Bear Digest

The Bears-Panthers trade from 2023 is now complete. Which team came out better?

All of the picks that the Chicago Bears received from the Carolina Panthers in their 2023 trade have now been used, and we can finally determine who won this deal.
Pete Martuneac|
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season was an exercise in insanity for Chicago Bears fans. Thanks to a Houston Texans win that featured not one but two desperation passes on 4th down in the closing seconds, the Bears earned the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

At the time, quarterback Justin Fields was still young and could have potentially entered a breakout season, so the Bears traded this selection to the Carolina Panthers for receiver DJ Moore and a bevvy of picks.

With Chicago's second-round selection of Luther Burden III, those picks have now all been used, and we can finally see what the outcome of that deal was.

We have a clear winner (for now).

Let's not mince words. As it stands right now, the Bears absolutely fleeced the Carolina Panthers in this deal. Moore is a Top 20 receiver in the league. Wright is on course to be one of the very best offensive tackles in the league. Stevenson has ups and downs, but can still develop into a reliable starter. Williams has Hall of Fame upside and Burden has the traits and skills to be a perennial Pro Bowler.

As for the Panthers? They got Bryce Young, who was promptly benched in his second season.

Bryce Youn
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

But let's not be too down on Young. He eventually became the starter again and showed significant growth. If he continues to develop and becomes a reliable starter, then this trade becomes a lot more palatable for Panthers fans.

But as it stands now, this is just brutally one-sided.

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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