4 former Bears players who just missed the start of the Caleb Williams era

2. Khalil Mack, DE

Almost two years ago to the day, the Bears sent former All Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a second and sixth-round pick. Mack had come off a season that saw him miss some time due to injury and, because of his age and where the roster was, Ryan Poles made the decision to send him out West.

After one year with the Chargers, the trade looked like a smart move from Chicago's point of view. Mack played in all 17 games and finished with a modest 8.0 sacks in 2022. But last year? That was a different story. Mack posted a career-high 17.0 sacks in Los Angeles over the 2023 campaign, including a ridiculous 6.0-sack performance in Week 4 against the Raiders.

All in all, Mack had himself five multi-sack games on the year en route to yet another Pro Bowl.

The Bears added Montez Sweat by way of a second-round pick in a trade last season, finally getting a top-tier pass rusher to replace Mack with. But, this team could still use more help off the edge. Imagine Mack coming back to Chicago and playing opposite Sweat. What a frightening sight that would be for opposing offenses. Meanwhile, you have one of the greatest quarterback prospects of all-time on the other side of the ball.