New Trade Piece Hits the Block and The Bears Can Get Him Cheap

Trades in the NFL, or any sport for that matter, are based around a simple business acumen. Buy low and sell high. Ship a player out when his value is peaking and buy up a player when his value is low. Teams that are good at this tend to be successful. Thus far it's unclear GM Ryan Pace is good or bad at it. To date he has never made a significant trade to acquire a player. Most often it was likely due to prices being high. However, an opportunity may have just opened up. Could the Bears trade for Kenny Vaccaro? For those unfamiliar with the situation, here's a quick recap. Vaccaro is a 26-year old safety for the New Orleans Saints. He was a first round pick for them back in 2013 and been a starter ever since. However, word is the team may be entertaining the idea of a trade as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports stated.

Now to be fair La Canfora doesn't exactly have a rich history being right about these things. This case does has some merit though.

Why the Bears trade for Kenny Vaccaro idea could work

For starters Vaccaro is in the final year of his rookie contract. This means barring an extension or a franchise tag he'll be a free agent in 2018. There is reason to think neither of those things will happen. Why? Namely because the Saints spent second round picks in back-to-back drafts on a safety. They took Vonn Bell out of Ohio State last year and Marcus Williams out of Utah this year. The plan going forward is likely for them to be the starters. This means Vaccaro is out. So it would make sense that the team is looking to deal him now. Why not see if they can get something back for him before he leaves? Some would argue he'll get them a compensatory pick but that would not help them until 2019. Dealing him now could help in 2018, something they'd want given the age of Drew Brees. On the flip side though, this also means Vaccaro would come cheap. No team is going to part with a high draft choice for a guy in the last year of his deal. Not to mention the fact his physical playing style has led to occasional injury issues. Most likely it would cost no more than a fourth rounder, of which the Bears have two.

Why is it worth it?

Now the obvious question from fans is why would the Bears part with a prized draft pick for a safety? They already drafted Eddie Jackson this year and signed Quintin Demps in free agency. Fair point but there's something to keep in mind. Demps is 32-years old. His shelf life is limited one or two years at most for this team. Vaccaro is 26. Also there's what he brings to the table. He is a versatile player. Athletic enough to play coverage but also quite good at dropping into the box against the run. Despite playing just 11 games last year, he had 68 tackles. Given the Bears lost Jerrell Freeman to injured reserve, having another body on the roster who can help make stops is a good thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vDtnFUpDbo In many ways Vaccaro would be instantly recognizable to Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. His style of play is reminiscent of former star Donte Whitner. Both were known for their fierce, physical style of play. Men who embrace the role of enforcer on the back end. Whiter played three seasons for Fangio and went to two Pro Bowls. It's hard to imagine him not having some great ideas on how to employ Vaccaro in the same fashion. Sure a trade like this doesn't solve bigger issues for Chicago like the wide receiver and pass rusher depth. However, it would likely do something more important. It would make a team better.