Exciting trade opportunity just presented itself for the Bears to land an impact defensive lineman and Ryan Poles should already be on the phone
The Chicago Bears should be one of the first teams calling the New York Giants after three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade going into his eighth season.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles did a solid job this offseason sticking to his philosophy when it came to acquiring players and making sure not to overstep his limit.
Fans were clambering all offseason for a big-swing out of Poles in hopes of landing an impact defender like Maxx Crosby in a blockbuster trade. While the Bears did check in on Crosby, the team had firm guardrails they wouldn’t cross.
“We look at every opportunity,” Poles said in an exclusive interview with The Bigs. “With Maxx, we started to walk down that line and once it gets to a certain threshold, we set those guardrails up for a reason where we can say ‘OK this is so far beyond what we should probably do right now and we need to pivot and adjust back out of something.’ I think we’re very strategic in how we go about doing things.”
Pivoting out of trading for a player like Crosby was a good call, as evident by how much the Baltimore Ravens nearly gave up to acquire him. It might be a different story with the latest opportunity that just presented itself for Chicago.
Dexter Lawrence requests a trade from the New York Giants, and the Bears should be interested
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade from the New York Giants and will not be participating in the team’s offseason workout program that begins on Tuesday.
Dexter is playing on a four-year, $90 million contract extension he signed in May of 2023 and Schefter added the two sides have been struggled to come to an agreement on a deal that properly reflects his value with the team.
During his seven seasons in New York, Dexter has totaled 30.5 sacks and 103 QB hits, becoming one of the top interior defensive linemen in the league. With this now a real possibility, the Bears should pick up the phone and see what the asking price would be.
For starters, it’s going to be cheaper than Crosby just because of the position Lawrence played. The last top defensive tackle to get traded was DeForest Buckner, who was younger at the time and only traded for the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
What kind of offer could the Bears package for Dexter Lawrence?
To me, the offer for Chicago would have to include the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, unfortunately. Fortunately, the Bears hold two selections in the second-round thanks to the DJ Moore trade to help make up for this kind of move.
To sweeten the deal and beat out competition, I could see Chicago throwing in Gervon Dexter Sr. along with a first-round pick. To bring in Lawrence, you’ll need a clear established starting role and the Bears currently have two starters in Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett.
Dexter was already floated as a trade option during the NFL Combine and is clearly not in the team’s long-term plans, nor is he a fit in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s system. Lawrence, however, is a scheme-fit and can be a multi-year option on a new deal.
It’d be hard to find a player of Lawrence’s caliber with the 25th overall pick, which makes me lean toward shipping it off to New York. The Bears can land the impact disrupter they’re looking for on the interior while having two second-round selections to work with.
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