The Chicago Bears were more active at the trade deadline than we thought. Everybody knows the deal that happened. They flipped picks with the Cleveland Browns for veteran edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. It should help their depth situation in a banged up area of the defense. We also know they were in discussions with the New York Jets about Jermaine Johnson, but the asking price was too high. As it turns out, there was another defender the Bears had their eyes on and apparently came really close to acquiring.
According to Ian Rapoport, New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor was drawing lots of interest from teams. The Bears were the team that came the closest to landing him. For unknown reasons, it didn't cross the finish line.
Before the Colts stuck their mega deal for Gardner, they had discussions centered around Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor, who drew real interest on Monday and Tuesday. In fact, sources say the Bears were deep in talks for Taylor before a deal ended up falling through. Taylor, who is in a contract year and likely will get paid this offseason, spent time with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen when he was head coach in New Orleans and the fit made sense. Alas, the Bears ended up dealing with the Browns for pass rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
Chicago's interest in Taylor isn't difficult to surmise. Their cornerback position is riddled with injuries. Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Terell Smith are all on injured reserve. Taylor played for Dennis Allen in New Orleans, displaying great versatility. A reunion made plenty of sense.
This outcome for the Chicago Bears is not uncommon.
The reality is that closing deals at the deadline is challenging. Asking prices are almost always too high, and most teams aren't interested in being sellers, likely holding out hope they can turn things around. The Taylor situation likely fell into the former category. New Orleans wanted a certain level of compensation for the cornerback and there was a line GM Ryan Poles wasn't willing to cross. The same thing happened with Johnson in New York. While unfortunate, it demonstrated fiscal responsibility. Those draft picks are valuable. The Chicago Bears need them to maintain a healthy pipeline of young talent onto the roster.
If the Saints were willing to part with Taylor for a later pick, great. If not, then it just wasn't meant to be. You can't say the Bears didn't try. They understood the defense needed help, but smart teams don't give away B-grade assets for C-grade talent.
