The Chicago Bears have some issues on their defense that fans would like them to address, and general manager Ryan Poles got the message loud and clear. Not quite though.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the Bears are signing safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a contract to join the team. Gardner-Johnson came in for a visit with Chicago resulting in the signing.
It's a reunion for Gardner-Johnson and Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who both worked together when the safety was with the New Orleans Saints. Gardner-Johnson is coming off a Super Bowl title with the Philadelphia Eagles last year as a starter, but has bounced between the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens this season.
Gardner-Johnson is a nice addition, but he isn't an edge rusher or cornerback
There's no denying that Gardner-Johnson has been a solid starter in the NFL since being drafted by the Saints in 2019, but why bring him onto the team? Chicago has much bigger problems to fix than at safety.
The Bears are down three starting cornerbacks to injuries with the hope that Tyrique Stevenson will be back sooner. Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson are both on IR.
Chicago also has significant problems at edge rusher with Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo underperforming badly at defensive end. They combine for just four sacks, with three of them coming from Sweat. $146 million between the two of them is not really worth the investment right now.
It'll be interesting to see how Gardner-Johnson is used on the team if the Bears end up running packages with a third safety for him to join Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker. One good thing is that Allen developed Gardner-Johnson into a starting-caliber safety, so he knows how to use him properly.
Read more: Bears' batch of workouts exposes team's biggest positional nightmares in Week 9
The biggest question is, when will the Bears make the move that fans want them to? Maybe fans are asking the wrong question. Will the Bears even do anything at the trade deadline?