Its not crazy to think the might have the most promising future of any profe sional sports team in the Windy City.The are mired in mediocrity, the superstar-le s are headed for .500, the cant stay out of their own way, the are stuck far behind two WNBA superteams and the finished with the second-worst record in hockey after trading .Training camp cant come soon enough in Chicago. Despite winning only three games last season, the Bears appear to be on the right track in terms of building a winner. Rather than stitch up the me s he inherited, second-year general manager Ryan Poles correctly jettisoned and last season to focus on the future. Poles is clearly committed to quarterback and the franchise uncharacteristically traded down hold your jokes from the No. 1 overall pick in next Thursdays .So whats the move at No. 9 for Chicago? Bears fans are dying to know."I think they take the best offensive lineman on their board," told . "Their money mostly went into linebacker in free agency, but they also added a starting guard and tight end, and receiver was their biggest acquisition."The general manager is a former offensive lineman, the a sistant general manager is a former offensive Rashad Vaughn Jersey lineman, the franchise hasnt drafted an offensive tackle in the first round in over 10 years and Fields led the league in sacks taken last season. Youve got to fortify that line."Youre looking at or . or seem like more viable options if you trade back, but we dont know where they stand on the Bears big board. Youve got to use this resource to protect Fields. I think thats what they should Michael Beasley Jersey do."You can see how this is about building around Justin Fields."FOX Bet surprisingly has defensive lineman listed as the odds-on favorite to go No. 9 to Chicago at +250 ( total). But everything I can gather from league sources and betting connections tells me Carter will be long gone by the time the Bears are on the clock.Ninth-overall pick odds via :Jalen Carter +250 ( )Peter Skoronski +300 ( )Paris Johnson Jr. +333 ( )Broderick Jones +700 ( )Darnell Wright +900 ( ) +1100 ( ) +1400 ( ) +1500 ( ) +1600 ( ) +2200 ( ) +2500 ( )"Itll be an interesting decision if Jalen Carter is available at No. 9," Fishbain explained. "Football-wise, he absolutely fits a need, but I dont think the Bears are at a place as a team to be the right environment. Theyre too young and dont have a ton of veterans. It doesnt seem to line up from a fit standpoint."Dont ignore the corners either. Poles is very motivated to take the best player available, and there are too many needs to focus on just one. The Bears have two good starting corners, but realistically, you need three in the modern-day NFL. If Christian Gonzalez or Devon Witherspoon are available, theyll definitely consider those po sibilities."I dont hate a bet on Northwesterns Skoronski at 3-1 one bit.Hes the type of guy that can play inside or outside, and I truly believe hell work his a s off to circumvent any stupid shortcomings about arm length. Its a "block or dont block" league, and Skoronski can certainly block. Ask around.I know that discu sing offensive linemen and cornerbacks might not be as sexy as envisioning or in navy blue and orange. And Im sure there are a couple of Swerskis and Wollarskis that simply cannot fathom the Bears not keeping the No. 1 overall pick. Get over it!"Poles was not blown away by a quarterback," Fishbain said. "The Bears Oscar Robertson Jersey had to seriously think about taking one because ideally youre not going to be picking first overall anytime soon. This was their best chance to addre s a pa sing offense that finished dead-last in the NFL, and they kept their guy."Poles wants to build a consistent winner. He came from the and theyre always in the playoffs these days. Sure, is a big reason for that, but Alex Smith was taking them there before Mahomes won the job."I sat down with Poles at his first owners meetings, and he told me all about how the Bears have had seasons where theyre really good and then they fall off. Make the Super Bowl in 06 and dont make the Jabari Parker Jersey playoffs til 2010. Go all the way to 18 and have this great season and fall off again."The Bears havent made the playoffs in back-to-back years in almost 20 years. Poles is motivated to get enough long-term players in here, so they can contend for the playoffs every year. You have a better shot at doing that by drafting a bunch of guys and playing the numbers game."Theyve got four picks in the Top 64 this year. Ryan Pace had more than two picks in the Top 64 only once, and he had to trade up to make that happen. Poles sees the roster, he sees the needs and he wants to build it the right way. It doesnt mean its going to work, but you can see the road map."My advice is simple: be excited yet realistic.If youre expecting the Bears to win 10 games and claim the NFC North crown, the mathematics tell you to pump the brakes. Most American sportsbooks are dealing Chicagosregular-season win total at O/U 7.5. After all, a five-win improvement on a dreadful 3-14 campaign would be a ma sive step in the right direction."Bears fans are just so excited about Fields," Fishbain acknowledged. "And theyll latch onto teams like the and teams that recently took big leaps because their young quarterbacks exploded in year three."I dont think theres a single athlete Thon Maker Jersey in the city of Chicago that has more hype, excitement and adoration than Fields. Now that might be a testament to the other teams in town, but thats what he is right now."All that said, the Bears need to hit on some of these draft picks, Fields needs to take a leap and some of these free agents need to be upgrades. As we have this conversation before the draft and training camp, this is probably a seven or eight-win team. Im a'see it before I believe it' type guy, and we havent seen it with this group."But I understand the excitement for more competitive football."Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He'll probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @.Top stories from FOX Sports: for your chance to win thousands of dollars on the biggest sporting events each and every week! Just make your picks and you could win the grand prize. NFL trending in this topic
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