The Bears unofficially got draft season going by trading from No. 1 to No. 9 with the Panthers. Chicago almost took a more circuitous route to get there.
According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the Bears originally were going to flip with the Texans, who have the second pick, before then dropping from No. 2 to No. 9 with the Panthers.
The Bears and Texans couldn’t conclude that portion of the deal, prompting Chicago to make the straight drop to No. 9.
It means that the Texans would have had quarterback Bryce Young, and that the Panthers would have taken a different quarterback at No. 2.
Immediately after the trade, it was believed the Panthers wanted C.J. Stroud. That eventually melted into a clear presumption that it will be Young. If not Young, it would be very interesting to know whether the Panthers would have landed, if they had landed at No. 2.