Believe it or not, these Chicago Bears currently boast the no. 3 overall defense in the NFL through the first quarter of the season.
But, the defense could get even better if general manager Ryan Poles opts to take advantage of the lowly Los Angeles Chargers. To this point, the Chargers have yet to win a game and are sitting on an old friend of the Bears who's playing on a 1-year contract.
Yes, Khalil Mack is an asbolutely perfect trade target for the Bears right now. Again, playing on a 1-year deal in Los Angeles, he's staring at potentially one of his very last seasons in the league going down the drain.
That is, unless, the Chargers trade him.
A reunion with the Bears makes complete sense, first and foremost, because the Chargers very well may decide to blow things up. That makes the timing of this all the better.
A Chicago Bears-Khalil Mack reunion wouldn't cost much
Four years ago, the Bears traded Mack to the Chargers in exchange for a second-round pick and sixth-round pick. Now 35 years old, with less than a season on his current deal, Mack's trade price would be far less.
A realistic asking price from the Chargers would essentially be to drop the second-round pick from above and maybe raise that sixth rounder to a fifth.
Before this season, the Bears traded defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Atlanta Falcons for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round selection.
Look at it however you want, but the Bears could end up turning Dexter into Mack, here.
They weren't going to pay Dexter anyways, and the defensive line has played pretty well, all things considered. So, turning Dexter into Mack and giving the Bears additional lift in an area of need makes a lot of sense.
Khalil Mack would further bolster the surprising Bears defensive front
Dennis Allen has used Dayo Odeyingbo both on the outside and the inside, and because of his versatility, he's showing up and showing out. Odeyingbo was dead to most Bears fans just six months ago, but he's played great football thus far.
Austin Booker continues to have some big-time flashes. When he makes a play, it's a standout play. He continues to ascend and has been an integral part of this defensive line.
Montez Sweat has been an afterthought, more or less. He has 11 pressures on the season per PFF, but he's done what he's always done in Chicago, and that's to show up just every once and a while.
Bringing Mack aboard would only elevate everyone else. Mack has 3.0 sacks on the season to go with 14 quarterback pressures, eight hurries and three quarterback hits. One underrated part of his game, this year, is the fact that he's got seven stops on defense. So, he will add value in the run defense along with rushing the passer.
Say what you will about the Bears' opponents in the first few games, but the fact is, Dennis Allen has them playing good football. The defensive line is far more active than I would have anticipated.
With Kyler Gordon getting healthy and the eventual return of Coby Bryant, the only missing piece might just be an A or B-level pass rusher, which Mack can still be even at this age.
Caleb Williams is coming back. The Bears are thinking Super Bowl.
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What better way to make a run than to bring back a guy who was once a pure shot of adrenaline spread throughout the entire city of Chicago?
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