Ben Johnson’s comments on the Bears roster show where Chicago stands hours before the NFL trade deadline, but is it just coach-speak?
This is just coach speak or a hint at the direction the team will go ahead of the deadline?
We are hours away from the NFL trade deadline that officially closes later today at 4:00 pm EST and the Chicago Bears have some big decisions to make over the next few hours.
On Sunday, ahead of the team’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, NFL insider Jay Glazer on FOX Sports mentioned the Bears as a potential team that could be aggressive in making a move to add talent to the roster with a win in Week 9, particularly to improve the team’s pass rush.
Chicago not only got the win, but showed more signs of struggle on defense. Not to mention, the Bears also lost a starting defensive end in Dayo Odeyingbo for the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon, putting even more strain on the position.
“It’s one of those deals where it feels like we take some strides at particular positions, then we take some steps back,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said on Monday. “It’s wild. I felt like we had a solution there with Shemar (Turner) at defensive end a couple weeks ago. Then we lost him. Then we finally get Booker back, and we lose Dayo. So it’s a little bit of give and take.”
As it stands, the Bears have three healthy defensive ends in Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, and Daniel Hardy. Dominique Robinson, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 8, is expected to be back within the next two-three weeks but depth is certainly lacking. Yet, Johnson had some pretty telling comments on the potential of adding another pass rusher ahead of the deadline.
Ben Johnson uses classic coach-speak ahead of the trade deadline, is it genuine or not?
“We’ve got some depth,” Johnson added. “You can never have too many pass rushers. You can never have too many cover players on the back end either. That’s how I have always felt since I’ve been in this league. I know [general manager] Ryan [Poles] and his crew have been doing their due diligence all throughout the fall, all the way up until tomorrow to make sure we’re turning over every stone to make sure if there’s a way that we can improve this roster, we’ll do that. But I feel good about the guys we have on the roster currently.”
Not only is defensive end in consideration, but cover players on the back end, which signals cornerback could be a trade target as well. The Bears have dealt with numerous injuries at the position with Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson out until well into December and Kyler Gordon currently on the injured reserve for at least two more weeks.
But, it’s interesting to hear Johnson say the team has depth (it really doesn’t) and that he feels good about the guys he currently has in the building. Now, that could just be coach-speak to avoid showing the team’s hand before the deadline. Regardless, there’s a lot to weigh.
“We look at everyone that could be available and that could help this football team in the here and the now, and also have in the back of our head what the ramifications of that also are, the consequences when you give up capital, whether it’s players or draft picks, what that does to your roster in the long-term,” Johnson further explained. “It is a balancing act, but it’s one that I think we have a really good process and a lot of communication on.”
Johnson noted he and Poles have been in communication throughout the entire process and we know Poles isn’t afraid to make an in-season move to help the roster in the short-term. Is it worth giving up future picks for the sake of a rental player to help make a playoff push down the stretch in Year 1 under Johnson? We’ll see what happens.
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