The Chicago Bears are sitting in a great spot at 5-2 on the season and heading into another big game next Monday night against the reigning Super Bowl champs in the Seattle Seahawks.

While the record shows this team is successful, the Bears have shown some clear weaknesses over the first seven weeks of the season. The offensive concerns have largely been dealt with now that Caleb Williams is back at quarterback. The defensive concerns is what concerns me as something that could hold this team back.

Right now, the Bears don’t have a clear answer for how things can improve (outside of Montez Sweat’s return following a two-game suspension and getting Dayo Odeyingbo back after at least two more games). Even still, the unit wasn’t the best even when those two were playing.

The Bears need some kind of jolt defensively to boost Dennis Allen’s unit and the one name that came up over the weekend multiple times ahead of the trade deadline was Khalil Mack.

Multiple insiders revealed the Chicago Bears have been in contact about the Los Angeles Chargers

I’ve been saying for weeks now that the Bears need to make a trade to bring Mack back to Chicago. It just makes too much sense considering the price and impact he could bring off the edge that the Bears are currently missing. Over the weekend, multiple insiders revealed that the Bears have been in contract with the Los Angeles Chargers to see if Mack is available.

“The Chargers keep telling teams they’re not interested in dealing Khalil Mack. They want to win games, but they haven’t won any games so far, and they’re 0-6,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said. “And you have to wonder if a team like the Chicago Bears will keep calling to try and bring Khalil Mack back to Chicago.”

The phrase “keep calling to try” was the point worth paying attention to from Schefter’s report. That means the Bears have reached out and should continue to pry over the coming weeks to see if the Chargers will comply. Losing would certainly expedite things in L.A., especially if Mack starts voicing frustrations.

The second report from the weekend is what adds more intrigue to this situation that came from FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer.

“The teams in the NFC North, there’s going to be one team that’s going to be really aggressive when it comes to the trade deadline. I think that will be the Chicago Bears,” Glazer said. “I know they’ve already talked to the Chargers, saying, ‘Hey, what about a guy like Khalil Mack?’ I think they’re going to be very aggressive. Ryan Poles, that’s what he does. More aggressive than the other teams in that division.”

Now is the time for the Chicago Bears to be aggressive

With where the Bears are currently sitting record-wise, cap-wise, and need-wise, there’s no better time for general manager Ryan Poles to be aggressive. Parting ways with a Day 3 pick for a difference-maker could be the difference between playing in February or going home in January.

The Bears have the coaching and talent needed to make a strong push in the playoffs for a Super Bowl and one-two added pieces can make that push easier. The first move has to be adding Mack. I believe the Chargers will eventually come to its senses and realize moving Mack is the best thing for him as a player. He’s on a one-year deal and doesn’t deserve to go out on a losing team that’s stuck in the mud.

And Mack isn’t the only move the Bears should aggressively pursue. DeForest Buckner is an exciting name to watch, but if the Bears get Mack, I don’t see a way to also acquire Buckner’s contract. However, veteran defensive tackle Grover Stewart could be a cheaper swing from the Indianapolis Colts to boost the run defense up-front.

And then you have the issues at cornerback. Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson are liabilities out there in man coverage and we still don’t know the extent of Malik Muhammad II’s injury. If that becomes a more pressing need, Riq Woolen of the Seattle Seahawks is another one-year rental to really consider trading for.

Overall, we’re still days away from a potential move. But, it’s good to hear that Poles’ recognizes this window and has already started calling about Mack. We’ll see if it amounts to anything before the Nov. 10 deadline.