According to a report surfacing on Monday night, in addition to the Las Vegas Raiders making a bid to trade for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans were also in serious talks with the Chicago Bears to obtain the top selection.
As we all know by now, there was simply no offer the Bears saw that quite compared to what the Carolina Panthers threw at them.
Considering the Texans are slated to pick second overall in the upcoming draft, it just goes to show how strong of a haul it was that the Bears were able to get from the Panthers with the crucial “help me now” inclusion of star receiver D.J. Moore, all while managing to maintain a top-10 pick in this year’s draft.
It also tells us that the Bears’ chief priority in April’s draft probably has nothing to do with taking a quarterback — as has been predicted more than a few times — and much more about how they could be helped in the most immediate, impactful way, in addition to still having the opportunity to snag a top-shelf player in the first round and stacking picks for the years that lay ahead.
The aforementioned Moore, who has already proven to be a stud receiver in his first five NFL seasons, has averaged a tremendous 14.3 yards per catch over that span, making for the perfect instant-rewards player to pair with quarterback Justin Fields.
Outside of holding the No. 2 overall pick, it’s not clear what else Houston could have thrown on the table in order to lure the Bears into a swap that not only made sense for their current priorities but also outweigh the heavy load the Panthers ultimately forked over.
But it’s not all that bad for Houston.
While the Panthers will almost undoubtedly take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick, the Texans will have plenty to choose from when that signature “on the clock” chime hits following Carolina’s selection.
Related: 2023 NFL mock draft: Round 1 outlook after Bears, Panthers trade