Coming off their third straight victory — the last two on the road by identical 25-24 scores that came down to the final play — the Chicago Bears will look to make it four in a row Sunday at Soldier Field against the New Orleans Saints.
If the Bears keep winning and the playoff hunt becomes a genuine possibility, would general manager Ryan Poles look to bolster the roster before the trade deadline? That’s where Brad Biggs begins with his weekly Bears mailbag.
Do you see the Bears making trades, and if so, who are realistic trade targets? Pass rush help? Despite D’Andre Swift’s great game, I would love another running back too. — @mijmania
Boy, was there a flood of questions about the Bears trading for Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons, Trey Hendrickson, Breece Hall, Kayvon Thibodeaux or any other big-name player you can imagine — whether they’d even be available or not.
The Bears (3-2) have won three straight games to make them relevant in a stretch of the schedule that looks easier than anyone could have predicted before the season. The Baltimore Ravens (1-5) are ravaged by injuries, and the Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) are in a jam as they try to find a way to be competitive without quarterback Joe Burrow. The next four opponents, beginning with the New Orleans Saints (1-5) on Sunday at Soldier Field, have a combined record of 6-18.
Folks are eager for the Bears to use future assets to improve the roster now with an eye toward a playoff push by a franchise that hasn’t won a postseason game since Jan. 16, 2011. Consider the aggressive nature of general manager Ryan Poles through his first three seasons, and it’s easy to begin wondering how he could boost the depth chart for first-year coach Ben Johnson.
Given that Poles has been active at the trade deadline in the past, don’t rule out anything. In retrospect, those bold moves have delivered mixed results. The trade for wide receiver Chase Claypool in 2022 was an immediate dud. Defensive end Montez Sweat, acquired a year later, provided an instant impact. Since the start of last season, it’s fair to examine if his production has matched his contract extension.
The Bears’ latest rebuild — and that’s what they’re in the beginning stages of with Johnson — has a goal of putting a product on the field that can sustain success. That was Poles’ announced goal when he arrived, and he survived the Matt Eberflus era, received the autonomy to direct the next coaching search and emerged on the other side with a contract extension.
You can’t look at the vision and plan in place through the vacuum of one season, and the front office better not be doing that. The trade for Claypool, even though it bombed, was easily explained. The Bears lacked wide receivers and were doing anything they could to give quarterback Justin Fields an opportunity to succeed.
Yes, the Bears traded for Sweat at a time they weren’t “all-in” on winning, which is often the motivation for a splashy in-season trade. They were 2-6 when they acquired Sweat. Just my opinion, but that move perhaps was driven by job-security concerns. The Bears were 5-20 under Poles and Eberflus to that point and had no pass rush to speak of. They saw an opportunity to add a player in the prime years of his career who could be a potential difference maker. Some might push back against that assertion and that’s fine, but there are no job-security issues right now.
For Johnson, this season is all about developing quarterback Caleb Williams with an eye toward the future and establishing a foundation for success. There’s added optimism after walk-off road wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders. The best news right now is it’s easy to point to clear improvements by Williams since the start of training camp.
In order to be competitive with the Detroit Lions, who trounced the Bears in Week 2, and the Green Bay Packers, the Bears need more difference makers on their roster. They need to start hitting on more draft picks so they can reap the benefits of high-level play from young players on cost-controlled deals.
Good teams are open-minded to every avenue of acquiring talent. The Bears have been too reliant on free agency over the years, something that predates Poles’ arrival. What should be a means of supplementing the roster has been a place the Bears have gone shopping for building blocks.
You’re asking about trade possibilities, and maybe there’s a move out there that makes sense for Poles and Johnson in the big picture, one that has an impact on the roster now and also makes sense for 2026 and 2027. The cost is what you have to weigh, and that’s before considering salary-cap implications.
Zooming out on the big picture, it’s easy to compile a list of positions that will be of significance when the offseason arrives. Edge rusher, left tackle, defensive tackle, running back, cornerback and safety all come to mind. Maybe there are players on the roster who step up with 12 games remaining to solidify one or two of those spots. Maybe not. Other needs could arise as well.
That’s a lot of positions the Bears could be looking to fill or upgrade before you start thinking about trading away what probably would be substantial draft capital to get some of the big-name players being floated as dream additions.
The Lions and Packers are where they are because they’ve been run very well and they’ve drafted at a higher level than the Bears. There’s hope that is changing and that with Johnson and his staff, the organization will start getting more out of young players, including ones already in place.
I have no doubt my assessment of the situation is far more conservative than many want to consider. But there’s no shortcut to sustained success. Johnson didn’t inherit a turnkey roster, and I view 2025 as a season to evaluate Williams and figure out who can be part of the future push. It’s not the year for an “all-in” move.
We’ll see if I’m wrong or if there’s a transaction that can thread the needle in the judgment of Poles and his staff that makes sense now and for seasons to come. The trade deadline is 3 p.m. Nov. 4.
