Insider Reveals Chicago Bears Trade Down To Watch For

The pro days are wrapping up. Pre-draft visits are as well. Now teams have begun making true preparations for the NFL draft. The Chicago Bears remain surrounded by rumors as to what they’ll do. Among the most common theories is they will use the 9th overall pick to take the best offensive lineman on their board. It wouldn’t be a shock. They sorely need right tackle help. There are three prospects worthy of going in the 1st round. However, an undercurrent remains that GM Ryan Poles might be angling to trade down again.

The belief is he’s hoping to secure another pick somewhere in the 20-45 range. Many experts believe that is the sweet spot of this draft class. Finding a taker will be tricky now that Poles doesn’t have the leverage of quarterbacks as he did with the #1 pick. Still, some feel he may find some teams interesting in moving up. Pro Football Focus insider Brad Spielberger revealed a scenario that might be worth watching.

It’s one that people may not expect but certainly makes sense.

“NEW YORK JETS TRADE UP TO NO. 9 WITH THE CHICAGO BEARS FOR DI JALEN CARTER
Trade terms: Nos. 13, 43 for Nos. 9, 61

This might seem crazy with Quinnen Williams about to sign a massive extension, but that’s part of the idea here. The Jets were unable or unwilling to re-sign free-agent interior defenders Sheldon Rankins and Nathan Shepherd this offseason, and the depth chart at the position beyond Williams is very thin.

Head coach Robert Saleh’s old team in San Francisco just signed Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million contract despite a loaded defensive line, continuing an approach predicated on rostering multiple top-end performers with quality depth for the unit. The team that just lost Hargrave to free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles, is sitting at No. 10 overall, one pick behind Chicago.”

The Chicago Bears have every reason to do that deal.

It accomplishes every objective they could want. It gets them into that 20-45 range to grab a possible starting-caliber prospect on their board. At the same time, they don’t fall too far from the 9th spot. They should still be able to land one of their preferred targets at #13. Maybe it’s an offensive tackle like Paris Johnson or Broderick Jones. Or maybe it’s wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There is no reason to think the Jets won’t do it, either. They’re clearly in win-now mode as the Aaron Rodgers trade nears completion. Taking another home run swing on Carter, who is a perfect fit for their defense, falls in line with their thinking.

Much of this depends on how confident Poles is that he can still land a good player after moving down again. The Chicago Bears already took a calculated risk dropping to 9th overall. Falling out of the top 10 entirely carries additional concerns. It is hard to find good players in any draft. Finding them outside those first 10 spots is even more challenging. Then again, this Bears GM has made it clear he doesn’t think his team is one player away from competing. They need several. More picks would be a good thing.