They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. J.J. McCarthy is the Bears' quarterback, full stop. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.

Reaching for McCarthy left real value on the table behind him. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman. Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work.

Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.

In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.