Here's When To Expect The Next Chicago Bears Trade If They Make It

A few days ago, Ryan Poles dropped the hint that the Chicago Bears might be exploring the trade market for pass rush help. It isn't hard to believe. The team needs it badly, and there could be one or two options available that make sense. The Bears have plenty of salary cap space to absorb a bigger contract and loads of draft picks going into next off-season. Poles has already shown he is more than willing to swing deals. It comes down to whether he can find one he deems good value for his organization.

The obvious question for fans is when will this potential trade happen. Poles suggested sooner than later, but perhaps there is a reliable timeline to at least gauge when it will come. I dug into recent history for possible answers and came away with interesting data. Over the last three off-seasons, trade action across the NFL peters out around mid-May. Action doesn't restart again until July. Six such trades have happened during that month since 2020. The Bears were involved in two of them, sending Adam Shaheen to Miami and bringing N'Keal Harry from New England.

The only exception during that span was Julio Jones going to Tennessee in June of 2021.

The consistency of this data is evident for the Chicago Bears.

Teams will want to get those players in before the start of training camp or at least early enough to get them up to speed. Deadlines spur action, as the saying goes. This is also after the June 1st deadline when contracts become more affordable to move. The lingering question at that point is what players are available. Everybody is talking about Chase Young, but it's clear Washington isn't inclined to move him. At least not yet. Their angle might be to hang onto him until the trade deadline in November, hoping he has a rebound season so they can drive up the price.

Beyond him, the Chicago Bears will look at players like Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson, and Randy Gregory. All three hold expensive contracts on teams that will enter 2024 in huge salary cap trouble. Ogbah had 18 sacks between 2020 and 2021. Lawson had seven sacks last season for the Jets. Gregory had six sacks in just 12 games in 2021 for Dallas when he was a defensive end. Last season in Denver didn't go well for him as an outside linebacker. Any one of them would at least give the Bears' front a boost.