Chicago Bears Have Ties To Recently Revealed Trade Option

One thing about Ryan Pace is he's never shy about making trades. The Chicago Bears GM will be aggressive if he thinks he can secure a quality player for his team. Another thing is he's a bargain hunter. If he senses a discount price for a certain talent, he'll jump at the opportunity. Most of the time this is in free agency but it's true of the trade market as well. Back in 2017, the Bears were in dire need of wide receiver help. Overloaded with options themselves, the San Diego Chargers had no work for veteran Dontrelle Inman despite him putting together some nice games in the past. So Pace sent them a conditional 7th round pick and brought him to Chicago.

All things considered? It was a productive move.

Despite only playing half the games, Inman still managed to finish 4th on the team in receiving yards with 334. The best part? The conditions of that pick were never fulfilled. So the Bears basically rented Inman for eight games, got a decent return, and paid nothing but money in the end. That is good NFL business. Fast forward to 2020 and many wonder if Pace might strike again. He's been silent at the deadline for the past two years. However, with a 5-1 team, it's felt he can afford to be aggressive. One position group that seems to have a lot of options out there is wide receivers. While not a pressing need like back in 2017, there does seem to be a couple of noteworthy bargains that just scream Pace. One name that emerged out of Jacksonville is Dede Westbrook. Jaguars ESPN beat writer Mike DiRocco believes he is available and at a favorable price.

"The former fourth-round pick caught 132 passes for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns in 2018-19, but he has been a healthy scratch in five of the Jaguars' six games this season because rookies Laviska Shenault and Collin Johnson have been impressive. Westbrook can be a productive option for a team that needs a slot receiver. He could be had for a late-round pick."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T73zK8AezVI&ab_channel=JacksonvilleJaguars

Chicago Bears should like Westbrook for a few reasons

For one, he's fast. Really fast. The Oklahoma standout ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash coming out of college. His ability to get vertical and strike deep is well-documented. The Bears aren't exactly swimming in speed on offense. Especially after Tarik Cohen tore his ACL. The only legitimate vertical threat they have is rookie Darnell Mooney. Somebody like Westbrook could add more juice in that category. Then there are the connections he already has with the team. Some might be confused by that but shouldn't be. Bears quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo was his offensive coordinator for most of last season. Not to mention Nick Foles who was his quarterback for four games.

They connected 14 times for 144 yards in those contests.

One also can't discount his ability as a punt returner. In 2018, Westbrook returned 19 kicks for 288 yards and a touchdown. Chicago hasn't been able to fill that spot since Cohen went down. Everything about this idea smells like a Pace move. Westbrook would cost barely $1 million for the rest of the season. He's only 27-years old and has proven he can be productive in the past. Odds are a conditional pick similar to the Inman trade would be enough for the Jaguars to send him on his way. If it works out? Great. If it doesn't? No big loss. It's a low-risk-high-reward proposition. A Chicago Bears specialty.