One of the beautiful aspects of professional sports is that hitting rock bottom comes with a hefty consolation prize.
This was the case last season for the Chicago Bears, who acquired the No. 1 overall draft pick by finishing the season with the NFL’s worst record.
Unfortunately, the fruits of that pick and the team’s massive offseason free-agent haul have resulted in an 0-4 start to the season, and the battered Bears fanbase is being forced to find the beacon of light in the pits of despair, yet again.
But winless, too, heading into Week 5 are the Carolina Panthers, who happen to owe the Bears a 2024 first-round pick from the swap that sent last year’s No. 1 pick to Carolina so the Panthers could draft quarterback Bryce Young.
As it stands, the Bears would own the top pick in the draft, which they would earn by virtue of their strength-of-schedule tiebreaker victory, as well as the the No. 2 overall pick.
They would become one of only two NFL teams to own the top two picks in the same draft. In 1992, the Indianapolis Colts used their picks on defensive lineman Steve Emtman and linebacker Quintin Coryatt.
The 1958 Chicago Cardinals also made the first two selections of the draft, taking quarterback King Hill and halfback John David Crow.
The Bears won’t have much time to ponder their wild loss on Sunday, as they’ll take on the Washington Commanders Thursday night.
Also, for those curious, the Bears do have a date with the Panthers later this season, a Thursday affair on Nov. 9 at Soldier Field.
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