The 2 trades the Chicago Bears need to make soon this offseason
The Chicago Bears are in a bit of a strange position this season. Chicago is going through a rebuild under new general manager Ryan Poles, but they also want to be competitive this season. It's going to be tough to accomplish both of those goals — especially with Poles extremely committed to the rebuild. Most […]
The Chicago Bears are in a bit of a strange position this season.
Chicago is going through a rebuild under new general manager Ryan Poles, but they also want to be competitive this season.
It's going to be tough to accomplish both of those goals — especially with Poles extremely committed to the rebuild.
Most of the Bears' moves this offseason have been geared toward future financial flexibility.
It makes sense — Poles is gearing up to make a big run in 2023 and 2024.
However, if Chicago wants to be competitive in 2022, there are still a few moves they need to make.
Two trade options, in particular, could help the Bears accomplish both their short-term and long-term goals.
Trade 1:
Poles said this week that Chicago is still looking to add a cornerback to the roster.
The Bears should call the New York Giants about cornerback James Bradberry, a solid reliable cornerback who could be a cap casualty this offseason.
New York is taking calls on Bradberry. If he's not traded, he could be released. The Bears could offer a late-round pick for Bradberry and then work out an extension with the former Pro-Bowler (to lower his cap hit).
Landing Bradberry would make the Bears better in 2022. Extending Bradberry would make Chicago better in 2023 and 2024 when the team plans to make a deep playoff run.
Trade 2:
The other trade that Chicago needs to make has to do with the draft.
The Bears need to find a way to trade into the first round this year to draft Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave. Maybe trade a first-round pick next year and a second-round pick this year to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the No. 20 overall pick (the Green Bay Packers could be a threat to take Olave at No. 22).
Pittsburgh could be tempted to make this trade since none of the top quarterbacks are expected to fall to No. 20 (the Steelers' top need in the first round is a quarterback).
Olave and Bears quarterback Justin Fields are familiar with each other from their time together at Ohio State.
And Olave would love to reconnect with Fields in the NFL.
This might seem like a reach, but the same thing was said about the Cincinnati Bengals drafting wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase last year instead of an offensive lineman.
That move, which paired former LSU teammates Chase and Joe Burrow together in Cincinnati, worked out pretty well this season. Chase set a rookie record for receiving yards.
I'm not saying that the same scenario would happen with Fields and Olave, but I think giving Fields a potentially elite wide receiver that he's already comfortable with could pay major dividends for the Bears in 2022 and beyond.
Featured image via Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
