The Chicago Bears passing game can be considered the white antelope of the NFL. For those who aren’t caught up on their biology lessons, the white antelope are among the rarest animals on Earth. Seeing one doesn’t happen often and doesn’t last long when it does. Nothing better describes the idea of a dominant Bears passing attack than this.

For an idea of what that means? Chicago has featured a top 10 aerial attack in the Super Bowl era twice. Just two times since 1966. If that doesn’t hammer home how inept they’ve been at keeping up with modern offensive philosophy, nothing will. Part of the problem throughout these long droughts is an inability to augment the wide receiver position.

The Bears are bad enough with quarterbacks. They might be as bad or worse with receivers. Going into 2018 people are scared to death. This teams’ reputation is well-known and GM Ryan Pace has done nothing to ease those fears. It feels like it might take something drastic to change the status quo. Something bold.

As it turns out? History shows those white antelope moments in team history actually came about through such tactics. Specifically daring trades.

1995:  The Jeff Graham trade

Nobody saw 1995 coming. Not one person with a shred of sense at that time expected the best Bears passing season in franchise history to happen. Yet it did. So how? Well, the pieces actually came together the year before in 1994. Erik Kramer was signed as their starting quarterback and Curtis Conway had been drafted in the first round at wide receiver. The big addition didn’t come through until the team dealt a fifth round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for an underutilized receiver named Jeff Graham.

Graham had played good football in Pittsburgh but was stuck on a loaded roster. Chicago took advantage, believing he could become even better once made the focal point of an offense. In 1995 their beliefs were vindicated. He exploded for 1,301 yards, helping them to a 9-7 record. Sadly it all ended after that climax. Graham became a free agent the next year and the Bears allowed him to escape to the Jets. It was a mutually destructive move.

Graham never sniffed that level of production again and the Bears passing offense regressed without him. Even today it leaves some to wonder what might’ve been.

2013:  The Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery trades

If there is one passing offense in Bears history that could be considered truly special, it was that 2013 group. Former GM Phil Emery was many things during his brief run in Chicago, most of them not good. One thing can’t be argued though. He was superb in his construction of that receiving corps, and the catalysts were both acquired via trades the year before in 2012.

It started at the beginning of free agency when Chicago dropped a bombshell that they’d traded two third round picks to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall. Emery wasn’t done though. A month later he struck again. In the second round of the NFL draft, he moved up from the 50th pick to the 45th pick, surrendering a fifth round choice in order to secure South Carolina standout, Alshon Jeffery.

A year later it all came to a head. Marshall and Jeffery spearheaded a passing game that finished fifth in the NFL. The two combined for 2,716 yards and 19 touchdowns. Each ended up in the Pro Bowl.

To this point, Pace hasn’t conducted a trade of this magnitude outside the draft, and none of them were for a receiver. Perhaps it’s time to change up that plan of attack.

The Chicago Bears wide receiver position will likely be the teams’ primary focus over the next two months. GM Ryan Pace has taken a lot of heat for his mismanagement of that area dating back to 2015. He traded Brandon Marshall and let Alshon Jeffery walk in free agency. Meanwhile, he added names like Kevin White, Cameron Meredith and Markus Wheaton who have disappointed to varying degrees.

Pace loves to talk up the value of the quarterback position. That, at least, is an endearing quality. At the same time, his ability to build a proper stash of weapons for the said quarterback is severely lacking. Thus he’s under tremendous pressure to get it right in 2018. The only question is how can he do it, and do it swiftly?

Looking around the league there are three teams that offer good blueprints to follow. Each of them unique in their own ways.

The Steelers approach (Draft)

If we’re taking into account the man running the show, then this method may be the most appealing to Ryan Pace. He’s a scout at heart and has said several times he’d prefer to build the Bears solely through the draft. If there is one team that has offered the blueprint on how to do it at wide receiver? That’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since 2010, no team has proven more masterful at this than them.

While the drafting of JuJu Smith-Schuster this past year was further proof of their expertise, perhaps the best example of how quickly a team can restock the cupboard came in 2010. That year Pittsburgh grabbed Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown. What’s even more amazing than getting two guys who have since combined for eight Pro Bowls? Sanders was taken in the third round and Brown the sixth.

What’s the secret? Pittsburgh tends to target receivers that fit three criteria:  they must be fast, must be quick, and must have proven production during their entire college runs. A lesson Pace learned the hard way with Kevin White.

The Eagles approach (Free agency + Draft)

The Super Bowl champions certainly did some superb work rebuilding their receiver position in 2017. GM Howie Roseman decided on a two-pronged approach. It started with a blitz in free agency. He secured deep threat Torrey Smith early to give his team more vertical ability. Then he got lucky, securing Alshon Jeffery on a one-year deal after he had a falling out with the Bears.

It didn’t end there though. Roseman doubled down in the draft by grabbing North Carolina standout Mack Hollins in the fourth round. Those three, combined with a resurgent Nelson Agholor, helped the Eagles finish the season with 44 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions. Carson Wentz was almost a league MVP and Nick Foles won Super Bowl MVP. This after the team finished 24th in passing the year before.

