GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Bears’ most valuable asset as they try to upgrade their roster this offseason is the No. 10 pick in the upcoming draft.
They went into Sunday slotted ninth, but their 24-22 victory over the Packers moved them to 5-12 and dropped them a spot.
General manager Ryan Poles likely will use that selection to address the need at left tackle, defensive end or defensive tackle. Pass rushers Abdul Carter (Penn State) and Mykel Williams (Georgia), Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks are some potential targets.
The Bears also have two second-round picks, one from the Panthers, that were finalized at Nos. 39 and 41.
The Bears have finished with a top-10 pick all three seasons under Poles. He traded down from ninth to 10th in 2023 and drafted right tackle Darnell Wright, and used the No. 9 pick in 2024 on wide receiver Rome Odunze. The Bears also had the
No. 1 pick via the Panthers last year and drafted quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Titans landed the top pick, followed by the Browns and Giants. All three teams finished 3-14.
Awful openers
The Bears opened with a three-and-out and a punt for the 11th time this season. In 17 opening drives, they managed just two field goals and allowed their opponent to score first in 15 of 17 games.
They were one of just three teams to go all season without scoring a touchdown on their opening drive.
This one was particularly ugly. Starting at their 30, the Bears’ first play was a high snap from center Coleman Shelton that went by Williams, and he got sacked for a seven-yard loss. It was his NFL-high 68th sack.
Williams compounded it with a pass to tight end Cole Kmet for a four-yard loss on second down and managed just a two-yard completion to running back Roschon Johnson on third down. The Bears punted on fourth-and-19 from their 21.
Blackwell’s touchdown
The Bears’ most impressive play was a brilliant trick by special-teams coordinator Richard Hightower that led to Josh -Blackwell’s 94-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Hightower sent wide receiver DJ Moore out as the returner to be a decoy and had Blackwell at the line of scrimmage. Packers punter Daniel Whelan played into their hands by kicking away from Moore toward the right sideline, and Moore ran left and pretended the ball was coming to him.
Instead, Blackwell raced 50 yards downfield for an over-the-shoulder catch, turned around and had a fairly clear path up the right sideline.
Allen’s passing
The Bears tried two trick plays with wide receiver Keenan Allen as a passer, and neither worked.
Early in the third quarter, the Bears ran a double reverse that left Allen in the backfield and looking to throw. He rolled right and threw for running back D’Andre Swift on the right sideline, but safety Xavier McKinney intercepted the pass.
The Bears also had Allen throwing on their two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, but he got sacked.
Looking ahead
The Bears’ opponents for next season are set, and they’ll play 10 games against teams that made the playoffs. That includes visits to the Ravens and Eagles.
Two of the most interesting matchups are a game against the Steelers that could be Justin Fields’ return to Soldier Field and a game against the Commanders at Northwest Stadium, where their collapse began on a botched Hail Mary defense.
Notes
The Bears gave owner Virginia McCaskey a gift with a win on her 102nd birthday.
Odunze had two catches for 18 yards and finished with the fourth-most yards (716) and catches (54) by a Bears rookie.
Safety Jaquan Brisker was not activated. He missed the final 12 games after suffering a concussion Oct. 6.