Bears offered trade mulligan to fix what's shaping up as a free agency mistake

The Chicago Bears had some key things to fix during their Week 5 bye, perhaps most notably the league's worst run defense at the time (164.5 yards per game). The returns of linebacker T.J. Edwards and cornerback Kyler Gordon stood to make a big difference there, and in Week 6 against the Washington Commanders that came to fruition. Take out quarterback Jayden Daniels' rushing production (10 carries for 52 yards), and the Bears allowed 3.4 yards per carry.

The Bears surely want to repeat that performance defending the run as much as possible moving forward. But they have been, and will be, attacked differently on the ground than how the Commanders did with one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the NFL as a focal point.

The Bears' struggles stopping the run are not new. Amid all of last season's issues, they also had the league's 28th-ranked run defense. During the offseason, general manager Ryan Poles probably thought he made a notable move to fix it.

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett has missed the Bears' last two games due to a knee injury. In the three games he has played, since signing a three-year, $42.75 million contract during the offseason, he has not been impactful, with zero sacks, four total tackles, and an overall Pro Football Focus grade that ranks 116th out of 192 defensive tackles in the league.

Jarrett showed signs of decline in his last years with the Atlanta Falcons, but he has quickly landed as a fresh addition on the list of mistakes Poles has made.

Bears offered a nice trade pivot to rectify free agency mistake

A notable trade for a defensive tackle could be in play for the Bears, but as expected, the Tennessee Titans won't easily part with Jeffery Simmons. So if they do make such a trade, some proverbial lower-hanging fruit will have to be on the radar.

Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus had the Bears as a potential team fits for some of his 20 top trade candidates heading toward the Nov. 4 deadline, including Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Calais Campbell.

"Even at 39, Campbell has still been an above-average player for the Cardinals this season. He’s on track for a 15th straight year with a 71.0-plus overall PFF grade, and has been a well-rounded addition for Arizona’s new-look defense. Campbell has generated 11 pressures while also producing a 70.0 PFF run-defense grade."

The 39-year-old Campbell is obviously not taking on the workload he did when he was younger (48 percent of the Cardinals' defensive snaps so far this season). But he continues to get it done, with three sacks, nine quarterback hits, and four tackles for loss through six games. Last season, at age 38, he was, of course, PFF's sixth-highest graded defensive tackle with an 82.3 overall mark.

The Bears, and other teams who could use a defensive tackle, should have interest in Campbell. There is an important layer to the conversation though.

The Cardinals drafted Campbell back in 2008, and he chose to go back there for what looks to be his final season. Such as they may get calls about him before the trade deadline, they'll probably ask him if he's willing to be moved. If he wants to stay and finish what could be his final season as a Cardinal, for whatever reason, he'll be able to stay.

Read more: Ben Johnson's subtle call out of Troy Aikman will make Bears fans love him more

Barring a marked turnaround in his performance, Jarrett will go down as a massive overpay in free agency by the Bears. It's rare to have a viable way to fix a mistake like that put in front of you on the trade market so quickly, but Campbell is and Poles should find out about his availability.