Also, don’t completely discount the idea the Bears could trade a player. If a team has a need for an experienced offensive tackle, maybe Braxton Jones could be available. That would leave second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo as the swing tackle. Jones would be a rental because he’s in a contract year, so the return would be small, but in a world where everyone wants to talk about potential moves, there’s another idea to file away.
Do you think Tyson Bagent is a name to watch around trade deadline and what would it take to get the Bears to trade him? — @teejay120898
There were a couple of questions about the possibility of the Bears dealing Bagent. Given that readers are often fascinated during all months of the year with the possibility of trades, I’m not surprised. Considering the franchise’s futile history of quarterback development that stretches over decades, I am surprised.
If the Bears have a young player in Bagent who is improving to a point where other teams would have interest in him, why on earth would the organization look to flip him for what probably would be a modest draft pick in return?
Only six quarterbacks started 17 regular-season games last season. Caleb Williams has proved to be durable, but the last thing the Bears want is to be in a situation where they’re forced to start 37-year-old Case Keenum. Again, if Bagent is improving — and he sure looked to be a quick study in the new offense during training camp and the preseason — wouldn’t he provide more value to the Bears as a capable player in the event something happens to Williams?
The Bears signed Bagent to a two-year, $10 million extension in August that puts him under contract through the 2027 season. With incentives, the deal could be worth as much as $16 million. They went to him early with a new contract because they want to keep him around, not to consider what he might be worth in trade. The Bears didn’t extend Bagent with the idea of making him a budget-friendly option for a team in need.
Is it possible the organization explores whether Bagent can get them a decent draft pick down the road? I wouldn’t rule that out. But he probably would need to get some playing time in the regular season and do well to enhance his value. For the remainder of this season and through next year, that seems unlikely.
Was the O-line/D’Andre Swift playing at a high level last week a fluke or can we expect that the rest of the season and rule out a trade for a running back? — @heysrigi
The Bears did a really nice job Monday of getting Swift involved immediately, and we saw some explosive runs — which had been missing — with Swift getting to the edge of the Washington defense and finding creases.
“That’s the best that we’ve played, collectively, as a group,” Ben Johnson said of the line. “We gave those runners some daylight, and they were able to hit the holes. That’s why we were so efficient running the ball. It’s the most efficient we’ve been throughout. I had us around 69% efficient, which was really high for us.”
The running game is a week-to-week proposition for the Bears, but they established a game plan to attack the edges, executed it and reaped the benefits. Some opponents will present a different look or challenge where that might not be at the top of Johnson’s call sheet.
We saw what the Bears are capable of running the football, and that’s a big first step, especially considering Johnson is heavily invested in playing a physical brand of ball. What’s one thing he repeated multiple times last week? He praised the Commanders for how hard they played and how physical they were. The Bears were the more physical team throughout the game.
Swift won’t average 7 yards per carry every week, but by no means would I suggest it was a fluke. I never looked at running back as a position where the Bears would target a trade candidate. Follow the bread crumbs here. Johnson has been positive about Swift since the day he arrived. He cautioned against blaming the backs for struggles in the running game through the first four games. The team finally got Roschon Johnson involved on offense, even if it was just a brief appearance, and the Bears want to see more from rookie Kyle Monangai.
Is Theo Benedet in the running as the long-term answer at left tackle or is he just “best available in 2025”? — @wcgbearsdendude
The Bears wouldn’t have put Benedet at left tackle in the second quarter in Las Vegas and then named him the starter there for the Washington game if they didn’t believe there’s potential upside. After six quarters and change, let’s resist the urge to think long term.
The most encouraging thing I can tell you is the Bears have put no ceiling on Benedet because he has proved to be a really diligent learner. A new coaching staff had no preconceived notions of a player it didn’t know anything about. Benedet was the last of four options to get into the left tackle competition in training camp, and to this point, he has emerged as the one the team likes the most.
As long as Benedet is starting, he’s an option for the future at the position. It’s something the Bears will need a lot more tape to legitimately evaluate.
“Theo, he doesn’t bat an eye,” Ben Johnson said. “It’s like nothing’s too big for him. And I think that about a lot of guys on this team, they’re very clutch. Where the pressure, for a lot of players, it can get to you, it doesn’t get to them. They’re kind of built for these types of moments. He’s in that mold.”
Let’s see how Benedet looks as the season unfolds. There’s no reason he can’t be in the discussion as the future left tackle. Realistically, the Bears will need a lot of evidence to consider removing that position from their need list, but let’s give Benedet credit where it has been earned — he’s off to a solid start.
Since Grady Jarrett wasn’t placed on injured reserve, should we expect him back soon? In either event, will we see Gervon Dexter Sr. playing more at three technique? He seemed to play better there this past game. — @john_f_howard
Jarrett has been sidelined since the Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys. It’s my belief he likely had a procedure on his right knee. Had the Bears placed Jarrett on IR, the earliest he could have returned would have been the Nov. 2 game in Cincinnati. So it’s fair to think the Bears will get him back sooner rather than later.
