The Chicago Bears are in the middle of a rebuild under new general manager Ryan Poles. This offseason, Poles worked to overhaul the roster, which included getting rid of expensive veterans and signing a lot of affordable one-year deals.
The result has been arguably the worst roster in the entire NFL. But things are looking up for the Bears, who are slated to have north of $100 million in salary cap space in 2023.
With the NFL’s trade deadline approaching, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell had two hypothetical trade proposals for the Bears, which involves acquiring additional draft capital in exchange for two key veterans, ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline.
Bears trade DE Robert Quinn to Rams
Rams get: EDGE Robert Quinn
Bears get: 2023 third-round pick, 2024 third-round pick
Here’s what Barnwell had to say:
Quinn would be this year’s Miller — the veteran No. 1 edge rusher getting a chance to play next to a future Hall of Famer on the interior. The former Defensive Player of the Year only has one sack in five games this season, but he just finished an 18.5-sack season with the Bears. No one else likely to be available to the Rams this fall has a higher ceiling on the edge than Quinn.
This is a trade that many had pegged to go down in the offseason. After Chicago dealt Khalil Mack to the Chargers, Robert Quinn became the team’s biggest salary cap hit at $17.14 million. While he’s 32, Quinn’s trade value was never higher than it was during the offseason after a year where he set a Bears franchise record with 18.5 sacks in 2021. But Quinn has gotten off to a slow start in 2022 with just one sack in six games. His value is certainly lower than it was in the offseason. But there could be a contender willing to trade for Quinn’s services.
Bears trade RB David Montgomery to Ravens
Ravens get: RB David Montgomery
Bears get: 2023 fifth-round pick
Here’s what Barnwell had to say:
With the Bears likely to shop in free agency next offseason, they probably will not be in position to gain a compensatory pick for Montgomery when he leaves. The same isn’t true for the Ravens, who typically mine the league’s compensatory formula for all it’s worth. It’s not clear whether the Ravens trust J.K. Dobbins right now, given that his snap percentage dropped between Week 4 and Week 5. And Kenyan Drake has been dismal as the team’s veteran back, while Justice Hill hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
This one is a little more surprising considering Montgomery is in the final year of his rookie deal. But he’s proven to be a dependable playmaker for the Bears, and a contender could certainly benefit from him in the backfield. It would all depend on how Chicago views Montgomery beyond 2022. If they are interested in signing him to an affordable extension, it wouldn’t make sense to deal him. But if the Bears are content with Khalil Herbert and Trestan Ebner moving forward, acquiring a fifth-round pick for a player who was already set to depart in free agency would be a solid move by Poles.
