Bears’ aggressive swing for a pass rusher ends up being less aggressive than many hoped, but it gives the team exactly what it needed
The Chicago Bears have traded for Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
All day long, the Chicago Bears have been mentioned as a potential team to watch on the trade market in hopes of landing some pass-rush depth after the loss of Dayo Odeyingbo before the trade deadline expired.
In fact, the word aggressive was thrown out there multiple times, but carried the wrong meaning. Chicago wasn’t looking to reel in the big fish, but the need itself is what made the Bears aggressive in finding a potential addition off the edge ahead of the deadline.
And a low-cost move was found. The Bears have traded for Cleveland Browns pass rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in a sixth/seventh-round pick swap. Chicago is sending a sixth-rounder to Cleveland in exchange for Tryon-Shoyinka and a seventh-round pick.
Bears’ low-cost move for Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is the best situation Chicago could have found
Compared to some of the options out there, this was the ideal situation for the Bears. Chicago adds the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first-round pick, who’s still only 26 years old and on a one-year, $4,755,000 contract he signed with the Browns in free agency.
For general manager Ryan Poles, the task was finding a young, capable pass rusher to add depth to the room alongside Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, and eventually, Dominique Robinson once he returns from an ankle injury. The trick was to do so without breaking the bank in terms of capital.
Sending a late-round pick swap for a former first-round pick at 26 years old is great value for the Bears and way better than sending a second-round pick for someone like Jermaine Johnson or a late-round pick for an aging veteran like Matt Judon.
Tryon-Shoyinka played in all eight games for the Browns this season but had a limited defensive role with just 31 defensive snaps. Prior to joining Cleveland, Tryon-Shoyinka had had 15 sacks in four years but struggled to produce with his new home. To learn more about the situation with the Browns this season, I spoke with Brandon Little of A to Z Sports Cleveland.
“The first move the Cleveland Browns made in free agency was adding Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to their pass rush, and it wasn’t a surprising one given that the defensive front is a key part of Jim Schwartz’s identity. The now-Chicago Bear played just 31 defensive snaps for the Browns this season, recording nine tackles across eight games.
“Cleveland signed Tryon-Shoyinka to be a rotational pass-rush option behind Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire. However, they haven’t leaned on the former first-round pick much due to Wright’s emergence as a strong complement to Myles Garrett. The Browns have even opted to play Cameron Thomas at times over Tryon-Shoyinka.
“Tryon-Shoyinka has seen about 25 percent of Cleveland’s special teams snaps this season, and has totaled nine tackles and three pressures overall. The Browns made this move because he was buried on the depth chart and unlikely to be part of their future plans. Now, with more opportunity in Chicago, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick could see his role — and production — increase in the second half of the season.” – Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Cleveland
Even in Chicago, Tryon-Shoyinka will be a rotational pass rusher with Sweat and Booker commanding the bulk of the snaps off the edge as the starters. Booker had an impressive first game back from the injured reserve in Week 9, and the team still wants to give him all the opportunities he can handle.
Depth is what the Bears needed, especially young depth. Sweat, Odeyingbo, and Booker are the only defensive ends under contract for Chicago after the 2025 season. If the fit with Tryon-Shoyinka works out, he’s another option to keep in the stable at a low cost.
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