Trade idea has Bears going all-in in a way that might actually come to fruition

For the first time in a long time, the Chicago Bears have the look of a sustainable contender. The base of young talent is strong, and after a focus on the offensive side of the ball last offseason, the focus is sure to shift to defense this offseason.

General manager Ryan Poles wants to keep building the roster the right way, so last season's success is only the start of a long run as a big factor in the NFC North and the NFC as a whole. Head coach Ben Johnson's history in Detroit also suggests all-in moves to get fans excited aren't coming. While an opportunity to make a move to acquire a noteworthy player won't be turned down, it will have to make sense.

As of right now, with one free agent departure, especially moving toward inevitable if we read the tea leaves, the Bears don't have any starting safeties under contract for next season.

Trade idea has Bears going all-in in a more realistic fashion

Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report has stepped into the deep end of the pre-draft speculation pool with six trade ideas to give teams outside the top-10 a top-10 pick in April's proceedings.

Here's what Davenport had involving the Bears, rooted in the premise that a certain team in the top-10 is interested in moving out.

"Chicago Bears Receive: 2026 Round 1 Pick (1.06), 2026 Round 5 Pick (5.01)"
"Cleveland Browns Receive: 2026 Round 1 Pick (1.25), 2026 Round 3 Pick (3.25), 2027 Round 1 Pick"

"The Chicago Bears are coming off their first NFC North title since 2018, but the team has some significant needs. The safety position could be at the top of that list—the team's top three safeties (Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker and C.J. Gardner-Johnson) are all slated to hit free agency."

"Safety isn't generally a position teams move up to address, but it's not every year that a prospect like Ohio State's Caleb Downs enters the NFL. Downs may well be the No. 1 player overall in the class, and were he to slide to No. 6 he'd be worth the cost for a Bears team with eyes on a trip to SoFi Stadium next February."

Caleb Downs is a rare safety prospect who is shaping up to be worthy of a top-10 overall pick. With the quarterback class being what it is this side of Fernando Mendoza, he might be the best prospect in this year's draft, and he might not make it out of the top-five. If the Bears were to try to move into the top-10, depending on how things go in free agency, it would most likely be with Downs as the target. No other player who could fill a need is worthy of such a dramatic move up.

Moving up 19 spots in the first round would, of course, be costly. But Davenport's proposal, assuming the Bears' 2027 first-round pick is in the range of 25th overall again, aligns nicely with the popular draft pick trade value charts as a fair trade for both sides.

All-in moves don't have to be for established veterans. If the Bears were to go all-in this offseason, it would more likely be for a player they particularly covet in the draft. Davenport's idea is bold, but it could be in play for Poles if the very early part of the draft falls the right way.