Chicago Bears: 4 trade offers to make before it’s too late
By Ryan Heckman
3. Shore up interior line
The Falcons aren’t going anywhere this season. The Bears, meanwhile, still sit at 3-1 and have a better chance than most at making the playoffs. While the offense has been a major disappointment, a key aspect of the defense has been lacking.
Chicago has not been great against the run so far, giving up chunk runs each and every game so far. With Eddie Goldman opting out, Bilal Nichols has been asked to fill in. So far, he has not done enough to shore up the run defense. It’s not necessarily on Nichols, either. Being asked to play a position consistently that he’s not used to playing is tough.
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The Falcons are getting Grady Jarrett back from injury, but how much will it matter when their season is all but lost now at 0-4? If the Bears are serious about improving their run defense, snagging a guy like Jarrett may be just the thing they need.
When Goldman ultimately returns, he’ll have two years left on his deal. If the Bears wanted to, they could play Jarrett in place of Nichols next year while Akiem Hicks is on the other side. Jarrett is locked in on a four-year extension as of 2019, so he and Goldman would co-exist for two seasons at least.
The Bears need to stop the run and have plenty of pass rush with Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn and Hicks. Jarrett would be a great buy if the Falcons were willing to sell.