The Chicago Bears were active last year at the trade deadline. They sent Robert Quinn to Philadelphia and Roquan Smith to Baltimore. Then, in a surprise move, GM Ryan Poles dealt a 2nd round pick to Pittsburgh for wide receiver Chase Claypool. That was a disaster. So one might understand why the Bears may choose to let this deadline pass with no action. They're 2-5 with a tough game against the Chargers on Sunday night. Presuming they fall to 2-6, it makes no sense for them to be buyers. On the flip side, they have no players that would fetch much in return aside from maybe Jaylon Johnson. It doesn't sound like they want to do that anyway.
There is one problem. This deadline might be tailor-made for their biggest need. A primary issue that hasn't gone away for the Bears this season is their pass rush. Despite adding Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker this off-season, it hasn't been enough. They still need more juice up front. As it so happens, word around the league is there could be several prominent sack artists available. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports pinpointed four names that seem likely to get moves for the right price.
"Teams around the league feel Patriots linebacker Josh Uche will be traded for.
League sources anticipate the Commanders will part with either Chase Young or Montez Sweat by Tuesday, especially if Washington loses Sunday to the Eagles to fall to 3-5 on the year and 0-3 in the division. Washington received more calls on the players this past week after waiting to see how it would fare in these crucial NFC East games.
Young and Sweat are two pass rushers who could be available along with Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter."
The Chicago Bears can afford an aggressive move.
People will be afraid to make another bold move after what happened with Claypool. That is understandable. Even so, the critical difference this time is that every player mentioned above has far better track records of success with no concerns about maturity issues. Uche has 13.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits in his last 21 games for the Patriots. Sweat has 5.5 sacks this season, while Young has five. Young is three years younger, so that is something to remember. As for Hunter, he is the most productive of the group, with nine sacks this year. The problem is he also plays for a division rival in Minnesota.
As always, any trade comes down to price. The thing to keep in mind is the Chicago Bears not only have to pay a draft pick for one of those players but likely also a lucrative contract extension. That said, they have well over $100 million in cap space next year. Money won't be an issue. It comes down to whether Poles can secure one for a reasonable price. Nabbing one of them for a 3rd round pick would be well worth it. Chicago has two 1st round picks next and will have a high 2nd as well. Giving up a 3rd for a proven pass rusher is a logical decision.
Maybe that incentive isn't good enough for Poles. He still needs to think carefully about it.
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