Ryan Poles knows his objective this off-season: retooling the offensive line around quarterback Caleb Williams. The good news is he has a blueprint to pull this off. He was with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021 when they did the same around Patrick Mahomes. They signed prominent free agent Joe Thuney to lock down left guard and drafted center Creed Humphrey in the second round. Yet people often forget that they also delivered a blockbuster trade to bring Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Brown from Baltimore.
For all the talk about free agency and the draft, nobody has mentioned the trade market as a possible avenue for the Chicago Bears to explore. In such situations, the smart thing to do is look for teams that might be cash-strapped and looking for cap relief and picks. In this case, the Bears should be placing calls to the New Orleans Saints. They are in major cap hell right now and must find ways to escape it. One way they've done that in the past is by trading veteran players with big contracts. Marshon Lattimore is the most recent example.
Chicago can inquire about two names: center Erik McCoy and guard Cesar Ruiz.
Ryan Poles now has good info on both players.
New offensive line coach Dan Roushar coached both of them during his time in New Orleans. He understands precisely what they could bring to the table. McCoy is 28 and would bring the Saints $10 million in cap relief. Ruiz is 26 and would secure $9 million. There is one challenge. Both would have to be post-June 1st deals. That means the two teams must get creative to make a deal work. It isn't impossible. Contract gymnastics can be accomplished in several ways. The trick would be for Chicago to agree to take on all of the hits.
Either player would be an instant upgrade for this team. McCoy is a Pro Bowler. Ruiz is one of the more underrated guards in the league. Neither would cost more than a 2nd round pick to acquire. Ryan Poles has two at his disposal. The simplest path to helping the offensive line is leaning on free agency and the draft. However, if the Bears want their best chance to get a genuine difference-maker, a trade might be it. New Orleans has multiple options, provided the money can be worked out.
