The Chicago Bears’ 10th consecutive loss and the Houston Texans’ successful 2-point conversion with 50 seconds left in their game on Sunday made it appear less likely that quarterbacks Bryce Young of Alabama or C.J. Stroud of Ohio State will be the first player picked in the 2023 NFL Draft – at least by the team that currently holds the No. 1 selection.

The Bears’ freefall allowed Chicago to plummet past the Texans for the first choice. Houston pulled out a 32-31 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday – the Texans’ second win in their final three games to edge their record up to 3-13-1, barely better than the Bears’ 3-14 showing for the 2022 NFL season.

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While Houston would have been expected to draft a quarterback at No. 1, the Bears are not, which Chicago general manager Ryan Poles confirmed this week.

“We’re going to do the same as we’ve always done,” Poles said when asked about the possibility of taking a QB. “We’re going to evaluate the draft class. And I would say this: I would have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision.”

The Bears would seem more likely to draft a pass-rusher or a defensive interior lineman, which dovetails nicely with the availability of Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter.

But that doesn’t mean Young or Stroud won’t be the No. 1 pick on April 27 in Kansas City.

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In speaking about the No. 1 pick, Poles stressed the Bears’ options. After the first choice, Chicago doesn’t draft again until No. 56, and the general manager said he’ll listen to offers.

“I think it goes back to what I said about flexibility,” Poles said. “We can evaluate the talent there. We can see what player presents himself in that position to help us. And then we can also look at the scenarios. If the phones go off and there’re certain situations we think that can help us, then we’ll go down that avenue, too. I think we have really good flexibility to help this team regardless of if it’s making the pick there or moving back a little bit or moving back a lot. We’ll be open-minded about everything.”

Quarterback-needy teams such as the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints could be calling, although none of those teams seems in position to make the offer that the Texans could from their draft larder, if Houston wants to make sure to get its preferred quarterback.

But Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Indianapolis would get the quarterback that the team wants if he’s convinced that QB is the “right” one.

“I’d do whatever it takes,” Ballard said this week. “If we thought there’s a player that we’re driven to get that makes the franchise and the team better, that’s what we would do.”

Ballard was asked if he’d be surprised if the Colts didn’t select a quarterback with their current first-round choice at No. 4 or by moving up.

“I’ve said this before, and I think history proves me right,” Ballard said. “I can take one. We can take one as an organization. And y’all are going to celebrate it and say we have got the savior for the Colts. And then if he doesn’t play well: Why’d you take that guy?

“You got to be right. We got to be right. We understand the magnitude of where we’re at in the draft, and we understand the importance of the position. To get one you actually can win with and to be right is the most important thing – not if we take one or not. Being right.”

The NFL Draft’s No. 1 selection most recently changed hands in 2016, when the Los Angeles Rams sent the 15th, 43rd, 45th and 76th choices in the 2016 draft and their first- and third-round picks in the 2017 draft to the Tennessee Titans for the first, 112th and 177th picks in 2016. The Titans used the 45th choice in the 2016 draft to add Alabama running back Derrick Henry.

Chicago is not interested in using the No. 1 pick on a quarterback because the Bears spent the 11th choice in the 2021 draft on Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

Poles said Fields is “hungry to be successful in this league” after the quarterback’s passing-efficiency rating rose from 73.2 as a rookie to 85.2 in his second season and he ran for 1,143 yards in 2022.

“I thought Justin did a good job,” Poles said. “I thought we changed a lot, we adapted, we tried to put him in a position to be successful. He showed the ability to be a play-maker, be impactful. He can change games quickly. Does he have room to grow? He does. He has to get better as a passer, and I’m excited to see him take those steps as we move forward.”

The 88th NFL Draft is scheduled for April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.