Bears news: Starters to play Week 18, draft pick scenarios, Ryan Poles status

This Sunday will mark the final game of the 2023-24 Chicago Bears season, and for most fans, it can't come soon enough. This year has been a waking nightmare for Bears fans, so instead of worrying about playoff seeds and possible postseason matchups, the focus is instead on draft positioning and filling the team's now-vacant head coaching spot.

It's New Year's Eve, and my advice to all Bears fans is to make a resolution to forget almost everything that happened this season. If you can, maybe retain the memories of everything that occurred right before the Commanders connected on that fateful Hail Mary in Week 8, but leave the rest behind.

The Bears can't change what happened in the past, but unless we're planning on blaming the franchise's continued cursedness on the football gods (an idea I'm open to, by the way), they can control their future. With that in mind, let's look at our news of the week, which ranges from this Sunday's season finale in Green Bay, to the 2025 NFL Draft, to the status of general manager Ryan Poles.

The Bears plan to play their starters in Week 18

There's been some speculation as to whether the Bears would sit their starters in the regular season finale, but interim head coach Thomas Brown has made it clear that all healthy starters will play.

In truth, the Bears are 4-12 and have been effectively eliminated from the playoff race for over a month, so it shouldn't be a surprise that Caleb Williams and the rest of the team will be playing. This is an offense that hasn't been able to find a consistent groove all season, and with most of the major pieces already under contract for next year (Keenan Allen excluded), the value of getting more reps outweighs the risk of major injury.

The Packers are also expected to play their starters and try to win, since at 11-5 they're currently tied with the Commanders for the 6-seed. Washington has the tiebreaker by virtue of having a better record in conference play, but if they lose to the Cowboys and the Packers win, Green Bay would get the 6-seed and a likely date with the Rams instead of a Week 1 rematch with the Eagles in the Wild Card Round.

Bears draft scenarios

If the season ended today, the Bears would hold the ninth pick in the draft, but a loss to the Packers would give them a chance to move up as many as five spots.

Chicago is currently tied with the Jaguars, Panthers, Jets and Raiders at 4-12, but a tougher strength of schedule means the Bears would pick behind them if they remain tied in the standings. A win by any of those teams coupled with a Bears loss would move them up though, and with the unpredictability of Week 18, anything can happen.

The Bears could also catch the Giants, who won their way out of the No. 1 spot last week and could fall even further if they beat the Eagles, who are already locked into the 2-seed and will almost certainly be without Jalen Hurts again as he recovers from a Week 16 concussion. The Bears currently have a tougher strength of schedule, but the Giants are very close, and with the Eagles having two more wins than the Packers, that could make up the difference.

There's a good chance that one or more of the teams the Bears need to win will do so. The Jags travel to Indianapolis to play a Colts team that just laid an egg against the Giants last week. The Panthers go to Atlanta to play the Falcons, who need to pick themselves off the mat after a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Commanders. The Falcons have all the pressure on them, as they need a win coupled with a Bucs loss to win the NFC South.

The Jets host the Dolphins, but even though Miami needs a win to have a shot at the playoffs, Tua Tagovailoa’s unknown availability and the Dolphins’ well-documented history of trouble in cold weather means that it's very possible that Aaron Rodgers could sabotage Gang Green one last time before he probably leaves this offseason. Then there are the Raiders, winners of two straight, who are playing a Chargers team that likely won't be motivated to give their all since they're already locked into a Wild Card spot but can't catch 15-1 Chiefs.

Even if the Bears win, the worst that could happen is they drop one spot to 10th if the Saints lose to the Bucs, a strong likelihood since the Saints are extremely banged up, the game is in Tampa and the Bucs can clinch the division with a win.

At least one NFL insider believes that Ryan Poles is safe

Speaking of the draft, Bears fans still don't know if general manager Ryan Poles will be the one calling the shots when Roger Goodell puts Chicago on the clock in April.

After Matt Eberflus was fired, Poles received a vote of confidence from team president Kevin Warren, but we've seen many times how little that means when a team fires a coach or general manager who was supposedly safe.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who for many Bears fans is the top choice to replace Eberflus, is rumored to only be interested in a head coaching job in which he and the general manager are synced up. If Poles stays, that would seemingly take the Bears out of the running.

NFL insider Albert Breer, though, believes that Poles will stay on as the team's GM, as he wrote in a piece for Sports Illustrated this week. Breer reports that Poles is expected to run point on the head coaching search because that's what Bears ownership wants. Warren will also have input, but the new coach will ultimately be Poles' call to make.

If Poles does stay on for a fourth season as the team's general manager, this will be a make-or-break year for him. A new head coaching hire, a top-10 draft pick and an obvious need to remake the offensive line will be his top priorities.