With just two weeks to go before the NFL trade deadline, the Chicago Bears are officially a team worth monitoring.
We heard bits and pieces from both Adam Schefter and Jay Glazer, on Sunday Morning, about how the Bears should be a team fully in the mix in terms of the buyers.
With that said, who should be the highest on Chicago's board if they wanted to make a real needle-moving type of acquisition? I'm not talking the pathetic trade of last year's caliber where Ryan Poles went out and dealt for Joe Tryon-Shoyinka who went on to hardly see the field in Chicago.
No, these would be bigger moves for players who would come in and play a healthy amount of snaps right away.
Honorable Mention: Zyon McCollum, CB, Buccaneers
Last week, I had Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum in the top five. However, Tampa Bay looked unstoppable in Baker Mayfield's return as their ground game lit Carolina on fire. With the NFC South wide open, the Bucs may not be the sellers we once thought they might be.
5. Josh Sweat, EDGE, Cardinals
Josh Sweat might eventually work his way off of this big board, because I'm not too convinced he's the type that will really move the needle. Through seven games, he's notched just 2.0 sacks. To be fair, that number doesn't always tell the full story.
But, he also only has a measly seven quarterback pressures on the year, per Pro Football Reference. That isn't going to cut it. For reference, Dayo Odeyingbo has nine pressures in five games.
Sweat still has the potential to be a very good starter in this Bears defense, though. He's had two double-digit sack seasons, most recently coming last year with 12.0. The Arizona Cardinals are a train wreck, and I'm not sure I'd be motivated to play my best ball on that squad either.
His contract runs through the 2028 season, paying him an average of $19 million annually, but Chicago could still choose to cut him during that same 2028 offseason and save $12 million if worse came to worse.
Between Montez Sweat, [Josh] Sweat, Odeyingbo, Austin Booker and Daniel Hardy, Chicago could have enough within a five-man rotation to do some damage. But, I wouldn't pay more than a fourth rounder for Sweat if I were Poles.
4. Riq Woolen, CB, Eagles
This isn't a name I'm thrilled to have on the list, but Riq Woolen has had a mostly-positive season in Philadelphia. He feels way too much like Tyrique Stevenson, to me, but he has had some bright spots this year.
Unfortunately, he didn't have many bright spots against the Cowboys on Monday night. Woolen was beaten badly, a few times, by Cowboys wide receivers. Now, is that just because CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are that good?
Maybe.
Chicago's secondary is obviously in question. Jaylon Johnson, along with Stevenson, have been awful to start this year, and I don't know if Johnson is ever going to revert back to a fraction of what he once was at this stage.
Woolen is on a one-year deal with the Eagles, so he wouldn't cost much. With Jalen Hurts out for the season, Philly doesn't have a lot of hope and may become sellers at the deadline. We know how much Howie Roseman loves a good deal, so Woolen is 100 percent a likely trade candidate.
If Kyler Gordon stays healthy, and the Bears can line Malik Muhammad up on the outside, along with Woolen, that's a much better cornerback group than trotting Johnson and Stevenson out there.
3. Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE, Chargers
The Chargers were on a much-needed bye week, but sitting at 0-6, there are whispers that Los Angeles is still holding firm and standing pat ahead of the trade deadline. That sounds like pure coach/GM speak at this point, because we all know just how bad it looks in L.A. right now, and the Chargers need to offload anyone they can to accumulate draft capital.
Tuli Tuipulotu remains an interesting trade target, even though the Chargers beat would tell you they're likely hanging onto him at the deadline.
Tuipulotu is in the final year of his rookie contract, which makes this all the more intriguing for Chicago. If they traded for a player like him, the Bears would have to already have an extension in mind. Paying a high premium for a one-year rental wouldn't make sense, and Poles would have to have the money worked out.
Still, he's an ascending player and has increased his sacks every year to this point in his career. 2026 has obviously been tough, all around, for the Chargers. Tuipulotu has 2.0 sacks this year. But in Dennis Allen's defense, I think we see a motivated Tuipulotu and a strong addition to the unit.
2. DeForest Buckner, DT, Colts
If the Bears cannot land a pass rusher (namely, the next guy on this list), then they need DeForest Buckner. He is the best option out there and can help influence the pass rush from the interior.
Buckner's Colts are now sitting at 2-5 after a Week 7 loss to the Vikings and he sounds like he is completely out on Indianapolis. In the final year of his contract, Buckner is as good a bet to be traded as anybody in the league right now.
The 32-year-old has 4.0 sacks a year and is at the point in his career where winning trumps all. He isn't happy in Indianapolis. He knows it's the same old song and dance each year with his current team.
Getting him opposite Grady Jarrett would give this Bears front a better chance going forward. Jordan van den Berg hasn't taken the step we thought he might take as a rookie, but Kentavius Street has had some good moments.
Buckner would allow the pressure to be taken off guys like Street and James Lynch. Also, once Dayo Odeyingbo comes back, the depth gets that much better, with him being able to play both inside and out.
1. Khalil Mack, EDGE, Chargers
We've been dreaming of this reunion for a while, now.
That's where Adam Schefter's latest comes into play. On Sunday morning, Schefter told the world the Bears had been calling the Chargers in regards to Mack, and he wondered if Chicago would simply "keep calling" as the deadline approached.
Mack started this season hot with 3.0 sacks in four games but has cooled off since then. We can chalk that up to playing for a miserable franchise (Bears fans know that all too well).
Read more: Bears Week 7 aftermath: Caleb Williams shuts 'em up, Rome Odunze's yin and yang
However, if Chicago tossed out a fifth-round pick, a reunion with Mack seems likely. And one can't help but wonder if Mack wants to come back and finish what he started in the Windy City.
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