Where the Chicago Bears stand in the latest 2023 NFL draft projections, through Week 14

The calendar has turned to December. The weeks remaining in the NFL season are dwindling. The Bears, thanks to a half dozen one-possession losses, have one of the worst records in the league.

It’s never too early to start thinking about next year.

For the Bears, there will be a lot of discussion about the draft over the coming months. This offseason will be all about finding help for quarterback Justin Fields. Who will general manager Ryan Poles target with that in mind?

The Bears have a good chance of landing a top draft pick. As the losses have mounted, their projected draft slot has continued to shoot up. Here’s where things stand entering Week 15.

Bears projected pick: No. 3 overall

The Bears and their 3-10 record were idle this week. A week ago, they were looking at the No. 2 overall pick. Two teams had the chance to catch them this week, one of which did. The Broncos lost yet again, this time to the Chiefs. They pulled even with the Bears at 3-10 and would be awarded the higher pick because of their weaker strength of schedule.

The other team that could’ve caught the Bears was the Rams, who beat the Raiders on Thursday night. The Rams’ win prevented them from leapfrogging the Bears into the No. 3 spot.

Note: The Broncos’ traded their top pick to the Seahawks, and the Rams traded theirs to the Lions.

Here’s the projected top 10

Here’s what the top of the draft would look like if the season ended today. The team with the worst record is awarded the first pick, the second-worst record picks second, and so on down the line. If there is a tie, the team with the weaker strength of schedule is awarded the higher pick. Strength of schedule is determined by opponents’ combined records.

Projected draft order is according to tankathon.com.

What changed this week?

The Broncos leapfrogged the Bears into the No. 2 spot. The Cardinals and Colts both moved into better draft slots with losses and with wins from the Jaguars and Panthers. The Jaguars beat the Titans and dropped their draft slot down to No. 11. Last week they were looking at the No. 7 pick. With their loss to the Rams on Thursday, the Raiders moved back into the top 10 at No. 8 overall.

What to watch this week

The Bears’ next two games are against Philadelphia and Buffalo, two of the best teams in football. A Broncos win would help the Bears, and the Broncos have a winnable contest against the Cardinals this week. Kyler Murray suffered a season-ending knee injury Monday night, and Russell Wilson is in concussion protocol. Who knows who will be quarterbacking in that game?

The Falcons and Saints square off Sunday in a game with big draft order implications. Both teams are looking at top-10 picks right now (New Orleans traded its top pick to the Eagles). The Rams and Packers play Monday night. Perhaps the Rams and Baker Mayfield can keep the positive momentum going.

Looking ahead a week, the Broncos and Rams will square off on Christmas Day. That’s good news for the Bears because it means one of those teams will add another win to their record, assuming they don’t tie.