The NFL trade deadline arrived on October 30th. That gives the Chicago Bears a little over 24 hours to decide on what they want to do regarding a possible move. The problem up to this point is it wasn’t entirely clear which teams might be ready to open their roster for business. Much of that due in part to a small sliver of hope that they can turn their seasons around with one big win.
Now that the halfway point is at hand, it’s become clear which teams that’s just not going to happen for. This means there’s a strong possibility they will start stockpiling assets for next year. That means dumping salary to gain cap space and acquiring draft picks. In these situations, it often means unloading veteran players via trade.
The Bears don’t have a ton of draft capital to give in any deals, but there’s always a chance of finding a cheap opportunity that can help them. At 4-3 they’re in the thick of the playoff race. A limited move for help at a key position could prove fruitful down the road. So which teams could they call? Here are the three that stick out most.
Potential Chicago Bears trade partners:
New York Giants (1-7)
The Giants have already been in sale mode for over a week. They dealt former 1st round pick Eli Apple to the Saints for 4th and 7th rounders while shipping Damon Harrison to Detroit for a 5th. Jenkins and Vernon both have large salaries so they’re obvious choices. Collins is due a new contract next year that could be expensive as well. All were acquired by the previous regime.
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For the Bears, the ideal name would be Vernon given their need for pass rush help but his cap hit is far more than they can afford at this point unless they did some massive salary restructuring. Collins would be a great addition to the secondary but it sounds like the Giants are a little more reluctant to let him walk.
San Francisco 49ers (1-7)
The 49ers have been revealed to not be the contender everybody thought. The loss of Jimmy Garoppolo exposed just how top heavy they were and now it may be time for them to prepare for another long offseason of work. There are certainly some players left over from the old era that they could try to move.
Arik Armstead is a former 1st round pick who was handed a difficult situation when the 49ers shifted to a 4-3 defense. He’d been drafted to play defensive end in a 3-4. So moving him out would make sense. The Bears just lost Kyle Long to another potential season-ending injury, so taking a flier on Garnett might prove helpful. Tartt? He’s a solid box safety with ability as a run defender and blitzer.
Oakland Raiders (1-6)
The Raiders have already sold off two of their best players in Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. Given their current trajectory, expectations are they’ll continue to be active. Joseph has been available for some time now. The former 1st round pick has flashed potential but been constantly hampered by changes to the defensive scheme along with nagging injuries.
Irvin is a solid pass rusher but is in his 30s now and not part of the long-term plan. The big fish of the group though is Conley. The former 1st round cornerback has legitimate man coverage ability but the fact he’s been benched at times this year lends one to believe head coach Jon Gruden is unimpressed. He could find new life in Chicago.
