Bears: How Chicago won at the trade deadline

With the 2019 NFL trade deadline officially come and gone, it’s clear the Chicago Bears did the right thing by making no moves.

Tuesday was a much anticipated day if you’re a Chicago Bears fan. With the all news and rumors that had emerged over the last few weeks about possible names that could be dealt at the trade deadline, the Bears opted to do nothing and stick with their current roster.

While most wanted to see the Bears trade for a new quarterback such as Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota or C.J. Beathard, once the deadline came and went, the Bears made it clear that they were sticking with Mitch Trubisky for 2019.

Well, let’s be honest about a few things here. First, the Bears didn’t have the necessary capital to trade for a player. While the team does have two second-round picks in 2020 at their disposal, those will be used to replace names like Kyle Long who’s unlikely to return next season.

Second, if the Bears did trade for someone, that player isn’t going to come in and save the Bears season. The Bears have everything inside Halas Hall to turn around a season that’s been disappointing so far but in no ways will a guy like Dalton or Mariota come turn the Bears around.

Third, as bad as the Bears offense has been this season, bringing in a guy midseason would set the offense back even further as it’d require the new starting quarterback to get used to the playmakers the Bears have on offense.

And then there’s the historical aspect of the way the Bears operate at the trade deadline under general manager Ryan Pace. Since assuming the position of general manager in 2015, Pace has only made one trade deadline day deal. Even that came back in 2017 for a wide receiver.

Now, the Bears have put themselves in a position where they can with time, evaluate what parts of the roster need to addressed in the 2020 offseason rather than panicking and striking a deal for a guy at the last minute.

The NFL trade deadline is used by most teams to trade away players that will likely hit the open market the following offseason. Essentially, teams use it to try and trade away those lower-tier players that will end up signing elsewhere for more money. It allows for teams to get a day two or day three draft picks in return as well.

Where most see the Bears sticking with Trubisky and not making any moves as problematic, in the NFL, it’s not just about one player. It’s about what’s doing best for the entire team. Matt Nagy wasn’t getting a new quarterback or any new player at his disposal and then turn the offense around so the Bears did what they thought was right by not making a single move this year.