Ryan Poles could have another, cheaper, move up his sleeve for the Bears before the NFL Trade Deadline even after landing Jeffery Simmons
The Chicago Bears made a stunner on Thursday morning trading for DT Jeffery Simmons, and general manager Ryan Poles might not be done making moves.
The Chicago Bears reeled in the big fish on Thursday morning when the team traded two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder for Tennessee Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. It was a massive, and necessary, swing for the Bears and it might not be the only move general manager Ryan Poles makes.
For starters, the Bears have some work to do in-house to even onboard Simmons. Chicago is currently over the cap once they add in Simmons’ $7.9 million hit and will need to clear a spot on the 53-man roster. The top name to watch is rookie DT Jayden Loving (healthy inactive all season and can easily clear back onto the practice squad).
After that, the Bears will likely have to restructure someone’s contract to be cap compliant. Depending on what move the Bears make to do that, it could free up some more space for Poles to make another move before the trade deadline.
Could Ryan Poles swing another deal before the NFL Trade Deadline?
If the Bears were to free up enough space for another move, it wouldn’t be a massive swing. The Bears reportedly checked in on Khalil Mack’s availability, that could still be an option for Chicago if the Chargers finally caved in. But, it would cost another $4.9 million hit on the team’s 2026 cap space. So, possible but not likely.
The name I’m watching closely over the next few days is cornerback Nahshon Wright. He’s clearly unhappy with his role with the Jets and Brendan Sugrue reported Wright wants to come back to the Bears.
This would be a much cheaper swing for the Bears and cornerback is the next major need for this team. The Bears have two cornerbacks out of practice right now in Tyrique Stevenson and Malik Muhammad II, leaving four healthy cornerbacks on the 53-man roster (Jaylon Johnson, Clark Phillips III, Kyler Gordon, and Josh Blackwell).
Making a move for Wright would give the team much-needed depth at the position and he already knows the system after being a Pro Bowl alternate last season for the Bears. As for the trade, the Bears could easily send a late Day 3 pick swap for Wright and it would cost just under $1 million against the cap to bring him on.
It’s not nearly as big of a swing as the Bears already pulled of, but it wouldn’t shock me if Poles turns around and looks to bring Wright back to Chicago as his next move.
