The Chicago Bears still have a few weeks left before they decide if they will be active at the trade deadline. Their loss to the Green Bay Packers woke them up to the reality that the schedule ahead is not easy. They must take care of business in Atlanta before they can even consider a move. One thing is certain: it is virtually guaranteed to be on the defensive side of the ball. For weeks, everybody has assumed it would be a pass rusher. Khalil Mack headlines the list of names connected to them. However, recent events suggest that cornerback might be the more pressing concern. Enter Zyon McCollum.
Green Bay made one thing clear. The Bears’ cornerbacks can’t handle speed. Not when it is properly weaponized. Jaylon Johnson appears to have lost a step, not showing the same explosiveness he had before his bad groin injury last season. Tyrique Stevenson continues to battle a hamstring injury as well. This team badly needs someone who can play solid man coverage on the outside. Brents is a big cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who functions well in both man and zone coverage. His blazing 4.33 speed also gives him enough range to protect against big plays.
Zyon McCollum is exactly what the Bears need.
There has been one fundamental truth about Allen’s defense. For it to work as intended, he needs cornerbacks who can survive in man coverage. If Johnson were still anywhere close to his 2023 form, that wouldn’t be a problem. His sudden and steep decline has left the Bears in a really bad spot. Stevenson can’t fit that mold, and Malik Muhammad is a rookie. So much hinged on Johnson maintaining his status as at least a top 10 guy. With that no longer the case, Chicago is dangerously exposed on the back end, as Green Bay proved.
They need somebody dependable on the boundary. That is where Zyon McCollum comes in. He has played in that type of defense for years under Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay. He’s currently in the midst of his best season, allowing just a 71.2 passer rating through 5 games with quarterbacks completing barely half of their passes when targeting him. He’s 27 years old and in his prime. Better still, trading for him wouldn’t kill the salary cap since his number this season was $5.2 million. That balloons to $19 million over the next two years, but the Bears will be able to find the necessary space by cutting Johnson in the offseason.
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Everything comes down to the situation.
Right now, the Buccaneers are 1-4 and well out of the playoff picture. If they lose one or two more games, their season is all but over. That would likely compel general manager Jason Licht to start preparing for the offseason. Keep in mind Tampa Bay will be over the salary cap next offseason. There are financial decisions they must make. With McCollum’s deal about to explode, it might be wiser for the team to flip him elsewhere for a decent draft pick and save the money. They would secure an extra $7 million in cap space next offseason by dealing him before the deadline.
The Bears have every reason to be aggressive. This is a player who is still young and has two years of control left on his current contract. He fits the defensive scheme perfectly and can serve as a viable long-term replacement for Johnson. Don’t forget Tampa Bay has drafted 3 cornerbacks in the past two years. All three have started this season. All the ingredients are in place. It comes down to price. Smart money says the Bears are looking at a Day 2 pick to get it done, probably a 3rd rounder.
