NFL analyst's suggestion for the Bears best trade asset seems to be a counterintuitive approach to what Ryan Poles is clearly trying to do
The Chicago Bears offseason has been centered around one thing and that has been fortifying the trenches with proven, experienced players.On the defensive side of the ball, the additions of Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett in free agency massively improves the team's pass rush and run support on the defensive line after being faced with […]
The Chicago Bears offseason has been centered around one thing and that has been fortifying the trenches with proven, experienced players.
On the defensive side of the ball, the additions of Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett in free agency massively improves the team's pass rush and run support on the defensive line after being faced with major depth concerns in 2024.
Even after these two additions, general manager Ryan Poles made it crystal clear that the front office won't shy away from making even more moves to the unit.
"You can't have enough pass rushers on your team," Poles said. "We all watched the Super Bowl, right? You want to have waves of pass rushers… We're always looking to add and improve that group."
Well, a counterintuitive plan to that approach would be by getting rid of good players on that unit, right? Which sounds like the opposite of what Poles wants to accomplish here, right? Yet, on Monday, an NFL analyst suggested doing exactly that.
PFF's Bradley Locker posted a piece on Monday detailing the biggest trade asset for all 32 teams in the NFL. For the Bears, he decided to include defensive tackle Andrew Billings, and here's the reason why:
"Bears general manager Ryan Poles recognized that his defensive line was in inadequate shape going into this offseason, splurging on the likes of Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett. With other pieces in place, Billings could be expendable."
Even that itself sounds counterintuitive. Poles recognized his defensive line was inadequate so let's trade away one of his best interior players over the last two seasons? This just makes zero since for anyone involved. Yeah he's a tradable asset based on recent moves, but why would the Bears even think about moving him?
At 30-years-old, Billings is on a reasonable contract and has been a strong interior leader and will be rotating in and out with Jarrett. Last year before suffering a torn pectoral, Billings was also one of the top interior pass rushers in the league. His 78.6 pass rush grade via PFF ranked in the Top-10 among all interior defensive tackles.
During his introductory press conference, head coach Ben Johnson mentioned Billings by name as someone who made the gameplan of opposing offensive coordinators difficult when he's on the field.
Even if the Bears did add another interior guy to the room in the 2025 NFL Draft, Billings is still be a viable rotational piece and you can even move Dexter on the outside in some packages. Having more options gives you more ways to get after the quarterback on an every down basis with waves of pass rushers.
This team isn't in a position to give away good players. And they need more capable defensive linemen, not less. Big Bill isn't going anywhere.
Four trade down options for the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft if they decide to move back from the 10th overall pick
This could open up even more options.
