As what the Chicago Bears might do between now and the Nov. 10 trade deadline is considered, visions of a big fish to help the defense are easy. Struggling teams elsewhere have multiple potential options on that front, and Bears fans clearly want a reunion with Khalil Mack to rescue him from the 0-6 Los Angeles Chargers.
When it comes down to it, though, the defense has performed pretty well overall this season. You can't ignore Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers, and a stretch of the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, but Dennis Allen has done what he can with what he has, and the return of cornerback Kyler Gordon in Week 6 was huge.
The Bears are of course being prominently mentioned as a potential suitor for a lot of defensive players who may be available at the trade deadline, and general manager Ryan Poles may make a deal if it makes sense.
With that in mind, if someone is acquired, it may not be a big name who will get fans excited. But if said player proves to be an impactful fit, that's all that matters.
New Bears' trade proposal might just be boring enough to work perfectly
ESPN's Bill Barnwell has offered some pre-deadline trade proposals heading into Week 7. One involves the Bears, of course, but it's sure to inspire a collective yawn from fans and followers.
Bears get: Edge Anthony Nelson, 2027 seventh-round pick
Buccaneers get: 2027 sixth-round pick
Barnwell noted the current absences of Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingo, as Sweat finishes a two-game suspension this week and Odeyingbo is on IR. Those absences aren't long-term concerns, though, which theoretically reduces the need to trade for a big-name player to fill out the defensive front.
"Nelson represents reasonable depth behind Odeyingbo, Sweat and Austin Booker, who leads the Bears with four sacks. Nelson has been a rotational player for most of his time with Tampa Bay, but the signing of Al-Quadin Muhammad, the selection of Rueben Bain Jr. in the first round of this year's draft and the surprising emergence of second-year pro David Walker has kept Nelson off the field. The 29-year-old has played just 12 of 139 possible defensive snaps over the past two weeks for the 1-5 Bucs.
Now in his eighth season with the Buccaneers, Nelson has never had more than 5.5 sacks in a season. He has also played more than 500 defensive snaps just twice in seven full seasons.
Last season, according to Pro Football Focus, Nelson's13.4 percent pass rush win rate was top-40 among edge rushers with at least 127 pass rush snaps. Narrowing to true pass sets, his 21.4 pass rush win rate was top-20 among the same group of qualifying edge rushers.
As of this week, as Barnwell noted, Nelson is due to make $2.7 million over the rest of the season, and that's what an acquiring team would pick up in a trade. Barnwell also tapped right into the expected fan sentiment about the mere idea of trading for Nelson.
"Bears fans might want someone like Josh Sweat, and I can understand why, but Chicago's pass rush has quietly been more effective than many expected heading into the season, which leads me to a more modest addition up front."
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Using Barnwell's proposed swap of 2027 Day 3 draft picks, the actual cost to acquire Nelson would be whatever the prorated portion of his base salary is for the rest of the season. It wouldn't be a splashy addition, but as things sit right now, an effective rotational edge rusher may be all the Bears need.
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