Following the Chicago Bears' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night to end the team's 2024 preseason schedule, head coach Matt Eberflus admitted there was some concern regarding the depth that the Bears had at the defensive tackle position.
With teams finalizing their 53-man roster ahead of the roster deadline on Tuesday, the Bears were believed to be in the market for a pass rusher and defensive tackle this weekend.
On Friday, the Bears addressed their need for a pass rusher as they acquired Darrell Taylor from the Seattle Seahwaks for a sixth-round pick. The Bears had three 2025 sixth-round picks at their disposal entering the weekend and on Saturday, they included a second sixth-round pick in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
On Saturday, the Bears sent a sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for defensive tackle Chris Williams.
The Bears have acquired DT Chris Williams (and a seventh-round pick) from the Browns for a 2025 sixth-round pick (from MIA - Claypool trade).
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) August 24, 2024
Williams was with Matt Eberflus in Indianapolis. Had two sacks and four QB hits for Cleveland this preseason.
Matt Eberflus can rest easy with the Bears' latest addition for defensive tackle depth.
As Kevin Fishbain notes, the sixth-round draft pick that the Bears gave up in their move for Williams was the pick they acquired from the Miami Dolphins last season in the Chase Claypool trade. The Bears now hold one sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the pick they got from the Pittsburgh Steelers for quarterback Justin Fields. The pick could convert to a fourth-round pick if Fields plays in more than 51% of the Steelers' offensive snaps this season.
As with the addition of Taylor, the Bears are beginning in a defensive lineman in Williams who is familiar with the cover-2 system that Eberflus runs. The Bears needed depth at defensive tackle, and Williams added a veteran presence to the rotation.
The grade on this trade is an easy B for the Bears. The purpose of having multiple late-round picks in the same round is for teams to make trades like the one the Bears made on Saturday, given them much-needed depth at an important position in Eberflus' defense.