Panthers reporter thinks 'Poles was interested' in a few players for trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears took a swing when dealing with the Carolina Panthers for the No. 1 pick. Instead of loading up on draft capital at full capacity, they fought for wide receiver D.J. Moore to scratch pass-catcher off their offseason laundry list.
According to The Athletic's Joe Person, he thinks the Bears were interested in players beyond Moore on the Panthers' roster.
"I think Poles was interested in one of a few of their young, talented, highly-drafted guys," Person said on the Hoge & Jahns podcast. "And that's [Brian] Burns, Derrick Brown and D.J. Moore."
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Obviously, the Bears went with Moore. Moore is a proven commodity at the receiver position – a position the Bears lack talent at. He's caught for over 5,200 yards in five seasons with the Panthers while recording 21 touchdowns. He thrived in Carolina, despite catching balls from a litany of quarterbacks – most of whom are below-average signal callers by NFL standards.
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Had Poles & Co. not gone with Moore, they could have, hypothetically, improved other necessary areas of their roster.
In Brian Burns, they would have gotten an effective pass rusher who recorded 12.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits in his fourth season in the NFL. Burns, 24, like Moore, was also a first-round pick. He was taken No. 16 overall in the 2019 NFL draft.
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The Bears did upgrade their linebacker core, adding T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds. But they have yet to bring on an effective pass rusher. That remains a glaring need on their to-do list. Last season, they rostered arguably the worst pass-rushing unit in the league. Jaquan Brisker led the team in sacks with four takedowns on the season.
Brown, 24, doesn't have the résumé to turn heads on the defensive line; but he has the potential to become a turnkey interior defensive lineman. He's young and stays consistently healthy. Last season, he recorded 67 tackles and 12 quarterback hits. The Panthers drafted him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
When hypothetically deciding between the best deal for the Bears, however, Person believes Moore is the right guy for the job.
"I think Moore made the most sense for the Bears," Person said. "It saved the Panthers another first-round pick. I'm pretty certain (they) would've had to throw a 2025 first in the mix had they not included Moore."
