Whether the Chicago Bears are buyers or sellers as we race toward the NFL’s 3 p.m. central trading deadline is still to be determined.
We’ll find out soon enough, but first, a little drama:
With OL depth at a premium, teams are calling the #Bears interested in trading for veteran G Josh Sitton, sources say. 2 hours to go.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 31, 2017
Ian Rapoport if NFL Network reports teams have called the Bears inquiring about the availability of starting right guard Josh Sitton. As Rapoport notes, offensive line depth is at a premium and Sitton would be an ideal trade target for a contending team to beef up its offensive line.
Then again, Sitton has a ton of value on the Bears. After all, the team is still trying to develop rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Doing it without a top-flight offensive lineman like Sitton would only add to the challenges Trubisky faces weekly.
Chicago’s offensive line was viewed as a strength entering the season, but the line’s interior trio has struggled to stay healthy this season. The Bears ended Week 8 with Sitton playing center and being flanked by left guard Bradley Sowell and right guard Tom Compton. So losing Sitton would open up some issues on the depth chart at the position.
Sitton was released by the Green Bay Packers prior to the 2016 season, and the Bears scooped right in with a lucrative theee-year deal. So any team interested in Sitton’s services would absorb the remainder of the three-year deal signed in 2016, which makes Sitton that much more of a valuable asset on the trade market.