CHICAGO – The Bears made it clear that they are looking to upgrade their secondary after they took not one, but two defensive backs in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

They then drafted Elijah Hicks in the seventh round and proceeded to sign six more defensive backs from the undrafted free agent pool.

But even with all that, the Bears still need help in the secondary. Primarily at cornerback.

Enter James Bradberry.

The Giants have been trying to trade the Pro Bowl cornerback all offseason long, to no avail. General manager Joe Schoen has tried everything he can to get a team to dance, but alas no one wants to hit the floor.

Therefore, according to Schoen, the Giants and Bradberry are expected to part ways by the end of the week.

"We should have some resolution hopefully by the end of the week," Schoen told WFAN Wednesday. "It's unfortunate because he's a great kid."

Schoen went on to make it clear that the decision has nothing to do with Bradberry or his on-field play and everything to do with the Giants' cap situation.

"He's a starting corner in the league," Schoen added. "It's just where we are financially."

Per Over The Cap, the Giants are expected to be more than $7 million over the cap after they sign their rookie class. Releasing Bradberry with a pre-June 1 designation clears a little more than $10 million in cap room. A post-June 1 designation creates $11.5 million, but $10 million in dead money will be deferred to 2023 if the Giants decide to take that route.

The Bears have to make a run at Bradberry. Not only is he in the prime of his career, but he would be an excellent fit for the Bears defense and would allow Kyler Gordon -who is a raw prospect- to come along at his own pace. Gordon can also play inside, meaning, he could take over as the team's nickelback while Bradberry and incumbent starter Jaylon Johnson man the outside. The potential trio of Bradberry, Johnson, and Gordon represent a massive upgrade compared to what the Bears had in the secondary last year. Especially when combined with safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker.

It's imperative to have three good corners in today's NFL. Adding Bradberry would give the Bears just that. Don't forget the receivers in the NFC North, either. The Bears need as many reinforcements on the back end of the defense as they can get.

The Bears have the cap space to land Bradberry, as well. Right now, they have a little over $16 million in cap space, per Over The Cap.

Bradberry has started 91 games over the course of his six-year career and has 15 interceptions -including 10 in the last three seasons- to show for it along with 380 total tackles, 82 pass breakups, 3.0 sacks, and four forced fumbles. He earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2020 after recording what was then a career-high three interceptions. He also set a career-high with 18 pass deflections that year. He's not even 30 yet, as he turns 29 in August.

Bradberry continued his strong play last year, recording a career-high four interceptions and the second-most pass breakups (17) in a single season. Per Pro Football Focus, his coverage grade of 65.5 graded out as the 18th-best corner among corners with at least 579 coverage snaps in 2021.

h/t NJ.com

Featured image via Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports