The Chicago Bears managed to save their season for at least another week when they thumped the Dallas Cowboys 31-14. Now they head into Las Vegas hoping to build some momentum. If they can take down the Raiders, they will reach the bye week at 2-2, having stabilized things enough to catch their breath. That is where GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have some decisions to make. It is evident that the roster isn’t perfect. There are weak areas that cause problems for the team. One of the most pressing is the pass rush. Montez Sweat has been uneven, as has Dayo Odeyingbo. Grady Jarrett looks invisible.
Austin Booker is still on IR, and there is no guarantee he can change the equation when he eventually returns. The Bears need somebody who can have a genuine impact. With free agency barren this time of year, their only hope is the trade market. However, teams aren’t generally prone to trading pass rushers, even if the season isn’t going well. However, insider Matt Lombardo of Between The Hashmarks hears there is a strong possibility the New York Giants may entertain trading Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The Giants picked up Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option earlier this spring, but this might be the best opportunity to trade him, if they believe he’s more of a luxury at a loaded position than an asset on a roster that is thin on them virtually everywhere else.
“They absolutely should trade him,” a rival NFC personnel executive tells Between The Hashmarks, of Thibodeaux, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “They need help everywhere.”
Thibodeaux would be a worthwhile risk for the Chicago Bears.
The former 1st round pick had 11.5 sacks in 2023. Last year, he only managed 5.5, but still had 17 QB hits. He has the size, length, power, and explosiveness teams look for in an edge rusher. New York already paid Brian Burns and now has Abdul Carter. They can’t really afford to pay Thibodeaux, too. Trading him makes financial sense, particularly if their season continues down the path it has at 0-3.
Conversely, the Chicago Bears have an opening for another rusher. Thibodeaux would offer a dimension they don’t really have, and he’s only 24 years old. The big issue would be money. If they trade for him, it would require some kind of contract extension unless they plan to let him walk in free agency. They’ve already sunk a lot of money into Sweat and Odeyingbo, so that would require some creativity. Such a trade would make the Bears better. The only real hurdle is a fiscal one.
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