Poles doesn't HAVE to say this. Does anyone think that the Jag's GM would say that they would look into drafting a QB if they were blown away? In fact, I don't think any team would ever say they'd be willing to draft a QB if they were "blown away" while already having a young QB they truly believed in.
Were the Cardinals keeping people "guessing" when they said they were happy with Rosen, but would do their due diligence on everyone, including Kyler Murray? When it became apparent that the Cardinals weren't willing to trade the 1st pick, it was obvious that they were looking to replace Rosen a year after drafting him 1st overall.
If Poles ACTUALLY wanted to draft a QB, he wouldn't want to trade the pick. So if he were floating that pick, people would know he's full of shit and he's leaving no one guessing. Plus, he doesn't need to use his own interest for trade negotiations. He can use other teams against each other. That's the benefit of having the number 1 pick. Using 2 division rivals (Houston and Indy) against each other is more than enough to get what you need out of the trade.
After Mariota's rookie year (when he looked promising), the titans had the #1 pick. They didn't float the idea that they would take a QB (Goff or Wentz) if they were blown away. They just traded it to the Rams for two 1s and two 2s.
So if we approach the draft and the news is that the Bears aren't interested in trading the pick, I would assume they are taking a QB. Otherwise, it makes no sense to not trade down to at least Houston, get more picks in return, and still get your guy.
I'd trust Poles with what he's saying here. This isn't a smokescreen. He has been happy with JF's progress, but he'll take a QB if he likes one enough. And he's gotta pump up Fields' stock, just in case he does in fact draft a QB and needs to then trade Fields to get as much as he can for him. The same as what the Cardinals did after they drafted Murray and raved about how good Rosen was and then traded him for 2 picks.
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