The Chicago Bears masterfully worked the trade market last offseason to overhaul their offensive line, landing Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney in quick succession. It’s led many to wonder whether general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson might have another move or two up their sleeves before the league year opens on March 11th. As always, it comes down to the right players being available at the right price. Jackson and Thuney were timely names that had different reasons for being on the market. Jackson’s was health and scheme fit, while Thuney was money.

According to Albert Breer of the MMQB, the team to watch right now is the Miami Dolphins. From what he’s heard, the new GM Jon Eric-Sullivan is keen on kick-starting a rebuild. They’ve already unloaded multiple top veterans, headlined by Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb. Internally, the hope is that they can do the same with some of their other veterans on the roster via trade.

It sure feels like the Dolphins moving on from Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb is a precursor to the team building up a warchest of draft capital, and they do have a few veterans that would be of interest to contenders.

If this is true, it is an opportunity the Bears can’t pass up. There are a few names on that roster who could help them immediately.

The Chicago Bears should be heavily focused on two names.

First is Minkah Fitzpatrick. The 30-year-old safety was traded back to Miami last season after the Pittsburgh Steelers moved to acquire Jalen Ramsey. A three-time All-Pro, he remains one of the better players at his position in the NFL. Remember, the Bears have four safeties coming out of contract this offseason, including starters Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker. Fitzpatrick has one year left on his current deal. The Bears should be able to extend him after a trade, knocking down his $18 million cap hit to something more favorable. His versatility and playmaking instincts would be an instant hit with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.

Given his age, the Bears likely would be looking at some sort of pick swap.

The other name to watch is De’Von Achane. Coach Johnson loves his running backs. He particularly loves running backs with speed. Few in the NFL are faster than Achane, and that isn’t the extent of his game. He runs harder than he gets credit for and has great vision to find holes. He’d be a great fit in Chicago’s outside-zone scheme. With D’Andre Swift in the last year of his contract, trading for the younger Achane makes sense. Also, don’t forget the Bears now employ Eric Studesville, the man who developed him in Miami.

Much depends on what the market is for both and how fast the Bears move.

Part of their success last season was the Poles’ ability to recognize that the market was open for both guards and moving fast. The same strategy must be applied here. Fitzpatrick is the more likely player Miami is willing to move. He’s on the older side and leaving his prime. Unloading his cap hit is a primary goal for them. If the Chicago Bears aren’t certain they can get Byard back at a reasonable price, this trade makes the most sense, presuming Fitzpatrick is open to some kind of extension.

Achane is younger and can be a dynamic offensive piece. The Dolphins may want to keep him, especially if they’re planning changes at quarterback. Still, there is a chance he’s available, too. Seeing him in Johnson’s offense has to excite the Bears brass. Most importantly, neither of these moves would break the bank in terms of draft compensation. Neither player is likely to cost more than a 5th. That is a price Poles has shown he’s willing to pay for proven players.

The Chicago Bears went into the 2025 offseason with a clear agenda: upgrade the trenches. Most of the focus was on the offensive line, with names like Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman all arriving. The successes of those moves made it easier to overlook how poorly the team’s investments on the defensive line went. While Grady Jarrett was at least serviceable at defensive tackle, the biggest flop of the offseason by a wide margin was defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.

It was well known that the Bears needed another pass rusher opposite Montez Sweat. Odeyingbo had solid success with the Colts in Indianapolis. However, many had misgivings about the move. They felt a guy who lacked explosiveness and had benefited from playing next to DeForest Buckner was not worth the $16 million per year Chicago ultimately gave him. This was proven correct when he managed just one sack in eight games before tearing his Achilles in the win over Cincinnati.

Now the team is right back where they started, looking for solutions up front. With the Bears likely to at least dabble in free agency this year, here are some available names who give off Odeyingbo vibes.

These free agents feel like Dayo Odeyingbo risk levels.

LT Cam Robinson

Projected contract: $13 million per year

It isn’t a secret that the Bears need left tackle help. Ozzy Trapilo won’t be ready for the start of the regular season. Braxton Jones is a free agent. They need to find somebody who can either be a full-time replacement or at least a temporary bridge. The popular name coming up is Robinson. It makes sense. He’s started 114 games in his career and is still 31 years old, so he’s not completely over the hill. The problem is that experience doesn’t always equal reliability. Jordan started most of last season for the Cleveland Browns. He allowed 39 pressures and eight sacks in just 12 games. His run-blocking wasn’t any better. This is not somebody you should be paying even half of what he’ll require.

EDGE Joey Bosa

Projected contract: $13.7 million

If there is one thing the NFL teaches, it’s that it pays to be a big name. Even when you’re clearly past your prime, teams will still pay you significant money in the hopes they can squeeze one last great season out of you. That is where Bosa is at. There is no doubt he was a star for the Chargers in his first several seasons, but that isn’t the player he’s been for a long time. Bosa’s reputation has gone from top-tier pass rusher to injury-prone. He has not played a full season since 2021. That was the last time he had double-digit sacks as well. Yes, the Bears need pass rush help, but they can’t be throwing money at somebody clearly on the downside of his career.

DT John Franklin-Myers

Projected contract: $7.87 million per year

This is a case of the numbers being wrong. Franklin-Myers has established himself as a really good interior pass rusher with 14 sacks over the past two seasons in Denver. There is nothing teams value more these days than somebody who can create pressure up the middle. Rest assured, the listed contract number is wrong. Franklin-Myer will command significantly more. First, it’s because the rest of the 2026 free agent class is weak. Second? So is the incoming draft class. There is an overall dearth of interior pass rushers this year. That will make the market to acquire Franklin-Myers white hot. There is no way the Bears are in any position to outbid anybody, once again reiterating how difficult that Dayo Odeyingbo contract makes things.

