2024 NFL Draft: Bears are on the clock entering Week 11

The Chicago Bears didn’t play on Sunday, but they were still big winners in Week 10.

If the 2024 NFL draft were held today, GM Ryan Poles and the Bears would be on the clock, thanks to the Arizona Cardinals’ last-second victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Cardinals’ record improved to 2-8 after their upset win, leaving the Carolina Panthers the only team in the NFL with one win.

The Chicago Bears have the rights to the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick.

The best-case scenario for the Bears over the next seven games is for Justin Fields to prove he’s the franchise quarterback we all think he can be, freeing up that top pick to be used on Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. An improved Fields could also allow the Chicago Bears to trade the first overall pick to a team willing to move hell and highwater for USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

Fields can single-handedly make Poles the most important man of the offseason for the second year in a row.

The Chicago Bears did win more than just the temporary rights to the No. 1 pick this week. They defeated the Panthers on Thursday night and now sport a 3-7 record. Their victory, coupled with losses by the Giants and New England Patriots, pushes their first-rounder down to No. 5 overall.

At this point, the biggest threat for the Bears and the No. 1 pick seems to be the New York Giants. Big Blue was demolished by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, which was an expected result with undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito starting at quarterback. He was terrible, the Giants’ offense doesn’t stand a chance to score points as long as he’s under center. And if they don’t score points, they won’t win any games, and that’s a problem for the Bears’ 2024 NFL draft interest.