The Chicago Bears season is a complete disaster. It could not have started any worse, and it appears to be continuing to spiral downward. The team can point to the bright side, but they also have to accept the reality that they will be looking to continue this rebuild in 2024.
So, there should be some players who will be available for trade if the opportunity comes about. If the Bears want to start looking for draft capital, who should they be taking calls for?
5. The Chicago Bears should listen to calls for Yannick Ngakoue
The Chicago Bears tried something, and it did not work. That is okay, and the Bears are still in a spot where they can recoup something. Ngakoue isn't tearing it up in terms of sacks, but he does have 12 pressures, per PFF. Still, the sacks that he did not get, and the missed tackles on his record this year speak to why he continues to bounce from team to team.
Where Yannick Ngakoue stands now, he would be best taking a contender over the hump and not trying to play into a culture he will not be a part of next season. The good news is that the team may be able to get something as well. If you recall, Ryan Poles did get a draft pick for Robert Quinn despite his contract status. Quinn was older and less productive at the time.
The Vikings already did this with Ngakoue once. They signed him, got off to a slow start, and then moved him. The trade worked for both sides. Why would the Chicago Bears not consider this?
4. The Chicago Bears should trade Justin Jones
This is a suggestion that makes so much sense that you know it will not happen. Still, if the Bears were smart, they would trade Justin Jones in the next couple of weeks. Jones has been fine for the Bears, but his status among the Bears linemen probably speaks more to how weak the rest of his peers are and not how good Jones is.
Still, Jones is reliable depth, and there is a need for depth along the defensive line in the NFL. He could fetch something in return if the Chicago Bears were inclined to make a move.
The team would be smart to look into It. First, they are not contending this year. Second, Jones is a free agent next year. You wonder if he would want to return, and the Bears should want him to leave. They did draft Zacck Pickens and Gervon Dexter in the top 70 picks this year after all.
More than that, they drafted Travis Bell late. They should have them in their plans and not Jones. So, why not trade Jones and let Dexter and Pickens split it 40ish snaps per game? Nothing would help those two more, and at least the Bears can get something in return for a player who gave them some help over two rough years.
3. The Chicago Bears have to view Chase Claypool as a sunk cost
Can the Chicago Bears just end this nonsense with Chase Claypool already? He has four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown with the Bears this season. In ten games with the Bears, Chase Claypool has 18 catches for 191 yards, averaging 1.8 catches and 19.1 yards per game. He is averaging 0.9 yards per route run after averaging 1.55 yards per route in Pittsburgh. And Pittsburgh was disappointed with him.
Claypool has hardly improved as a run blocker, he just is not highlight-reel-level bad. The team has to accept that the 32nd pick in this draft has been lit on fire. Joey Porter has not allowed a catch in three games, by the way.
Can the Chicago Bears get anything for Claypool? It is nothing near what they traded for him, but at this point, there are at least teams wondering if they need a little boost to stay in contention. At this point, even a conditional pick will help him because they are squashing any chance they get a compensatory pick for him in return.
At this point, the question is do they let him walk for nothing, or do they sell him for anything they possibly can? Why not try?
2. Jaylon Johnson can get the Chicago Bears solid returns
A lot of these players on this list would be considered selling low at this point. However, the Bears have to sell any way that they can. One way would be selling Jaylon Johnson. It may not be selling high, but at least with Jaylon Johnson, he is not having a bad season. The issue is that he is a lone positive along this defense, and that is not even a highly impactful positive in which he has shown.
Still, Johnson is a free agent this year. He has to think that a different system is better for him, and he was not even drafted to play this system. There are going to be teams calling, and he will leave. The Bears could see him impact the compensatory formula, but they have to spend anyway and will offset it.
They should trade Jaylon Johnson right now while he has value, and teams think they can get nearly a full season from him. It would allow them to play both Tyrique Stevenson and other rookie Terrel Smith, who saw an extended look at playing time on Sunday because of the injuries to both Stevenson and Johnson.
1. Could the Chicago Bears trade D'onta Foreman?
D'onta Foreman was inactive for the second straight week. It is obvious what happened here. The Chicago Bears signed him thinking that they needed him in the role that Roschon Johnson is playing. The Bears did not anticipate drafting a running back, but Johnson was the best player on their board, and they stuck their board.
They even traded down, probably because they wanted to see if Johnson would get taken. They stuck to their board, and it made Forman regret his signing quickly. He simply has no place in this offense because Johnson does everything he can do, but he brings more to the passing game.
Still, this does not mean that D'onta Foreman is washed up or done. He is coming off a great year, and the Bears thought they had a complement and David Montgomery's replacement when they signed him. Foreman has a role in the NFL beyond being inactive for the worst team in the NFL.
This is another one where the team will not get much, but something is worth it.
A team like the Ravens, who are now relying on Kenyan Drake and Melvin Gordon, could upgrade easily. Why not give them a call and take a conditional pick?