we could’ve been going for at the time and I’m sure glad we got DJ.”

• Caleb played it down. “I know about it a little bit. Not too much. Obviously grateful that it happened and to be a Chicago Bear. I’m not too deep into the history of kinda what happened but I do know it got us a lot of different things — DJ and the picks, myself included. When reminded of the total haul, Williams smirked and said, “It’s a good collection of players we have here.”

• DJ Moore, the lone player in the deal, had a similar outlook, grasping the significance mid-response. “I mean it was a lot, but I haven’t really sat down and really looked at all the pieces we got. I mean, you can see it, but not to really go and think about and like, ‘damn, we really made an impact,’ but we really did. Shout out to Poles for that. That was a good trade.”

🔎 GO DEEPER | Nicholas Moreano goes inside the locker room at Halas Hall to speak with Gervon Dexter Sr. and Jaquan Brisker about the win against Los Angeles.

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Wabash & Cermak

Whether you’re going to the game or just want to hang with DIEHARDS, join CHGO at the corner of Wabash & Cermak ahead of Week 5’s matchup against the Panthers at Soldier Field!

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Punt to win.

It was business as usual for Tory Taylor at Halas Hall on Wednesday. Despite being named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his game-altering performance against the Rams, Taylor is back to work focusing on the Panthers this weekend.

Taylor’s 55.4 net yards per punt against Los Angeles was the third-highest total by a Bears punter in team history. Only Pat O’Donnell had better games in a Bears uniform. Had it not been for Chicago’s final punt to pin the Rams deep, Taylor would’ve finished the day in the top ten in NFL history for net yards per punt in a single game.

• Taylor played a pivotal role in the Bears’ win on Sunday despite only taking the field a handful of times. “I really only go out there a few times a game. So I try to make the most of it really. Just go out there and dominate field position, but it’s probably one of those things that you don’t obviously always kick a 66-yarder inside the 10, so I was pretty happy. I think it was just a key moment in the game as well, so I was certainly happy about that.”

• Caleb Williams had a big grin when talking about the Australian punter. “He’s unbelievable. I mean, when we drafted him, the night we drafted him, that was the first time I’ve ever looked at a punter highlight tape, the night we drafted him.” Me, too, Caleb. But instead of his highlights at Iowa, it’s been Taylor’s 66-yard boot against the Rams on repeat.

The Eighty Five with Cole Kmet

🎧 SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | Cole Kmet breaks down Bears win vs Rams + Tory Taylor joins!

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Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

🍻 10/6 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! – Week 5 vs. Panthers
🍻 11/10 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! — Week 10 vs. Patriots