The Chicago Bears interior defensive line is one of the biggest needs that the team has. With the Indianapolis Colts trading DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers, it looks like a failed attempt by General Manager Ryan Poles to give the team an impact player at a position of need.
Chicago Bears fail to add DeForest Buckner at the deadline
The Bears elected not to pay Gervon Dexter this offseason. Instead, they traded him to the Atlanta Falcons to get something from him before he left them in free agency. Still, this has left the room with more questions than answers on the interior defensive line.
Grady Jarrett leads the unit in snaps, but the 33-year-old is not nearly the same player as when he was a Pro Bowl-caliber player. He would be best in a complementary role. Kentavius Street is their number two interior lineman. He is a journeyman on his fourth NFL team in seven NFL seasons.
Neville Galimore is next with 124 snaps, but he has been the biggest disappointment of the group.
They have James Lynch, but he has 83 snaps as an edge rusher and 81 snaps along the interior. Then, they have rookie Jordan van den Berg, who has not shown much progress.
Adding Buckner would have given them a two-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowl option. Buckner has 75.5 career sacks, and while he is 32 years old, he has four sacks this season on a losing team.
Buckner expressed frustration playing for a losing team. Coming to the Chicago Bears, where they are 5-2 and in the middle of a playoff push, sounds like it would have been the perfect addition.
Buckner was just a rental, and the team only needed a fourth-round pick to add him. The only reason the Bears might have missed out is if Buckner really wanted to go to San Francisco.
Buckner was drafted by the 49ers and competed for a Super Bowl with the 49ers. He was traded to the Colts for a first-round pick. So, there is likely sentimental value with the trade beyond just going to a contending team.
The Colts franchise likely wanted to do right by Buckner, who has been a staple in Indianapolis, both on the field and in the community. So, there might not have been anything the Bears could do. Still, seeing an NFC contender add a big name at a position they need hurts.
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