Chicago Bears May Try To End 40-Year-Old Curse In Upcoming Draft
GM Ryan Poles could go in multiple directions in the 1st round of the 2023 draft. He could take a pass rusher, cornerback, or even a wide receiver. However, when consulting most experts, the vast majority agree the likely outcome is the Chicago Bears take the best tackle on their board. There will be plentiful options from Paris Johnson Jr. of Ohio State to Peter Skoronski of Northwestern, Broderick Jones of Georgia, and Darnell Wright of Tennessee. It makes sense. They have a glaring hole at right tackle that needs plugging. The draft is their only avenue left with free agency exhausted of options.
Poles must realize that if he takes that course of action, he’s about to stare down one of the more overlooked curses in modern franchise history. There was a period from 1976 to 1983 when the Bears were good at finding quality tackles in the 1st round. It started with Dennis Lick and Ted Albrecht before they landed two studs in Keith Van Horne and Hall of Famer Jimbo Covert. Since then, the team has been plagued by a mixture of bad evaluations and bad luck.
- Stan Thomas in 1991 proved to be a complete head case and never became a starter.
- Marc Colombo in 2002 suffered from multiple knee injuries.
- Chris Williams in 2008 suffered a herniated disk in his back before even starting a game.
- Gabe Carimi in 2011 dislocated his knee in his second career game.
The Chicago Bears have to break this curse.
If they’re going to take on the elite of the NFL, they need great talent up front. No positions are more critical than the tackle spots. It’s been a long time since they had a genuinely dominant player at one of those positions. Charles Leno was solid. James “Big Cat” Williams was good in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, Covert was their last player who could be considered top-tier. Poles wants to change that. He will need the football gods on his side to get it done.
We don’t know whether a 1st round tackle is the end game. Poles may desire to find help at pass rusher. That position is just as depleted as tackle, if not more so. It comes down to how the Chicago Bears have their board stacked. If a tackle sits at the top when they go on the clock, then that is likely the way they’ll go. Poles proved last year he may go in a direction nobody expects. Few saw him doubling up on defensive backs last year. If tackle ends up being the choice, he’ll try to overcome a rough franchise track record.