Remember, teams aren’t going to make an IR move unless it’s a long-term injury or they have an immediate need for a body. Flexibility to elevate players from the practice squad — Jonathan Ford was bumped up for the last two games — makes roster management easier.
As far as Dexter, we’ve seen him more at three technique when he’s on the field with Andrew Billings. Dexter had a nice game at Washington, where the entire front played better. I don’t know that he’s a great fit at that position all the time. You’re looking for a twitched-up player who can be very disruptive. But he played well and that’s a credit to him.
This may sound silly since practice squad guys can be signed away at no cost except money, but can practice squad players be traded? For example, let’s say Kansas City’s kicker sprains an ankle and will be out two or three weeks, so the Chiefs need a kicker but don’t want to commit to putting one on their 53-man roster. Could they trade for Jake Moody and have him on their practice squad? — David K., Albuquerque, N.M.
Another trade question — and one I didn’t expect!
No. Only players on the active roster can be traded. Another team could simply sign Moody to its 53-man roster from the Bears practice squad if it needed a fill-in kicker. I will point out that each Tuesday, teams can designate four players on their practice squad to be protected, meaning another team can’t sign them away from that date until after the game that week.
You’d imagine the Bears are using that protection for Moody this week. However, there is a window at the start of each week in which all practice squad players are eligible to be signed away or poached.
Is DJ Moore getting phased out of the offense? — @wholeg23
No. Moore was on the field for 60 of the 64 offensive snaps Monday, playing to the end with what the team described as an injury that necessitated a precautionary overnight stay at an area hospital. Moore’s 60 snaps were the most for any Bears wide receiver.
He had five targets with three receptions for 42 yards and got two carries as a running back. While Rome Odunze has emerged as the No. 1 target at the position, Moore hasn’t been phased out of what the team is doing.
It seems like Caleb Williams is getting little respect (protection) from the referees. In the Washington game, it seems like he got several questionable hits that were potentially penalizable. In particular, the near-sideline hit by Frankie Luvu seemed particularly egregious. No replay was shown and the only comment made by the announcers (Joe Buck) was that the hit was inbounds … as if that made it OK. Thoughts? — Ron P.
On the play you’re referring to, in which Luvu hit Williams along the sideline, Williams did not have quarterback protection within the rules because he was outside the pocket and had become a runner. Remember, a hit to the head is not always illegal, and Williams was not a defenseless player in this instance. Williams was clearly inbounds when the contaact was made, as Buck pointed out.
At this point, we’ve all seen the immense talent and upside Luther Burden brings to the offense. Do you see his role increasing in any significant way in the coming weeks? — @jackwagonslim
It seems like this has become a weekly staple of the mailbag. What I can tell you is Burden was on the field for 15 snaps at Washington. He ran 12 routes and wound up leading the position group with four catches for 51 yards. When you consider Olamide Zaccheaus played 54 snaps and had a bad drop on a crosser — the ball was perfectly delivered by Caleb Williams — maybe that will create a scenario in which Burden’s playing time increases. He has been consistently in the teens in snaps through the first five games.
The next step is seeing that figure bump up to 25 or slightly more. Some of that will be game-plan-dependent, and DJ Moore’s availability — Ben Johnson called him day to day with his groin injury — is a factor in Sunday’s game against the Saints. I’d say things are looking up for Burden and more playing time.
Are the Bears going to submit the Theo Benedet illegal-formation penalty to the league for clarification? — Kamal T., North Smithfield, R.I.
It’s possible the Bears will seek an explanation from the league on what was a judgment call. It’s notable that Ben Johnson said the officials already had brought it to the attention of the coaches.
“They warn you earlier in the game, whether someone is toeing the line in that regard,” Johnson said. “We did get a warning. Clearly, they thought that he was a little too far back on that one.”
Given that this is a judgment call, I’m not sure the team will look to explore if further. What is the league going to tell them? “In the estimation of the official, Benedet wasn’t legally aligned”?
“Only if we need clarity on how we’re coaching something,” Johnson said of what he seeks when the team does ask the league for explanations. “There might have been one or two from this game that we weren’t quite sure how we need to coach this better. That’s really the extent of it.”
When can we expect Jaylon Johnson back, realistically? — @donluc12503
Ben Johnson has offered no potential timeline on a return for the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback. We’ll have to see how things progress for Jaylon Johnson in his recovery from core muscle surgery to repair a groin injury.
It’s hard to imagine Johnson being an option before December, and while I don’t believe there’s any guarantee he’s back on the field this season, I can tell you the team is optimistic that it’s at least a possibility.
“I’m feeling good, moving around a lot better,” Johnson said last week in an appearance on WSCR-AM 670 when he was two weeks removed from surgery. “Just looking forward to making the progress each and every week. No matter what happens — unless you suffer a very significant injury where you know your season is over — but for myself, the biggest thing for me is to get healthy as quick as I can.
“I’m not putting a time on anything. I’m not going to say I’ll be good in weeks or months. It’s just about going day by day. Clearly soft-tissue injuries stem from other things a lot of the time. For me it’s trying to figure out where mine stem from.”