Bears linked as a top fit for two young pass rushers ahead of the NFL trade deadline, but is it the right move to fix the short and long term issues
The Chicago Bears continue to be mentioned as a team many think should be looking for help off the edge.
The Nov. 4th NFL trade deadline is fast approaching and it’s only a matter of time until we see more trades start to come through with teams figuring out who they are, and what they need, or don’t.
For the Chicago Bears, the position of need continues to be at defensive end, at least the position of need frequently discussed outside the building. Inside the building, head coach Ben Johnson seems committed to seeing what he currently has on the roster over the course of a full season before making any big roster decisions. But, that could change with the Bears sitting at 4-2.
Loading up for a Year 1 playoff push under Ben Johnson is certainly in the cards after the first six weeks of the season, and insiders around the league continue to mention the Bears as potential fits for edge rushers on the market.
ESPN links Bears as a top fit for Jermaine Johnson and Arnold Ebiketie
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeremey Fowler and Matt Bowen ranked the Top-25 players potentially on the trade block, giving reasons as to why a trade could be made involving that player, and offering potential team fits. The Bears were mentioned twice as a potential fit for two different young edge rushers.
The first was New York Jets’ Jermaine Johnson. At 0-7, the Jets are about to put the for sale sign up in the locker room and have a lot of young players who haven’t been prioritized with new deals. Johnson is one of those players despite playing 37 games and totaling 11.0 sacks since being drafted 26th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“The Jets are not desperate to trade Johnson; good edge rushers are hard to find, and his $13.4 million salary for 2026 (a fifth-year option) is reasonable,” Fowler explained. “But my sense after asking around is that New York would be more willing to part with Johnson than Will McDonald IV if it made any move at the position. Macdonald is in the third year of his rookie deal, whereas Johnson is in his fourth. And Johnson has garnered a bit of interest thus far.”
The second player linked to Chicago was Atlanta Falcons’ former second round pick Arnold Ebiketie. Ebiketie is in a similar boat as a fourth-year player who doesn’t fit into the team’s long-term plans and looking to be flipped in a trade before walking in free agency. Ebiketie has been more durable of the two, playing 56 games since being drafted with 14.5 career sacks.
“At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Ebiketie fits the profile of a 3-4 edge rusher who can be schemed in sub-package sets,” Bowen explained. “Ebiketie is a linear mover with short-area speed and the hand usage to set up blockers. Defenses could use Ebiketie as a nickel rusher. He doesn’t have a sack yet in 2025, but he had exactly six in each of the past two seasons.”
Both players are intriguing young options for any team in the NFL looking to bolster the pass rush in 2025 and for the future. But, it comes with a cost considering both players would need new contracts after 2025. So, would either player be of interest for Chicago? Let’s break it down.
How dire is the Bears’ need at DE in 2025 and beyond?
The Bears have two highly-paid veteran defensive ends already in the building in Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo. Yet, the team’s head coach called out both players earlier in the season for not consistently winning one-on-one opportunities and getting after the quarterback consistently.
Behind Sweat and Odeyingbo, the Bears have been using Dominique Robinson a lot as a rotation piece, along with mixing in recently released Tanoh Kpassagnon and core special teamer Daniel Hardy. The team will eventually have second-year Austin Booker back in the fold, who’s set to return from the injured reserve sooner than later.
Since the bye week, Bears have totaled seven sacks and 32 pressures after having just three sacks and 13 total pressures in the first four games combined. So, the team has seen some improvement in that regard, but the unit is also generating pressure with blitzes using players such as Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker lately.
As for the long-term outlook, only three edge rushers are under contract for Chicago in 2026 (Sweat, Odeyingbo, and Booker). Ideally, you’d want to add another young rotational pass rusher to the mix. And it’s up to the coaching staff and front office to weigh using a trade pick to trade for an experienced player or save the draft pick to add a rookie in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The latter is always the safe, and cheapest bet, when looking specifically for depth players. So, I don’t see the Bears making a move for a player like Johnson or Ebiketie, especially until the staff gets a real look at Booker in this system during the regular season.
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