The Chicago Bears kept the door open for possibly a run at the playoffs with back-to-back wins. They have a somewhat manageable stretch of schedule coming up. What they could really use is one more jolt to the roster that might give them a competitive edge. With the free agent market devoid of options, their best course of action is the trade deadline, which arrived at the end of October. The problem is typically finding out which teams around the league might be sellers. That doesn’t happen until the deadline draws near.
After another wild Sunday of action in week five, it’s become pretty obvious to people with modest intelligence who those teams are this year. Four stand out above the rest. Here is who they are and which players the Bears should have varying degrees of interest in acquiring.
New York Jets (0-5)
RB Breece Hall
EDGE Will McDonald
EDGE Jermaine Johnson
Miami Dolphins (1-4)
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RB De’Von Achane
EDGE Jaelen Phillips
EDGE Bradley Chubb
New Orleans Saints (1-4)
RB Alvin Kamara
EDGE Curtis Granderson
EDGE Cameron Jordan
Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
EDGE Trey Hendrickson
LT Orlando Brown Jr.
The Chicago Bears must carefully weigh their options.
Probably the trickiest thing about the trade deadline is making sure to find the right player at the right price. Teams will want big returns for whoever they make available. The trick is to talk them down to something more realistic or find alternatives. Sometimes the market won’t cooperate. In general, pass rushers and left tackles don’t get traded this time of year. Anything is possible, but it feels like if the Chicago Bears make a move, it will be for help at running back.
Looking at the options, the two most likely are Achane and Kamara. Achane is a speed demon with good vision who’d fit well in Ben Johnson’s offense. Miami has wanted to get rookie Ollie Gordon more involved. This would provide them with the excuse. As for Kamara, he’s on the tail end of his career with a large contract that New Orleans has no reason to pay anymore. If he has any gas left in the tank, he would be a strong addition to this backfield.
Precise details of who could get dealt will emerge over the next two weeks. We should know by then if the Bears plan to do anything.