Ryan Poles has established a trend since taking over as Chicago Bears GM. Unlike his predecessors, he isn’t afraid to be active at the NFL trade deadline. He acquired Chase Claypool and Montez Sweat for 2nd round picks in 2022 and 2023, respectively. If Poles thinks there is a good player to be had on the market, he’s not afraid to get aggressive. Chicago has two 2nd round picks next year. If they want to flip one for a proven player to help what could be a playoff push, they can.
A source informed SM that Poles is monitoring the market closely. Three teams are said to have his attention: the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, and New England Patriots. All three are currently 1-4 and fading fast. Cleveland is stuck with Deshaun Watson, who might be the worst quarterback in the NFL. Los Angeles is horribly banged up. New England just turned to rookie Drake Maye as the quarterback despite glaring offensive line issues. It is hard to imagine any of those teams turning things around before the November 5th deadline.
It was also mentioned that two other struggling teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders, aren’t interested in selling for the time being.
Poles is smart enough to target organizations in a clear transition or rebuilding phase. Such was the case with Washington last year when he poached Sweat. Cleveland, L.A., and New England are all clear examples as well. This means they have likely reached a point where they’re focused on stockpiling draft picks and cap space for next year. According to the source, Chicago is focused on finding help for their interior offensive line and maybe another pass rusher.
Here are some names that could make sense:
Teller is a three-time Pro Bowler who should be back from Injured Reserve before the deadline. Garrett is one of the two or three best pass rushers in the NFL. Uche has been somewhat hit-and-miss the past two years but had 11.5 sacks in 2022, so he’s capable. Jordan is the lone bright spot for New England’s pass protection, allowing only five pressures. Dotson has been a solid player in both Pittsburgh and L.A. Everything comes down to price for the Chicago Bears. Cap space won’t be a huge issue. Pick compensation shouldn’t be too steep for any of those names aside from Garrett.
It comes down to who those teams are willing to part with.