LB Demario Davis

Projected contract: $9.47 million per year

Dennis Allen has a long-standing relationship with the former Pro Bowl linebacker. They did great work together in New Orleans. It’s common knowledge that Chicago will likely cut Tremaine Edmunds in the next few weeks to free up cap space. However, that will leave a considerable void at the position. Absent of clear options, it would make sense for Allen to seek a familiar face to help shore things up. The problem is that Davis is 37 years old. Paying a player that age over $9 million is never a wise decision, especially when they play a non-premium position. Davis is still a productive player. There is no question of that. It’s just that there is no telling how much longer he has, and the Bears have to think about getting younger at that position.

The Green Bay Packers have enjoyed a decisive superiority at quarterback for the past 30+ years. It started with Brett Favre in the 1990s and 2000s, then moved to Aaron Rodgers in the 2010s and early 2020s. However, things have changed recently. While Jordan Love has established himself as a quality quarterback as well, the Bears seem to have leveled the playing field with the arrival of Caleb Williams. In their five matchups against each other since the start of 2024, Williams holds a 3-2 edge.

Packers fans will argue that it doesn’t count because Love left two of those games with an injury. Yet when he had his best performance of the entire rivalry in the playoffs, Williams still beat him. Now it seems people from other fanbases are getting in on the discussion. Grant Cohn, an insider for the San Francisco 49ers and someone who has no love for Green Bay, decided to poke the bear with maximum effort. He came right out and said if the Packers had the option, they’d trade Love for Williams.

Caleb Williams is in their heads.

One look at the comment section tells you the story. Packers fans are sensitive about Love these days. While the starter has put up good numbers since taking over in 2023, he hasn’t won a division title. Williams has already done that. He also won their head-to-head showdown in the playoffs. So, hearing this statement about Green Bay quietly wishing they could swap quarterbacks must hit a nerve. One has the better stat line, but the other seems to have that ability to elevate his team in big moments.

Let’s also remember that Love had the benefit of easing his way into the league. He spent his first three years on the bench learning behind Rodgers. When he took over, he was immersed in the offense and ready to go. Caleb Williams had to play immediately as a rookie and was saddled with Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron as his coaches. One is currently unemployed, and the other was given the honorary title of passing game coordinator by his buddy, Liam Coen, in Jacksonville.

Packers fans must accept reality.

Love is a good player. He’s not Favre or Rodgers. That has been made clear after watching him for three seasons. He is capable enough to win with, but won’t be a guy they win because of. Williams has already proven to be that type of player. Just look at the number of times he dragged the Bears out of the fire last season. Hell, he was doing it as a rookie, too. If Love wants to change the narrative, he must reassert dominance over the rivalry and win a championship.

That is what Favre and Rodgers did.

The problem is that those two never had to deal with a competent quarterback in Chicago. Favre faced guys like Steve Walsh, Erik Kramer, Jim Miller, Rex Grossman, and Kyle Orton. Rodgers had Jay Cutler, Mitch Trubisky, and Justin Fields. Caleb Williams has already proven superior to all those names, and he’s far from a polished product. Green Bay is finding out what life is like when things are on equal footing for the first time in decades, and they don’t like it.

It is good to be Nahshon Wright these days. The cornerback was an afterthought when the Minnesota Vikings cut him last year. He’d already been traded from Dallas after failing to carve out a role with the Cowboys as a 3rd round pick. It was then that the Chicago Bears came calling. They needed cornerback depth, and their new secondary coach was Al Harris, who’d coached Wright in Dallas. He didn’t know it yet, but this would set the stage for a career breakout nobody saw coming.

Injuries slammed the Bears secondary before training camp even began. Jaylon Johnson hurt his groin while training at home. Kyler Gordon’s nagging issues resurfaced as well. Before anybody knew it, Wright was in the starting lineup. Over the next four months, he collected 5 interceptions and 7 total turnovers, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Now he’s set to get a significant raise as a free agent next month. However, from the way he spoke in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, he’s really hoping to stay in Chicago.

Keep in mind, he was not prompted to say this.

Nahshon Wright faces a difficult situation.

Under normal circumstances, the Bears would likely work hard to keep him. There are just several factors that get in the way. For one, the team has already sunk a ton of money into the cornerback position. Johnson and Gordon both received lucrative extensions from the team over the past couple of years. Teams almost never pay three players at one position. It’s a bad allocation of resources. Then there is the fact that Wright, for all his success, was anything but a lockdown corner.

He is what you’d call a feast-or-famine player. Either he was making a big play or the opponent was. That doesn’t mean he has no value. Ballhawk corners can be vital to the success of a defense. The problem is you must be willing to live with the reality that he isn’t someone who can smother top opposing receivers. That is why Chicago isn’t likely to give him an extension. At least not one he or his agent will be happy with. It would have to be team-friendly, and it’s a near certainty Nahshon Wright would get more on the open market.

At that point, it becomes about how much he can live with. Careers in the NFL don’t last long. Players seem duty-bound to get as much money as they can before their bodies can’t handle it anymore. As much as he’d like to stay, Nahshon Wright can’t afford to take a steep discount.