The Chicago Bears could use a spark on offense and there are now rumors that Ryan Poles might be looking to add a WR at the trade deadline. As a reminder, the trade deadline this year is November 1. This means eight weeks will be in the books prior to the deadline. I’m not sure where these rumors are coming from and I find them hard to believe based on prior actions and comments by Poles, but let’s take them for what they are and play with some hypotheticals.
We are watching a Giants team struggle against a Cooper Rush led Dallas Cowboys team and it’s possible that the Bears are able to pull off another crazy win and move to 3-1 on the season. At that point, Ryan Poles’ views on the 2022 season may need to change. At 3-1, this team will at least need to start thinking the playoffs are possible. At that point, it’s Poles’ job to add help and make this team more talented.
The Chicago Bears need to consider a trade for a wide receiver
Now, let me preface this with the fact, I’d rather Poles bring in a wide receiver like Will Fuller and only use money to add to the team vs sending away draft capital. That said, it’s also important to understand Fuller isn’t on any of the other 31 rosters for a reason. Kenny Golladay might not be my first choice as a trade target to help Justin Fields either. I’ll look at a few other options in a separate article. However, it’s probable that the Giants might look to move Golladay — more rumors.
Trade No. 1: Chicago Bears send a future pick for Kenny Golladay
According to NFL’s Ian Rapoport, it’s possible that the Giants might look to trade Kenny Golladay, and to do so they will need to eat a large portion of his salary. Now, when I look at the numbers for Golladay, I see a different picture than what Rapoport paints. He is saying that a new team would take on what’s left of his 2022 base salary (roughly $10 million) plus $4.5 million guaranteed in 2023. This is accurate, but you cannot just ignore the $14.25 million in base salary for 2023 also. Either way, the Chicago Bears can afford to take this on.
There was a chance that Kenny Golladay was going to end up in Chicago back when Ryan Pace was still general manager. Instead, he went on to sign with the New York Giants. Golladay has not lived up to expectations and has been one of the worst signings in recent history. This is why he’s now being rumored to be on the move. Prior to leaving Detroit, Golladay had two very solid seasons in 2018 and 2019. Then injuries set in and he’s never been the same since. This is why he shouldn’t cost too much from a draft capital standpoint.
The Chicago Bears no longer have a seventh-round pick in 2024 because the team traded it for N’Keal Harry. Well, in this case, they give the Giants their 2024 sixth-rounder in exchange for Kenny Golladay and the Giants’ 2024 seventh-rounder.
Anything more than this from a draft capital perspective would be too much in my opinion. This way the Giants get something while the Bears bring Golladay back home to where he played college.
Trade No. 2: Chicago Bears send Robert Quinn for Kenny Golladay and more
With the emergence of Dominque Robinson already, maybe Ryan Poles decides it’s time to move Robert Quinn. Robert Quinn straight up for Kenny Golladay is not remotely close to being an even trade. I literally just watched Golladay drop a pass on third down — granted he wasn’t going to convert it anyway. In this trade, Chicago looks to move a player who won’t be here in the future, while getting Justin Fields more help. The books might be tight on this one for the Giants, but I’ll let the salary cap gurus figure it out.
The Giants had a hard time getting to Cooper Rush on Monday night. They are hoping that first-round rookie, Kayvon Thibodeaux can help bring some pressure, but adding a guy like Robert Quinn to the roster would help tremendously as well. Azeez Ojulari is coming off an eight-sack season in 2021 as an outside linebacker, but he didn’t make much noise with only an assist in his first game of the 2022 season vs the Cowboys.
Adding a player like Robert Quinn to the roster not only helps bring along the two younger EDGE rushers, but it helps the Giants stay ahead of the Commanders and compete with a Cowboys team that is currently missing Dak Prescott. The Giants started the year 2-0 and although it looks like they are about to fall to 2-1, the NFC East could be up for grabs behind the Eagles.
Trade No. 3: The Chicago Bears swap players for Kenny Golladay
In this trade, the Chicago Bears send some much-needed offensive line help to the New York Giants. When the Bears signed Michale Schofield this offseason, most people penciled him in as the starting right guard. Well, he was originally released but re-signed when Alex Leatherwood was placed on the Non-Football Illness list. Leatherwood will be back soon enough and this team doesn’t need the help of Schofield despite him being a starting-caliber guard. The Bears can now send him packing to New York.
I think this is honestly a fair trade for the Giants. They clearly need help on the offensive line and Schofield can help provide that. The team let up five sacks to the Cowboys on Monday night and honestly, it felt like they let up 10+ sacks.
In this trade, the Giants move on from their mistake in signing Golladay, but get a serviceable offensive guard to use as a starter. While, the Chicago Bears get an aging wide receiver who hasn’t been the same since 2019, but offers another option to potentially help Justin Fields and this anemic offense.
3 Changes the Chicago Bears must make to help out Justin Fields
The Chicago Bears offense looks like a shell of an NFL offense. These three changes can help address those issues and unlock Justin Fields' potential.
Again, I’m not for making trades like these when it involves draft picks, but I think any three of these are fair enough. Is Kenny Golladay the answer to help Fields start playing better? Probably not. However, it’s possible a change in scenery is what Golladay needs at this point and maybe Ryan Poles is the guy to give it to him.