When the Carolina Panthers acquired the No. 1 pick from the Chicago Bears in 2023, many people preached patience when it came to evaluating the trade. Fast forward nearly one year later, and it’s becoming increasingly evident which side won the deal.
For starters, the Bears selected offensive tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft. He showed promise as a rookie. They also selected cornerback Tyrique Stevenson with the assets they received from the Panthers.
Another big component of the trade was that Chicago received wide receiver DJ Moore. In 17 games this past season, he had 1,364 receiving yards and eight touchdowns for the Bears.
Moore has a new running mate in Keenan Allen, who the Bears acquired on Thursday night for just a fourth-round pick. That draft selection originally belonged to the Panthers.
And of course, we can’t forget the cherry on top of this entire situation. The Bears own the first pick in this year’s draft because the Panthers were downright abysmal last season. Many people expect Chicago to draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
Here’s a full recap of the Bears-Panthers trade, via Albert Breer:
Bears return for No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft …
• OT Darnell Wright*.
• WR Keenan Allen*.
• CB Tyrique Stevenson**.
• WR DJ Moore.
• First overall pick in 2024 draft.
• Second-round pick in 2025 draft.* trade of 9th pick in ’23.
** trade up from 61st pick in ’23.— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 15, 2024
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If Caleb Williams ends up being a significantly better quarterback than Bryce Young, the Panthers will be kicking themselves for years to come.
In the meantime, Carolina will have to deal with fans mocking the organization.