The Chicago Bears entered the offseason with an obvious need. They struggled to put pressure on the quarterback last season, and with not much firepower next to Montez Sweat, adding another pass rusher looked like an easy decision.
General manager Ryan Poles ignored the defensive line multiple times in the NFL Draft. He shook up the secondary and even addressed the offense with some picks and moves, but was unable or unwilling to solve the team's primary issue.
Fortunately for him, there's still time to right his wrong. Arizona Cardinals star pass rusher Josh Sweat might be up for grabs, and Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport listed the Bears as an obvious trade partner.
The Bears have to be all-in on Josh Sweat
"The Bears, meanwhile, are the defending NFC North champions and a team that badly needs to upgrade the pass rush after logging just 35 sacks last season," wrote Davenport. "Pairing Josh Sweat and Montez Sweat would accomplish that goal—and almost guarantee that multiple broadcasters mistakenly call them brothers or cousins, even though they are not related. "
Giving two draft picks for a player is obviously a steep price to pay. Still, a conditional 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 third-round selection for a player coming off posting 12.0 sacks for a losing team sounds more than reasonable.
Sweat has experience playing all over the line. He can adjust to a 4-3 and a 3-4 defense with ease, and he's not even making that much money, considering his position. He's still under contract for two more years, and the Bears can certainly afford to pay him $19 million a year.
Ben Johnson didn't sound too excited about Shemar Turner's progress and injury recovery. Dayo Odeyingbo is also working his way back from injury, and he wasn't much of a factor even when he was healthy.
This team has more than enough resources to get by and be considered a legitimate Super Bowl contender. However, they can't expect to just outshoot and outscore everybody; that's simply not sustainable, especially in the playoffs.
Expecting them to make a run at Maxx Crosby might be nothing but wishful thinking at this point. That leaves guys like Sweat or maybe even Kayvon Thibodeaux as more feasible targets, assuming they're even interested in bolstering the defense.
Dennis Allen left plenty to be desired in his first year as defensive coordinator, and his seat should be somewhat lukewarm early on in year two. Nevertheless, it's not like the team is doing much to help his case, either.
They could've aggressively pursued Cameron Jordan to reunite him with his lifelong defensive coordinator and former head coach, or they could've made a run at A.J. Epenesa, Joey Bosa, or any of the proven headhunters available in free agency. They can still save face, though, and it'll all be forgotten if they make a run at Josh Sweat.
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