3 stats Chicago Bears must know about trading for Ryan Bates 

2. The Chicago Bears have control of Ryan Bates for the next two years 

The Chicago Bears traded a fifth-round pick, which can be valuable at this time of the year. It is a shot at a prospect you just saw at the NFL combine, and it is a four-year contract at rookie salary pricing. However, the Bears have a player they trust. 

They also have a player who is under control beyond this upcoming season. Ryan Bates has a $5.4M cap hit this year. If things do not work out, the Bears could cut him after this year and would eat $2.6M in dead cap space in 2025. It is not a significant loss.

However, they would be on the books for $5.4M in 2025 if he did end up staying on the roster. The Bears paying $5M for a backup seems like a lot until you realize how much he may be playing. 

More than that, the team was paying Lucas Patrick $5.3M just last year. Until Jenkins got hurt in training camp, the plan was for Patrick to be a backup. So, the Chicago Bears essentially replaced Patrick with an upgrade that they trust. That makes it worth a fifth-round pick, and the two years of team control, even though they are above rookie salary terms.