The Chicago Bears trade buzz may not be quite ready to die yet. One final deadline remains as seven days separate teams and October 30th. That’s the final chance any of them have to make a deal for players they might be coveting from other teams willing to sell. With the Bears in the thick of the chase for the NFC North, it’s possible they might be among the teams that think one more bold move could push them over the top.
The tricky part is they really don’t have a lot of ammunition left for a big move. They gave up their 1st round pick next year as part of the Khalil Mack trade from Oakland. Their 2nd round pick is gone as well, sent to New England in order to secure Anthony Miller in the draft. So unless they’re willing to sacrifice another high pick next year in the 3rd round, odds are there isn’t much they can do.
Except there’s always a card to play if one is willing to take the calculated risk. In fact, a recent development has opened up the opportunity for the Bears to make another beneficial transaction with the Raiders. Just how is that possible. Here is a breakdown of how it could go.
Chicago Bears and Raiders trade that could be good all around
Raiders get:
- RB Jordan Howard
Bears get:
- CB Gareon Conley
- 5th round pick
Everybody knows the situation with Howard. He just hasn’t found a groove in this new offensive scheme. It’s becoming clear he’s not a running back that produces on a snap count. In other words, he only gets good when he’s been fed the ball a lot. That’s just not going to happen under Matt Nagy who wants to be a pass-first team with Mitch Trubisky.
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So if they were to trade him, they’d either want draft capital or a good player in return who can help them elsewhere. In this case, they get both. Conley is a former 1st round pick in his second NFL season. While his production isn’t great to this point, he’s actually played pretty well. However, it’s clear Jon Gruden is aiming for a fresh start with a roster entirely of his own making. Thus Conley is available.
Gareon Conley v Kenny Stills pic.twitter.com/ySfRzznrM8
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 23, 2018
He and Howard and the same age at 23-years old. Howard though has more value because he’s a proven NFL player with two 1,000-yard seasons and a Pro Bowl in his background. Oakland would be interested because he can be part of their long-term plans while also filling the massive void left by Marshawn Lynch who just went on injured reserve. They add the 5th round pick (they have two in 2019) to balance the deal.
Now the Bears have six picks next year instead of five and a cornerback with heaps of talent to possibly help the secondary. That leaves one question. How do the Bears replace Howard?
Free agency has some intriguing short-term running back options
Obviously, their primary solution wouldn’t come until next season when they could go hunting for one in the draft. However, surprisingly the free agent market as it is right now has a couple options that might be of help. Orleans Darkwa, who enjoyed a 751-yard and 5-TD season last year for a bad Giants team is still available.
Charcandrick West, whom Nagy coached for a number of years in Kansas City is out there and should be healthy by now. Veteran Terrance West who has flashed at times in Cleveland and Baltimore remains an option. So does Thomas Rawls who has always like good as a runner despite a myriad of injury setbacks.
Sure they aren’t ideal replacements but then again they can’t do much worse than Howard has for most of the season thus far. The fact is replacing running backs in the NFL is far easier than most other positions. Don’t forget GM Ryan Pace used a 5th rounder to find Howard in the first place, not to mention a 4th to grab Tarik Cohen. They would likely be fine in the long run.
