There was so much buzz around the Chicago Bears being the favorites to land edge rusher Maxx Crosby, but that never materialized as he ended up with the Baltimore Ravens in a trade.
The Bears have been big players in the offseason to go get an edge rusher to help Montez Sweat out, so it was a surprise to many when Crosby did not go to the Windy City. ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler shared behind-the-scenes details of the Crosby trade, but his one sentence on the Bears' involvement won't make fans happy.
"The Chicago Bears monitored the situation, but the sense was they weren't major players in the end."
Bears weren't really involved with Maxx Crosby trade talks
This is a frustrating update on the Bears, but one that has been known for a little bit. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter alluded to this late in the process, as he had not heard much about the Bears having conversations about Crosby.
For a team that really needs an edge rusher, the Bears don't seem to be in any kind of rush to get one or to spend too much money. Fowler shared what Chicago is thinking about with edge rushers.
"Yes, they could use pass-rush help. But I don't sense Chicago is desperate for a splashy pass rusher. Much will depend on price."
This screams that the Bears are not going to go after the top edge rushers in free agency like Trey Hendrickson or Jaelan Phillips. Those guys are going to command over $20 million per year, and it's clear that the Bears want money in the salary cap, but don't want to break the bank on just one player.
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Bears fans are going to have to be patient with the team, as it appears that general manager Ryan Poles isn't going to go out of his way for the top guys. There seems to be a plan in place, so Poles will have to be trusted to get the job done.