Chicago Bears should begin fire sale by trading these 5 players
By Ryan Heckman
The Chicago Bears should trade Jimmy Graham at the deadline
When the Bears opted to keep Jimmy Graham around instead of saving roughly $5 million, some thought he would then continue to be part of this offense. That’s been anything but the case, however, as he has just one catch on the season.
Cole Kmet has been fully integrated into the offense as the Bears’ primary pass-catching tight end, and even Jesper Horsted and Jesse James have seen a little run. Graham is not getting the snaps, and the Bears should move on if they can.
Chicago won’t get much by dealing Graham, but if they could even swing a seventh-round pick in exchange for the veteran tight end, that would be a win. It’s rare that a late-round pick turns into anything, but remember, the Bears got Khalil Herbert in the sixth round this year.
A team that makes a lot of sense is the San Francisco 49ers, funny enough. George Kittle has dealt with an injury this year, and Graham would be a great red zone threat for Jimmy Garoppolo. Even when Kittle returns, having those two inside the 20 would be a dangerous combination. Graham showed last season that he is still capable of going up and pulling down those tougher touchdown grabs.