The Rams approach (Trade + Free agency + Draft)

In terms of creativity, no team deserves more credit than what the Los Angeles Rams pulled off in 2017. GM Les Snead pretty much took the shackles off and almost broke the phone lines with how much work he did. Like the Eagles, he didn’t hold back in free agency or the draft. The key difference is he added a third layer by also dabbling in the trade market when he traded cornerback E.J. Gaines and a second round pick to Buffalo for Sammy Watkins.

He wasn’t alone though. The Rams continued to mine for talent from the Bills when they also added free agent Robert Woods. Those two alone looked like enough to get things rolling, but Snead wasn’t finished. He put the cherry on the sundae when Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds were added via the third and fourth rounds of the draft respectively.

That foursome helped Jared Goff, who had a rough rookie year, exploded to make the Pro Bowl and lead the Rams to a 10-6 record. Anyone of these strategies could be useful to the Bears. It comes down to which one fits the man running the show best.

GM Ryan Pace is no stranger to the bold move. To this point though he’s saved his exclusively for the NFL draft. He traded up in 2016 for Leonard Floyd and again in 2017 for Mitch Trubisky. He’s yet to attempt such a maneuver for a veteran player from another team. There’s a first time for everything though. It’s fair to wonder if there are any Chicago Bears trade targets out there.

That would be difficult to say. They obviously won’t betray any details as to whom they may or may not be interested in. These cases often require an evaluation of the market and determining certain names that might fit their profile. With that in mind here are a few worth watch and how much it may end up costing to get them.

Jarvis Landry (WR, Miami Dolphins):  2nd round pick

The debate over the value of Landry is fierce. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler and one of the best slot receivers in the game. He can be an absolute machine on third down. Players of that type are far more beneficial to a team than in past decades. Then again a lot of his production is somewhat superficial, brought on by a high volume of targets. He’s not what one might call a big-play threat.

Having franchise tagged him, there can be little doubt the Miami Dolphins are seeking a high draft choice for him. He’s 24-years old so a first round pick has to be on the table. Given his dip in production last year and noted icy attitude towards his coaches, that should be enough to lower the price to a second rounder.

Martavis Bryant (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers):  6th round pick

It remains puzzling why the Steelers didn’t just deal Martavis Bryant last season. His value was still fairly decent. Now with another year off his contract, that value is certain to take a dip. Bryant failed to prove he’s anything resembling a potential #1 receiver in waiting. He’s more of a tall, speedy deep threat whose ceiling is a #2 at best.

Then again the Bears can’t say they have much on their roster that can do what he can. Bryant hasn’t been the focal point of the Pittsburgh offense, living in the shadow of Antonio Brown. Perhaps with more opportunities in Chicago, he could blossom. Whether they’re willing to take the character risk? That’s another question.

Dee Ford (EDGE, Kansas City Chiefs):  4th round pick

It appears the Chiefs are in the middle of a firesale. The off-season has barely begun and already they’ve traded both Alex Smith and Marcus Peters. There’s no reason to think they might not be open to other deals. Dee Ford is an intriguing one. Kansas City can’t afford to unload pass rushers, but at the same time, Ford will be a free agent in 2019.

He’s also had difficulty staying healthy. From the Bears’ perspective, this would be a calculated risk. Ford had 10 sacks in 2016 so he has the capability of being a quality pass rusher and fits their 3-4 scheme. They badly need somebody opposite Leonard Floyd. A 4th round pick would be an acceptable gamble.

Muhammad Wilkerson (DE, New York Jets):  6th round pick

Having already unloaded Sheldon Richardson, it appears Muhammad Wilkerson is next for the New York Jets to deal. He has been the same since his outstanding 2015 season when he had 12 sacks. Some wonder if he lost his edge after getting his massive contract. It’s a fair criticism, yet at age 28 there is still time for Wilkerson to rebound.

Chicago is flush with cap space and is eager to upgrade their defense however possible. Vic Fangio is notorious for elevating veteran defensive linemen. It’s hard not to get excited about the idea of pairing Wilkerson with Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman.

Eli Apple (CB, New York Giants):  4th round pick

Four of the top Bears cornerbacks will be on the market this March unless Pace works fast to lock them up, especially Kyle Fuller. There’s a chance they may lose one or two of them though. This could force Pace to think aggressively about finding help. The Giants are almost certain to be shopping former first rounder Eli Apple.

There’s a reason for that. Apple had a major falling out with the coaching staff this past season. It got so bad that he was suspended by the team and he fired back on Twitter. Teammate Landon Collins hinted it was a maturity issue. Apple turns 23 this year so that makes sense. Typically the Bears prefer to avoid players who can be a locker room distraction, but Matt Nagy is no stranger to dealing with outspoken personalities.

Ask Travis Kelce in Kansas City. Fangio is also familiar with such issues. It’s not hard to imagine those two find a way to deal with the young corner. If they can, the Bears score a potential long-term starter for pennies.