Even after the Jeffery Simmons trade last week, there were rumblings that the Chicago Bears weren’t done on the trade market. Those like Ian Rapoport heavily implied that general manager Ryan Poles might have another move in mind. Bears fans had no problem speculating who the potential target would be. It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Chargers are terrible this year, sitting at 0-7. Khalil Mack is 35 years old and sitting in the last year of his deal. Bringing him home to Chicago felt like a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, circumstances have changed. Edge rusher no longer appears to be the most pressing concern on the Bears’ defense. Montez Sweat is back and had one of his best games in Seattle. Austin Booker is playing well, and even Daniel Hardy has stepped up over the past few weeks. Dayo Odeyingbo should be back after the bye week to further fortify the position. No, the real issue for Chicago lay in their secondary, particularly at cornerback. What once looked like a team strength has suddenly become a vulnerability.
Khalil Mack would be a luxury the Bears don’t need.
While he can still be an effective player at times, he isn’t the guy he was 5 years ago. What the Bears would be getting is a solid edge defender who can probably get you a handful of good rushes every week if you manage his snaps carefully. This is not to say he wouldn’t help. He absolutely would. The question is whether a 5th round pick is worth a part-time pass rusher. Not at this stage. The Bears might actually be better off going after his teammate, Donte Jackson. He was very good last season (49.6 passer rating allowed with 4 INTS) and was playing well this year before a hamstring injury.
Right now, Malik Muhammad is the only boundary cornerback the Bears have with a passer rating allowed under 100, and he was out against Seattle with a turf toe injury. Jaylon Johnson (129.4) and Tyrique Stevenson (139.4) have been tough to watch for long stretches this year. Johnson looks like a shell of his former self, and Stevenson has been battling hamstring issues on top of his typical consistency problems. The Bears need somebody reliable they can throw into the mix.
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The Bears may have some interesting options.
Jackson is one of the options mentioned above. He brings plenty of experience. Some other names mentioned by various sources around the league include Amik Robertson, Tariq Woolen, and Nahshon Wright. Of course, Wright would be the easy connection after his surprise breakout season last year with 5 interceptions. New York has refused to play him since he signed them. So a trade wouldn’t be difficult. Woolen certainly fits the Dennis Allen profile at 6’4″ with the speed and athleticism to play man. Robertson is on the smaller side but can also play man and is having a good season for an otherwise bad Washington defense.
Much comes down to the asking price for those players. No doubt Poles would prefer a bargain deal that nets them a solid player for relatively cheap. He probably won’t go higher than the projected price for Khalil Mack, which is a 5th round pick. The Bears GM has said he has no intention of just throwing away picks. He has to be smart about this, which is why Mack is likely off the table.
