The NFL has seen an up-tick when it comes to in-season trades lately, with contenders looking to bolster rosters ahead of playoff pushes and teams out of the postseason picture searching for future considerations and cap space.
Earlier this season, for example, the Steelers traded for Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. And just this week, for another, the Rams sent cornerback Marcus Peters to the Ravens hours before turning around and acquiring an upgrade in the secondary by trading for Jalen Ramsey of the Jaguars.
My gut tells me those will not be the last trades with high-profile names made before the October 29 deadline. Heck, maybe the Bears will get involved in the action.
Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times tackled several major questions facing the Bears as they turned away from the bye week. Among them was whether the Bears would make a trade to improve their roster. Here’s what Lieser wrote:
“If the Bears want to do anything, it needs to be on offense. They could consider alternatives at backup quarterback, but it’s unlikely Nagy would want anyone other than Daniel. The more enticing move would be to fortify the offensive line. The Bears can’t afford to offload any more future draft picks, so they’d have to part with someone from their surplus of skill players, most likely one of the receivers other than Allen Robinson.”
As we approach the trade deadline, at least there is an idea of what the Bears could be looking for in a trade. Offensive line is a major concern at this point, but the Bears will play two games before needing to make a decision on dealing for a lineman or rolling with Rashaad Coward (or Ted Larsen) for the rest of the season. And while the Bears seem set on rolling with Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray as reserve quarterbacks, the team still has time to see how healthy Mitch Trubisky is before deciding on needing to acquire another arm from the outside for this season.
And yet, the challenge of finding partners, fits, and name targets still remain. As does the question of what the Bears would trade in order to get what they want/need. Because as Lieser points out, the Bears don’t have the type of draft capital that would go a long way toward acquiring the type of impact player the team seeks. The Bears could trade from off their current roster, which despite injuries to some key players is still one of the deepest in the league. Lieser points to the Bears’ collection of wide receivers as an area of strength from where the team can trade. And so long as it isn’t Allen Robinson, it is sensible to think that is where a trade fit can happen.
The Bears don’t need to be hyperactive ahead of the trade deadline, but searching for the right deal and fit should be a priority over the next two weeks.